Chapter 99

This area is dotted with cacti growing in the wasteland.

Besides dragon fruits and prickly pears, various other cacti can be found, so I ended up getting absorbed in searching for them.

I know my time is limited, but once I get interested in something, I can't help but get engrossed.

Despite having had the experience of being overwhelmed by spreading my interests too wide, I still can't learn from it.

I treat it as someone else's problem and don't apply it to the next time, so I end up pushing myself to the point of overwork.

While muttering to myself, my eyes continue to search for cacti.

Wow. There are even cacti with a vivid purple color. This one looks quite toxic.

This cactus has five leaves attached in a star shape, with a white line in the center.

Let's see.

In situations like this, plant identification is the way to go. It might be forgotten, but it's the only ability I can use, lacking both magic and physical strength.

It's pretty cool.

... But I'm starting to feel a bit empty.

The people around me, starting with Sequoia, are just too amazing. My ability inevitably seems dull in comparison.

But it is indeed a powerful ability when it comes to cultivating useful plants from those that grow wild in the early stages of development.

Haha.

Just get on with the identification, okay?

Name: Temperate Astrophytum (Purple Variant)

Overview: Grows in poor soil. Drought-resistant. Occasionally contains magic.

Cultivation: Be careful of moisture. Watering requires attention.

Details: The leaves contain arcanoid toxins and are not edible. The sap, which contains magic, is viscous and crystallizes when boiled.

"Hmm. This cactus seems quite interesting, Sequoia."

"What is it? You're interested in another strange thing, are you?"

Sequoia, who was about to poke the vividly purple cactus with her finger, perked up her tail but eventually pulled her finger back without touching it.

"It seems to be safe as long as you don't eat it."

"I don't sense any particularly ominous magic, so it doesn't seem dangerous."

"Sometimes it contains magic, apparently."

"Hmm. Should we take it back? Maybe put it in the battery?"

"Let's try it. I also want to test something else. With such a strong color, it might make a good dye."

"Hmm, hmm."

This star-shaped cactus, which even made Sequoia hesitate, might actually be quite useful.

Even without cultivation, there are plenty of them growing around here, so we won't run out of materials.

If they start to decrease, we can cultivate them here, as the soil and climate should be suitable.

They grow naturally in abundance, so the environment is perfect.

Feeling quite satisfied with this discovery, I nodded. Then, Alru, who had been carrying dragon fruits, came over with a big smile and showed them to me.

"Master Joshua, I picked them."

"Wow. Let's take the extras back. Shall we try them now?"

When we split them open, the flesh inside was white with black sesame-like seeds, different from the bright pink exterior.

This color combination makes me think of tropical fruits.

We cut them up and shared them with Baltor, who was looking after the horses on the driver's platform, and it was time to eat.

"They're not as sweet as I thought. They might be good as a vegetable."

Alru, who had her ears twitching and her cheeks covered in seeds, turned to me.

"Maybe we could sprinkle some salt on them?"

"True. They might get sweeter if they ripen more, but we have a destination today, so let's stop looking for more."

'They might be good as a snack with alcohol.'

The penguin, who had been eating messily, suddenly said this.

'Oh, Mr. Penguin, do you drink alcohol?'

'No, not since I became this. When I was human, I occasionally had a drink in the evening, but I hardly did it in my later years.'

'That's interesting. I don't drink often either, but the dwarves might be happy with it.'

'True. They work tirelessly day and night, so they would appreciate it as a way to reward themselves.'

I don't mind bringing it, but I have a feeling I'll get dragged into a drinking party.

If I had a day off tomorrow, it would be fine, but that's not the case now.

I need to consider the timing. Delivering it after evening is strictly forbidden.

◇◇◇

After the snack, the carriage proceeded smoothly without any detours.

I think we're about to enter the Rondon Plateau... I glanced at Alru, who returned a full smile.

No, that's not what I meant.

The Rondon Plateau, as I remember, is called a plateau, but it's actually a gentle hill.

The wasteland is very barren, with almost no vegetation, and not a single tall tree in sight.

The low shrubs have twisted branches, and the rough, light brown ground gives off a eerie atmosphere.

It's the kind of place where zombies could crawl out of the ground at any moment. You wouldn't want to get close if you didn't have a reason to.

Caw, caw, caw—

Creeee—

A black bird, which looked like a crow but wasn't, flew away with a loud cry.

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but exclaim. The bird's cry was unpleasant, so I was looking out the window at what seemed to be a crow.

Then, the crow-like bird spiraled up into the sky. It looked more like it was being blown away than flying.

"Balto, stop the carriage."

"Aye. Master Joshua, the Rondon Plateau feels a bit strange. Did you notice that?"

Balto, who was pulling the reins, asked.

"Strange?"

"Yeah. It's hard to explain, but the movement of the sky is different."

Balto scratched his head while facing forward. During this time, the carriage came to a stop with a rattle.

I got out of the carriage and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and blue, with no clouds in sight.

'It might rain.'

The penguin, who was the last to get out of the carriage, raised his right flipper and said something unexpected.

He must have been muttering to himself, but I immediately asked him, puzzled.

'It's sunny, isn't it?'

'No, not really. My beak can sense the rain.'

The penguin opened and closed his beak and closed one eye, saying this definitively.

I wonder if penguins really have the ability to detect rain.

Just as I was looking at him with a skeptical eye, I felt a drop of water on my cheek.

Pitter-patter—

It's raining.

The rain, which had just started, quickly intensified.

The sky, which had been clear just a few minutes ago, was now covered in dark clouds.

What a mysterious phenomenon...

"Come on, let's get back in the carriage."

"Okay."

Sequoia pulled my hand, and we got back into the carriage. The sound of the rain hitting the roof of the carriage grew louder.