第１２６４堀：調査はどうよ？ (Part2)
"It’s fine. What’s done is done. Besides, the observation window has increased, which isn't a bad thing at all."
Indeed, a delay isn't always a negative. It simply means more information to gather. For researchers like us, there is no greater joy. It’s the exact opposite of the usual, incessant demands to "produce results immediately."
"I appreciate you saying that. But don't go expanding the survey range on your own. I intend to get a proper system in place before we proceed."
"Understood. I'll hold off on expanding the surveys in the Great Forest, the Goblin village, and the area around the Blue Hole. I’ll stick to the status quo and keep collecting data."
After all, with our current personnel, there is a limit to how much we can actually investigate.
"Come to think of it, I hadn't been paying much attention to the Blue Hole, but there don't seem to be any reports of new species there, do they?"
"That’s because we secured the Blue Hole long before we raided the Zrable Empire. Plus, the ecosystem inside is entirely self-contained. It seems the discovery of new species there has hit a wall. New species do pop up in the surrounding waters occasionally, but they’re just ordinary fish."
As I said this, I sent over the data on the Blue Hole.
"Oh, there’s quite a lot here. And there’s even a category for... 'fish flavor profile'?"
"Well, naturally. We’re importing fish from the Sea-Cyphos, so we have to determine which ones are edible. And when it comes to food, Weed needs to have the final say. No matter how delicious the Sea-Cyphos claim something is, a lot of it looks quite unappetizing."
"Ah, so that’s why Weed’s input is required."
"Exactly."
"By the way, how do you go about evaluating what’s delicious and what isn't?"
"That’s handled by Weed’s commercial guild. It seems Ratz oversees it, gathering the shopkeepers who deal in fish cuisine for tasting sessions to grade them."
"Huh, that’s surprisingly professional."
"Well, it is for export, after all. Now, what about the monsters?"
"There are some fish-type monsters that are edible, too. You know, like those coelacanth-looking things."
"Ah, the man-eaters. Come to think of it, the Sea-Cyphos folks were eating them back."
Yuki made a slightly disgusted face as he said that. Ah, right—the aversion to eating creatures that have consumed humans is a common sentiment, isn't it? Especially for someone like Yuki, who came from Earth.
But in this world, people are eaten not just by monsters, but by ordinary beasts as well, and since they even eat monsters like Orcs, the fact that something is a "man-eater" doesn't stop them from eating it.
I wonder, will a day eventually come when, like on Earth, people develop a revulsion toward killing living things? No, wait—didn't they say that causes its own set of problems? I suppose we won't know until we get there.
Anyway, setting that aside...
"Right. Aside from those, there are occasionally large, predatory-type monsters. You know, like a shark, but reinforced."
"Ah, this one? The one that looks like a shark turned grotesque?"
"Yeah. But at this level, they don't just hunt for food; they’re the type of monster that hunts to kill. Though, they don't react to ordinary fish."
"Because they’re monsters, they’re seeking magic power?"
"Exactly. If a fish-type monster happens by, they attack it and absorb only its magic stone. After a certain period, they just leave these waters. It’s like they’re moving to a new hunting ground. It seems they didn't come here before because a Sea Dragon was present, and its presence acted as a deterrent—but that Sea Dragon is in Weed now, isn't it? And there’s no Hylen barrier here."
"So that’s why those types are gathering. How are they in terms of combat power?"
"Level 150-something. All things considered, a land monster would probably need to be around level 200 to win. They have unparalleled strength in underwater combat."
"Well, they are sharks, after all."
That’s the truth of it. Monsters in the water are truly unique. It’s to be expected, of course, but since they move freely in the water, fighting them there is tantamount to suicide for anyone whose movement is hindered by the medium.
Still...
"I imagine a jolt of electricity would take most of them down, though."
"Well, electricity in seawater is a lethal trap. That said, there are some that are immune to that, aren't there?"
"True, there are electric catfish and the like. We should probably keep that in mind."
And so, Yuki and I happily exchanged research updates. The monster survey was stagnating a bit, but honestly, this kind of slow progress is normal. It’s time we realized that having something change every single day would be the truly strange thing.