Chapter 278
After finishing with the mushrooms, Haruto continued deeper into the forest.
Before long, he discovered clusters of plants bearing small pale-blue flowers. Their leaves were long and narrow, releasing an unusually distinctive spicy fragrance that made them ideal as seasoning.
That was far from the only discovery.
Haruto also found plump sky-blue berries with a pleasant balance of sweetness and acidity, richly aromatic nuts, and several other unfamiliar edible plants.
The abundance of ingredients growing on the Skyvein Dragon’s back left even Haruto impressed.
Who would have imagined that such a treasure trove existed high above the clouds?
After spending some time gathering everything worth collecting, Haruto finally prepared to leave.
He returned to the edge of the forest and rested a hand against the Skyvein Dragon beneath his feet, feeling its slow, steady heartbeat pulsing like the rhythm of the earth itself.
Then he climbed onto Charizard’s back.
"Let’s go."
Haruto patted Charizard lightly.
"Roar—!"
Charizard let out a deep cry and spread its broad wings.
The sudden gust churned the surrounding clouds.
A moment later, Charizard leapt from the Skyvein Dragon’s back and plunged toward the distant earth below.
The Skyvein Dragon watched Haruto and Charizard descend until the two eventually vanished beneath the rolling sea of clouds.
High-altitude winds screamed past Haruto’s ears as he looked down at the rapidly changing landscape.
The jagged mountain ranges of the plateau gradually disappeared, replaced by an endless expanse of pure white.
Snow-covered wilderness stretched as far as he could see, rolling hills of white resembling enormous sleeping beasts that continued all the way to the horizon.
Before long, Charizard folded its wings and landed steadily on the snowfield.
Thick snow swallowed Haruto’s boots up to the ankles, and biting cold immediately crept upward through his clothes.
Charizard shifted uncomfortably.
"You can head back for now."
Haruto patted Charizard and returned it to the Gourmet Restaurant.
Then he headed toward a settlement he had spotted from the air.
When Haruto drew closer, he found a camp surrounded by simple tents and wooden fencing.
Gray-white cooking smoke rose from several chimneys before dissolving into the blowing snow.
He could faintly hear voices gathered around fires and the clink of drinking cups.
Haruto calmly entered the settlement.
At the tavern near its center, the room was packed with adventurers wrapped in thick furs, many of them carrying mining picks.
Haruto found an empty seat, ordered a mug of ale, and struck up a casual conversation with the adventurers at the neighboring table.
It did not take long to learn where he was.
This was the Shumar Snowfield, a region of the Northern Plateau.
The adventurers gathered here had all come for one thing.
Holy Snow Crystals.
Holy Snow Crystals could be used in potion-making and were highly valuable minerals.
Part of that value came from their rarity.
The other reason was that the richest deposits tended to lie in dangerous regions inhabited by vicious monsters.
Once Haruto understood the situation, however, he became excited.
The richer the Holy Snow Crystal vein, the denser and more dangerous the surrounding monster population.
And because adventurers made their living mining those crystals, they naturally kept records of where such dangerous areas could be found.
That could save Haruto an enormous amount of time searching for monsters.
Better yet, it would allow him to choose which ones he actually wanted to hunt.
Haruto immediately found an inn in the settlement and temporarily stayed there.
The next morning, he headed deep into the snowfield.
The monsters of the Shumar Snowfield did not disappoint him.
Packs of Ice-Fang Snow Wolves.
Enormous tundra bears possessing tremendous strength.
Crystal-armored worms hiding beneath the snow.
Haruto hunted the monsters while occasionally mining Holy Snow Crystals along the way.
The main reason was that after examining the mineral himself, he discovered that Holy Snow Crystals were useful for more than potion-making.
They could also serve as seasoning.
When ground into a fine powder, the crystal had an exceptionally clean, crisp taste, like freshly fallen snow, accompanied by the faintest lingering sweetness.
