Treasure (1)
The impact of that video clip showing the Sky Whale far exceeded my expectations.
For starters, Allfather was so openly aroused he couldn't contain himself, and the other forum users doubted their own eyes before even bothering to crack jokes. To me, it had simply felt like stumbling across another strange, bizarre animal, but to the people of this world, it clearly shattered common sense. I suppose it was comparable to someone back on Earth capturing live footage of a legendary unicorn.
Even this fantasy world utterly rejected the existence of the platypus. Perhaps they simply hadn't discovered it yet, or maybe it didn't exist here at all. Seeing as they didn't even have giraffes, it wasn't weird for a few animals I was familiar with to be missing.
Buoooooo—
The resonant cry of the Sky Whale echoed across the expanse of the Forest of the Four Seasons. Hearing the call of a whale echoing not through ocean depths, but across the open sky was a truly surreal experience.
Plop—
Right at that moment, something detached and dropped from the rear of the departing Sky Whale. The mass fell away from near its tail and plummeted toward the forest floor. Judging by perspective, it was a fair distance off, but not so far as to be completely unreachable.
Watching the Sky Whale shrink into the horizon, a sudden thought struck me, prompting me to fire off another question to Allfather.
Leaving the conversation about the Sky Whale at that, I set to work outlining my next steps. Thanks to the beast hoovering up the entire cloud of bugs before taking its leave, visibility had cleared up completely. Without insects swarming every exposed inch of skin, regular daily life could finally resume.
I suppose I can assume that an insect plague breaks out periodically, and the Sky Whale flies in to clean it up?
Experiencing the onset of each season firsthand had taught me a harsh lesson: during the threshold transition, ordinary outdoor activities were entirely off the table. Winter ushered in blinding blizzards, Spring brought suffocating Pollen Storms, and Summer unleashed biblical swarms of insects. Heaven only knew what Autumn had in store, though hopefully it would prove comparatively tame.
Since I've secured a window of time to move freely, I need to make the most of it.
Looking up, a brilliant azure sky filled my view. But when one thought of summer, what came to mind? The merciless, endlessly prolonged monsoon season. I planned to get as much done as humanly possible before that torrential deluge arrived.
First on the list: tracking down whatever that Sky Whale dropped.
I had a rough grasp of the direction. The real issue was that I had no clue what had fallen, and other forest creatures were bound to take an interest in it as well. Heading out fully prepared was the only sensible choice.
Conveniently, Ggobongi had made a complete recovery from his dazed state after being bitten by the bugs. The special remedy Starlight Princess supplied had proven remarkably potent; I had a feeling I'd be relying on it often in the future.
The Acon Merchant Guild promised to keep supplying insect repellent, too.
Even though the repellent had previously sold out, the Acon Merchant Guild vowed to provide continuous restocks. Offering it through a public post rather than a private message had made me a little wary at first, but given all the official verifications they provided, they were trustworthy enough. Since then, various guilds had sent sponsorship items, though their actual effectiveness remained unverified. Well... I'd find a use for them one way or another.
I'll have to test out that fishing rod soon.
The item that piqued my curiosity most was the rod. Having observed how much fish I consumed, a merchant guild had sent one over. It seemed to be an enterprise dealing with fisheries, and its reputation was quite solid. Premium fishing rods in this world fetched exorbitant prices just like back on Earth, yet they had generously gifted me a top-tier product. Even to a complete novice like myself, its craftsmanship looked magnificent enough that I swore I'd take it out for a spin. I would have preferred fish traps, but since mine were constantly getting washed away by currents, perhaps that was why they sent a rod instead.
"Kkyu-ek! Kkyu-eeek!"
"Alright, alright, Wonmo. Bear with it. There might still be bugs lurking out there."
I thoroughly slathered repellent over Wonmo. Gifted with a sharp sense of smell, the cub squirmed furiously against the pungent odor, but he was still just a baby. After Wonmo, I applied the ointment to Fast Tree Sloth and Ggobongi, wrapping up our preparations to depart.
It might rain midway through, so let's stow away anything that shouldn't get wet.
With summer in full swing, a downpour could strike without warning. That was pure instinct honed from past survival experiences. Having enacted every safeguard I could think of, I set off in the direction where the Sky Whale had vanished.
Our path led away from the river and deeper into the forest, toward the vicinity of the Orichalcum Cave. If I scouted around that perimeter, I ought to turn up something. If I couldn't find it, I'd simply cut my losses and move on.
