Ethereal Life, Chapter 45: With Wifey

Stepping down the scaffolding that was surrounding an incomplete, huge pillar. Nai gently landed beside Acacia, who was waiting for him.

"H-husband." Acacia said so in a stutter. Her face turned pinkish from embarrassment.

Nai laughed, seeing that, "Acacia." He took her hand as he stepped forward in front of her.

Acacia immediately flinched a bit; she was so nervous that Nai could clearly feel her body shaking.

Well, it's normal for a young lady to feel like that. Innocent and inexperienced, naive and shy. Nai even thought that all women in this time and age were straightforward and bold.

But it seems that's only describing them when pursuing their man. Further into the relationship, they were like sheep in front of wolves.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you." Nai softly whispered beside her earlobe softly. Acacia lowered her head and hummed, her not-so-fair neck slowly turning red.

Even reaching to her ears, seemingly inviting him to bite it.

Clearly very embarrassed to look directly at him, she can only stay still as her mind slowly turns blank on what to do.

What to do?

Nai felt like laughing today. "So many things happened today. Let's go and have dinner early."

Acacia nodded as she absentmindedly walked forward with her left hand being grabbed by another warm and strong hand.

"Get used to it. We'll be having more than this in the future." He softly foreshadowed that there would be more than this to which she would need to become accustomed from now on.

However, as Acacia wasn't yet old enough for him to take down. Nai decided to develop her body first until he could say she was ready.

But well, he can't say for sure if he can hold his hands back.

...

Night came, and the bonfire in front of them shone through the darkened surroundings. With the tall castle's foundation, which acted as tall walls.

They felt safe and protected, and so Nai and Acacia eat heartily under the dim light of the evening's starry sky.

The picturesque gradient clouds from afar seem to color the sky with their hue.

Nai looked at Acacia silently as he took a sip of the soup in the bowl. Acacia, who had just finished her meal, seems to have noticed Nai's gaze and can't help but look over.

Then their eyes met.

"H-husband? Is there something on my face?" Acacia thought there was some dirt on her face, so she used her clothes to wipe it clean.

"Hahaha, no. It's just that I'm thinking about something. Don't think too much about it." Nai chucked a bit as he put down his bowl and said.

"Hmm." Acacia still has questions, but as a sensible wife, she must not ask further if her husband shows no signs of telling her anything.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward as the mood turned silent. Nai felt that these happenings were very interesting and funny at the same time.

"The meat soup you made is good. Where did you get that salty white thing?" Although it wasn't salty enough to be the same as that taken from the sea.

Quantity can go toe-to-toe with quality.

Seeing that her husband was praising her cooking, she felt happy and immediately peeked at Nai as she answered carefully, "In the forest, there are like these underground."

Receiving the answer he needs. Nai immediately displayed a look of someone who had just realized something. "I see, I did seem to have heard of that somewhere before. I wonder where."

Since he had heard of that but couldn't remember it. That means it wasn't that important. Still, for such salt to be around the forest.

Nai's eyes gleamed. "Are there many there?"

After all, salt is important in making food! It is what gives taste to the usual bland dish in this day and age.

If he can procure such resources, then his daily palate will undergo an additional qualitative change in the near future.

"Hmm." Acacia nodded softly. She looked at Nai, waiting to be asked another question. It seems she has grown to like being able to help her husband, even just a bit.

"Is there a name for it?" If its name is also salt, then that would be too much of a coincidence, right? Don't tell me there are others like me.

Transported? Transmigrated? Reincarnated?

I hope not. I alone am more than enough in this world.

I don't want another one to add to the frame after all. The people of his world would surely cause chaos in this place because of the trends they were experiencing.

Who knows if they would suddenly do something he couldn't anticipate that could kill him?

Acacia thought for a bit before she replied, "I don't think so."

Nai raised his eyebrows a little as he asked, "Then what would you casually call this thing?"

Nai pointed at the bag of salt at the side of the table, where all kinds of leaves and seeds were stored in all kinds of bowls and jars.

"Um, I hadn't thought about it." Now that she realized it, Acacia seems to not have thought of any names to call the white sand crystals salty things.

Even with the other villagers, they would just call it "that thing' or 'under the ground thing'.

Nai then thought that since that was the case, "Then we'll call it salt from now on.".

"I'll listen to my husband." There's no need to think too much since it has been named. It will be much easier to identify it when asked later.

"Let's call the other condiments by names too since it will be much easier to identify them in the future."

Then, without waiting for Acacia's response, he started naming the condiments on the bowls and jars at the side based on their appearance and his previous world's ingredient names that had similarities between them.

Acacia has no problem with that; instead, she just realized how convenient it was to have their names. Why didn't she realize that in the past?

Well, she can't be blamed for that. Nai thought, looking at her expression. It seems she felt it was very novel to call other things by names aside from themselves.

"I didn't know they could also be named." Acacia muttered, feeling strange.

Nai chuckled. "Hahaha, it's normal for things and other things to be named."

He did not elaborate for more before he guided her in memorizing the names of the condiments and ingredients they had.

A few minutes later, after Acacia cleaned up the bowls and spoons using the miracle water, which the whole Agah Village deemed a treasure that can save lives and an important supporting ingredient in killing those kinds— now called slimes by Nai.

Nai can only imagine how they would grit their teeth in anger and curse him for how wasteful he was.

They exchanged their strength for chopping logs and timber, even traveling on foot with the goods for a few weeks, and yet they only received a bag for their efforts?

Yet here she was, Acacia, the ignorant young wife, listening to her husband's order to wash the plates and all kinds of things in the pond without asking questions.

Then it hit her, "Where did we get our drinkable water from?".

"It's the pond." Nai, who was by her side, looking at her calmly, softly responded.

Acacia blushed at being stared for awhile; however, she can do nothing at all.

"I know what you're thinking." Nai calmly continued.

Acacia thought, does husband know that she was feeling nervous about his staring? Her hand washing the plate suddenly trembled as she let her hair fall beside her to hide her reddened cheeks.

How embarrassing! Please don't look at me too much! Please!

Nai continued, "The water in the pond has amazing properties. It can purify all kinds of filth, in simple terms. It won't be dirtied no matter what was thrown in it."

He picked up some dirt and threw it on the pond. The dirt-brown color in the water didn't even spread far before it turned into countless mini bubbles and disappeared.

"Uwe—ih—!"

"See? Don't worry, it's safe." Nai pushed his hand into the water to demonstrate nothing dangerous was happening, seeing Acacia turn pale from fright.

Acacia calmed down somewhat, but still. Witnessing that bubbles just now seem to consume the dirty water back then did indeed creep her out.

Then she suddenly thought of something incredible. She hesitated for a while. Should she have asked this? Won't her husband get angry if she knows?

However, there's no way, right? That water in the pond we just drank water from and washed dishes from.

Its not like she felt disgusted by it. Knowing the water can never be filthy, she thought of another thing.

Nai, who had always been paying attention to her, immediately asked after seeing her hesitant face. She seems to have something to say but is having trouble saying it.

"You have something to say; just say it. As long as it's not about mocking and other belittling terms. I won't get angry."

Making up her mind, she braced herself and asked nervously while still holding the washed plates. "I-Is this that miracle water?"