Sprinkled over grilled meat, it cut through the heaviness of fat and added a refreshing coolness beneath the roasted flavor.
The tongue would first be enveloped by the warmth of the meat, then gently lifted by that crisp chill.
The contrast between hot and cold created an unexpectedly rich complexity.
More surprisingly, Haruto’s now fully evolved Alolan Ninetales absolutely adored Holy Snow Crystals.
Usually graceful and composed, Ninetales reacted to them almost like a cat discovering catnip.
It would wrap all nine tails around the crystals, occasionally lick one, then wear an expression of complete bliss.
Haruto remained in the Shumar Snowfield for more than half a month.
During that time, he hunted a large number of monsters and collected plenty of Holy Snow Crystals.
He even developed several culinary uses for them.
Adding a little while marinating meat helped preserve tenderness and freshness.
Adding some to chilled soup created a softer, longer-lasting coolness without the harsh bite of ice.
Even sprinkling a little into bread dough made the finished bread lighter, softer, and faintly sweet.
Still, there were only so many kinds of monsters living in the snowfield.
Once Haruto had collected most of the species that interested him, he packed up and left the Shumar Snowfield.
From there, he began wandering without any particular destination, hunting whatever promising monsters crossed his path.
One day, after passing through a conifer forest, the view ahead suddenly opened.
An enormous lake stretched before him.
Its surface was so vast that it seemed to merge with the horizon.
The water toward the center was a deep indigo blue, while waves rolled against the shoreline and threw up white spray, carrying cool moisture through the air.
At a small harbor nearby, Haruto learned that the lake was called Lake Kolidoya.
It was also home to a large number of monsters.
Naturally, Haruto decided to hunt some.
What left him both amused and baffled was that this freshwater lake was packed with creatures that, by all logic, should have lived in the deep sea.
Huge tentacles more than ten meters long occasionally broke through the surface, the hooked barbs lining their suckers glinting beneath the daylight.
They belonged to Krakens, rulers of the deep sea.
Enormous shadows also moved through the darker waters below. Rows of massive teeth sometimes broke the surface, belonging to giant sharks that should have lived far out in the open ocean.
Even the crevices among the rocks at the bottom of the lake were inhabited by entire colonies of freshwater-adapted sea serpents and various shellfish.
What fascinated Haruto most was that these marine monsters had changed after generations of living in freshwater.
The salty, briny flavor associated with the deep sea had disappeared from their flesh.
In its place was a clean sweetness and softer texture imparted by the lake.
Compared with the sea monsters Haruto had caught before, their flavor was completely different.
They might as well have been entirely separate ingredients.
Haruto immediately decided to stay near Lake Kolidoya.
He had been there for a little over a week when the weather changed without warning.
The temperature dropped first.
In less than half an hour, what had been relatively mild weather became cold enough to feel as though steel itself might crack.
Then the wind came.
A violent gale rose from nowhere, carrying enormous snowflakes as it swept across the entire region surrounding Lake Kolidoya.
The world disappeared beneath a white wall of blizzard.
Visibility dropped to less than ten meters, while snow particles struck Haruto’s face like tiny blades.
Even he could feel the cold biting deep into his body.
Traveling over land became extremely difficult.
Flying was completely out of the question.
The moment Charizard spread its wings, a thin layer of ice began forming across them, while the flame on its tail flickered violently under the relentless wind.
With no other choice, Haruto headed toward the nearest town.
By the time he finally reached it through the blizzard, a thick layer of snow had accumulated across his clothes.
The small town was built almost entirely from heavy stone.
Every household had sealed its doors and windows tightly against the storm.
Only a few shops along the street remained open, with wind howling through the cracks around their doors.
Haruto brushed the snow from his clothes and was about to find an inn for the night when three figures inside a shop at the corner of the street caught his attention.
All three were bundled in thick winter clothing and were buying food supplies despite the blizzard.
Even so, Haruto recognized them immediately.