Chzz-chzz-chzzz—
"Hm?"
We had been advancing without a hitch when a subtle sound caught my attention. It was summer, so encountering bugs wasn't unusual, and that category naturally included ants. To be exact, an enormous army of ants was marching with intense urgency.
It was a spectacle straight out of a wildlife documentary: an unbroken, disciplined column advancing in a single file.
The direction is roughly the same... Should I just follow them?
Whatever the ants had discovered, trailing behind them seemed like a solid plan. The heading matched closely with where the object had fallen, meaning they had either zeroed in on the Sky Whale's drop or stumbled upon something else entirely. Given the sheer scale of the swarm mobilizing, it couldn't be anything ordinary.
Looks like they react to the repellent too.
When I cautiously edged closer, the ants silently detoured around me. Wonmo, who had been eyeing the column for a snack, let out a disappointed whine. *No eating bugs, buddy. That's dirty.*
Barely keeping Wonmo appeased, I followed the trail of ants until we arrived in a completely unfamiliar clearing.
Chzzzzzzzz-chzt!
A chill ran down my spine at the nightmarish spectacle before us. Without exaggeration, the entire area was carpeted under a writhing, black tide of ants. Setting a single foot into that swarm wouldn't just result in getting nipped and chewed—you'd be stripped down to a bare skeleton in mere moments.
There was an old adage that the true apex predator of the jungle was neither the tiger nor the wolf, but the ant. No matter how formidable those beasts were, individual might was utterly powerless before absolute, overwhelming numbers. The same held true for me. The very thought of stepping into that pit never even crossed my mind.
Wait, what's that?
That was when I noticed what the ants were frantically laboring to haul. While the swarm blanketed the entire clearing, one solitary object stood out in stark contrast: the treasure they were moving. Thanks to their efforts, its shape was plain as day.
A golden... stone?
It was a rock that gleamed with a brilliant, golden luster—at a glance, it looked far more precious than pure gold. Why on earth were ants hauling a stone? Regardless of the reason, it demanded a closer look.
Trusting the repellent to work its magic once more, I stepped forward.
Chzzzzzz!
The moment I drew near, the ants parted in haste. Thanks to their retreat, I got a clear, up-close look at the golden stone. The instant I leaned in, a rich, pleasant fragrance drifted into the air. A sweet, mesmerizing aroma—no wonder the ants had swarmed it with such frenzy.
Did the whale produce this stone?
Unable to determine its nature, I swiftly stowed it inside my subspace backpack. The moment the golden stone vanished into the dimensional fold, the ant swarm instantly dispersed.
Scuttle, scuttle!
They scattered with astonishing speed, resembling a well-drilled army executing an orderly tactical retreat. If I had ventured out into summer without coating myself in repellent... the mere thought made my stomach churn. For a colony to maintain such terrifying numbers in a territory where seasons cycled so erratically was remarkable in its own right. Joking aside, they truly might be the undisputed rulers of this forest. In the wild, it wasn't the strong who survived; those who survived were the strong.
"Sniff, sniff. Ugh, the scent already soaked into my hands."
Handling the golden stone while shoving it into the backpack had left a lingering odor on my skin. Honestly, the texture hadn't been pleasant in the slightest. I'd assumed it was a stone, but it yielded like a slimy mass and felt faintly tacky to the touch.
That bizarre sensation only deepened my curiosity regarding this golden 'rock.' I'd have to consult Allfather or Starlight Princess. Upon returning to the shelter, however, I refrained from taking the golden stone out. Exposing it carried the risk of summoning another swarm of ants, so caution was paramount. Fortunately, I had snapped a photo beforehand. I immediately drafted a post on the Gallery.
Wild Grylls
[A photo showing an army of ants hauling a brilliant golden mass]
Saw something weird drop out of the Sky Whale, so I went over to check it out. Found a massive swarm of ants hauling it away.
Stole whatever they were moving and brought it back. Its main feature is that it gives off a really pleasant scent.
Figured I'd ask around to see what it is before deciding what to do with it.
In the end, turning to Allfather was my only viable option.
Allfather readily agreed, accepting a sample of the golden stone for appraisal. We were in total agreement on carving off only a small portion to send over; handing across the entire mass carried the danger of luring an infestation of insects straight to his location.
Not long after, Allfather delivered a revelation that left me utterly floored.
Before my short-circuited brain could even process the word 'dung'—
Allfather had ascended straight into pure nirvana.