Day 98 of Banishment: Fall, and Preparing for Winter (5)
And so.
"Amazing! Just by shaking down slimes, I can gather this much!"
… By catching slimes one after another and snatching the food they had worked hard to collect, Marylia managed to fill an earthenware pot to the brim with provisions!
"These are jujube fruits, right?"
The slimes had stockpiled large amounts of jujube fruits. They are sweet and tangy, delicious even when eaten raw, but if lightly boiled and dried, they become a long-lasting preserved food—perfect for winter storage.
"Which means there must be jujube trees somewhere. If I follow these little ones, maybe I can find them... ehehe."
Having lost their entire supply of jujube fruits to Marylia, the slimes apparently decided to head out in search of new food. Watching the slimes crawl along, Marylia leisurely followed them with her golems.
"Oh my, there really were trees here!"
After about 15 minutes at the slimes’ pace—a trip that would have taken Marylia less than 5 minutes if she walked quickly—she found a grove of jujube trees in the neighborhood!
"To think I missed something so close by... If it weren’t for the slimes, I’d never have noticed."
The slimes climbed the jujube trees, sluggishly and steadily, picking fruits at a relaxed pace.
… It was painfully slow!
"Well then, I’ll help myself."
Naturally, Marylia quickly outpaced the slimes who had arrived before her. She climbed the jujube trees nimbly, harvesting over 30 fruits in the time it took a single slime to pick one! Even if the slimes worked together, they were no match for Marylia.
… And so, Marylia harvested nearly all the jujube fruits. The slimes, with only about three fruits floating inside their bodies, looked somewhat dejected… Of course, slimes have no expressions, so this was purely Marylia’s imagination.
"Alright, I’ll collect those too."
Furthermore, Marylia even took the precious jujube fruits that the slimes had just managed to gather. How pitiful!
"Well then, thank you for your hard work. I will give you your payment."
… But then, Marylia smiled sweetly, gathered about five slimes in her arms, and headed back to her base. The golems also carried slimes in their arms as they followed her.
The slimes, traveling at over three times their usual speed, were promptly brought back to the base...
"Here’s your wages."
… where Marylia rewarded them with Peryton meat!
The slimes, seemingly satisfied, looked as though they were overjoyed with the meat that more than compensated for the lost jujube fruits. Again, slimes have no expressions, but Marylia chose to believe this.
"Hehe, if I collect taxes, I’ll redistribute them. After all, I am a noble."
Marylia smiled brightly as she shared the meat with the slimes. While jujube fruits are tasty, meat is a much rarer delicacy for the slimes. After all, they can forage plants and fruits on their own but have almost no chance of hunting meat themselves!
"I was low on salt, so this worked out perfectly."
This was also convenient for Marylia. She needed salt to preserve meat, and giving the slimes fresh meat as a substitute for the jujube fruits suited her situation well.
"Hehe, let me know if you find more fruits."
Marylia chuckled as she petted and poked the soft, squishy slimes lovingly.
Meanwhile, as the slimes contentedly carried their chunks of meat, Marylia prepared to head out in search of more provisions. But...
"It seems slimes are better at finding fruits. Let’s borrow their skills."
Thinking this, Marylia grabbed a few slimes at random. While she wasn’t sure how much effort they would put in after eating their fill of meat, she figured it was worth a try.
With this, she hoped her food search would proceed more smoothly...
"It’s going so well!"
… and it did.
In conclusion, relying on the slimes significantly boosted her food search efforts.
The slimes had a knack for detecting the presence of food. Whenever they sensed something, they would stretch their bodies in the direction they wanted to go, even while being held in Marylia’s arms. All she had to do was walk in that direction, carrying the slimes.
Thanks to this method, Marylia discovered several more jujube trees, and then...
"How fortunate to find a walnut tree!"
Yes, walnuts.
The slimes had led Marylia to a walnut grove, about a 30-minute walk by foot.
Walnuts, often thought of as delicious nuts encased in a hard brown shell, look quite different when still on the tree. These nuts are further surrounded by a green fruit-like layer.
