Otherworld Dagashi Shop Yahagi

Chapter 121: The Story of How the Palace was Built

The Luganda Dungeon exploration was going well.

This is largely due to the efforts of Michelle, who is fighting off the strong enemies on the front lines, and Titti, who is treating people at the aid station.

Thanks to these sisters, we have so far managed without any fatalities.

The materials for the large energy packs that will be inserted into the Zord are already being prepared.

According to Michelle, the progress rate is about 46%.

I guess the problem now is my level progress.

Well, it isn’t good to be in a hurry to expand my sales network, so I’m just going to take it easy.

If only I knew when and where lightning would strike, I wouldn’t have been troubled……

[Mani-san is a God, so couldn’t you tell when lightning will strike?]

I asked Mani-san, who was sipping tea in the store’s tatami room.

[I’m a Machine God, so I wouldn’t know how to do that. The one who can do that is Sister…… Sister…… Arehh, what’s Sister’s name again?]

Yep, this won’t do.

I can’t count on Mani-san, so I really have to do this myself.

I need to raise my level so that I can glimpse the future with my Clairvoyance.

It was almost noon.

There were no customers at this time of the day, and I myself had nothing to do.

[Speaking of which, Mani-san is a Machine God, but you don’t see many machines in this world huh.]

When I mentioned something that I just thought about, Mani-san looked sad.

[The mechanical civilization perished a few thousand years ago.]

[Really!? Did they used to live here?]

[Who are you talking about?]

[That perished mechanical civilization.]

[A mechanical civilization exists!?]

And he’s back to the usual Mani-san……

However, since there’s something like this Zord here, maybe if we excavate here, we will find some ancient machines or something here.

Maybe Mani-san had lost his vigor because that civilization had perished.

If the Zord is revived, will he be rejuvenated?

.

Spreading the mechanical civilization is a hassle, but if it makes Mani-san happy, I’d like to help him at least a little bit.

[One of these days, I’ll show you the Zord moving.]

[Genos Breaker moving huh? I want to see it fly for the first time in a long time.]

[It flies!?]

[Of course.]

Mani-san, who was sipping tea in a good mood, seemed to have straightened his back more than before.

[Mani-san, hasn’t your posture gotten better?]

[Fofofo, you think so? Maybe it’s because more and more people are living here. There’s also the propagation of Mani 4WDs.]

Is it like how I heard a God’s power is greater the more believers they have?

Maybe the more the Mani 4WDs running in the world, the more he regains his power.

While we were drinking tea together, tavern keeper Zonder came to visit.

[Welcome. What’s up?]

[I’ve come to stock up on alcohol snacks, the curry crackers and squid skewers.]

Zonder is a good customer who buys up a whole pot.

[I’m glad to hear business is booming.]

[Well, that’s right, but my customers have been getting more and more extravagant lately.]

[The adventurers were?]

[Yes. They kept complaining about all sorts of stuff, demanding to increase the variety of drinks or prepare more filling food, and it was really annoying. I used to be an adventurer, someone who can’t cook properly.]

The Golden Sheep’s only alcoholic beverages are ale and bakusuchi, and their only snacks are curry crackers and squid skewers.

I don’t think it’s surprising if the customers complain a bit but……

[Are you going to buy different snacks today? Those guys might be happy if the variety increases……]

[I guess so. I wonder if there’s something cheap that they would eat here…… W- What is that?]

Product name: Octopus Crackers

Description: Large, thin rice crackers kneaded with octopus powder and other ingredients. Eating them removes the calluses on one’s hands and feet.

Price: 20 rims

Each bag of octopus crackers contains 20 pieces and could also be sold individually.

Each cracker is large, so even hungry adventurers might be satisfied with these.

However, there’s a good dish that can be made using these.

[That’s right, let’s make some tamasen!]

[Tamasen? Cooking difficult food isn’t something I……]

[Don’t worry. I think even Zonder can make it.]

Tamasen is said to be a snack that originated from the Nagoya area and is made from octopus crackers.

[First, you fry a slightly mashed fried egg on a griddle.]

I lit a fire on the griddle for yakisoba and monjayaki and dropped an egg on it.

[While the egg is cooking, put the sauce and mayonnaise on an octopus cracker.]

The sauce is for yakisoba.

I used the mayonnaise that Michelle had prepared and stored.

[If I’m not mistaken, you should add negi onions, but we will use the long-stamen chives that Mirai-san picked up in the mountains.]

Long-stamen chives are wild plants that grow in sunny places.

Their stems have the same taste as scallions.

I really wanted to add some tenkasu, but I decided to skip it for today.

[Place the grilled egg on the octopus cracker plastered with sauce and mayonnaise, then sprinkle the chopped chives on top.]

Zonder gulped.

[Finally, break the octopus cracker in two and sandwich the ingredients together…… and done! I made three portions, so let’s all sample them together.]

We all bit into our tamasen.

[Yum……]

[Hohoho, I’ve never tasted anything like this before.]

Both of them are savoring the tamasen with smiles on their faces.

They seemed to like it so much that even Mani-san, who has a small appetite, finished the whole dish.

The hearty fried egg sandwiched between crispy crackers provides a satisfying texture. The combination with sauce and mayo is also excellent.

[Even Zonder can make this, right? I’ll even sell you the special sauce, so you can serve it at your shop.]

If this would upgrade Luganda’s shops, I’m willing to help out a bit.

[Thanks! Alright, I’ll order two bags of octopus crackers and a bottle of the sauce. I’ll give it a try as soon as I get home.]

That night, Zonder added the “tamasen” to his menu.

The new product was so popular with adventurers that it became Golden Sheep’s signature menu item.

Eventually, Zonder, who had awakened to his love for tamasen, began making his own mayonnaise and even started making tenkasu.

Then, after he began creating his own sauce, he went even further by developing tamasen with cheese, tamasen with yakisoba, and more.

At night, Zonder sold tamasen at his tavern, and during the day, he sold it at a stall to the clients of “Luganda Dungeon Out-of-Body Experience Tour”. Over time, he amassed a significant fortune and later built an elegant house in Luganda.

Out of respect for Zonder, who worked so hard for his success, people called that house “Tamasen Palace”.

<Translator’s Notes>

Octopus Crackers / Tako senbei

Tamasen
Tenkasu: crunchy tempura scraps of deep-fried batter, commonly used in Japanese cuisine.