Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Lake Has Dried Up!
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The lake has dried up!
"Guhk!"
I woke up to a heavy thud against my stomach.
The culprit was Ruby.
She was supposed to be sleeping in the opposite corner, but instead, she was rubbing her ear against my cheek, fast asleep.
Or more precisely...
"...I know you're not asleep."
"..."
"I said, I know you're not asleep."
"...Oh right, meow! It's time to feed the Mandrake, meow!"
Ruby bolted out with her usual lame excuse.
I let out a sigh as I watched her tail, thick as my fist, swish away.
"What the hell is her deal every morning lately?"
Was it some kind of Beastkin morning ritual?
"You should just build a house next door and kick her out already."
That was when I came to that conclusion.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Snow Girl has requested a 1-on-1 chat.] Normally, I'd accept without a second thought.
Snow Girl had been a huge help to me, and chatting with her was always fun.
"But that last incident..."
I glanced at my hand, which had been frozen solid.
Just as my finger started inching toward the reject button...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [A comment has been posted.] Another notification popped up.
I clicked it, and the post I'd uploaded before bed last night appeared.
📰 Breaking News [Found a baldness cure in the Abandoned Continent;;] [Author] [Shihanbu]
- What should we eat tomorrow? All the dinosaur meat's gone rotten.
Survival in the wild is no joke.
A vent post I'd made after discovering the dinosaur meat had spoiled.
And there, under it, was a comment from Snow Girl.
— Snow Girl Young master, your finger keeps heading for reject? Want a spanking? "How the hell does she know?"
With a sigh, I accepted the chat.
A chat window popped up.
💬 Private Chat — Snow Girl It's checkup time, young master. — Shihanbu Is this checkup going to last until I die? — Snow Girl If you die, I'll turn you into a jiangshi and keep going. — Shihanbu ...Stop the abuse. — Snow Girl Your chills are so cute. "She's draining my energy."
With another sigh, I opened the box in the corner and snapped a photo to send.
I felt like I'd turn into a mummy if she drained any more.
— Snow Girl Hm? Seems like the count's a bit short. — Shihanbu What? No way. I muttered as I double-checked the vials myself.
One, two, three...
"Damn, one really is missing. What the...?"
That was when I spotted her.
"Mandrake! Time for food, meow!"
Ruby.
A memory flashed back—the time she'd asked if it was tasty.
"...Nah, no way."
I denied it hard, but looked at her again.
And there, in her hand, was a rotten fish.
The one I'd caught yesterday.
"That's not good."
In the wild, food was a matter of survival.
You never knew when supplies might run out.
"Winter's the real problem."
Once it got cold, foraging would grind to a halt.
I needed a solution before then.
"This box from Snow Girl is perfect for it."
I typed into the chat.
— Shihanbu Snow Girl-nim, what's the name of this box you gave me? — Snow Girl It's a Frost Rune Chest... Why? Is it broken? — Shihanbu Not that. Just one... I almost said I wanted to sell it, but stopped.
She'd insist on buying it for me if I did.
— Shihanbu Just curious. — Snow Girl I see. Oh, I have a question too, young master. — Shihanbu What is it? — Snow Girl Could you describe that woman called the Third Elder in more detail? She meant Hawol, the Third Elder?
— Shihanbu Why? — Snow Girl Just want to look into what she was doing on Dinosaur Island. I was curious about that too.
How did that group get onto the island, and what were they planning?
— Snow Girl And while we're at it, I'll get you out for good. — Shihanbu You won't lock me in your basement after the escape, right? (laughing emoji) — Snow Girl ... — Shihanbu You won't... right? — Snow Girl ...Are you spying on me? I immediately closed the chat window.
Goosebumps prickled my arms as I opened the auction house.
"Frost Rune Chest, huh."
I searched right away.
A list scrolled up.
I clicked on one selling a man-sized one.
📰 Auction Listing [Man-sized Frost Rune Chest for sale.] - Semi-permanent magic tool. Feed it one magic stone every 6 months. Price [3,000,000] "Three million. Ugh. Pricey as hell... Let's see my points."
[Held Points] [834,394] The harsh number stared back.
Even after grinding streams, I was way short.
"Any way to scrape it together quick?"
I posted on the Gallery.
📰 Gallery Post [Need Gallery Points fast—any ways to earn quick?] - Need to buy survival gear, but short on points. Any tricks? Comments flooded in instantly.
— NyaaElf Want me to loan you points! ↳ Reply Shihanbu: Whoa, for real? — NyaaElf Yes, but pay interest with your body! ↳ Reply Shihanbu: Blocked. — Anonymous Just sell your dan or Mandrake. ↳ Reply Shihanbu: That's my lifeline. No. — BeerMouthwash Gallery points stack up if you hammer swords, right? ↳ Reply Shihanbu: ... More comments poured in, but nothing useful.
Mostly jokes or impossible ideas.
"Guess I'll just keep streaming like always."
