level_act36side_01_end

I still think something about this doesn't add up.

Laios! Is this really the time for that? Who knows when that orc will catch up to us?!

Don't you have even a little sense of danger? This is uncharted territory! Nothing we know about the dungeon is going to help us here!

I didn't expect the slugs to have totally different habits and levels of aggressiveness just for having different shells.

But why were they working with that creature as strong as an orc? Are the slugs really intelligent enough to be tamed?

Shh—Pipe down. The orc is here.

(Quietly) H-He's coming!

(Quietly) What the—! Why is he attacking the slugs? Are they not on the same side?

(Quietly) Is he attacking everything around him indiscriminately?

Hold on... I have an idea.

What are you up to this time?!

Hi.

What?

...Hi?

I've had enough of this! If we're doing this, let's do it now!

Marcille, wait!

I'm not going to get myself killed here by some orc! Falin is still waiting for me to save her!

Huh?

Huh?

Kill...? Why would I kill you?!

Do I look that scary?

Cut the crap!

Hey, watch out—

And that's the last of them. It's always a pain when they start running around all over the place.

I knew it. You're not a violent brute who attacks indiscriminately... You just wanted to take care of the slugs for us!

...What?

Hahaha, it's your first time here. No wonder.

You see, I own this little ranch here, and I built these huts with my friends. Took us a whole lot of work just to keep the Originium slugs under control.

You can call me Big Bob. You look like a bunch of wandering vagrants. The wastes are a dangerous place. You ought to rest up here.

Excuse me, vagrants?! We're adventurers.

Is there a difference?

Of course there is!

So they're called Originium slugs...

You're kidding me. You've never heard of Originium slugs?

Oh, we haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? I'm Laios. This is Senshi, the newest member of the party. And this is Marcille, a mage, and this is Chilchuck the locksmith.

Now that I take a look, you're all dressed kinda funny. Are you actors from Wrankwood?

What's that?

Never mind... Bet you wouldn't get it even if I explained.

Anyway, most folks would know to stay away when they see so many slugs in one place. So why'd you come anyway? They thought you were intruders.

So you raise these slugs here! That's incredible.

Heh, this is nothing. There are plenty of those little guys here. Rather than making enemies of 'em out in the wastes, I figured I'd try putting them to use.

They always get more active this time of year. That's why I came out to the hut. Didn't expect to find you folks waking all of them up and leading them away though.

Seems like I'll have to knock 'em all out one by one and drag 'em back in.

Uh, sorry about that...

Haha, it's okay!

So anyway... you mean they're edible?!

Huh?! Are you crazy?! Do I have to remind you that they were trying to kill us just now?!

And this isn't the time to learn about local cuisines! We need to—

We do eat Originium slugs, though.

Really?

They don't exactly seem domesticated...

Do they have some kind of unique flavor then?

Not quite. Rather than flavor, it's more like... eh, you should try 'em out yourselves! I'll whip up something for you.

I can help.

Huh?

What???

Eat what? These slugs? No! No, no! Hell no!

I've cleaned the pot, Bob. I'd love to see how you cook the slugs.

Great, thanks! First things first: the slugs we just caught can't be eaten right away. Gotta flip 'em over and keep them in water for five days to starve them. Keeps their digestive tracts clean.

What? You're saying we need to wait five days for this?

Ha, you'd starve first. Luckily I already prepared some earlier. Make sure you wear gloves. We'll boil them in water. That'll shrink the meat and make 'em easier to shell.

Why can't you just pry it off as is?

Because this way we can clean out all the mucus inside.

Just blanch them in the boiling water briefly and take them out. After that, we'll take the shell off and give the meat a rinse. See the mucus?

Ugh... Just like slimes...

What's that?

What? You haven't heard of slimes?

Slimes! Like, the super common monster on the upper levels of the dungeon.

So once you remove the meat, you keep heating the shells in the water.

Hey! Don't just ignore me!

As for the meat, there's still lots of mucus right now. We'll squeeze some lemons on it, then rub it hard with salt and flour to get all the mucus off.

Remove all the organs... Take off this membrane... And rinse it a total of five times.

So we can't eat the organs or the membrane? I mean, slimes taste so good when eaten whole.

Feel free to give it a try, if you don't feel like waking up to see the sun tomorrow.

<i>Now</i> you finally put down the slug guts, huh?

Such a delicate cleaning process... Even I am not familiar with many ingredients that need to be prepared like this.

They're <i>Originium</i> slugs. That makes 'em far more dangerous than most animals out there. There's no skipping this step.

The ones I breed on my ranch may be raised in a controlled environment, but even they need to have their innards cleaned.

If you run into any wild ones, don't even try to cook 'em. You could wash those slugs dozens of times and they still wouldn't be safe to eat.

Looks like a huge pain. Can we pick up the pace, please?

No. Ingredients like these need to be handled carefully.

After this step, we'll add some aromatic herbs to the water, like those thorny branches and leaves over there, and boil the slug in it again.

<i>More</i> boiling?

