Chapter 391

Speedrunning a Dungeon 4

The next day we started at the sixth floor.

“The order~”

“Whose turn is it~?”

(Err, if I’m not mistaken, we ended the day with Vector’s turn.)

(That’s right. We are starting with me today.)

It seemed that the children remembered the rules, and everyone was checking to see who was starting today.

“Are you prepared~?”

“”Done~!””

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

“”(((((Oh~!)))))””

Immediately, we started advancing through the sixth floor, but we went in the opposite direction of the staircase to the lower level.

“”Would there be something~?””

We looked for medicinal herbs or anything unusual.

(As we thought, there are no herbs~)

(Yeah~ But it can’t be helped because of the weather.)

(However, I’m sure there are many things that would be appreciated if we sell.)

(That’s right! I’m sure we can sell a lot!)

Winter was the time of year when adventurers are less active, so the amount of medicinal herbs collected was lower. Therefore, selling medicinal herbs in the winter is very appreciated.

“Let’s find lots.”

“And make lots of money.”

“”So that we can eat lots of yummy food!””

(I agree!)

I have a strong influence on the children, but they seem to be growing up to be gourmands.10

“”Nniyu~?””

“What is it, Allen, Elena?”

“Something is~?”

“Over there~?”

We went onward, gathering medicinal herbs in small but sure quantities, and while we were exploring the tenth floor, the children found something.

“N~?”

(Allen, Elena, where~?)

(I don’t know either! Where, where?)

I tilted my head, not knowing where Allen and Elena were looking, and Joule and Vector were tilting their heads as well.

(Allen-chan, is it around that thicket over there?)

“More that way~”

(Elena, is it around that dense tree formation?)

“A little bit more that way~”

Feat and Mile asked the children questions to try to pinpoint the location.

(Aniue, I will go take a look.)

And then Bolt flew briskly over to scout the area.

“In the meantime, let us go that way too.”

Since it didn’t seem dangerous, we too walked in the direction the children were interested in.

(Aniue~!)

Then, Bolt came back immediately.

“Welcome back. Did you find something?”

(We couldn’t see them in the shadows from where we were just now, but there are what looked like white fruit to me.)

“Fruit? Heeh~ Now I am curious. Let’s go take a look.”

So we headed for the place where Bolt had found the fruit.

“”There it is~!””

(Ah, you are right. They were covered by the snow.)

(Ohh~ they are squares!)

“……”

They were white squares hanging from tree branches while covered in snow. Well, since it was growing on trees, I’m sure they are fruit, but… are they really fruit?

“Bolt, could you drop one down first?”

(Understood~!)

I asked Bolt and received one of the fruit.

“Oh, it’s surprisingly soft to the touch~”

The nut was a cube the size of my palm, and it felt quite soft to the touch.

“”Is edible~?””

“Erm… it’s fine. It can be eaten. It’s called Silk Fruit.”

When I appraised it, I found only that they were called “Silk Fruit” and that they were edible, but there was nothing else about them.

“”Let’s eat it!””

“Let’s do that. Tasting it first would be easiest.”

I couldn’t imagine what it would taste like, so I decided to taste it first and peeled off the skin from the top of the nut.

“”So white~””

“Yeah… you can’t tell it apart from the skin.”

When I removed the skin, I found that the inside was also white.

It was soft like a pudding, so instead of cutting it into pieces, I scooped it out with a spoon and shared it with everyone. Then, everyone tried to eat it at the same time.

“”(((((… N~?)))))””

“……… This is.”

All the children tilted their heads, but I remember eating this before.

“It’s tofu!”

The Silk Fruit was actually similar to Silken Tofu!

“”Tofu?””

(Oniichan, what is tofu?)

(Niichan, this doesn’t have any flavor at all~)

“Tofu is actually food made from soybeans, and this is exactly like it.”

You can’t really taste the soybean flavor, but that’s normal since it wasn’t made from soybeans in the first place. But still, no problem!

Now we can have cold tofu! Oh, and we can use it in hot pots and miso soup! Oh, I could even make mapo tofu with it!

(Niisama looks very delighted~)

(He seems to be quite excited.)

(I don’t get it, but I’m happy for you!)

“……”

I was a little excited and received warm looks from Feat, Bolt, and Mile.

“It’s a delicious ingredient for various dishes. Can you guys help me pick them?”

I was a little embarrassed, so I decided to start collecting them to cover up my embarrassment.

“”They become delish~?””

“You see, silken tofu is a typical ingredient in miso soup.”

“”Is that so?””

(I thought it would be sweet because it looked like a fruit, but I never imagined it would be used for cooking~)

(It’s delicious when cooked? If that’s the case, I want to try it too!)

“”Yeah, wanna eat!””

(Alright, let’s pick lots!)

“”(Oh~!)””

First, Allen, Elena, Joule, and Vector ran toward the tree where the Silk Fruit grew.

(We will be more useful in picking the fruits.)

(That’s right. I will do my best!)

(Let’s get lots! Takumi Nii, I’m looking forward to the meal!)

Feat, Bolt, and Mile also scattered in all directions to gather the Silk Fruit.

Since everyone was looking forward to it, I’ll have to give my all to cook a tofu dish for lunch today~

“Well, I should gather some too~”

I wonder if there are any Cotton Fruits somewhere in this dungeon too? Even if they are not in this dungeon, there is a possibility that they are in the next one. I’ll have to search carefully.