Despite being called a fruit, this green layer is neither tasty nor pleasant—it is quite the opposite, bitter and unpleasant. To harvest the walnuts, the first step is to let the fruit layer decay and peel it off, leaving only the brown shell encasing the nut.
Marylia and her golems began collecting fallen walnuts from the ground. When the golems shook the trees, ripe nuts came tumbling down, which they diligently gathered.
After some effort, they amassed five large baskets of walnuts. If they were to harvest the unripe ones, they could collect even more, but that was a task for another day.
"Now, let's get these ready."
Marylia transferred the collected walnuts into clay pots and filled them with water. By soaking them, the outer fruit would rot away, revealing the familiar brown walnut shell beneath.
"As for this outer layer... there's really nothing to be done with it, is there?"
The juice from crushed fruit is notoriously sticky and difficult to remove once it gets on the skin. Moreover, it can cause itching. Deciding to leave the fruit layer to rot naturally, Marylia opted to take a break.
After lunch, she set out once more with the slimes to forage for more food. Following the direction the slimes stretched toward, she discovered a blackberry thicket.
"Oh, how lovely!"
The blackberries were plump and glossy, looking utterly delicious. Their large size was particularly appealing.
"If only I had sugar, I could bake a pie with these... but I don't have the luxury for that right now."
Marylia reminisced about her fondness for blackberry pies. Even while leading her army, she would order blackberry pies whenever she found a tavern or cafeteria offering them. The knights would often tease her about her enduring love for the dessert.
"I could really use a sweetener... but that might be too much to hope for right now."
While sugar might be a stretch, honey seemed more achievable. However, she knew finding it wouldn’t be easy; even back when she scoured the woods for beeswax to make leather armor, she had failed to locate any beehives.
"It’d be nice to stumble upon a beehive somewhere..."
Her persistence stemmed from honey’s excellent properties—it doesn't spoil, lasts a long time, and is an excellent source of energy. Perfect for preparing for winter.
"For now, I'll have to make do with boiled fruit juice."
Unable to find honey, Marylia resolved to extract and boil down blackberry juice, just as she had with oranges. The concentrated fruit syrup could be stored in jars and kept for winter. While the consistency would become incredibly thick and hard, rehydrating it would turn it back into a versatile fruit sauce.
"Fruits preserved in sugar are delicious... but maybe that's a project for next year."
Since sugar was not an option—unlikely to wash ashore—Marylia sighed and continued picking blackberries with her golems until they filled a basket.
As a reward, she gave the slimes pieces of Peryton bones. The marrow, though fatty, was nutritious and seemed perfect for the slimes.
"Not all of them seem to have returned..."
Marylia observed the slimes pulsing and wobbling in the fields while tilting her head slightly.
The sun was about to set, and the slimes should have returned by now. Then again, it was uncertain if they even recognized this place as their “home.”
Still, the fact that over 30 slimes had gathered here suggested they had some instinct to return to a familiar spot. This was further evidenced by a section of the field designated as their "food storage area."
Though Marylia muttered, "I didn’t approve this!" she decided against removing it. The way the slimes had diligently dug, heaped, and compacted soil to create small burrows was endearing in its own way.
While watching the absent slimes, she wondered if they had been eaten by other monsters. After all, slimes preparing for winter were essentially “transparent jelly blobs with floating food inside,” making them tempting targets for predators.
Other creatures would likely steal from them just as Marylia had taken their dates and blackberries.
"Nature can be so unforgiving..." Marylia mused, gazing into the distance.
But then—
"... O-oh? You made it back safely?"
From the twilight forest, the slimes came bouncing back. It seemed they had managed to avoid being eaten.
"Oh my~... I’m glad you’re okay."
Relieved, Marylia welcomed the returning slimes.
And then—
"... My, oh my!?"
Her eyes widened.
"... Honey!"
Yes! Floating inside the transparent bodies of the slimes was none other than golden, glistening honey.
What do you think about this chapter?
