WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 83: Fishman (2)
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In all my life, I never thought I'd get smacked in the face by a fish, then end up kissing an eel too.
The nosebleed stopped quickly enough, but the stinging sensation remained.
Still, looking at the metal tubs full of fish made me proud.
Especially the eel that was even bigger than extra-large.
The rain had caused all kinds of miserable problems, but these made up for them.
‘Let's see... Something suitable for the drainage ditch...’
With the Fish Trap set up, I spent the remaining time browsing the Auction House for materials for the drainage ditch.
All I had to do was install suitable materials in the trench I'd already dug.
Still, I had to find something that fit the size, and I might need to redo the dirt walls.
‘There are more kinds than I expected.’
Drainage ditches were vital not only in cities, but even in ordinary villages.
Even if there was just one building, it was the first thing that needed to be installed.
Without one, every rainfall could turn into a disaster.
‘That must be why.’
The Gallery's overwhelming advantage was that it bypassed normal distribution constraints.
People in places where it was hard to get goods, especially remote rural areas, would depend heavily on the Gallery.
The high prices probably wouldn't matter much, either.
They said time was money. In the end, they were buying time.
‘For me, that time is practically unlimited, so it's always a good deal.’
After digging around the Gallery for a while, I found a suitable drainage channel.
It was trapezoidal, there was plenty in stock, and it even had good reviews.
I decided on it. Just in case, I brought out a measuring tape and roughly checked the length.
‘I'll need to dig a little more.’
After digging out more soil, I neatly installed the drainage channels I'd bought from the Auction House.
Once I carefully finished them one by one, I poured water over them to test them.
Trickle, trickle.
“Mm. Perfect.”
The stream of water flowed smoothly along the stone drainage channels.
Feeling proud for no good reason, I took pictures and uploaded them to the Gallery.
[Post title] Drainage Ditch Complete!
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] (Photo of the drainage ditch I worked hard to install)
[Post] (Photo of the drainage ditch from another angle)
[Post] (Video of water flowing smoothly through the drainage ditch)
[Post] Finished the drainage ditch. No more worrying about rain!
└ [Heavenly Demon]: It has a calming effect.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: It's oddly mesmerizing. You bought it from the Auction House, right?
└ [Wild Grylls]: Yeah. I thought it'd take too long if I made it myself.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: Are you planning to live there forever? You even built a drainage ditch.
└ [Wild Grylls]: Nah, not really. The temporary ditch I made kept collapsing whenever it rained.
└ [Passing Dwarf]: It's fairly neat. By human standards, anyway. lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: Was that an insult?
└ They're insulting you while tearing you down.
└ The dwarves are just being prideful lol
└ Those dwarf bastards can't do anything except make stuff lol
└ [Passing Dwarf]: What were you all doing when we went on strike? You couldn't do a damn thing lololol
└ Fuck, I still remember that.
└ For the love of God, anything but the strike!!
Apparently, it was a compliment by dwarf standards. That made me even prouder.
The only work like this I'd ever done was in the military.
Even then, I hadn't done it of my own will. Someone had ordered me to do it, so there was no sense of accomplishment.
I inspected the drainage ditch a little longer, then looked around the entire cave.
‘Still, I don't think I can brush off what Passing Dwarf said.’
The question of whether I planned to settle down here had hit right at the heart of it.
Passing Dwarf had probably meant it as a joke, but I couldn't take it that way.
‘Maybe not settle down, but I should consider this place a base.’
I hadn't given up hope of escaping. This forest was no place for people to live.
Even ordinary plants and animals grew huge or became more intelligent.
There were countless things here that treated common sense like it was nothing and threatened my life at every turn.
‘And since fantasy and martial arts are mixed together here, common sense works even less.’
Of course, the Forest of Four Seasons made no sense even to the people of this world.
As I looked around the cave and thought it over, I let out a long breath.
‘What can I do? I should just accept that this is my lot in life.’
What sin had I committed to wake up in a place like this?