I sighed, about to give up, when one comment caught my eye.
- Check the requests tab.
"Oh yeah, that exists."
I checked the top of the Gallery.
There was the requests tab I'd ignored till now.
I dove in.
— Request [Need 3 vials of Troll Blood.] [1,200 points] — Request [Urgently need 10 Slime Cores.] [200 points] — Request [Wild Ginseng Harvest Request] [1,500 points] "Lots of options."
As I scrolled, a title jumped out.
📰 Shihanbu Exclusive Request [Author] [Plum Blossom] - Please find the belongings of our Mount Hua Sect ancestors who perished in the Abandoned Continent long ago. I beg you. [1,283 points] "Mount Hua Sect."
A name I'd seen a lot on the Gallery.
The sect that fought alongside hero Yomi against dinosaurs and fell.
Their remains must be somewhere in this wasteland.
"The points are pitiful."
Not quite enough.
Probably scraped together by selling everything they had and converting to Gallery Points.
"I'd like to help."
I asked Ruby, who was tending the Mandrakes.
"Plum blossom on your chest? No idea, meow."
"Thanks anyway."
I closed the post.
No way to help right now.
Finding bodies in the Abandoned Continent was like needle in a haystack.
I was about to check other requests when...
"Moooooo!"
A bellow echoed from outside.
I rushed out.
The Demonic Blood Ox stood there, sharp spear-like horns glinting, face frantic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Moo! Moooo! Woooo!"
The ox bellowed frantically.
Of course, I couldn't understand it.
"Ruby."
"Got it, meow."
Ruby cast her translation spell.
Now I could make out the words.
⚙ DEMONIC BLOOD OX ⚙ [Lord of the Forest! Disaster! The lake... the lake...!] Too panicked to say much else besides "lake."
"Calm down. What about the lake?"
⚙ DEMONIC BLOOD OX ⚙ [The rock lake has dried up!] "What?"
I reeled in shock.
The rock lake was our area's main drinking water source.
No water meant death was just a matter of time.
"Let's go."
I hurried after the Demonic Blood Ox with Ruby in tow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The moment we arrived at the lake...
"...What the hell is that?"
A bewildered groan escaped me.
An unimaginable sight unfolded.
Tens of thousands of flower crabs filled the lake.
And the reason it had dried up was obvious.
The crabs were blocking the water inlet.
"Was it always like th..."
I shut my mouth mid-sentence.
Footprints marked the lakeshore.
"Something's fishy..."
Fishy, sure.
But the situation wasn't all bad.
No—this was a golden opportunity.
"Play this right, and I might snag that Frost Rune Chest."
I fired up a stream immediately.
Viewers poured in.
— Kkiyaho Kkiyaho! Goddess Ruby... Huh? — Anonymous What's that filling the lake? Rocks? — Anonymous The rocks are moving? — Anonymous Aaack! Those are flower crabs! I addressed the reactions.
"Freshly caught flower crabs—who wants some?"
The response was ice cold.
— Anonymous ...Has he lost it? — Anonymous Eat those cockroach-legged things? — Anonymous Not roaches, just aquatic roaches. — Anonymous Ew! So barbaric. — Kkiyayaaaak World Tree's corrupted! — Anonymous W-we elves must rescue and purify him! "Cockroaches...? Come on."
No crab-eating culture here, apparently.
More like outright disgust.
But quitting now would be a waste.
"No choice."
I headed to the auction house for cookware.
📰 Auction Listing [Plain Pot] [600 points] "Expensive!"
600 points for a basic pot.
Practically the same as a sticky trap.
I knew why.
Shipping to the Abandoned Continent jacked up the price.
"Investment."
I bought it.
A cold lump of metal appeared in my hand.
I stuffed it with crabs and...
Fwoosh—
lit a fire to boil them.
Soon, steam rose from the pot.
A bit later...
"Done."
I lifted the lid.
Perfectly red boiled crabs.
Viewers still weren't impressed.
— Anonymous Aaack! Even grosser now! — Anonymous Really eating boiled roaches? — Anonymous Barbaric... truly barbaric! I ignored them.
Grabbed a crab and cracked it open.
Tough shell peeled away, revealing white meat.
"Ruby, try it."
I held out the crab meat.
She grimaced.
"Eww! No way, meow! Gross, meow!"
She turned away, waving her hands.
I pointed at the sky.
"Huh!? What's that?"
She whipped around reflexively.
Sucker.
I shoved the meat in her mouth.
"Mmmph! What're you doing, meow?!"
She yelled, face twisted in disgust.
But the meat was already in.
Resigned, she chewed cautiously.
Her expression shifted.
"Huh...?"
Disgust melted into surprise.
"This... is tasty, meow?"
She chewed tentatively, then faster.
"Tastier the more I chew, meow!"
Eyes sparkling, she swallowed it whole.
And then...
"Power surging, meow!"
Ruby clenched her fist and shouted.
A faint energy welled up from her body.