Chapter 287: To Conquer the Sea of Sand |
The night we arrived at the sand sea. We decided to build a full-fledged base of operations at this boundary location. There was only one reason for that. This was to prepare for our journey to the island oasis that continued to move with the flow of the sand.
The sands of this sand sea, unlike those of a typical desert, were truly like water and were sinking almost without resistance when stepped upon. Fortunately, anything that could float on water could also float here, but if one was not careful, they could be carried away by the sand currents and slowly drift.
It was possible to create floating platforms with appropriate spiritual arts. However, the idea of traveling on these platforms for nearly a month was a different matter. For us, who knew nothing about the sea of sand, spending a month atop it was far too risky.
So, what should we do? As we racked our brains for a solution, Woodorrel casually said, “When crossing the sea, you usually take a large ship, right?”
“Who would have thought we’d end up building a ship in the middle of a desert?”
That’s right, the preparations we were making involved building a ship to cross the sea of sand. The material was the abundant sand right in front of us, which could be compressed into pieces as strong as stone but lighter than wood. By assembling them, a ship could be built.
However, the first and greatest problem was that none of us had ever built a wooden ship before, let alone one made of compressed sand. Even Mia who was born into a family of craftsmen was the same as the rest of us. It was certain that we would have to experiment again and again, so we decided to settle here for the time being.
To ensure safety, the first thing we did was build a protective barrier around our base. And after fortifying our defenses, we would work on constructing a sturdy ship.
Right now, I was manipulating the sands of the sand sea. I was compressing them to their limits to form blocks of equal size, similar to bricks. This compression required a strong output of spiritual power, and precise control was needed to ensure they were of equal size. It is also good training.
“Ah, understood.”
Beside me, Chirik was also making blocks of compressed sand. However, the blocks he was tasked with creating were much smaller than the ones I was working on. This was because he was building blocks for our dwellings inside the protective barrier.
Even with Chirik’s current output, he could produce firm blocks if they were small. He had been trying his best beside me up to this point, but I had no intention of pushing him too hard. After all, Chirik was still young.
Furthermore, there were other spiritualists who could manipulate earth, even if they weren’t as specialized in sand as Chirik and I were. They could take over, so there wouldn’t be much of an issue if Chirik took a break. It seemed best to let him rest for the day.
“Take the rest of the day off. There’s no need to overdo it.”
“Understood… Woah?!”
“Lappy, could you take him?”
“Mm, got it.”
Lappy, who had approached Chirik silently and quickly, picked him up without a sound. After carrying Chirik, she sped away like the wind. Hey, hey, isn’t your speed a bit much for Chirik? Sure enough, I could hear Chirik’s scream fading into the distance.
The rest of us, including myself, who were in charge of building the blocks, chuckled wryly before plunging back into our work. Building an outer wall to protect us from outside enemies was an urgent matter. Therefore, it was decided that we would continue to make blocks until the outer wall was completed.
“Wow! Look how much we’ve already done!”
“Don’t just stand there admiring it, Gora. We need to keep moving the ones that are finished… heave-ho!”
Those tasked with carrying the blocks we created were those with superior strength, such as Tigar and Gorra. They flexed their muscles while carrying several large and heavy blocks at once. Their strength was indeed reliable.
It would have been easier if it were a bit cooler so we could have the oxen and horses help carry them, but it was quite hot since this was just before noon. They were too exhausted, so I didn’t feel like pushing them too hard.
“Everyone, let’s take a break!”
“What a catch, what a catch!”
As we continued making blocks, Chris and Woodsorrel came over to where we were. Chris carried a tray with enough dishes for everyone, steaming with what appeared to be freshly cooked food. It seemed she had brought us our meal.
Meanwhile, Woodsorrel also held something different. It was a skewer for each person and impaled on these were reasonably large fish.
Yesterday, as soon as we arrived at the sand sea and spotted fish jumping, we immediately moved to catch them. Naturally, we thought they would be a valuable source of food.
But at that time we failed to catch a single one. The sea of sand was always shifting and full of noise, and it was not transparent, unlike water, because it was sand. Our sight, hearing, and even my sense of touch which helped me detect things by vibrations, were almost useless.
So yesterday, we modified two carriages to create boats that could float on the sand sea. We also gathered ropes used for tents and crafted a large net. This morning, those who were available took these boats out to fish in the sand sea.
The fish skewered on skewers Woodsorrel brought with her must have been caught during this fishing trip. It seems the boats had returned while we were busy making blocks, and since I was too focused on this unfamiliar task of block-making, I didn’t notice.
“Here’s yours too, Antares!”.
“Ah, thank you.”