Maybe I'd gotten blackout drunk and committed some horrible crime.
Even then, it was strange that I alone had been singled out.
‘God, this is too much.’
As far as I knew, gods existed here too. Head Mod had even tried to convert me.
That didn't mean I wanted to worship them. What had they ever done for me that I should worship them?
‘Still, if I escape, I'll at least ask.’
Why did you drop me in this shitty place? What sin did I commit?
And could I return to where I originally lived? That was the most important thing.
If I managed to escape but still couldn't return home...
‘No. No. Don't think like that.’
I shook my head hard. Negative thoughts ate away at my will.
The environment had made it hard to survive, but I had good people in my life.
That alone was enough reason to return.
I still hadn't repaid them for everything they'd done for me.
“Kyuu.”
“...Are you hungry?”
Just as my heart grew heavy, Wonmo quietly came over. As if he understood how I felt, he moved carefully.
When I smiled and asked, he rubbed his face against my leg.
I gave a small chuckle and stroked Wonmo's head. He really was smart enough to notice my mood.
‘Even if I get out, I have to raise Wonmo.’
Abandoning an animal this cute and lovable? Anyone who did that would get eaten by an Owlbear.
After petting Wonmo for a while, I checked the time. It was almost lunchtime.
Funny how my stomach clock was more accurate than the Gallery clock.
‘The floor's still damp, so I should bring some hide over.’
The downpour had left the ground wet.
I dragged over the tiger hide I'd spread across the cave floor.
After preparing everything to cook the fish, I headed for the metal tubs.
One held three fish, while the other held one huge eel.
‘I've never eaten eel, and now I'm having it in a place like this.’
Why hadn't I eaten eel before? It wasn't that I didn't want to. I couldn't afford to.
I barely got by on ramen every meal, so what eel was I supposed to eat?
Of everything I'd tried, beef had been the best. I still remembered it clearly.
It would be hard to eat meat like that for a while. Instead, I'd eat fish that tasted like meat.
‘It'd be nice if I had some seasonings.’
I didn't eat much fish, so I had no idea what went well with it.
What did I need at a time like this? The Gallery.
Trying something new once in a while boosted morale and fighting power.
[Post title] Recommend some seasonings for fish.
[Author] Wild Grylls
[Post] Any seasonings I can put on fish? Other than salt.
[Post] Don't call me spoiled. I've got money to spare and want to spend it.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Oyster sauce is really good with fish. Try spreading some on it.
└ [Wild Grylls]: You have oyster sauce?
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Yes. It's a popular sauce in the Central Plains. Heavenly Demon would know about it, but she isn't around right now.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: This one has never personally prepared food. Much less now, when this one has no need to consume food.
└ [SwordTasteMaster]: Ah, right. Of course.
└ [Heavenly Demon]: If you desire seasonings, this one can bestow them upon you. It would only take a word to a close aide.
└ [Wild Grylls]: No, it's fine. I'll just buy some from the Auction House, so you don't need to do that.
└ [AllHailTheSun]: How about something I give you instead of cheap oyster sauce?
└ [Wild Grylls]: What is it?
└ [AllHailTheSun]: Truffle powder.
└ [Wild Grylls]: What's that?
└ You psycho, that's practically worth its weight in gold;;
└ Isn't that basically saying Wild Grylls would owe you? lol
└ [AllHailTheSun]: What a shame lol
└ [Wild Grylls]: ;;
I'll just buy one bottle of oyster sauce from the Auction House.
Heavenly Demon had offered to give me some special oyster sauce, but I barely managed to stop her.
Whenever something came up, she put her close aide through hell. I was starting to feel bad for them.
She had said she'd consider giving that aide an Inner Core, but I had no idea whether she'd actually done it.
‘Let's hope Heavenly Demon isn't a terrible boss.’
Anyway, I decided to use oyster sauce on the fish this time.
It sold at a high price in the Auction House, and there wasn't much of it.
Considering the eel I'd eat for dinner, I would probably use it all.
Sizzle.
