Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Harvested a Ton
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Bingbing had caught three trout, which I grilled using fire magic.
As the skin crisped up nicely, savory aromas wafted out alongside droplets of oil dripping from the trout.
Perfectly cooked.
This should be good to eat.
"Ow, hot!"
"Kyak!"
"Whoa! Even tastier grilled, right?"
"Kkuk!"
Bingbing snatched up the grilled trout and flapped its wings excitedly.
Raw is fine, but fish is best grilled.
It looked so mouthwateringly perfect that I posted a certification pic to the gallery right away. Just as I was about to take a bite...
"Hey! You little punk! Have you lost your mind?! Give it back!"
"Kkwek!?"
Bingbing tried to make a getaway, but I grabbed it by the scruff and shook.
The rascal let out a pitiful whine and spat out half the trout.
This rotten little...
I grilled one just for you, and you couldn't hold back—now you're eyeing my share too?
"You fat penguin! Even if you're a bird, that's no excuse! Basic table manners!"
"Kkwek!"
"What? You caught it?"
"Kyak!"
"Fair enough! But once given, that's it! Stealing it back? No way!"
"Kkuek?"
"What? You won't catch more now? You cheapskate!"
Bingbing and I bickered for a good while over trout ownership rights.
What the hell am I even doing?
Anyone seeing this would think I'm some lunatic fighting a speechless bird.
"Phew. Let's call it quits. What's the point of us fighting? Right?"
"Kkwaek. Kyak kyak."
"Yeah? You agree too?"
Bingbing nodded its head.
Yeah, we're on the same team.
No more petty squabbles over food.
"Urgh... So good."
After reaching a peaceful accord with Bingbing, I finally took a bite of the trout.
Savory fish oil trickled down my chin.
So delicious it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Haven't had grilled fish in years.
It hit me with the same感動 as when I first tasted the meat from Cosmic Dust.
With this, I can survive tomorrow...
"Bingbing. Are there tons more fish like this in the reservoir?"
"Kkwek."
"Tons? Jackpot!"
Looks like there are more trout than I thought.
But if we catch and eat them recklessly, they'll run out fast.
I'm not like those live-for-today raiders.
I'm a mage who dreams of tomorrow—a philosopher who knows the tragedy of the commons.
So, we must plan for the future.
Only then can we secure stable food sources and truly call ourselves mages.
'It'd be great if I could just farm trout with magic.'
For now, let's survey the aquatic life in the southern reservoir.
We finished off the remaining trout cleanly and headed to the reservoir together.
"Is that the hole you made?"
"Kyak!"
"Whoa. Impressive."
I spotted the large hole Bingbing had punched in the reservoir's ice.
Thanks to the ice age, the southern reservoir's ice layer was quite thick, and the fish inside were sluggish.
"Bingbing. Can you identify the types of fish here?"
"Kkwaek?"
"Don't catch them all—just one of each type."
Bingbing nodded and dove straight into the hole.
'Swims like a pro.'
It zipped through the water almost dolphin-fast.
I thought it was pretty quick on land, but water's its true element.
"Kyak!"
"Good haul?"
"Wuuk!"
Bingbing puked up all the fish it'd caught.
More varieties than expected.
"Catfish here. Even crucian carp and bass?"
The most common fish in the southern reservoir were catfish.
Trout next, with some freshwater fish like crucian carp and bass surviving too.
After identifying the reservoir's aquatic life, I fired up the gallery.
Time for someone with expertise in fish farming.
Tough crowd.
Most seemed like nobles—few had experience with farming, let alone fishing.
Some had never even seen live fish.
To them, fish meant ordering a dish where someone else deboned it perfectly.
So she breeds custom fish, releases them in ponds, and enjoys reeling in 3-meter super catfish for her twilight years.
"3 meters?"
Wait, can catfish even grow that big?
Most specialized or practical magics build on alchemy basics.
The deeper you dive into magic, the more you appreciate its foundational tech.
Especially since alchemy underpins most talisman catalysts and high-circle reagents.
Back to Nature Lover.
Land restoration is key for alchemy.
To revive the dead permafrost, I prepped the fish Bingbing caught.
Druid rituals need live blood, after all.
I'd already learned the pattern.
Using fish blood, I drew Nature Lover's ritual sigil on the frozen ground.
"Like this, then... What was the incantation?"
Nature Lover had sent a video of the pronunciation.
I chanted it as closely as possible to match.
"Ooh...! It worked!"
The dead permafrost—even microbes eradicated—began regaining its original color.
About 3 pyeong of land revived. Grass sprouted rapidly, soon stretching into ferns.
Ferns are the base for magic herbs.
Manipulate them with mana to create variants—mutant ferns, i.e., magic herbs.
As advised, I conjured several fireballs to heat the revived soil.
Now maintain this while breeding ferns until I get the magic herb I want.
'Head's burning up...'
Heat rose to my head, fatigue setting in.
Breeding ferns while sustaining fireballs was maddening.
"Kkwaek!"
"Bingbing. My head's melting. Sprinkle some snow on it."
"Kyak!"
Bingbing scooped handfuls of snow and dumped them on my head.
Sustaining five fireballs long-term felt like my brain was cooking.
Sssszzz—!
The snow pile melted instantly—half vaporized, half soaked me.
Phlogiston School's big flaw: "sage heat."
True to its rep for brain-melting combustion, my body overheated.
'What am I, a human heater?'
Limit reached?
Is this enough magic herb?
Dunno.
What if it's short?
Just harvest till it works.
More's always better.
"Huuuuh..."
After 10 minutes breeding and harvesting magic ferns, smoke puffed from my mouth.
That was a danger signal.
I cut the fire magic immediately.
Need to cool down fast.
But the ice age winds weren't enough for the head heat.
"Hey, Bingbing!"
"Kkwaek!?"
"Pull me out later."
"Kyak?"
I bolted to Bingbing's reservoir hole and jumped in.
Splash!
The icy water cooled me blessedly fast.
If air cooling fails, water cooling it is.
'Refreshing... No, freezing.'
Head heat dropped quicker than expected, bitter cold surging in.
"Kkurruk! Kkwek!"
"...!"
Bingbing dove in and fished me out quick.
It looked at me like I was nuts—a bit embarrassing.
"Thanks... Water was colder than I thought."
"Kyak! Kkwaaek!"
"No choice. Head would've burned otherwise."
Bingbing scolded me not to do crazy stuff, but I had no options.
And I trusted it'd save me.
Above all, I got tons of magic herbs.
Success in generation—time to certify.
Huh?
Potion Addict, Nature Lover...
Why are the elves freaking out?
Did I mess up?
I had no idea.
Three roots were enough?
No one specified amounts, so I just harvested away.
Turned out way more than imagined.
'Did it like making side dishes.'
No wonder my head throbbed like splitting.
Overharvested.
Milked?
Why "milked" now?
Abnormal yield for one session.
Far beyond what limited soil should produce.
Soil should've rotted from exceeding limits, but it's pristine—super weird.
Hey, it worked.
I thought this was normal.
Everyone's praising—feels good.
More the merrier!
Blanch extras for food?
Sweet, food supply up!