Chapter 43: "Beach" Episode...?
Maybe I should’ve toned down my expectations a little.
Whenever I hear the words “beach episode,” the first image that comes to mind is a bunch of big, busty babes in skimpy swimsuits playing on the shore. Maybe add a volleyball scene somewhere around there.
While this is neither a beach nor an anime episode, I still had some… special expectations. I mean, there are three beautiful women with us, so why wouldn’t I start thinking that way? You can’t blame me, right? Right?
Well, as per tradition at this point, things didn’t go the way I’d hoped.
“What? Were you expecting a bikini or something, pervert?”
“...”
“Hum–No, Ori? Why is Lord Yvell sulking like that?”
“It’s nothing. Just leave that idiot alone.”
“Sir Yvell? You seem upset. Is something wrong?”
Come on.
I told all of you girls to prepare some nice swimwear for the trip to the lake. So why are you all covering your damn skin?!
Don’t get me wrong, they’re all wearing attire that they can wear in the water. But at the very least, show some more skin, damn it! Quit wearing those shirts and swim trunks and wear something hotter!
Why is the only one wearing something skimpy a damn gorilla in a yellow speedo?!
“Oog?”
At least drop the shades, goddamn it. Why are you even wearing those? We’re not at a beach.
My voiceless rant into the void aside, it was finally time to check out the fish in the lake.
If we are to use this small lake as a regular source of food for the gnomes, one of the most ideal things to do is to start a fish farm. But to do that, we must first assess whether it’s actually feasible to do so at all.
Though I’m no expert, as far as I’m aware, there are several factors to consider here. And I’ve got the internet to thank for teaching me them.
Water quality was a no-brainer, but that was practically given the seal of approval right from the start upon confirming that the lake was connected to the crater region’s river. This allows for new water to come in and old water to come out, preventing the lake water from stagnating.
The rest of the environmental factors about the place are beyond me. But with a nature goddess at our side in Graille, telling that much was a non-issue. Though she was a big ass tree constellation by trade, she seemed capable of doing a lot more than her station might naturally imply.
Reading the quality of soil and water was something she was surprisingly good at. How far those talents would reach into fish farming was also beyond me, but she seemed confident enough that she’d be an excellent asset for the job.
“So you’re just going to dip your roots in like that? Is that going to be enough?”
“That is correct. Through my roots, I can tell various things about the water and soil here. From things like the temperature, or the general material composition of the soil, all the way to how much 'breath' is held within the water.”
“Wow. It’s like you’re an all-in-one terrain measuring device. You’d probably do great if you started your own construction company.”
“I-I think I would rather stay as a constellation, Ori.”
Another thing to consider was the fish themselves.
Not all fish are farmable. Some can be crazy territorial and go rabid in confined spaces. While some fish can only feed on other fish.
The ideal fish for the job needed to be domesticable. They needed to have a stable food supply of their own, which ought not to be too difficult to procure from things like food scraps and bugs, and could breed in captivity.
There was the option of attempting to breed fish that couldn’t breed in captivity, but that required the technical know-how and depth of knowledge about the fish in the area and their breeding seasons, and so on. Things that I don’t think anyone can provide at the moment.
Besides, that approach couldn’t exactly work with every fish.
Also, they probably shouldn’t be parasite-riddled. One rotten apple spoils the bunch, after all. Parasites can spread like an epidemic among fish. You definitely wouldn’t want to find those things in your belly after a hearty, fishy meal.
On that note, one of the fish Esphera caught with a fishing rod was absolutely plagued by parasites.
“Ugh! What is this wriggling thing in this fish’s gills?!”
“That, Esphera, is a parasite—a creature that survives by stealing nutrients from others. It dwells inside the bodies of other organisms and prospers at their expense.”
“Disgusting! It looks utterly disgusting! I will get rid of it!”
“Wai—”
Esphera scowled in disgust as she threw the fish with the parasites into the air. Then, she called out the name of her most powerful divine spell.
“I n c i n e r a t i o n!”
The world went white for a moment as a powerful beam of light erupted from Esphera’s hands, eradicating the parasite along with the fish and the clouds above. Since that spell acted like a flashbang, thankfully, Tumble couldn’t realize what was going on even if he wanted to.
Sight and sound became unreliable for just that moment, and what remained of the beam disappeared into space instantly—speed of sound and all that.
While Tumble couldn’t register what happened, since he was looking at a chicken flying (yes, flying) in the distance in the opposite direction at the time, he did need another change of undergarments due to the sheer surprise he felt. Thankfully, we had more glow-in-the-dark diapers on hand.
“... You must really like those, huh?”
“Indeed! They keep me nice and warm, you see!”
“If you need any more, we could trade some of them for more mana stones.”
“I really appreciate that! And you should try wearing them sometime, my benefactor. See for yourself how good they feel around th—”
“No thanks.”
After that, Esphera decided to hang by the edge of the lake and play with the water. I decided to join her on the side as the others continued their investigation of the lake.
What was I doing?
Providing moral support, of course.
Moral support plays an important role in every team. I’m absolutely not just sitting back because I can’t swim for shit. Absolutely not.
“Are you getting in the water or not, Vell? We need more hands on deck here.”
“... I’ll be fine here, thanks.”
“You can’t swim, can you?”
“What are you talking about? Of course I can.”
“Jump into the water right now.”
“What?
“Do it, loser.”
“... Hmph.”
Pouting, I turned away from Ori, who was floating in the water, and folded my arms.
“I am not one to buy into such cheap provocations.”
“... This fucking loser.”
“Why don’t you go and ask Esphera over there? She doesn’t seem busy.”