‘I'm supposed to spread this over the flesh, right?’
I didn't have a suitable tool for applying the sauce, like a brush.
So I used a spoon instead, spreading it over every part carefully.
“Oh. It smells good.”
The flesh had originally been white, but the oyster sauce turned it almost brown.
It was a color that made my mouth water just looking at it. I wanted to eat it already.
“Nom nom nom nom.”
While the fish coated in oyster sauce cooked deliciously, Wonmo ate beside me.
As always, he was eating fish with the Inner Core removed. Watching him eat so happily made me feel warm inside.
‘Time to eat!’
It looked cooked enough, so I moved the cast-iron pan holding the fish somewhere else.
It was better to keep the campfire burning, if only to make charcoal.
Then I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite of the perfectly cooked fish.
“Ahh!”
Salted fish had tasted like meat, but fish coated in oyster sauce tasted like steak.
It would be a stretch to compare it to real steak, but that was how good it tasted.
It was sweet, salty, and savory, with none of the fishy smell fish usually had.
A true delicacy. It might have been the best thing I'd caught in this forest.
‘I get to eat all of this...’
Thud!
‘...How nice.’
That was what I was thinking when the ground suddenly shook and a heavy silence fell.
Even Wonmo, who would do anything for food, stopped eating his fish and lifted his head.
Slide-
Fast Sloth must have sensed something was wrong too, because it clung to my back.
Thud! Thump! Thump!
The shaking grew stronger. I quietly set down my chopsticks and grabbed Heavenly Demon’s Sword.
I always kept Heavenly Demon’s Sword and the Adaman Shield nearby.
So I could respond immediately, anywhere, no matter what happened.
‘It's definitely something huge.’
The ground rumbled with every movement. It had to be every bit as large as a Guardian.
At first, I wondered if it was the bear I'd seen before, but SwordTasteMaster had told me something.
Four-legged animals distributed their weight well, so the ground didn't shake every time they moved.
Only animals or monsters that walked upright caused massive vibrations with every step.
And if something like that was causing tremors, it had to be enormous.
I tensed up, armed myself, and rose to my feet.
Thud! Thump!
Before long, the tremors grew stronger.
Thuuud!
Something huge appeared on the path leading to the river.
It was walking upright, just as SwordTasteMaster had said, but its form was deeply unnatural.
Its skin was pale gray overall. Its posture was hunched.
It was shorter than a Guardian, but still well over three meters tall. Below the head, its body looked fairly human.
Its head, hands, and feet were nothing like a human's.
‘...A shark?’
Its face looked like someone had stuck a shark's head directly onto its body. Its slightly open mouth was full of sharp teeth.
A fin stood prominently somewhere between its back and neck.
Its human-like hands and feet also had frog-like webbing between the fingers and toes.
A giant with the form of a shark. Yeah, that described it perfectly.
“Grrr...”
The shark's terrifying face stared directly at me. I immediately got into a guarded stance.
Despite looking somewhat human, it didn't seem to have come with good intentions.
There was the example of Mushroom Man, too. I couldn't let my guard down.
Thump! Thud! Thump!
The shark man, no, the Shark Giant slowly approached, lifting its heavy feet.
Its hunched posture made it seem shorter, but its presence was terrifying.
Then the Shark Giant came closer to me and...
Snatch!
It grabbed the fish I'd been eating just moments ago. The fish covered in expensive oyster sauce.
“Huh?”
No way, right?
Before I could even finish that thought.
“Crunch. Chomp. Chomp. Smack.”
It chewed the fish a few times, then swallowed it down.
I stared at the Shark Giant in disbelief. What the hell had this bastard just done?
I'd finally made up my mind and bought oyster sauce to put on that fish.
I'd only had one bite.
And it scarfed down the whole thing?
“You...!”
I finally understood how Fast Sloth must have felt when it nearly had its Fasting Pill stolen by that raccoon dog.
“You son of a bitch!!!”
I couldn't hold back my anger.
Footnotes:
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