Chapter 816

Bear-san Observes Herb Processing

By the time we finished collecting the Bewilderment Flowers, the sun was setting.

It got dark quickly because of the dense trees.

We decided to spend the night near the place where Bewilderment Flowers were blooming.

Mane-san said it was safe.

No monsters would come near the Bewilderment Flowers. It might be more accurate to say they couldn’t come.

I set up the bear house a little distance away from the Bewilderment Flowers.

“It really doesn’t feel like we’re in a dangerous forest” (Mane)

Mane-san collapsed on the sofa.

“And thanks to these kids, I haven’t even had to walk.” (Mane)

She stroked the heads of Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear in their cub forms.

“We were able to collect a lot of medicinal herbs” (Mane)

Mane-san kicked her legs back and forth on the sofa.

“Mane-san, you’re sloppy. You are not a child anymore, right?” (Yuna)

“Ugh, Yuna is younger than I am.” (Mane)

“If you think so, then act properly.” (Yuna)

Even though they were both looking young, she was nothing like Kagali-san.

Even though Kagali-san might look like a child, she was mature and had an adult vibe.

But Mane-san was different.

She felt more like a child who had just grown up.

Also, the seat where Mane-san usually sat was mine.

I remembered Fina scolding me, saying, “Yuna-oneechan, you’re sloppy.”

When I think about it, Fina might be the most mature little girl that I know.

But I think she was a little too mature.

“That’s right, Yuna.” (Mane)

“What?” (Yuna)

“You said that the bear next door is the room used to dismantle monsters.” (Mane)

My bear house was made up of a big bear and a small bear attached to each other, and the big bear was the living space, and the small bear was Fina’s dismantling space.

“Can I use that room for a bit?” (Mane)

“No problem, but what are you going to use it for?” (Yuna)

“I want to process the herbs I picked today in a simple way. If I don’t process them while they’re fresh, their effectiveness will decrease.” (Mane)

Even an amateur like me could tell that fresh herbs were more effective than damaged herbs.

So I gave her permission.

“Can I watch?” (Yuna)

I wanted to see Mane-san work.

There was no problem with preparing dinner, since all I had to do was serve simple meals and ready-made dishes.

“Okay, but it’s not that interesting to watch.” (Mane)

After I prepared the bath, I moved to the dismantling room with Mane-san.

“It’s so clean you wouldn’t think it was a dismantling room.” (Mane)

It was clean because it’s hardly ever used.

Fina only used it when I first came to Crimonia.

Since I started living in Crimonia, she had been dismantling monsters in my Bear House in Crimonia.

Mane-san placed the herbs she picked today on the table.

Then she took out three rectangular boxes, about 30cm long, from her item bag and placed it on the table.

“What are those?” (Yuna)

“They’re magic tools for drying herbs.” (Mane)

Mane-san put the herb leaves into the drying boxes.

Then she reached for the next herb.

This was an herb she harvested with its roots.

She took out her knife and separated the roots, stems, and leaves.

“This herb has different effects and uses depending on the part, so they need to be separated.” (Mane)

She explained, as if she noticed my gaze.

“I mix them together and adjust them depending on the person.” (Mane)

“Just like an apothecary.” (Yuna)

“It’s pretty much the same thing. Only in my case, my range is wider. I make medicines to help people, and I also make poisons.” (Mane)

“Poison…” (Yuna)

“When I say poison, I mean paralyzing drugs and sleeping pills. They can be needed at different times.” (Mane)

She continued explaining as she sorted the herbs.

“This needs to be crushed without drying.” (Mane)

So there were herbs used fresh too.

Next, she reached for the bottle containing the moss that was taken from Gator’s back.

She then took out a new bottle from her item bag.

It was filled with liquid.

“Water?” (Yuna)

“Magic water. Water that is literally imbued with magic.” (Mane)

“There was such a thing?” (Yuna)

“It’s made by crushing magic stones and dissolving them in a special liquid. The nature of the liquid is a secret. If someone were to discover how to make it freely, the Ministry of Magic wouldn’t make any money.” (Mane)

“Doesn’t the country fund the Ministry?” (Yuna)

“Yes, they do. But the budget that the country gives us is fixed and research costs money. No matter how much money you have, it’s never enough.” (Mane)

The wages paid to researchers and the cost of research. Depending on the materials to be used, the amount could be limitless.

That’s not even counting the administrative staff and other staff who support them.

I think there were other costs that I didn’t know about.

“So we can use a part of the profits from successful research as research expenses,” (Mane)

I see.

If research expenses could be used without limit, it would be a problem for the country, and the people might get angry if taxes were used on research with an unknown outcome.

“So, basically, even if the recipe is made public, we have to pay a usage fee for anything that the country restricts.” (Mane)

Was that like a patent?

Mane-san opened the lid of the bottle containing the magic water and poured it into the bottle containing the moss.

“Now it can be preserved” (Mane)

All the work was done.

