As the kettle was placed over the fire, it quickly heated up, steam rising from it, and a cheerful whistling sound came from the lid. The body of the kettle showed signs of long use over the years, and Hamid handled it with familiar ease, taking the hot kettle down, retrieving the tea leaves, opening the lid to add them, and setting a cup beside it with skillful movements.
"This is Cayceei, a black tea of Bahirim make."
The subtle aroma of the brewed tea leaves filled the workshop.
"Bahirim... that's the southern desert kingdom's..."
Gravel spoke, recalling the map of the continent he had seen in the library of Ves-Dinas.
"Yes. It's the name of a people now divided into three kingdoms. Still, whether from Kisha, Aroon, or Rathu, everyone takes delight in drinking Cayceei just the same."
Having finished speaking, Hamid carefully lifted the kettle and poured into the cup. As the tea filled the cup, small ripples formed, revealing the deep, dark red color of the black tea.
The slender-waisted, small teacup was adorned with delicate engravings, and even the sound of the pouring tea was elegant.
"It's not finished yet."
Hamid said, fetching a sugarloaf from the corner of the workshop.
The soft, yellowish-brown crystals in Hamid's hand sparkled in the light.
He took out a small hammer and fork, and began gently scraping the sugarloaf on a saucer. Small pieces broke off, and Hamid gathered them to add to the cup.
At Hamid's gesture indicating it was okay to drink, Gravel lifted the cup and took a sip.
The sweet aroma and deep flavor of the tea spread throughout his mouth. Hamid watched Gravel with satisfaction and smiled.
"How is it? The taste of Bahirim Cayceei."
"It's excellent. No wonder the people of the desert kingdoms say they drink ten cups a day."
"Hahaha! You know your stuff!"
In the midst of Hamid's cheerful laughter, the two continued their conversation while sharing tea.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since my granddaughter mentioned making that request. She said she asked a merchant heading to Ves-Dinas... Still, the quality of the spider silk is decent right now, so if we can gather enough for winter use, that would be great..."
"I heard a bit of explanation when I accepted the request... It's amazing that you can make such fine fabric from Pardosian spider silk."
Gravel said, looking at the thin, transparent cloths placed around the workshop.
"I'm just an old man whose only skill is weaving cloth, so even after coming here, I keep making it... It takes more effort than cotton, but a fabric this thin and soft is probably the best on the continent!"
Hamid's explanation continued for Gravel, who showed interest in the cloth he had woven.
"In the Rathu kingdom, cloth woven from spider silk like this is called Orllin. It allows air and light to pass through well, so it's used as lining for armor or clothing for nobles, and the thread before it's woven into cloth is also used for crossbow or bow strings. As you can see, the Pardosian spider silk that you and my granddaughter will gather is a very versatile material."
Hamid said, tilting the golden brass kettle to pour more of the now even darker black tea.
"I heard the Pardosian spiders are quite large."
"Hm? Yes, they are large... The big ones are probably about the size of a Mooloomook. There are even bigger ones too. I was quite surprised when I first saw the Pardosian spiders here; the spiders we gathered silk from back in Rathu were smaller than these."
"I see. So my job is to protect your granddaughter while gathering the spider silk."
"That's right. Lately, there have been a lot of gnole packs in the forest, so the gatherers are worried. If my granddaughter's request didn't mention the gnoles, I'd make a separate request myself."
"It's fine. For the safety of your granddaughter and the other gatherers in the village, leave dealing with the gnoles in the forest to me."
Gravel replied to Hamid with a smile.
"Then I'll count on you. By the way, do you need more sugar?"
Hamid asked, staring at Gravel's empty cup.
"I'm good. There's still some undissolved sugar left in the cup."
He had drunk tea with the cup nearly half-filled with sugar, and the intense sweetness still lingered in Gravel's mouth, so he had no choice but to decline Hamid's offer.
"Is that so? In the Rathu kingdom, adding a lot of sugar to Cayceei means you're welcoming the guest that much more. Hehe."
"Then the people of Rathu must drink their Cayceei very sweet."
"It means you're an important guest who'll protect my granddaughter. Anyway, that girl should be back by now..."
"Grandpaaa!"
From outside the workshop, the clattering sound of the door accompanied a girl's voice.
"Perfect timing, she's back."
"I'm hooome!"
"Come on in, Mahara. The adventurer you requested from the guild is here."
Hamid said with a kind smile.
"Let me introduce you—this is the adventurer, Gravel."
