“That being said, there’s really nothing we can do.”

“Yeah…”

No matter how much we thought about it, the only conclusion we could reach was the same. The only option that came to mind was to remove their collars and smuggle them to another country. However, if it became known that we were the ones who removed the collars, we’d be treated as criminals.

“If money could solve it, that’d be ideal.”

“But we don’t even know what kind of person we’re dealing with.”

“Guess we’ll just have to let things unfold as they will.”

Sure, Phonia was incredibly cute, but it wasn’t like we had formed a deep bond with them. Getting too emotionally invested wouldn’t be wise. I needed to switch gears and move on.

And so, we found ourselves back at the port once again. Today’s goal was harvesting seaweed, though whether or not it was edible remained to be seen. Well, I could always just appraise it.

“The problem is how to gather it.”

“…Free diving?”

“It feels like we could probably manage with magic somehow.”

The current climate wasn’t so cold that getting into the water was impossible. It felt like spring, maybe around May. The temperature was neither hot nor cold—pleasantly mild.

“But actually getting in the water would probably be too chilly.”

“Right?”

I stretched out my arm from the pier and dipped it into the sea. The water was cold.

“For now, since we can see it, let’s try using magic to retrieve it.”

In the end, the most efficient method was using magic to remotely control a blade and cut the seaweed. At first, I tried simply shooting magic at the seaweed, but I had forgotten how refraction made underwater objects appear shifted from their actual position. That wasn’t even the real issue, though. When my magic hit the seabed at an angle, it kicked up sand, reducing visibility.

“It’s huge.”

“Yeah, really big.”

We examined the seaweed we had pulled onto land. From its roots, it was about ten meters long. This was what we found in the shallow waters near the shore—there might be even bigger ones further out.

“What’s the difference between wakame and kombu again?”

“No idea…”

I voiced the question out loud, but Rio didn’t seem to know either.

“Guess I’ll just appraise it.”

＝＝＝＝＝
Type: Plant
Name: Aogusa
Description: Edible seaweed.
  When dried, its umami is concentrated, making it excellent for broth.
  Can be eaten raw.
＝＝＝＝＝

“Hmm… Seems like it’s edible.”

“Oh, really?”

“Says drying it concentrates the umami, making for a good broth.”

“Sounds like kombu.”

“Let’s check this one next.”

The next specimen had a reddish tint. It had a thick main stalk with branch-like stems sprouting from it, covered in leaves, resembling a centipede.

＝＝＝＝＝
Type: Plant
Name: Akagusa
Description: Edible seaweed.
  The leaves coil tightly around anything they touch.
  Contains a toxin, but it is neutralized when heated.
＝＝＝＝＝

“This one is also edible, but not raw.”

“I see.”

“It says the poison breaks down when heated… Also, if you touch it, it wraps around you and squeezes.”

“That’s scary.”

“Yeah. Gotta be careful with plants too.”

“Oh, there’s more seaweed growing on those rocks.”

“That one… looks like nori.”

＝＝＝＝＝
Type: Plant
Name: Midorigusa
Description: Edible seaweed.
＝＝＝＝＝

Upon getting closer and appraising it, the result was surprisingly simple.

“It just says ‘edible.’”

“Might as well scrape some off.”

“It’s a bit tedious, but if it tastes good, we can collect more.”

And so, Rio and I divided up the work, gathering different kinds of seaweed.

“Alright, time to taste test!”

“I sorted them by type.”

“One of them really doesn’t look appetizing…”

“Yeah… It turned completely blue when cooked.”

Still, the appraisal confirmed it was edible…

“Well… Guess the only way to know is to try it.”

“I just boiled them for now, so they might not have much flavor.”

I cautiously put some in my mouth. Surprisingly, none of them were bad. The kombu-like one, after being dried with magic, made for a decent broth.

“Even the blue one isn’t bad.”

“It looks weird, but I kind of like it.”

“For me… well, I wouldn’t say it’s inedible.”

“If we sun-dried the kombu-like one, it might concentrate the umami even more.”

“Yeah, true. Drying it rapidly with magic feels a bit forced. Let’s try sun-drying it on the inn’s balcony.”

“I don’t know the proper way to do it, but we can experiment.”

In any case, this seaweed expedition was worth it. If it was edible even with minimal seasoning, then properly cooking it should make it even better.

“Next time there’s a giant fish butchering festival, maybe we should serve some seaweed dishes and see how the townspeople react.”

“Haha! Sounds fun. It’s all around them, but they don’t seem to eat it.”

“Yeah, there’s tons of it growing on the seafloor—it’s a waste.”

“Let’s head further out and collect more.”

“Alright.”

And so, we spent the entire day harvesting seaweed. Occasionally, we found crustaceans and shellfish on the seafloor and added them to our haul. At one point, I felt something sting me.

…Wait, was that poisonous?

What? Strong enough to be potentially fatal?

…Well, I feel fine. Looks like my poison resistance is working as it should.

Better let Rio know—getting stung could be dangerous.