What's the rush, long ears? That's how you get rid of the earthy scent and tenderize the meat.

If you don't mind the smell, though, we can skip the aromatics.

Er, please continue.

Let's add as many chilis as we can. It'll be so spicy you'll feel like you can breathe fire. And then, more firewood. Keep those flames high!

After that, we're pretty much done. We slice the meat, fry up a few more side ingredients, mix 'em up and start stir-frying. As soon as the meat starts to curl, it's done. Any longer, and it'll be too dry.

Remember, as soon as the meat <i>starts</i> to curl.

Whoops. Skipped a step. We should've drizzled some Originium slug beer onto the meat...

No need for that! This is more than perfect as it is!

Let's just dig in already! Then we can get back on the road! No need to waste more time on any extra steps!

...If you say so. Not my problem.

Well then, the Stir-fried Chili Originium Slug is done!

Hey, Big Beard, what're you doing?

Let me try something.

These shells have been cleaned, right?

Yeah.

What is he up to?

Who knows?

We'll put the cleaned slug meat back into the shells, mince some garlic and add a little butter, salt, and pepper... And of course don't forget the missing step: drizzle the meat in some Originium slug beer.

Then, add a bit of minced garlic at the shells' openings...

And finally, put the shells back in the fire facing upwards and roast them for a while.

The flames lick the Originium slug shells and give out an intense wheat aroma.

The oil sizzles as the warm scent of the garlic wafts toward the party.

Then, there is a light, joyful sound—

*crackle*

There we go! Now hurry and take them out.

I've got pancakes ready, too! Come on, let's eat!

Delicious!

Put the meat on the bread, and bite into it with the chilis. Then, take a sip of beer. Try it!

Here, try the pancakes! I added some fowlbeast eggs. You'll love it, guaranteed.

Is that colorful stuff on top crushed candies? It's sweet!

Fine, I'll try it too!

What's this?

Originium slug antennae.

Wow! So good! I like the chewy texture... but way too spicy! It's very different from Senshi's cooking, but still good!

Hm... With the beer, the roast slug doesn't have that earthy taste at all, unlike the stir fry.

I knew it. The result is always better when you don't cut corners. Rushing will do you no good.

No matter how minor a step is, we must take it carefully. That's what's so fascinating about cooking. Marcille, how anxious you were made me realize this.

Hey, I wasn't!

I'm not the kind of person who throws caution to the wind when I'm anxious! I'm only so worried because none of <i>you</i> seem to be!

It's like none of you even want to get back as soon as possible...

This beer is awesome! It's got a different malty taste to it, unlike anything I've ever had!

Well, that's good to hear. I was planning to bottle and sell it, so I brewed a couple batches. Sounds like I'll be raking in the dough.

Originium slug beer? Is it brewed with the slugs? How does that work?

There are many ways. If you raise them in clean wheat husks from the moment they're born, the husks will stick to them, and eventually they'll form shells that keep the smell.

And if you mix those shells into your brew's hops, this beer is what you'll get.

A few other places do it differently. Say, feeding the slugs hops and using their mucus in the brew.

I'm sure it'd taste different, but I like my brews the best!

The same goes for the pancakes you just had. Give those shiny little fellas some fruit, and their shells will end up sweet.

Mmh... *burp*.

I guess I can relax now that I know there's a market for my beer.

All of this is so good...

Anyway, I think Marcille's been so anxious because... we kind of stumbled our way into this place by accident.

To be frank, most of what you guys have said has gone right over my head.

*sigh*... Never mind. I guess we'll have to look elsewhere for answers.

Well, everyone gets homesick. I know that much at least.

But I've never met anyone who knows as little as you guys. It's not safe, traveling like that... Take these with you.

Big Bob quickly packs up some prepared slug meat and beer and hands them over to Laios, along with a book.

Laios flips through the book and finds it filled with crooked, illegible letters.

What's this?

Heh, that's my 'Bob's Gourmet Guide.' I wrote down everything I've seen and whether it's edible or not.

Take it. You seem surprised by even the littlest things, so just follow what it says in the book. Don't starve or get yourselves food poisoning.

...Seems like this is right up Laios's alley.

I can picture the expression on his face without even looking.

Oh, right, I also know of this place that has... uh, a lot of eccentric people. I'm sure they'd be able to help you get home.

I mean, they even got that red-eyed woman on a leash. If anyone can handle this, it's them.

Really? What's that place called?

Rhodes Island.

They've been opening branch offices in even the most remote villages. You should be able to find them pretty easily.

Okay. Rhodes Island. Got it.

(Quietly) ...What a strange name for an island.

(Quietly) Does that mean we'll need to board a ship...?

If you do manage to find it, remember to say hello to Mudrock for me.

Not a problem.

Alright then. I hope you'll find them soon!

Thanks, big guy.

What an interesting bunch.

I sure hope they'll find that... dungeon soon.

Ahem, now back to work!

Hm? What happened to the rest of the food?

Did they finish all of it...? Hm...

*burp*

Cooked Originium slug... yummy!