Emi Encounters the Culture of a Seaside Village
* * *
This is the memorable 300th chapter!
The next morning!
I woke up at the same time as the sunrise, ate some shellfish I picked up at the beach yesterday, and then walked towards the forest I saw in the distance.
I thought Id go to the place that I found before going to sleep yesterday, which I thought was probably a village or something.
Come to think of it, its been several months since I talked to Mitran and Leiseida-san during the ruins exploration.
Since then, I havent talked to anyone.
Its about time I start feeling lonely.
<Youll get bullied again, you know?>
Probably.
Thats why Im thinking of secretly peeking from somewhere out of sight.
After all, sightseeing.
Not just nature, but also human activities and culture, you know?
Its important to see that too, right?
<Hmm If you say so, its fine, but>
Its okay, dont worry, Extra-sama.
Im strong now.
Even if I get bullied by some small fry around here, it doesnt matter anymore!
<Well, yes thats right! If you dont like the villagers you meet, you can just kill them all!>
I wont do that!
I wont do such a thing!
Extra-sama is as dangerous as ever sometimes
While having such a conversation, I push through the growth of coastal plants and progress forward, and what appears in front of me is a white path apparently made by crushing shells.
From any angle, its a complete artificial object.
<Ah, this is, Emi, your guess is absolutely correct. Theres definitely a settlement over there.>
Thats right.
If you look at the paths destination, whats ahead is the forest I saw before going to sleep yesterday.
Beyond that forest, theres probably the culture Im seeking.
I want to see the culture now.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Stepping on the remains of the shells laid out, I start walking towards the forest.
By the way, this path, you know.
I wonder why they laid out shells.
Im fine even barefoot because Im sturdy.
But normally, if you walk in a place like this barefoot, youd get injured, right?
Its not user-friendly.
<Let me tell you something good, Emi. Currently, many travelers wear shoes. It is estimated that barefoot users like you are a very small minority.>
I know that!
Im joking!
* * *
Now, as I started walking on this white path.
After walking for a while, from ahead on the path.
A unique smell that I had never smelled before started wafting in on the sea breeze.
<This is probably the smell of fish, dont you think? Since the sea is close, there must be a processing plant.>
Oh!
Oh, oh, oh!
In other words, are you saying that unknown otherworldly gourmet is waiting for me ahead, Extra-sama?
<Why are you acting so high and mighty? Well, that possibility is high! If they wont share, lets kill them all and take it!>
Why does this person always make statements that lean towards being an bandit
While sighing at the dangerous Extra-sama, I proceed forward with a crunch, crunch.
In the forest, passing through the warm dappled sunlight and going straight ahead, what was there was indeed a village.
Although its called a village, the scale might be quite large.
Several wooden houses of a decent size are lined up.
Perhaps to match the shells laid on the ground, or to reflect the summer sunlight, the walls of the houses are painted pure white.
That white stands out nicely against the summer blue sky.
Its dazzling.
But.
<There are no people, are there? Are they out fishing?>
Yes, as Extra-sama says, there dont seem to be any people around here.
<Or perhaps, caught up in a supernatural occult phenomenon, the breath of people has vanished from this village?>
Hey, stop saying such ominous things, Extra-sama!
This world is already fantasy as it is!
Because I cant immediately deny the possibility of such phenomena, its quite scary!
<Its okay, Emi. Even if thats the case, its okay. If so, you can just beat the cause to death.>
Hah!
T-Thats right, thats right, Extra-sama.
Enemies should just be killed.
Its a simple matter.
For now, while suppressing the black haze that seems to leak out, I extend my Mana Sensing Threads and explore the entire area.
Then oh, what do you know, there are people.
It seems that all the people of this village have gathered in the center of the village and are doing something.
Phew!
<Tch!>
Dont go Tch!
Dont expect an incident.
<Anyway, Emi, lets head to the center of the village. Its a bit unnatural for all the villagers to gather in the center at once. The possibility of an incident occurring still cant be ruled out.>
I said, dont expect an incident.
Well, Im also curious about what the villagers are doing.
Shall we go and see?
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Still stepping on the shells laid out, I walk towards the center of the village.
As I get closer to the place where people are gathering the noise gradually gets louder.
Oh, its lively and vibrant.
I wonder if theyre having a festival?
I peek at the state of the square in the center of the village by sticking only my face out from the shadow of a house.
Then, what jumped into my sight.
It was!!
UOOOOOH!!!
Yes, while screaming the sight of tanned, muscular men running with all their might while pushing heavy metal rods!
Those metal rods seem to be part of some device, four in total.
Since they are connected at the center, the device probably forms a cross shape when viewed from above.
The men are pushing those four rods, shouting, and running in a circle, turning them round and round!
Go for it! Go for it!
While cheering on those men, women, children, and the elderly are helping to cool their bodies by splashing water on them or fanning them with fans from the surroundings.
Thanks, Mom!
One of the men pushing the rods waved his hand at a woman while showing his white teeth!
But at that moment!
Ah!?
Because he was looking away, and with his feet wet from the water, the man lost his balance!
However, the other men dont stop!
The man who lost his balance desperately tries to cling to the metal rod, but he cant go against the great law of nature called centrifugal force generated by the rotation, and he is blown away towards the surrounding crowd!
What are you doing, Pyoryochunjyu!
Its because you were looking away, wasnt it!
Dont get carried away just because youre newlywed, you idiot!
Die! Die! Die!
Jeers fly all at once from the surroundings and the men turning the rods!
Especially the harassment from people who seem to be unmarried men is severe!
H-Hey, Extra-sama what in the world is this!?
<Emi, look up!>
Up!?
Being told that by Extra-sama, I look up at the upper part of the device.
Yes, this device that the men are turning extends upwards.
The metal rods that the men are turning, as I mentioned earlier, would form a cross shape if viewed from above.
At the center of that cross, there is a thick, also metal pillar standing from the ground towards the sky.
In other words, the men were turning this pillar round and round by pushing the rods and rotating.
And at the upper part of that pillar, something several somethings are suspended!
Arranged in a circular shape and divided into multiple levels, those suspended somethings are also rapidly rotating while greatly expanding outward due to centrifugal force as the pillar rotates.
Those somethings are suspended at a height around the roof of a two-story building, but my excellent fantasy vision captured what they were despite their high-speed rotation.
It was.
It was!
Fish!!
Filleted fish are suspended from the device and rotating round and round!
In other words, this is!
T-These people are!
<Youve already figured it out, havent you, Emi? Yes these people are!>
Theyre making dried fish!?