Tensei Shite Inaka de Slowlife wo Okuritai - Chapter 577

Chai on Spice Street

Grandma's treasured books had resulted in an outrageous expense beyond my imagination, but at least I was able to finish buying souvenirs for my brother Silvio.

"The rest are spices for Eleonora..."

　We have a goal in mind for this.

　All I have to do is go to a spice shop in Lazuli that I've visited before.

　I walked for about five minutes relying on my memory and came across a two-story store made of jet-black bricks.

　This time I've come to the royal capital via the regular route, so it won't be a problem if I bump into someone here.

　As I walked inside, I was greeted by the smell of spices and the exotic interior.

"welcome"

　The burly store owner greeted us with a bright smile, while employees stood in front of the shelves checking out the items.

　Giving a slight nod to the store owner, I check out the spices lined up on the shelves.

　Cumin, turmeric, coriander, and other basic spices needed for curry are all included.

　...But it's still expensive.

　Cumin was one platinum coin, and a bottle of turmeric or coriander was 35 gold coins.

"Is there anything else you're looking for?"

"There was, but it was more expensive than I expected and it went over my budget."

"I'm sorry. It took a lot of time to get supplies from Lazull this time..."

　The slight fluctuation in price compared to before seems to be due to an impact on distribution from Lazule.

　If the effects of the weather, monsters, and so on are too great and it takes too long, it seems they'll have no choice but to raise the prices of the goods.

　I thought that maybe the price had just skyrocketed previously due to distribution issues, but it seems that this is the basic price if you want to get Razul spices in the kingdom.

　The amount Eleonora gave me would be just a tablespoon at most.

　After all, the best place to buy spices is Rajerica.

"Even so, the fact that it still sells means there is a high demand in the kingdom."

"Yes, there are more varieties of spices there than in the Kingdom, and many of them are more spicy."

　I was about to cut the conversation short and leave the store, but since I was going there anyway, I thought I might bring in some things to sell. I decided to try and ask the store owner.

"On the other hand, what kind of things are in demand in Razul?"

"As expected, the most popular are water and ice. Magical tools for creating water and ice are traded at eye-popping prices. Fruit liqueurs, wines, and whiskey are also very popular."

　As expected, being a desert region with a perennial water shortage, the demand for water and ice seems to be very high.

　It seems that those magical tools are traded over there for the same price as spices, or even more.

"What else can you think of besides water and ice?"

　I could easily imagine what those were, so I'd like to know what else is needed.

"High-quality wood, monster bones, magic stones, woolen fabric... and maybe sand."

　The store owner answered fluently and finally revealed a surprising item.

"Sand? Doesn't Lazul have a lot of desert?"

"Yes, there are plenty, but they are too earthy to be suitable as a base for wall materials."

　Sand was used to make concrete in my previous life too.

"But aren't there a lot of buildings over there that are made using magic and desert sand?"

"Yes, it is possible to use magical power to create structures out of desert sand, but it depends on the quantity and quality of the magician's magical power. Considering durability for hundreds of years and maintenance that doesn't depend on magicians, it's better to use something other than desert sand."

　Ah, so the special sand is intended for use in repairing Lazur Palace, public facilities, and buildings of great historical value.

"...But you seem to know a lot about Razul, don't you?"

　Damn, did I say too much about what I saw and heard in Jaisalmer?

"I have an acquaintance from the Kingdom of Razul..."

"Oh, I see!"

　Eric's mother, Natasha, is from the Kingdom of Lazul.

　So it's not a lie that we're acquaintances.

　The shop owner laughed as if understanding.

　As I thought, even if I have money to spare, buying all the spices in the royal capital isn't worth it.

　Since there's a possibility of teleportation, it would be best to go directly to Lajerica and buy it.

　In that case, I can buy a sufficient amount with the pocket money that Eleonora-san gave me.

"I'd like a bottle of this hibiscus tea and sesame oil please."

"thank you"

　However, I didn't want to listen to all that talk and not buy anything, so I bought only Lazur's specialty tea and sesame oil and left the store.

"Well, I think I'll go to Lajerica for the first time in a while."

　As I left the spice shop and entered a deserted street, I activated space magic and teleported to Lajerica.

　●

　My vision curved and I landed in a back alley of Lajerica.

　The harsh sunlight was different from that of the Kingdom, and the air was dry and hot.

　Even though I was in the shade, the sunlight was burning my skin and I began to sweat profusely just by standing there.

　As expected, my kingdom clothes wouldn't suit this temperature, and I would be floating a lot, so I took out my Razul disguise set from the subspace and secretly changed into it.

　Once I wrapped my turban around myself and put on my cloak, I no longer felt the burning sun on my skin.

　And make sure to use sunscreen properly so you don't get burned by the sun.

　If I returned to the royal capital with tanned skin, people might wonder what I was doing there.

"Okay, this is okay."

　I threw my normal clothes into the subspace and headed out of the back alley into the main street.

　On a large street called Spice Street, spices were sold everywhere.

"When I come down this street, I feel like I've come to Lagerica."

　Tanned Lazuli peoples roam the streets, clad in colorful, exotic cloth.

　Smiling store clerks were everywhere, calling out to people passing by on the street.

"Hey kid, do you want any spices?"

"We got some really fresh green vegetables today. What do you think?"

　Just by walking a few meters like this, people start talking to me in a friendly manner.

"Hey, boy. You look sleepy. I guess you haven't had your chai today?"

"No, this is my original face."

　Damn. It's best not to respond to these calls.

　I was called out to something I couldn't help but respond.

"Really? But you didn't drink any chai, did you?"

"I've had it before."

"What I'm asking is whether you've had any drinks today. You're not drinking, are you? Drink your share today."

　Even though I hadn't said a word about drinking it, the owner started preparing the chai.

　Well, I was pretty thirsty at the time, so it was fine.

　The owner poured hot water into a large pot, added powdered tea mixed with spices, added ginger and some spices, poured in milk, and stirred the pot with a large ladle.Then he crushed the cardamom with a stone, added it along with the sugar, and stirred again.

　The action itself is impressive, but the amount of effort put into making a drink is incredible.

　Seeing the serious look on the owner's face, I sensed his passion for chai.

　When the pot begins to boil, it is placed into another pot lined with a cloth.

　Two cups were prepared and chai filtered through a cloth was poured into them.

"Here, your chai is done. The top cup is hot, so don't hold it in your hand."

　When I tried to touch the top cup, I was warned so I quickly picked up the bottom cup that was stacked on top of mine.

　I pay two copper coins as payment.

"...This looks really hot, how do I drink it?"

"Hold only the rim of the top cup and pour it onto the bottom saucer. By repeating this process, the temperature will drop and the sugar and spices will mix well."

"I see"

　I did as I was told and held the edge of the hot cup, transferring the chai from the cup to the saucer. After doing this several times, the temperature of the chai began to drop.

　The saucer smells of fragrant spices.

　As I tilted the saucer, the sweetness of cinnamon, the aroma of cardamom, the spiciness of the cloves, and the hotness of ginger spread in my mouth. The creaminess of the boiled black tea and milk added to this, creating an exquisite harmony with the spices.

"The rich aroma of spices blends beautifully with the sweetness."

　When I told him my thoughts on the chai, the owner drank it with a proud grin on his face. You drink it too?

"Right? Once you get used to it, you'll feel restless if you don't drink it every day."

"...Doesn't that contain any dangerous ingredients? If I don't drink it, I get restless and my hands start shaking..."

"It's a figure of speech that means you're addicted to it. There's nothing crazy like that in it!"

　While having such a pointless conversation, I took a rest on Spice Street.