Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Successor’s Unknown, But I’m Going for Healing instead. Episode 36

Between the plain, succulent flesh, salt notes bloomed across the palate, stimulating taste buds with a rough, pleasant edge.
The small bones he’d worried about didn’t exist at all. If anything, it was as convenient to eat as properly cleaned mackerel.
The fishiness was the same.
There was no off-flavor, as if it had been processed.
The umami surpassed mackerel, and the tenderness was like cutlassfish or salmon, and…….
Call it a carp if you like, but he felt as though he were tasting an entirely new fish!

‘I wish I could let other people taste this.’

It was a shame that it could only be eaten inside the Labyrinth.
Lion tore into the enormous Labyrinth Carp Roast as though entranced, eating with single-minded focus.
And then…….

“I’m stuffed.”

He’d eaten the whole massive carp by himself.
His belly felt ready to burst.
He suspected he’d overeaten, caught up in the moment.
Still, he felt quite satisfied, so there was no regret. When would he ever get a chance like this again?
Lion rubbed his distended belly and smiled with contentment.
Then…….

[Consuming Labyrinth Carp Roast has increased your maximum Mana by a negligible amount!]

“Huh?”

A rare trigger had activated.
But wait—his maximum Mana had increased?
Lion immediately closed his eyes and turned his attention inward to examine the Mana Circle within his body.
His Mana Pool had indeed expanded slightly.
It was so negligible he could barely confirm it, but this was truly extraordinary.
His Mana Pool was growing just from eating food!
If mages had known this, they might well have eaten every fish in that water raw, and stripped every wild herb in this place too.
The ability to expand one’s Mana Pool through food consumption—it was that significant a discovery.

“This is excellent.”

If a month passed and he could eventually enter the Labyrinth together with Rikshel, he thought he ought to prepare a carp roast for her.

“Oh, that reminds me…….”

Lion recalled the carp’s innards that he’d thrown into the Alchemy pot.
They’d been heating on their own, so he’d added an alchemical solution—but how had they turned out?
The heating seemed finished; no more bubbling sounds came from the pot.
When Lion peered inside…… there lay a single pearl-like pellet.

[Essence of Labyrinth Carp (★)]
-This is an essence extracted and condensed from the innards of a carp that consumed the Mana of the Labyrinth.
-Upon consumption, Mana Recovery is permanently increased by a small amount.
-Always swallow the pellet whole. The fishiness is quite potent, so those with sensitive stomachs may find it unpleasant.
[Use—Alchemy]
[☞You must reach Proficiency Lv. 1 to view the recipe.]

An Essence of Labyrinth Carp.
It was like a pill that could grant Mana.

“But then…….”

Lion stared at the notification that opened Proficiency Lv.1.
For the first time, a recipe appeared that wasn’t Apprentice grade—it was Proficiency grade.
Which meant it must have quite a formidable effect.

‘I’m curious.’

It had been a while since he’d devoted himself to Alchemy, with all the other tasks taking his attention.
Of course, in the interim he’d harvested every herb he could find.
Lion glanced at his inventory.
He’d arranged the herbs by color and grade—a good stockpile of everything, more than enough materials.
And besides, this place was hardly lacking in resources either.
Since he could eat carp, he could certainly consume plants as well.

“There’s more content here than I expected.”

In truth, the end of this Labyrinth offered quite a lot to harvest and… no, to develop oneself with.

“Let me give it a try.”

No one to interrupt, and resources in abundance.
This was precisely what one would call a Rapid Leveling Hunting Ground.
Lion clenched his fist and grinned.

“…Though, I should make the essentials first.”

* * *

After that, Lion kept himself busy for several days.
Each day began by pulling out the shabby trap that came with the Beginner Fishing Tool Set and checking what had been caught.

[Labyrinth Freshwater Crayfish (★)]
-Comparable in size to regular saltwater crayfish, with excellent umami.
-The head and shell can be used to make a special broth.
[Use: Food]
[☞Click to view recipes.]

“Nice.”

The trap had caught crayfish.
Three of them, in fact.
Another promising start to the day.

“Broth.”

Come to think of it, he still had flour left in his inventory—he could make hand-pulled noodles in the broth, and it would taste wonderful.

“Let me gather these first.”

Lion collected the crayfish, deposited them at Camp, then gathered his tools and headed into the forest by the Lake.
It was smaller in scale than the Mimir Forest, certainly, but a forest was a forest nonetheless.

“Resources are bountiful today as well.”

Fresh grass and trees, and countless resources dropping all around!
Moreover, thanks to the Labyrinth’s blessing, the crops seemed to grow visibly by the day.
Even the Banana Sweet Potato Vine that Lion had quietly planted in the ground grew as vigorously as lettuce.

[Labyrinth Spicy Berries]
-They’re quite spicy if eaten raw!
-When cooked, it develops a sweet taste.
[Uses: Food, Alchemy]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

This is…….
Lion sniffed at it curiously.
It was labeled as a berry, but this smell and shape……!
It was garlic.

‘Perfect.’

He’d obtained one essential ingredient.

[Labyrinth Button Mushroom]
-Small but with excellent texture and flavor.
-Consuming it grants a minimal amount of Mana.
[Uses: Food]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

Garlic and button mushrooms for cooking……—no, the Labyrinth Spicy Berries, Labyrinth Button Mushrooms, Dry Firewood, Labyrinth Dry Branches, and Labyrinth Dry Leaves—everything needed to kindle a fire!
In normal times he wouldn’t have needed such things, but now they were the most precious items Lion possessed, so he’d been systematically gathering everything visible each morning.

