Spring (3)
I don't have severe pollen allergies. Just some sneezing or a runny nose, nothing more. And with a mask on, it's basically nonexistent.
"Achoo! Ugh!"
Fortunately, the pollen in the Four Seasons Forest was similar. It was just as thick as Chinese yellow dust rather than Korea's, but the symptoms were the same. Wearing the mask-substitute hood from SunForever made it much better. The pollen I'd already inhaled was unavoidable, though.
How do the beasts endure this environment?
I glanced back and forth between Ppareumbo and Wonmo. Ppareumbo was tossing firewood into the fireplace, while Wonmo stared at me with her eyes wide open. How had these two adapted to this shitty setup? I was a little curious.
No matter what, a house is essential.
It wasn't a choice—it was a necessity for survival. If I hadn't claimed this cave, I'd have gotten swept up in a disaster and died. From now on, while exploring, I should scout for shelters to dodge disasters midway.
The pollen haze... it's dying down a bit.
The pollen storm had mostly cleared. With spring's arrival, flowers had bloomed all at once, kicking up a massive pollen frenzy. I recalled pollen peaking in April or May back home, but the Four Seasons Forest didn't care about that. Spring hits? Boom, flowers everywhere, done.
The simultaneous explosion is the problem.
I stepped outside with the hood on. My nose itched, but no sneezes. The runny nose was inevitable, though. Gotta wash this hood thoroughly later, I thought as I geared up. First order: grab some gravel.
On the way, I brought Ppareumbo and Wonmo along for the first time in ages. They seemed totally fine with the pollen.
"Ptoo!"
Or not. Maybe they were just holding it in. Seeing Wonmo sneeze made it seem like individual differences. Pollen allergies existed on a spectrum, after all.
Soon, we reached the river, where the water was still frozen solid upstream. Downstream had thawed, rushing fiercely.
Time to set up the traps soon.
Going forward, I'd install two traps instead of one. Having experienced winter's sudden arrival, I needed more smoked goods.
Do frogs hibernate?
I stuffed gravel into my sack while scanning the surroundings—just in case frogs or something jumped out. Luckily, it was early spring, so no animals in sight.
I filled the sack to the brim and headed back to the cave. Spreading and tamping it down would finish the job.
What the hell is with this mud?
The yard was huge, so multiple trips were unavoidable. It hadn't been this bad during the first rain, but winter had turned it into this mess. Frozen ground was part of it, but snow was the real culprit. Even salting it midway couldn't stop the freezing.
Ground's done. Time to rebuild the oven and forge.
The avalanche had wrecked them, but now I'd make ones tough enough to withstand future disasters.
To anchor them solid, dig a bit and lay bricks underneath.
I dug shallow trenches, laid bricks, then stacked more just like before. Mortar mixed from sand and cement in between. Finally, test-sliding the trays to check size. Prep took forever, but actual building was quick since I'd done it before.
Better stack bricks behind it, just in case.
Learning from the avalanche hitting from behind the cave, I built right against it. But no complacency—I added a sturdy rear wall. Better than rebuilding after every disaster.
Hmm... is this okay?
Somehow, it turned into a full barricade instead of a wall. Thick enough to enclose the entire oven. Overkill? Maybe, but it was done.
Now the forge.
I built it snug against the cave too, with surrounding walls and thorough cementing. No collapsing anytime soon.
Perfect.
Cave in the middle, oven and forge flanking both sides. Left space on the ends for future expansions(?). Satisfied, I snapped pics of the cave front and posted to the Gallery.
Rebuilt - YasaengGrill
(Photo of cave front)
(Photo of gravel floor)
(Photo of warm forest vibe)
Winter's officially over in the Four Seasons Forest as of today—spring has sprung. Rebuilt everything the avalanche wrecked right away. Time to live properly again.
└Cheonma It resembles wings on a steed. You seem versed in architecture as well.
└YasaengGrill Thanks haha
└SwordTasteStar Gravel on the ground for the mud, right?
└YasaengGrill Yeah. Not sure about rain, but winter makes it a total slog.
└SwordTasteStar Smart move. Judging by the gravel, military experience?
└YasaengGrill How'd you know?
└SwordTasteStar Been there lol
└The army teaches every damn thing, huh?
└That many weirdos around. Some make you wonder why they're even there.
