CH 227

“Master, can’t you put this house in storage?”

Asks Sera as we’re leaving.

I built it straight from the ground, so I don’t think so… But if I didn’t, would it be possible?

“Not with this one. And I have to consider how much room I have…”

I never thought about that. I’m also curious about what would happen to the stuff inside if I did store the cabin.

Would it all be counted as just the cabin? Would it count the cabin and everything inside individually? I don’t remember ever putting an item bag in the Item Box either.

“I could try, but only if I can’t build a house.”

“Can’t you do that with alchemy?”

It sounds like Rurika is also drawn by the comfort of a house.

Could I do it if I had the materials? I can only imagine they’d start asking for more features if I did manage to do it, but having stuff like a bath would be nice. Mostly so I could just relax.

Rurika and Chris like baths too, but they don’t mind just using magic to clean themselves, probably because they’ve been adventurers for a long time. It’s like, they’ll use a bath if it’s there, but don’t go out of their way to do it.

And if I just used dirt, I’d have to use magic energy from time to time, so I should probably buy actual materials. But it would also stand out a lot near main roads, it’d be hard to find a time to actually use it.

In any case, for now, I’ll just take this cabin apart, kind of like I’m destroying evidence.

“All right then, let’s go.”

Silver hair fluttering and reflecting light in this snowscape looks beautiful.

That’s what I think as I look at Chris, who seems to be surrounded by spirits. The flow of magic energy gives that away.

“I have to walk in front, so let’s change our formation a little.”

Chris says, but having her take the lead is dangerous, so we have her walk behind Sera.

The spirits move in front of Sera, and melt the snow as we advance. It’s hard to control them if Chris is too far away, but apparently she can go as far as five meters.

A lot of spirits tend to be moody, so apparently there are times when they stop listening if they’re too far away, especially when they’ve been summoned for a while.

As Chris walks forward, the snow ahead evaporates. We don’t need a snow-plow with her around.

That weird thought pops into my mind as I follow her.

I turn to Mia, and it doesn’t really look like she’s having trouble walking.

Yesterday Hikari told her to make sure to eat plenty of meat, and it didn’t look like she was forcing herself, so her appetite is back too.

“You’re not making a big deal about the snow, are you Mia?”

“We had it in the holy city too during one season, and it wasn’t that rare. Although it wasn’t as cold as here.”

The wind really is cold. Actually, it’s less like it’s just cold and more like it actually hurts.

“If you’re struggling, say so right away.”

But despite my worries, she doesn’t seem to have trouble.

Maybe it’s because of the snow, but I don’t even see reactions from small animals. Everything is quiet except for the occasional sound of snow falling from trees and the wind.

I check Mia’s condition, and then make chains with Alchemy that help walk on snow without slipping.

We shouldn’t melt the snow in front of us when we get to places with people, and we want to experience walking on snow too, mostly Hikari and me.

Two days later, we reach the top of the mountain.

The view from here is clear, and we can see the mountain range very well.

If we walk near the ridge, we can go around the mountain range surrounding the Dragon Kingdom, but there isn’t anyone crazy enough to do that.

One of the mountain towns, Lactea, has buildings that look like they were carved into the mountain surface. Apparently two other towns are also built into the geography around them.

It’s said that it started as a hut made for travelers, but as more people started coming and going, it expanded. But the owner of the inn says she doesn’t see many travelers nowadays.

There’s the fact that the country has an isolationist policy, but it’s also because the road between Riel and Lactea is tougher than the alternatives.

“I’m surprised you walked through that path. How are you doing?”

She asks, sounding a little amazed.

Does that mean she has experience traversing that path too?

Apparently she walks through that path pretty often to go to the forest to get food. She sounds tough.

But I guess it’s not so strange for someone living on the mountain.

“What do you want to do about the rooms? The biggest one only takes four.”

She says, and we take a room for two and the room for four.

Having a bed to sleep in again feels nice.

If all goes well, we should reach Marte at the foot of the mountain in about five days.

The path is a gentle slope too, and it’s taken care of. I hear it’s because they use it for grazing.

Looking outside the window, I can see a few grassy spots surrounded by fences.

There’s also a small settlement where these people taking care of livestock live, and apparently we can ask to stay with them. Of course, they sell food there, and I hear that while meat is cheap, fruit and vegetables are expensive. On the flip side, they’re glad to buy them.

So that’s why I heard in the border city that it’s a good idea to take vegetables if we’re going to the Dragon Kingdom. Only if we have a way to preserve them, of course.

I check the Item Box, and see I do have vegetables I can sell.

The owner of this inn says she would like to buy some too, so I sell it to her.

And when it’s time to go to bed, being wrapped in a comforter for the first time in a while means I fall asleep pretty quickly.