Hamid introduced Gravel to his granddaughter, who entered the workshop with noisy footsteps.
Hamid's granddaughter, Mahara Malik. She was a girl with copper-toned skin and orange hair, appearing to have just reached adulthood.
Mahara's hair was tied up in a single ponytail, and her face was full of a bright smile. Holding a pole longer than her height, with long legs, a healthy build, and casually carrying a heavy backpack filled with various tools, she clearly showed she was performing her role as a gatherer of Pardosian spider silk well.
"Hi, Gravel!" Mahara greeted with an energetic voice.
"Hello, Mahara. Nice to meet you. I'm here to fulfill the request for gathering Pardosian spider silk."
Gravel said with a smile, extending his hand. Mahara shook it and nodded.
"Thank goodness! I've been struggling to gather the amount I need. Ugh! If only Uncle Ahalan had gone to Ves-Dinas a few days earlier..."
Mahara expressed her regret that Gravel hadn't arrived a bit sooner, thinking of the merchant she had asked to deliver the request.
"Haha... Looking forward to working with you, Mahara."
"Yes! Let's get ready quickly and head to the forest! It's too dangerous to gather at night, so let's do a bit of practice gathering before the sun sets."
"...You just got back, and you're already off somewhere! And the cockatrice eggshell powder? Did you buy it?"
Hamid stopped Mahara, who was about to head out of the workshop, and asked.
"Huh? Oh, here! But they said the price went up again this time. It's getting hard to get."
"What? The eggshell price went up again? It's essential for turning spider silk into thread, so I can't not buy it, but if the price keeps rising like this..."
"Alright, I'm off!"
"Make sure you're back before sunset. Don't get greedy and overdo the gathering!"
"Yeah, got it! See you later. Let's go, Gravel."
*****
As they walked along the path, Mahara told Gravel about the forest.
"Gravel, the forest we're heading to is called the Five Spiders Forest. Just like the name, it's a dark and gloomy forest ruled by five large spiders. The dense branches stretching toward the sky block out almost all light, so it's always dark and damp. And from the edges to the center, white spider webs are scattered everywhere, making it look like a winter forest covered in snow, even though it's not snowing season yet."
Gravel listened attentively to Mahara's explanation while looking around. Between the cracked tree barks, claw marks left by giant spiders were clearly etched, and some trees were entirely wrapped in white spider webs as nests, housing thousands of spiders inside.
The forest floor was covered in thick moss and rotten leaves, making slippery, squelching sounds with every step. Occasionally, invisible small animals rustled the leaves, but those sounds soon vanished as they were caught by spiders.
The air in the forest was always heavy and settled, with moisture-laden air greeting any visitors first.
As they walked, Mahara explained the forest's terrain to Gravel.
"Deeper in the forest, you'll see a lot of thick spider webs made by the spiders. The webs are tangled like a maze but don't invade each other's territories, so we usually gather at the boundaries of those areas."
Mahara continued, telling Gravel about the five spiders in the forest.
"The spider guarding near the eastern entrance is small but moves quickly and silently. One of its legs has a scar from being caught in a bear trap. It moves fast, but its roaming area is narrow, so you can easily avoid it by going around the outer edges to another entrance."
"The spider ruling the south has a large forest connected to the southern mountains as its territory. To lower the guard of other animals, it eats flowers in the forest and coats its webs with bodily fluids. So, the webs spun by the southern spider have a nice fragrance. And other spiders in the southern forest eat flowers like their king, wrapping prey to prevent rotting smells or using the scent to mask their own odor in the webs they spin."
"The spiders ruling the west and north are two with black backs and red spots, like twins with the same patterns and sizes. Not just me, but other gatherers don't go there often either."
"And! Finally, there's the spider called Shadowcloud, the king of this forest."
"It has a nickname, so it must be quite impressive?"
Their conversation continued as Mahara and Gravel walked around the outer edges of the forest toward the south.
"Yes. I've seen Shadowcloud just once, and I understood why the other gatherers named the spider that. Unlike the other spiders in the forest, Shadowcloud is gray like rain clouds. Amazingly, every spider in the forest that encounters the walking Shadowcloud stops in place and doesn't move."
"It must be like the spiders literally welcoming their king."
"Yes! One spider I saw wrapped its prey in white thread and offered it to Shadowcloud. Ah, now it's time to sprinkle this Lompia powder. Since it's your first time, I'll help you."
"Lompia powder? Is it powder that repels spiders?"
Mahara scooped some brown powder into her palm and began applying it to Gravel's head and coat.