LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Exploration
Chapter 5: Exploration
It’s been about six months since the encounter with the dinosaur-like creature. Since then, every day, while keeping a low profile, I’ve been gathering food and thoroughly exploring this 2-kilometer diameter crater and its surroundings. As a result, I’ve started to understand a little bit about this world.
Above all, it was sheer luck that I found this crater in the first place. A brief exploration outside the crater revealed that the surrounding area, about 10 kilometers in diameter, is nothing but barren wasteland. It’s not an environment where food can be easily obtained. Furthermore, it’s a veritable hellish land where crazed giant beasts roam. Even during this exploration, if it weren’t for Pink, I would have easily died. I’m truly grateful for this place and for Pink.
By the way, Pink, who had been sleeping since incinerating the dinosaur-like creature, was completely energetic the next day. And since then, it has occasionally been incinerating the giant beasts that come to attack. However, it seems that Pink’s laser has a limit of one shot per day. Nevertheless, its firepower is too vicious… However, despite the firepower, Pink itself seems to have only the strength one would expect from its appearance. In other words, the strength of a 7-centimeter pink lizard. I learned this one morning. When I woke up as usual, there was Pink, half of its body swallowed by a small snake. It flapped its hands and looked at me with teary eyes.
“Uwaaaah, Pink――――!”
At that moment, I grabbed the snake’s tail and swung it around frantically, and Pink slipped out unharmed. Pink seemed quite scared and trembled with its head in its hands for a while. It’s strange that it can easily incinerate such huge creatures but can’t win against such a small snake. But I guess that’s how living things are. No matter how strong they seem, they can easily die in the next moment.
What I noticed afterward was about that sweet smell I sensed when I defeated the dinosaur-like creature. That smell seems to linger for a while after Pink emits its laser breath. Since then, I had a chance to light a fire with firewood, and even then, there was a faint sweet smell. And as long as that smell is present, no living creatures have approached at all so far. Personally, I think it’s a pleasant smell… It’s mysterious.
As for the harvest, I got more than I expected. The most appreciated discovery was finding sweet potatoes. They’re like taro, sticky, chewy, and deliciously flavorful. If you dig around the colony, they come out endlessly, so I’ve been eating roasted sweet potatoes almost every day. I also found pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots, beans, bananas, etc., in small quantities. Bananas are not only good for their fruits but also for their leaves, which are convenient. There are still some plants that seem edible, but I haven’t dared to try anything unfamiliar. Although I see mushrooms, I’m too scared to eat them. In this narrow area of just 2 kilometers in diameter, there is an unusually diverse vegetation. And among such plants, I was surprised to find cocoa and coffee beans. Perhaps because I’m living like a primitive man, I’m very happy when I find something that could be a luxury item. I’ve wrapped something like cocoa beans in banana leaves, fermented and dried them, and stored them for now. Someday, I want to refine sugar from sugarcane and make chocolate. Although I tried making a crude stone pot, I lack various tools, so I can’t do any sophisticated cooking. I managed to make something like coffee using the stone pot. Despite making it without tools or knowledge, it was incredibly delicious. It’s fruity and has a wonderful aroma. The bitterness is mild, and the acidity is somewhat strong. I don’t know if it’s because the beans are good, fresh, or because I’m carefully working with them out of boredom, but it’s amazingly delicious, even more so than the coffee from the somewhat expensive chain stores that I used to enjoy. I never thought I’d be able to enjoy coffee in such an environment… Drinking coffee surrounded by such magnificent nature fills me with an indescribable sense of fulfillment. And it seems that Pink also likes coffee and comes to lick it whenever I make it. However, if it drinks too much, it seems to get slightly tipsy and occasionally staggers around. Is it okay, this guy…?
So, thanks to Pink, I’ve acquired the skills and strength to protect myself, and my diet has become more fulfilling.
However, living here, even simple tasks require tremendous effort and time. Without tools, everything needs to be handmade from raw materials. Even making a cup of coffee is quite challenging. Harvesting the beans, extracting the seeds, roasting them, grinding them finely, making fire, fetching water, boiling it, and using my shirt fabric to drip the coffee… But such labor gradually becomes enjoyable once you get used to it. By not forcibly separating the goal from the means, you can discover various values in the process itself. It’s like the practice of tea ceremony, where each movement and detail of the tools reconstruct infinite meanings. So, this current life without clear goals, just living aimlessly, suits me very well and is truly fulfilling.
――――However, there are limits. And even if they are small and foolish, human values are not easily changed. In short, I’ve become a bit tired of various things. How much trouble do I have to go through just to have a cup of coffee each time? I need convenient tools. Urgently. A cast iron pot, frying pan, knife, plates, cups, at least those would be good to have. I’m not asking for a microwave, mind you. Living like a primitive man is certainly good. My health has never been better, and perhaps because there’s no modern stress, my mind is also clear. But sometimes, I get really fed up. I want to live a bit more culturally… So, what I desire most now is the outside world. Beyond this comfortable world with a radius of just 2 kilometers, there must be a vast world outside. There must be something I’ve never seen before. And if possible, I want to touch the human world… So, I’ve decided to explore outside the crater while making a map. To start this exploration, I need to give a name to this crater, which is the starting point. Without much hesitation, I decided to call it “Hideout.” A secret base is always something to aspire to, right?
“All right, let’s do our best! And Pink! Ultimately, I’m relying on you, so please take care of us!”
