Reincarnated into a Game As the Hero’s Friend - Chapter 222.2
After walking around for a while, Lily stopped, as if surprised. Even I was surprised to see her eyes being drawn to a monster material store, but perhaps it was because it reminded her of her brother, Mazell and his current expedition.
“It’s a good topic of conversation.”
“Okay, let’s stop by for a bit.”
I was not worried because the stuff they sold at these places was not the splatter type. I also wanted to see if there was anything I could use as a topic of conversation. So we went into the monster shop. It was one of the stores affiliated with the Adventurers’ Guild.
It was a specialized store which displayed many kinds of monster materials. It would be more expensive, but it would be possible to see various products at once. Not only that, but it was also a high-class department store and a wholesale store that sold products for business use. Specialty craftsmen also come to buy.
Lily was interested in a powder that was sold in a jar like spices.
“What is this?” (Welner)
“It’s a slime kernel. It is used as a drying agent.” (Lily)
“Drying agent?” (Welner)
Apparently, when blankets at the village Inns become stiff due to moisture accumulation, they would sprinkle wine on them, as well as flour on top of it to dry them, and then rub slime kernel to restore their original softness.
It seemed that it was middle-class families and below who used slime kernels, which was monster material. I have a gap in information in this field because of my position, so this became more of a learning experience for me.
“So there’s soap, as well?” (Welner)
“I wonder, I think there are many high-end products where they use monster materials.” (Lily)
“So you have not only fur, but even bristles might be used for brushes?” (Welner)
“There are toothbrushes, too.” (Lily)
I could understand the subtle look on the shopkeeper’s face. Monsters attacked people, so it was complicated to brush your teeth with the bristles of a monster that had possibly attacked and eaten someone.
Since I’ve never heard of anyone being cursed or anything like that, I think it’s safe.
Incidentally, for example, gloves made of fire-resistant monster leather were coveted by many, including blacksmiths.
The leather of monsters was an important resource for the inhabitants of this world.
“Are you looking for something?” (Shopkeeper)
“Nothing really, we’re just browsing.” (Welner)
The shopkeeper approached me, so I thought it was a good time to ask him. I wasn’t going to buy anything, and we might interact in some way in the future.
“Do you have any nice white leather? I would like to prepare white shoes for her that are patterned with gold threads.” (Welner)
“Oh, well, is it for that? Congratulations…” (Shopkeeper)
In this world, shoes occupy the delicate position of being both a consumable item and, in the case of custom-made shoes, a luxury item. Therefore, when you bought a new pair of custom-made leather shoes, it was usually for a celebration or something like that.
Leather made from monster material was very durable and was used by adventurers and travelers to protect their feet, and leather products made from the skins of rare monsters were treated as luxury items.
Among them, shoes that were white and patterned with gold threads were meant to be worn at weddings. I guess he could tell that I was a nobleman by looking at my appearance. I nodded my head, and he gave me the name of his business. The measurements were to be taken by the designer, so that would have to be done another time.
Lily was also interested in the materials used for dyeing. In the village, most of the dyeing was done with plants and trees, so it was rare to see dyeing using materials made from monsters. The clothes in this world tend to be quite colorful, but perhaps the use of monster materials for dyeing makes it possible to have a wide variety of colors.
This would explain why fantasy games have so many colorful clothes.
For lunch, we decided to eat at a slightly upscale restaurant. The dishes served at such restaurants often started with a thin soup, followed by a soup and bread that was almost like a stew, a meat dish, and then fruit or dessert.
“Welner-sama, you don’t drink much alcohol, do you?” (Lily)
“Not so much, but I don’t dislike it.” (Welner)
It was probably more accurate to say that I didn’t have an opportunity to drink slowly. I guess I wouldn’t be able to enjoy drinking until I was a little more stable. I mean, even though there were no laws against drinking in this world, I was still a student.
“If I find some good sake, I’ll ask them to tell me about it.” (Welner)
“Yes, I’ll pick some food that will go well with the sake then.” (Lily)
“I’ll look forward to it.” (Welner)
However, I did not expect much from this world’s sake. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard much about liquor made from monster ingredients. I wonder if monsters get drunk. I have no intention of experimenting.