Chapter 293: Start of the Survey |
The next morning after getting approval from Chris and the others, we made preparations and immediately set out for the Shumie Mountains. The speed at which we traveled was several times faster than when we all moved together. It was thanks to the stamina of Shuu and Apao, who could run all day just by staying out of the sunlight.
“No way, we’re moving fast!”
“My butt is burning…”
“That’s why I told you to undo the transformation.”
However, running continuously just because we could, would accumulate fatigue and actually decrease efficiency. Therefore, we took several breaks, and now that the sun had set, we were spreading out our tents to camp for the night.
During this time, Woodsorrel was lying face down and rubbing her buttocks. She had been repeatedly told by Chris that it wasn’t good, but she continued to ride on Apao’s back in her human form and follow behind Chris.
This had apparently caused some damage to her buttocks. According to Chris, Apao had tried to minimize the shaking which is why the injury was only minor. Without that, Chris said that the skin on Woodsorrel’s buttocks would have been torn and bloodied. Since it was such an area, I simply responded with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, Chris and Lorenz were in good spirits. Chris seemed to have protected her lower body with her fighting spirit. It seems that as a guardian of nobles who might need to ride for long hours, warriors who serve the “Goddess of Protection” learn techniques to protect their lower bodies. This experience proved useful this time.
Lorenz, for his part, wasn’t riding at all. He was seated in a chair tied to Shuu’s back, and this chair was a luxurious cotton-padded one he had brought with him. Chris protected her own buttocks with skill, while Lorenz did so with equipment.
“They taste especially good after running! Hhiin!”
Shuu and Apao, who carried the three of them, were hungrily eating the potatoes they had brought as food. Even with their stamina, it was impossible not to be hungry after such a run. Especially the two gluttons, who were voraciously devouring the provisions.
I too had been running, but my portion was small. One reason was simply that I ate little, but more importantly, I had intentionally kept my own portion minimal to reduce the amount of food we needed to carry.
“Dried sandfish, and just half a piece… Is that enough?”
“I’m naturally not a big eater, and I’m used to hunger; I can endure it. You know that, right?”
“Yes. After all, you didn’t eat me even when you were nearly starving.”
Chris who had asked me this perhaps out of concern while nibbling on the dried fist reminisced about the past and looked nostalgically at the starry sky. I too remembered those times.
When we were both fighting beasts and slaves, I was forced to fast right before the “Beast Battles”. I vividly remember how Chris had tried to sacrifice herself during those times. Now, it’s not a fond memory… it serves as a reminder of a time when my self-control almost snapped.
“I’m sorry for that time. Forgive me.”
“I’ve told you before, I’m not angry, you know? I just find it nostalgic.”
After she said this, Chris smiled cheerfully and slowly chewed her dried fish. While chewing, she poured hot water, created through her spiritual arts, into our cups.
The desert night was cold, and even for someone as resilient as me, the hot water was welcome. We quietly nibbled on our dried fish together for a while.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
It was on the morning of the second day that we arrived at the place where we had landed after being transported by the “Forest God”. We were fast on our feet after we took precautions against the sunlight, so our journey was exceptionally quick. Even considering this, it seemed that for an average demon, it would typically take four to five days to travel this distance.
“It’s clear enough; shall we use this as our base for exploration?”
“That sounds good. We have mostly surveyed the plants around here, so it would be good to start exploring the surroundings.”
Lorentz’s suggestion seemed most reasonable. We set up our tents near the clump of earth that had served as our foothold when we were transported and after assigning Shuu to keep watch, we decided to head out north. Though there were plants creeping along the ground here and there, none of them were deemed edible.
However, such plants seemed to be quite edible for Shuu and Apao. So Apao would stop every so often for research, and bend down to nibble on the grass. By now, Shuu who was left on guard duty might have been voraciously devouring the surrounding vegetation.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything new.”
“Yes, that’s true. Let’s go, Lorentz… Lorentz?”
We saw nothing that seemed useful, so we decided to move on. It was true that we had arrived in only two days, but considering the return trip, the time available for exploration was less than five days. Besides, with only daylight at our disposal, we could not afford to waste any time.
Yet Lorentz, who understood this best, was kneeling on the ground and intently staring at something. At first, I thought he might be feeling unwell. However, seeing him furiously scribbling in his notebook, I realized he had discovered something.