I received a skewer of fish from Woodsorrel before getting a bowl from Chris. What kind of creature could a fish from the sand sea be? Since I was curious about this, I closely examined the fish impaled on the skewer.
At first glance, I thought it might be a snake. This fish was so long and slender that one might think so. The cross-section of its body was probably diamond-shaped, and its thickness was about the width of three of my fingers. Though small, it definitely had fins and there were gills at the base of its head.
There were no eyes, but several long antennae protruded instead. Perhaps this meant that vision was meaningless in its environment. The scales were large and surrounded its body in a way that reminded me of a pill bug.
Its mouth was large and could open to nearly three times the size of its body. Inside its mouth were rows of short, sharp teeth. This clearly meant that this fish was carnivorous.
“Hmm. Alright then…”
“Ah?!”
Having finished my examination, I bit into the fish without hesitation. At that moment, Chris turned towards me in a panic, but I had already started chewing. However, I quickly understood what Chris had wanted to say by the way I had bitten into it. She must have meant to tell me to remove the scales first.
I had assumed that the fish, grilled scales and all, was edible, but it turned out to be too hard to eat. Well, I could probably crunch through it with my jaw strength, but since it was tasteless and only someone with the jaw strength of a demon could manage it, there seemed to be no point in eating it.
As for the actual meat of the fish, it was lean and mild in flavor. Although it wasn’t greasy, the texture wasn’t dry, and it seemed to be delicious enough on its own… or so it should be. Since I only have a taste for sweet stuff, I can’t really say for sure, but judging by the cheerful expressions of my comrades who had joined me in making the blocks, I think I was right.
Speaking of my comrades, they weren’t just eating the long slender fish that I was eating. There were several different kinds of fish being eaten, so it seemed that a variety of fish inhabited the sand sea.
But leaving that aside. it felt rather crude to spit it out now, so I intended to swallow the first bite, but I started peeling off the scales while chewing. As I did so, Chris smiled wryly and sat down beside me with two bowls and a skewered fish.
“Here, this one’s for Antares.”
One of the bowls was for me. I took it and considered rinsing the fish with the broth in the bowl, but then I froze. The contents which I had assumed to be ordinary soup were thick and ominously red.
I froze for a moment, but then I recognized the faint sweet smell emanating from the soup. There was no mistaking it. It was the bright red potato Lappy had found. But that wasn’t all. There seemed to be some animal ingredients mixed in as well.
“Mika said it’s a soup with sand fish liver. It’s made by mixing the sweet potato and processed liver of sand fish, then carefully straining it before diluting with broth.”
“I don’t quite understand, but it seems like a rather elaborate dish. And you said sand fish? That’s quite a straightforward name.”
After swallowing the fish meat mixed with crunchy scale fragments, I joked about the name sand fish. This easy-to-understand name was undoubtedly Lorentz’s work. As if to confirm my prediction, Chris chuckled and nodded her head.
Turning my attention from the laughing Chris to the bowl, I scooped up some soup with the spoon provided and tasted it. The sweetness of the potato combined with the rich flavor of the fish filled my mouth. It appeared that the liver of the sand fish was more nutritious than its meat.
“How is it? Tasty?”
“Yes, not bad.”
“Mika said that this menu was made entirely from ingredients found in the desert.”
“So, if we gather properly, we could have meals like this one?”
“That’s right. It might be a more livable place than we thought.”
“The temperature extremes are still harsh, though.”
“Yes, they are,” Chris replied while drinking her soup. The sand fish in her hand was quite flat. It seemed that it didn’t have hard scales like mine which allowed it to be eaten skin and all. However, the moment she put the fish in her mouth, Chris furrowed her well-shaped eyebrows and made a grimace.
“What’s wrong? Is it bad?”
“…No, the taste isn’t bad at all. It’s actually quite fatty and very delicious.”
“Then what’s causing that expression?”
“There are a lot of small bones. It’s really not suitable for eating on a skewer like this.”
“Aha! You’ve eaten the scales too!”
It seemed that Chris had drawn the short straw with a sand fish that was difficult to eat. She discreetly hid her mouth from me as she picked out the small bones that had ended up inside. It was during moments like this that people learned whether something was edible and what kind of dishes suited them best. That was the impression I got.
Woodsorrel who had been eating loudly joined us. She had deliberately not told me about the hardness of the scales on my sand fish, and now wore the expression of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank. Indeed, I had been fooled, so it was fair to say that it was my loss.
By the way, it seemed Woodsorrel had reserved the heaviest sand fish for herself. Moreover, this fish was not only delicious but also had fewer bones and was easier to eat…How unfair.