And then, over the next three months, I thoroughly explored the area within a radius of approximately 40 kilometers centered around the Hideout, covering the range that could be reached within a day and a half. As a result, four trends were found, which are easier to grasp when roughly corresponding to east, west, south, and north.
First, to the east. There is a large mountain range to the east. At 40 kilometers east of the Hideout, the ridgeline was clearly visible. There seems to be greenery on the mountains. People might be living there. Perhaps the lake at the Hideout is fed by underground water from those mountains. The altitude seems to be over 3000 meters, and I don’t feel like I could overcome it with my current equipment.
Next, to the west. There’s nothing to the west. At 40 kilometers west of the Hideout, there was no change in the surroundings. I found only one interesting plant. What’s interesting is actually the resin of that plant. Pink unusually came out of its own accord from the pocket and sniffed the plant, so I thought it was something, but it seems it was sniffing the smell of the resin. I was curious, so I checked it myself, and it smelled like frankincense. I collected some and brought them back to the Hideout, and when I heated them, they had a wonderful scent. Although I’m living a somewhat primitive life, just by creating a scent, I feel like my cultural level has increased dramatically. Pink seemed enraptured by it.
And then, to the south. The south is dangerous. The south was the most varied and the most dangerous. For safety reasons, I only progressed to the point where I could return on the same day, about 25 kilometers away. Basically, the area around the crater is similar to the west, with only a handful of limited plants visible. Looking further south from about 20 kilometers south, you can faintly see something like a forest. And the farther south you go, the larger and more ferocious the creatures become. Come to think of it, that huge snake I saw at first was also seen in the south. Furthermore, when I made a fire in the south, large creatures always came and attacked. In that case, I have no choice but to rely on Pink. As a result, I couldn’t continue the exploration and had to turn back immediately.
So, regarding the southern direction, I ended up going back and forth over short distances multiple times, making it difficult to progress with the exploration.
Finally, the north. There was a significant discovery in the north. Initially, when I began exploring the northern side, I didn’t have much expectation since the scenery was almost the same as the west. The only notable change was that I stopped encountering large creatures to a certain extent as I moved further north. However, on the third exploration, I finally found something I had been eager to find. About 40 kilometers northeast, there was a place where distinctive triangular boulders were scattered. There, I found traces of someone camping. There were signs of fire being used, and the ground still retained some heat. Furthermore, there were tracks of both humans and animals with hooves, extending east and west. Clearly, some intelligent beings must have camped here. I was quite excited by this discovery. Until now, during the exploration, I hadn’t seen any signs of human presence. To be honest, up to this point, I had started to worry that this might be a world devoid of humans. However, while I was happy to find signs of humans, at the same time, I became very frightened. What if they turn out to be hostile? If I make a wrong move, there’s a high risk of losing the Hideout or even getting killed. I need to be cautious here.
So, that’s the result of the past three months. Now, the thing to think about immediately is undoubtedly the triangular rocks to the north. From the traces at that location, it’s clear that it wasn’t just coincidentally used. It seems that people have been coming and going repeatedly, using it as a relay point. The shape of those rocks also serves as a good landmark. This means that someone will definitely come back to that place. However, I don’t think many people are using that place. At least it shouldn’t be a common trade route. Apart from fresh footprints, there were no other traces around, and there was no sign of human presence even after staying there for a while. It doesn’t seem like a place with much lively traffic. So, who could be using such a place? I have too little information to guess… I don’t even know if they’re the kind of people I imagine. Nevertheless, their purpose would probably be somewhat limited. They’re either transporting something or hiding from something.
In any case, it’s important to present the right balance of risk and return to the other party. They should perceive us as someone with high risk and low return for causing harm, at the very least. And ideally, they should perceive us as someone with sufficient return for establishing a good relationship. In that case, … showing the harvest from the Hideout might not be a good idea. I’ve explored almost every day for the past three months, but I haven’t found a place like the Hideout. I think the value of the Hideout itself is quite high. It would be too valuable as a return. Above all, at this stage, my lifeline is the Hideout and Pink. I don’t want to draw attention to their existence. How about showing Pink’s collection of defeated creatures? Horns, bones, smoked meat, fur… something like that. Few people would be able to hunt down those giant beasts. By showing those items, we can simultaneously present the risk that there’s something here that can defeat them. Moreover, they are scarce. Even if there were easy means to hunt them, it would be difficult to obtain them in large quantities. Therefore, a certain level of rarity can be expected.
Furthermore, it might be okay to take frankincense. Frankincense can be easily collected on the west side of the Hideout, and although it’s valuable, it’s not so surprising. In other words, it presents a not too significant return. At least it shouldn’t be valuable enough to kill and steal for. Well, maybe I’m overthinking things, or maybe I’m completely off track. However, there are limits to exploring someone’s needs with zero information. This is probably the best I can come up with for now.
Next, I need to think about how to explain my background. Making up lies about this usually backfires. It’s best to say that I don’t even know why I’m here. Which is true, I really don’t know. I’m just wandering around, hunting and gathering casually. That’s actually the truth. If asked how I manage to defeat large species, I’ll say it’s a secret technique. In reality, the secret technique equals Pink.
Hmm… even I find myself too suspicious. Well, being a bit suspicious is inevitable.
It would be far worse if lies were told and then exposed. For now, this is roughly what I’ve got. All that’s left is to pack up, rest well, get in good shape, and then take the plunge. Worst case scenario, I’ll ask Pink to erase everything. I’ve been unnecessarily nervous even before leaving. By the way… I wonder if we’ll be able to communicate.
After three explorations, I finally encountered the members of the Menas Caravan.