Chapter 443 - Starting with Reconnaissance
"Should I be careful soon?"
"Kyu!"
A dignified reply came from True, standing near the bow.
We departed from the Ancient Ruins' port, the dock, and proceeded out of the bay.
Heading north along the sheer cliffs visible on our left, we saw the cliffs extending northwest.
"Oh, that looks like the northern tip of the island. Mion, can you see it?"
"Yes! I can see it!"
Both Mion and I were excited.
Starting from the southern tip of the island and reaching a point where we could see the northern tip felt quite moving. Still, the northern tip seemed to be several kilometers away.
"Are there any monsters around?"
"Kyu!" """Kyuu~!""
I had True and the Selkies stand guard, two at the bow and two at the stern.
It seems difficult to spot underwater monsters from on deck, but the Selkies told me to leave it to them.
"Lupi and the others aren't getting seasick, are they?"
"Woof"
In the cockpit were Lupi, Leda, and Roy.
Sweee was in her usual spot on my left shoulder, and Raz was in his usual spot inside my hood.
"~~~♪" "Kururu~♪"
These two were completely in sightseeing mode.
Well, the weather is good today, and if no monsters appear, it really feels like a cruise.
"Kyu kyuu~"
"Okay. Then let's pick up a little more speed."
According to True and the others, there aren't any reefs around here, so it should be fine to go a bit faster.
The cliffs on the left seem to continue for a while, but beyond them, the area looks a bit more open.
"Can we land around there?"
"Ah, it looks like a river mouth."
"Alright. Today, let's go as far as that spot."
"Woof!" "Kyuu~!"
...
...
...
We slowed the boat and slowly approached the river mouth.
The area was quite wide, the current gentle, and the northern side showed a beautiful gradient from a gravel riverbed to grasslands.
"Woof?"
"That's right. I'd like to land, but…"
I thought the Small Magic Boat could probably be run aground on the gravel riverbed, but I'm scared of large rocks hidden beneath the surface.
Just as I was thinking that,
"Kyu!"
"""Kyuu~""
""Huh?""
At True's call, the Selkies jumped into the water with their tridents.
I thought something was there, but it seems they were checking the underwater conditions.
"Kyuu~"
"Thanks. That helps a lot!"
The Selkies, holding up their tridents, led the way, and we cautiously followed.
Eventually, when they started walking instead of swimming, the boat gently lifted.
"That's amazing."
"Yeah. It really helps to have True and the others here."
Once the entire boat was on the riverbed, I pushed the lever all the way down.
The boat slowly sank and settled on the bottom.
"Woof!"
""Bow!""
This time, at Lupi's command, Leda and Roy jumped off the boat.
They immediately ran off a short distance, apparently to scout the surroundings.
"Um, what time is it now?"
"It's past 10 o'clock."
"Understood. Then, let's just explore this area for a bit."
Running up the gentle slope from the riverbed, we found ourselves in a vast grassland.
Looking around, I could see a forest in the distance, but the area up to it seemed safe.
"Kururu?"
"Hmm, alright, but don't go too far, okay?"
"~~~♪"
Sweee and Raz left me, splitting into pairs to explore.
As long as they stayed within the range Leda and Roy were guarding, it should be fine.
"It's so wide."
"Yeah. I wonder how many times bigger it is than our school grounds…"
Mitsumori's school grounds are pretty wide.
This is not just twice the size; I feel like it's more than four times.
"Kyu"
"Thank you. Alright, let's go explore a bit."
The other Selkies remained behind, so I started walking deeper into the area.
It was a strangely flat plain…
"~~~♪"
"Hmm?"
Sweee seemed to have found something.
Approaching, I saw a plant with white flowers that looked a little different from the surrounding grass…
"It's a cotton plant!"
"Huh?"
[Floss Cotton]
A perennial plant that blooms small white flowers. The cotton-like fibers covering the seeds can be processed into thread.
Material Processing: Cotton fibers can be processed into thread.
I knew it.
It has 'cotton' in its name, and it says the fibers can be made into thread, so it must be right.
"Um, take these white cotton fibers like this."
When I plucked off a tuft of cotton, there were seeds inside.
They were much smaller than what I'd seen before, but since this was the only one here, maybe that's just how they are.
"They're fluffy and cute."
"I wonder if they don't grow well here? Should I take some seeds back and cultivate them?"
"At the mansion?"
"Yeah, over there, I can ask Pan and Sweee's groups to help."
I looked at Sweee, and she gave me a thumbs-up.
In that case, I'll collect as many seeds as I can.
"Kururu?"
"Yeah, these white, fluffy ones, please."
Raz picked and gathered the cotton plants close to the ground.
They should originally grow to knee-height, but these cotton plants were lying flat on the ground.
"Hmm…"
"What's wrong?"
"No, I was just wondering if this river floods."
Looking at the river's meandering path, it seemed to flow from the volcano in the center of the island, and if there were a great flood, it would inundate this plain.
If that were the case, I'd expect more diverse vegetation to grow… but perhaps it gets quite cold in winter.
"Bow"
I turned in the direction of Leda's voice, and in her line of sight…
"Ah, is that… a horse?"
"Is it a horse?"
"Probably."
It was hard to tell from a distance, but four or five horses seemed to be grazing. Were they wild horses?
"What will you do?"
"It's probably best to leave them alone. If they're living peacefully here, it's more like we're intruding."
I'd deal with them if they attacked, but I have no intention of bothering creatures living peacefully.
Besides, it should be about time to go.
"Shall we head back soon?"
"Kyu"
I had Lupi call back Leda and Roy, and collected Sweee and Raz onto my shoulders.
Next time I come, I want to explore further north by boat, specifically the northern tip of the island, so I'll come back here another time when I have more time.
[Update History]
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