Chapter 371: Let’s List the Things We Needed to Do
We took a break while watching out for crocodiles.
Hauron told me during our ‘evaluation meeting’ that no matter how much it’s for practice, we shouldn’t push ourselves to our limits, and that we also have the option to rest until the night back when we dug a hole for water.
Oh, come to think of it, he did say that we should make a heap from the sand we dug out while getting water and use that as a shade… Was that supposed to mean that we should rest there until evening?
But then, anybody would continue walking if told that it’s training for crossing the desert, right?
Anyway, the break this time is the real deal. We drank water, cooled ourselves under the tree shades while the breeze blew around us, lounging around while waiting for our body temperature to go down. The desert must’ve been really harsh since Dean, Chris and Retze were napping.
Dinosso and Shiva were carrying the children on their laps underneath the shade of the palm trees. Both adults were awake, but the kids were already sleeping like a log.
Ash was also leaning her upper body on the tree with her eyes closed. Butler was cleaning the tea cups and utensils we used earlier.
Khan, Hauron and I are on the lookout for monsters and crocodiles. Khan looked like a statue with his eyes closed, though.
「Jean, does everyone here know about your secret? 」
「Yup, but it’s not like I proactively shared it with them. 」
Rather than clear discussions, I mostly consulted the trio of Retze, Dinosso and Butler in the card game room in the Canum house.
「Even the children? 」
Hauron glanced at the kids napping on Shiva and Dinosso’s laps underneath the palm tree shade.
「Yeah. They were already aware that the way I travel was strange back when they first arrived at Canum as a family. 」
Or maybe they already knew even way before that? They maybe boisterous and wild as children come, but they’re surprisingly sharp, those kids. Their sibling relationship is great too;
Dinosso’s family is really good.
「All the folks we’re with now are the only ones who know in Canum. 」
「In Canum? 」
Hauron didn’t let that slide.
「There are also folks who help me with business and trade. They have a non-disclosure contract with me so that they won’t be able to spill the beans about my secret. 」
「I see. 」
Hauron’s gaze seemed to glaze over.
Ah, right, Hauron made a written oath with me. He’s the only one with a contract among the folks here.
「Hauron, that doesn’t mean I don’t trust you, alright? 」
「What are you talking about? 」
「Written oath. 」
「Ahh, I don’t mind that. Noth and Retze were just being careful for your sake back then since you were revealing way too much. 」
Urk…
「I can’t help but pity the other party whenever I think about what sort of spirit appeared when you’re contracting them. 」
Ah, right, Ludere did appear during Hauron’s time.
Starting from Gold and Silver, the deities had been conscientiously standing as witnesses everytime I contracted a Changeling.
「What’s your trade? 」
「I’m spreading tasty veggies and miscellaneous goodies related to daily life. 」
「It’s more simple than I expected. I was so sure you’d be selling magic circles and magic tools. 」
I recently started the limited sale of spirit lamps. It’s part of the miscellaneous goodies related to daily life, I assure you.
「What’s up? 」
I averted my gaze from Hauron and happened to see Khan staring at the desert.
「I was just wondering if this place is still covered in wheat after summer ends even until now. 」
「Yeah, they seem to sow wheat after the floods. 」
The Es River usually overflows in summer which will come in the next few months. The resulting deluge would then cover the parched, cracked areas that Khan was staring at. Once the water recedes, folks will plant barley and a type of wheat called emmer.
After the seeds are sown, the farmers will then release the sheep, and they’ll be made to trample on the muddy ground so that their hooves can help bury the seeds in the ground. I’m not sure if this farming method is efficient or not. Oxen and donkeys also aid in threshing; the Es folks basically like letting their animals do the trampling.
Come to think of it, I was surprised to see that wheat and rye fields of Canum and elsewhere are different from the ones I imagined. The ears didn’t face the same way, but instead drooped in a slanted angle and they were poised towards all sorts of directions.
The golden fields with neat rows of wheat ears facing the same way must’ve been the result of working hard on selective breeding. It’s also easier to reap them if they’re arranged like that, after all.
I wonder if Khan is experiencing nostalgia or maybe homesickness, or perhaps he’s thinking about the kingdom that he will build in the future.
There’s nothing I can do about the past, but I can help him out moving forward. In the meantime, I should seek the Goddess of the Es River and ask if it’s possible to redirect the winding curves of the river.
I’m pretty sure there’d be a lot of noise with folks clamoring for rights and expressing interest if a country would be founded on the current banks of the Es River. However, no one would be able to complain if the river meandered and formed a bank right beside the country after it was established, right?
On second thought, I guess it’d be hard to transport the materials and resources needed to build a kingdom without the river. We also had a hard time transporting the materials on the island. Hmm, what a pickle this matter is.
Breaktime was over, and we started moving along the river bank. The Es town is near and within sight, so even the kids happily walked.
***
We stayed in an inn for the meantime to take another break, obediently waiting inside the room until dusk when it’s cooler before we move on.
「Here you go. This one is a toner. Don’t use it if your skin prickles, but if not then go ahead and apply it. And here, peach preserves in syrup. 」
I distributed the goodies to four people.
「Mm, thanks. 」
Ash thanked me. I was bothered about her forehead that had turned a bit reddish. She’s fair, and maybe she’s the type to get sunburned easily? Or maybe her skin is simply delicate?
「Fufu, thanks. You also gave peach syrup preserves before, right? 」
「Yup. 」
I nodded in response to Shiva’s query. Yes, it’s the goodies that turn your skin and butt gorgeous.
「Oh my, thank you. 」
I tried counting Hauron as one of the ladies and offered him some.
「Thank you, Jean. 」
Tina was the last one to get one, and she gave me a peck on the cheek.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.