“Is there something?”
“Yes! Look at this, please!”
When Woodsorrel noticed the anomaly and asked Lorentz, he excitedly showed us a stone lying on the ground. It was white, which was indeed a rare color in the reddish gravel desert.
However, even if we looked at this white stone, we were clueless about what it signified. What value could this stone possibly have?
“This is a fragment of limestone! There must be a limestone quarry nearby! Let’s go find it!”
Limestone… My knowledge informed me that it was a mineral with various uses. Although I didn’t know the specific applications, Lorentz’s excitement seemed justified.
After calming the excited Lorentz, I took the fragment of limestone from him. I tapped it lightly with my finger to test the vibrations that returned, and then I firmly stomped on the ground.
When I stomped repeatedly and felt the returning vibrations, I indeed succeeded in detecting the same vibrations as those from the limestone. Perhaps Mika could have sensed it in one try, but this was the limit for me.
“I’ve found it. There is more of the same material to the west. Let’s proceed cautiously.”
I stomped firmly on the ground, feeling the vibrations as I aimed for the location of the limestone. As I walked and stepped on the ground, the insects and small animals hidden in the undergrowth or burrows were startled. They stuck their heads out or scurried away. I felt bad for disturbing them.
After walking for a while, we finally reached a promising area. It was a flat land stretching to the foot of a mountain, where rocks of the same color as the limestone Lorentz had discovered were abundant. Not only that, but the terrain was diverse with deep depressions and caves so deep that their bottoms were invisible.
“Ah, this is definitely a limestone quarry! The terrain is becoming more typical of such places!”
Having found what he was looking for, Lorentz became even more excited. He even took his notes and started scraping the surface of the limestone. Taking notes was understandable, but why the scraping? Perhaps he was checking the quality. We would have to trust his expertise as a merchant in that regard.
“Chris, Apao, Woodsorrel.”
“Right.”
“I’ve noticed!”
“Eh? What are you talking about?”
Although Lorentz was absorbed in the limestone, everyone but him and Woodsorrel had sensed a presence lurking nearby. Apao and I, with our demon’s keen senses, and Chris, with her experience as a Guardian, were on the lookout for areas that required vigilance. I believe Woodsorrel’s title should have been “Guardian of the Forest”… well, perhaps it’s best not to sweat the small stuff.
The presence was lurking inside a cave located in a vast flatland dotted with limestone. The detected fighting spirit and spiritual power were not particularly high, but there was also the possibility that they were being concealed. Moreover, near the entrance of the cave, there were about twenty presences. While there were varying degrees of strength among them, the fact that the enemy outnumbered us, and given that Lorentz was a person we were supposed to guard, put us at a disadvantage. There was no way we could let our guard down.
“Do you see anything, Antares?”
“Wait a moment… It has the shape of a quadrupedal beast, the texture… perhaps reptilian?”
“Could it be some kind of lizard?”
“Is there something there? Are we going to initiate a confrontation?”
“No, unless they attack us first. There’s no need to provoke them unnecessarily… though that’s easier said than done.”
We were the ones who had intruded into their territory. I had thought to avoid unnecessary provocation, but if they were to attack first, that would change things.
What burst forth from the cave was a large lizard, as big as a human. Its head was pointed at the nose, and its scales were a dull white, the same color as the limestone, which allowed it to blend into its surroundings.
“Leaving us aside, Lorentz is in danger. I don’t want to, but we might have no choice but to take it down.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll just put the enemies to sleep then.”
Woodsorrel hummed a tune as she used an illusion, causing the lizard’s running speed to gradually decrease. When they had covered about half the distance between us, they fell into a deep sleep.
The lizards seemed to have little resistance to the illusion as they were easily incapacitated. It felt wrong to kill them unnecessarily at this point. So I made hands out of the sand, one for each lizard, lifted them all up and threw them back into the cave they came from.
“Sir Antares, the limestone here is of very high quality.”
“Is that so? Can it be used for various purposes?”
“Yes, indeed. It’s particularly useful in construction. Also, I’ve discovered another thing.”
“What’s that?”
“It appears this area receives rain. The evidence lies in the landscape.”
We had found materials beneficial for construction and learned that this desert experiences rainfall. The information gleaned from just one stone had turned out to be more significant than expected.