“It wasn’t fun to watch, was it?” (Mane)

“No, not at all. It was fun to hear about the Ministry of Magic and herbs.” (Yuna)

I was not lying.

It was fun to learn things I didn’t know.

“Really? That’s good.” (Mane)

Mane-san asked if she could leave the magic tools she was drying overnight, and I agreed.

Then, I made a simple dinner and we ate.

“I’m full.” (Mane)

Mane-san collapsed on the sofa, rubbing her stomach.

“After you rest, take a bath.” (Yuna)

“I want to sleep like this.” (Mane)

“You’ve been sweating, so don’t sleep in bed like that.” (Yuna)

It was my job to wash the sheets.

I was not saying Mane-san was dirty, but I wanted her to wash off her sweat before sleeping in bed.

“I know, I know. Well then, Swaying Bear, Hugging Bear, let’s go in together.” (Mane)

Mane-san took Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear to the bathroom.

After finishing the dishes, I joined her.

That night, I switched which bear slept with me.

“Swaying Bear, have a good night.” (Yuna)

“Kyuuuu.”

Tonight, I set the Swaying Bear alarm clock and went to sleep.

The next morning, Mane-san seemed to have gone to bed early, she woke up as soon as I called out to her.

“Good morning. I’m going to check on yesterday’s herbs.” (Mane)

Mane-san came down from the second floor and headed straight to the dismantling room.

While she was there, I prepared breakfast.

Breakfast was lined up on the table, and I went to call Mane-san.

“Mane-san, breakfast is ready.” (Yuna)

“I’ll be right there” (Mane)

When I called out to her, Mane-san put away the drying magic tool.

“Was everything okay?” (Yuna)

“Yes, there was no problem… they dried properly.” (Mane)

That’s good.

“So, what are we going to do today? The Bewilderment Flower caused us to go off course. Shall we go back?” (Yuna)

It was possible to go back the way we came by using my Bear Map skill.

“Yes, that’s the problem. Even if the adventurers thought they were going straight, they may have gone in a different direction because of the Bewilderment Flower.” (Mane)

“So, should we go left from where Mane-san told me to go?” (Yuna)

“That’s one option. But it’s also possible that the Bewilderment Flowers weren’t in bloom when the adventurers passed by.” (Mane)

So Bewilderment Flowers didn’t bloom all year round.

If the adventurer’s information was from a time when the Bewilderment Flower wasn’t in bloom, they would have gone without getting lost.

However, if the Bewilderment Flower was in bloom, it was highly likely that they went in a different direction.

“There was no information about the Bewilderment Flower, so they probably wouldn’t have noticed it. We don’t know if it was in bloom at that time. Furthermore, depending on the wind direction, the Bewilderment Flower’s pollen may have blown in a different direction.” (Mane)

In other words, we don’t know which way to go.

“So, what do we do?” (Yuna)

“I don’t know the route, but it seems they went through a rocky mountain area and entered a cave.” (Mane)

A rocky mountain and a cave.

That was useful information.

“So, we just need to find the rocky mountain” (Yuna)

“Yeah, but it’s hard to find one in this deep forest.” (Mane)

“Don’t worry, I can just look at it from above.” (Yuna)

“How can you look at it from above? Are you going to fly?” (Mane)

At times like this, it was handy to have Sanya-san’s summoned bird. Moreover, you could also see what the summoned bird sees. There’s nothing better for reconnaissance.

For now, I could only do what I could.

We went outside.

“So, what are you going to do?” (Mane)

“It will be a little dangerous, so hold tight.” (Yuna)

Mane-san tilted her head but moved next to me.

I poured magic into my hands and placed it on the ground.

The ground rose, lifting us up.

“Kyaa!” Mane-san screamed and clung to my waist… Now we were at the height of a five-story building.

“Mane-san, with this, now we can see.” (Yuna)

Mane-san opened her eyes but quickly closed them again.

“Are you afraid of heights? But your workplace is on a high place, right?” (Yuna)

“But this is different. Anyone would be scared of standing on such a narrow platform that you could fall.” (Mane)

It was definitely a pillar with a radius of about one meter.

It was not narrow, but it was not wide either. There was no handrail, so if you slip, you could fall.

“Aren’t you scared, Yuna?” (Mane)

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.

It was surprisingly scary.

But thanks to my bear gear, I was not so scared now that I knew there was no danger even if I fell.

But I created a railing around the pillar to prevent us from falling.

“With this, we won’t fall” (Yuna)

“Really? It won’t collapse?” (Mane)

“No, it won’t.” (Yuna)

The structure was very sturdy.

It shouldn’t break easily, even if it were attacked.

Seeing the fence, Mane-san felt relieved and slowly stood up

Mane-san held on to the railing and looked at the scenery in the distance.

It was a vast forest.

I’d only seen it on videos, but maybe this was what the Amazon jungle looked like from up high.

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