“I’ll eat first, then push deeper into this place today.”

The further in he ventured, the more fallen branches and timber seemed to accumulate.
Being within a forest inside the Labyrinth meant safety, and even if danger arose, he could always ask the Labyrinth system to send him back to the Camp—so his confidence had grown.

“First things first—let me eat.”

Lion dug skillfully at a plant in front of him with his Hoe.

[Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Greens]
-Unlike ordinary chrysanthemum greens, it develops proper flavor only after flowering.
-The flowers are beautiful; there seems to be demand for them.
[Uses: Food]
[☞Click to view recipe.]

“The flower really is lovely.”

He’d never seen chrysanthemum flowers like this before.
He’d eaten the leaves plenty of times, but ordinarily once the flower bloomed, the plant would turn bitter and grassy—living in the city, he’d rarely had the chance to see them at this stage.

‘I’ve heard older people talk about making flower tea, but……’

Even if he’d seen such a thing, it would have been dried petals, thoroughly desiccated.
But seeing a fresh bloom here, it struck him as remarkably like a soft-fried egg—the color was surprisingly fitting.
Lion carefully plucked the Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Flower.

[Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Flower (★)]
-A flower frequently used for landscaping. Wonderful if planted in flowerpots or garden beds!
-Selling Price: 300 Shillings

“It’d look nice planted near the Camp……—wait?”

Lion read the description again.

-Selling Price: 300 Shillings

“……It can be sold?”

It was an explanation unlike anything that had come before.

‘Could this Shilling Shop actually be functioning as an exchange as well?’

Lion picked up the Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Flower with care and opened the Shilling Shop.

“Can I sell this?”

[Would you like to sell this item?]

The Shilling Shop measured out a price without much explanation.

[Target Item: Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Flower (★)]
[Offered Price: 250 Shillings (Commission Fee separate)]

“……What?”

Lion checked the item information for the Chrysanthemum Flower again.
It still showed a selling price starting at 300 Shillings.
If the minimum was 300 Shillings, then this Shilling Shop was brazenly offering 250 Shillings—and that was before the commission fee.

“Check again. It’s a fine flower for landscaping. You’re really going to write it off for just 250 Shillings?”

[While it is suitable for landscaping, it has no value beyond that, in this vendor’s assessment.]
[Its Grade is also the lowest available: (★).]
[Offered Price: 250 Shillings (Commission Fee separate)]

So that’s final?

‘Looks like you can only sell things starting from one-star Grade.’

On top of that, you had to have a selling price attached to the item.
Now he understood completely.

“Then what you’re saying is, if it has greater value, the price goes up? This Chrysanthemum Flower—if you dry it and brew it into a flower tea, it’s good for the body.”

Lion set one hand on his hip and continued.

“You could even call it an Alchemy ingredient without exaggerating. And since anyone can brew and drink it, shouldn’t the value be higher?”

Of course, claiming Alchemy for a single flower tea was an overreach.
But if he didn’t establish the precedent now, the shop would fleece him for far more later.
Three hundred Shillings becoming two hundred fifty—that was acceptable.
But what if three million Shillings got knocked down to two million five hundred thousand?

[There is merit to that argument.]
[Adjusting price…….]
[Offered Price: 300 Shillings (Commission Fee separate)]

His argument had been accepted.
But he wasn’t about to stop here.

“I just gave you new information, and you’re still charging a commission fee? Isn’t that going too far?”

[The Commission Fee is mandatory according to Shilling Shop policy.]

Damn. The commission wasn’t negotiable, then?

[The Shilling Shop always strives to remain attentive to the customer’s concerns…….]
[Proposal: Commission reduction and price increase based on new information regarding the item.]
[Will you accept this?]
[YES / NO]

“…….”

It works.
And if you know how to pitch things well, you can sell them for even more, right?
Of course, without knowledge, the price could plummet without limit, but that wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
As long as I built up my knowledge, that would be enough.

“I’ll take it.”

More than anything, I needed the Shilling Shop right now.

[The item has been sold for 300 Shillings.]
[The item is being collected.]

The Labyrinth Chrysanthemum Flower in Lion’s hand gleamed and vanished.

[You have obtained 300 Shillings.]

And the settlement went through immediately.

‘……Instant settlement? That’s incredible.’

From now on, whatever I could sell, I’d just bring to the Shilling Shop.
Before closing the Shilling Shop, Lion asked one more question.

“Is it possible to sell processed goods as well?”

[It is possible.]
[However, there are currently no items available for sale.]
[Counterfeits, defective goods, opened products, and used items cannot be sold.]

In other words—make it new and make it right if you want to sell it.

“Understood.”

Lion closed the window and returned with the chrysanthemum greens and various other items in hand.
Today’s haul had been quite profitable.

“First, let me get the fire going.”

Whoosh!

Lion added Dry Firewood and Labyrinth Dry Leaves, then set a pot on top.
Since there were plenty of ingredients on hand, I thought I’d try making a broth today.
Just when I was beginning to tire of roasted meat alone—even for someone like me—this timing was perfect.
As the water came to a boil, Lion began preparing the Labyrinth Spicy Berries on the cutting board.
On the surface they resembled garlic, but since I didn’t know what seeds might be inside, I needed to check.

[Labyrinth Spicy Seeds]
-Peppery and pungent in aroma; this is their finest quality.
-If you bite down on them whole without knowing what they are, the strength of their aroma and taste can bring tears to your eyes, so be careful.

“Pepper.”

So these spicy berries were a kind of spice set after all!
The flesh was like garlic, and inside were round seeds like whole peppercorns.

‘This is completely… an amazing fruit, isn’t it?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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