└All I got out of it was spear work. Big difference with or without one.
└PassingDwarf Right? Hey, my molds didn't get swept away, did they?
└YasaengGrill Nah, moved 'em inside since they're portable.
└PassingDwarf Phew. Those are expensive, punk.
└YasaengGrill As if they're pricier than mithril lol
└PassingDwarf Can't argue there fuck lololol
└YasaengGrill Oh, got two traps? Planning lots of smoked stuff ahead.
└PassingDwarf Can do, but whatcha got for me?
└YasaengGrill Find booze-pickling stuff, I'll hook you up.
└PassingDwarf Ok
└NaesilGosuRobert Impressive layout. Are the bricks that sturdy?
└YasaengGrill Useless against nature but tough otherwise. Cement makes 'em even better.
└NaesilGosuRobert I see. Could help later. Planning to stop here?
└YasaengGrill Nah, gotta chop firewood, make charcoal too.
└NaesilGosuRobert Tough doing it all by hand.
└YasaengGrill Hard work, but satisfying when done. "Hardship breeds glory." That pride in completing the design? Can't put it into words. Made out of necessity, but the satisfaction was real.
└NaesilGosuRobert Understood. Planning to farm then?
└YasaengGrill Might try, but sounds tough?
└NaesilGosuRobert Four Seasons Forest—could be easier.
└YasaengGrill Maybe.
└SukSukZaragera Looking down on farming smh;; Plowing alone is brutal lololol
└YasaengGrill That bad?
└SukSukZaragera Soil quality matters most, but your weather's insane? Weekly seasons, right?
└YasaengGrill Yep.
└SukSukZaragera Standard farming knowledge might flop. Weather's too erratic—plants die easy.
└YasaengGrill Hmm... Got it. I'll think it over.
└NaesilGosuRobert Good point. Just realized myself.
The presumed farmer high-nick's explanation gave me pause. Added that farming's as unpredictable as gambling—and this was the Four Seasons Forest. Better than casino odds, though.
Fertilizer, watering... lots to consider.
Already swamped, adding farming would suck. Especially here, where disasters pop up whenever. Barely managing myself—no bandwidth for crops. At least it'd be more kitchen garden than full farm.
Ask the raccoon family?
Scrap that quick. Appa Raccoon was busy foraging herbs. Eomma Raccoon had her paws full with Saekki Raccoon. No manpower in sight.
Still, scout a plot just in case.
Pure backup. Only if I had spare time.
Lunch was smooth after that. Leftover fish from the cauldron—tasted amazing after so long without.
PassingDwarf Here's two traps. Don't let 'em break. Good luck this spring. Seasons change, but rain's random. Oh, barricades too?
PassingDwarf Just stack bricks thick. Way better. You think so too?
PassingDwarf Yeah, wood flies and crawls all it wants—can't touch stone. Unless it's a World Tree.
World Tree, huh. Come to think of it, I'd seen a massive tree before. During the second incantation from Cheonma and my out-of-body experience. Not sure if it was one, but worth checking. That sturdy?
PassingDwarf Branches outperform steel. Says it all, right? Whoa.
Then the gloves from the elf? Leaves just normal?
PassingDwarf Yeah, but not ordinary silkworms. Whatever that tree nut was thinking, they gave you prime stuff.
GrowTrees gave those gloves. Super useful. I traded a guardian core then—wonder what it's up to now. Pops into Gallery sometimes, always yapping about planting trees.
Hope there's something useful, World Tree or not.
Too far for round trips anyway. Thanked the dwarf and checked the traps. Better hit the river tomorrow, but food waits for no one. I'd break the ice myself.
Grasslands across the river this time.
The far side changed cyclically. No clue on timing or what to. Should figure the pattern soon. Expand my range...
"...Huh?"
...What the hell was that?
I blinked. Grasslands meant animals—fine. Giraffe? Okay. Giraffe fending off predators? Passable.
But a person riding a giraffe and swinging a sword? No way.
Giraffes aren't horses.
Rub-rub.
Situation too absurd—I rubbed my eyes and looked again. But perfectly timed, the far side shimmered like a mirage and shifted. Now just barren rocks. The knight on giraffe? Gone.
Was there really a person...?
A flicker of hope faded quick.
But riding a giraffe.
Fighting like a knight, no less. The bizarre scene left me utterly confused.