Ori turned her gaze to Esphera, who was dipping her feet in the water.
Esphera turned her head up to meet Ori’s gaze.
“Oh, no. I am fine right here, Ori. As a sun constellation, I find it a bit unpleasant to throw myself into the water depths. I will enjoy the shallows right here.”
“...”
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Vell.”
“Look, I’ll pick up a fishing rod, alright? See which fish bite.”
“Fine.”
And so, operations proceeded as planned. While it took us a few days to find the right fish for the farm, we eventually found one that seemed just about right for the job.
Well, it didn’t exactly look right, but appearances can be deceiving, right? It seemed that both the gnomes and humans avoided taking a chance on this one because of how strange it looked, but it was edible, at the very least.
“This is a catfish, isn’t it...? Or at least, this world’s version of it. It’s got a really flat head, too.”
“Seems like it. It’s pretty big. We could probably feed a few people with it.”
“I have never seen a fish with whiskers before! And it has such slippery skin!”
“This fish is larger than my daughter. Can we really eat this, benefactor?”
“Oog.”
This world’s version of the catfish had a lot more whiskers than the one we knew on Earth. It had four eyes, too. But if we look past its alien appearance, it was probably packed full of nutrients, right for nourishing the very malnourished gnomes.
Ramube claimed to know a constellation who could help with getting a rather primitive fish farm started with these ‘catfish’. For now, as a measure to combat the food shortages happening at the moment, we decided to set up some primitive fish traps along the river.
Getting those traps wasn’t particularly difficult. We didn’t really have to make them, after all. We just ordered some vintage ones online and decided to let the gnomes figure out how to make them by themselves.
They were pretty skilled at crafting, after all. And Tumble himself seemed fairly confident that it could be done. Though I was a bit worried, since those “vintage fish traps” had “(for decoration purposes only)” tacked onto the end of their sales tag.
By sunset, we had all returned to camp, save for Tumble, who returned to Gnomewood on his own with some of our catch to share with his people. We decided to have cooked fish for dinner tonight at the campfire, while Sylvie was handed some blended bananas to drink.
It seemed like it was going to be a rather peaceful night.
“Lune, are you awake?”
“... Snide…”
“Do not force yourself to get up. You are still far too weak, so stay still.”
Snide entered the home of the chieftain and met with the chieftain’s daughter, Lune, who was sickly and weak.
One of the cruelties of this era was that sickness was a double-edged sword; without a surplus of farmed grain or meat to fuel the recovery, a patient’s body would simply eat itself alive in a desperate, starving bid to survive.
Even some ancient humans understood this well, having witnessed this phenomenon themselves. Death was never too far away for humans of this era, after all.
Unfortunately for humans like those in Earth’s ancient history, cultivating food in great abundance was far beyond their technological reach. For many, manpower was the only resource they could spare, and even that required food to keep people moving.
Even the more fortunate fared little better, as animals of burden consumed large amounts of food simply to remain useful.
“Snide… I missed you.”
“... I missed you too. Forgive me, for I find myself busy with work these days. With the food shortages…”
“I understand… Will you please share with me some of your warmth? I feel quite cold.”
“Of course, Lune.”
Snide approached Lune, who was lying on a bed of hay. He knelt and lay beside her, wrapping an arm around her thin body.
They spent minutes simply basking in the silence, enjoying each other’s company. Both were tired in body and soul, one from sickness, and the other from overwork.
“... Lune. I must join another hunt soon. I cannot stay for long.”
“I understand. Please be safe.”
“I…”
Snide studied his beloved partner in silence for a moment. She had grown noticeably thinner than before, a consequence of malnutrition. Even as the chieftain’s daughter, Lune received no special treatment—at least no more than the circumstances would allow.
That meant spreading the food reserves thin with the entire town’s population. In the chieftain's desperation as Starfell’s leader, he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone dying from starvation. It was ironic, coming from someone who had called the young man embracing his lover foolish and naive just mere moments ago.
The chieftain simply could not bear the thought of sacrificing the few for the many, even when there was an easy way out of the situation. Though the decision was pragmatic, the human heart was difficult to sway with words and logic.
Snide, who understood this, dared to cheat the system that the chieftain himself set up.
“... If I stash some of the game I find for myself on the hunt, will you accept it, Lune?”
“Do not dare.”
“Please. I wish to see your strength return soon.”
“... Go.”
“What?”
“You must prepare for the next hunt, must you not? Go now.”
“But—”
“Please, Snide...”
Lune’s voice was weak and carried a hint of desperation. She knew the lengths that this man would go to see her better. Snide cared for her deeply, which she reciprocated in full. She couldn’t bear the thought of Snide betraying his own morals for her.
“... I understand. I will return shortly… and safe.”
“Yes. I hope to see you soon, Snide… I love you.”
“I love you too, Lune.”
And so the young Snide left in preparation for the next hunt, unaware of the misfortunes destined for him and the town. No matter how one desperately strives to fight against the inevitable, fate is most often cold and cruel to all.
Since tonight seemed fit for discussion, I decided to finally discuss the matter of bringing constellations over to this world with Esphera and Graille. This wasn’t exactly something I could decide on my own, as a mere mortal who had no such power nor right to govern over this world.
And since this was a situation that could turn the tide in our favor in trying to overturn the dark future that Ramube foresaw, I expected them to treat the proposal a little more favorably. Or at least, that’s what I had hoped.
It was a large positive that the two had recently started to get along a lot better. This would make the discussion flow a lot easier.
“... Or so I thought, but why are you two fighting again?”
““She started it!”” (Esphera & Graille in sync)
“Oh, boy. Are we back to zero already?”
