Chapter 48: Camping
“You weren’t too keen on camping out, were you? You seem pretty skilled at it now,” Dean remarked as I quickly tied the edges of the tarp to a tree and secured the other three corners with stakes, preparing our sleeping area.
“I see, with a waterproof tarp, you can create a simple roof and walls. What is this tarp made of?” Retze said, impressed as he touched the material.
“Just blocking the wind makes it quite warm, doesn’t it? Splendid work, Lord of Dusk!” Chris exclaimed dramatically. Don’t come asking for a hug!
“There’s no way to carry a tent on foot, so this is incredibly convenient. I truly wonder how they achieved such lightness,” the Butler observed, examining the tarp closely.
Using cow or horse hides would be too heavy. Good job, little lizard.
“I dislike camping out, but I never said I wasn’t used to it,” I replied, breaking off cedar branches I had gathered with the firewood and stuffing them under the tarp, then stripping off some moss to lay on top. The bedding could wait until later.
Compared to the nights I spent camping on the island without any gear, this was just a simple camping trip thanks to the preparation time. Though I can’t say our camping supplies are particularly abundant.
It’s normal to walk as much as possible while there’s still light, but this is a path trodden by those before us, so most camping spots are already determined.
This place, too, seems to have been flattened by previous visitors, who piled stones to avoid the river breeze. There’s even a stone arrangement to maintain the campfire.
Though there’s still plenty of daylight left, it’s time to prepare dinner and our sleeping area. I’m the only one getting the bedding ready! Everyone else just wraps themselves in their robes or coats and sprawls out nearby. Apparently, they’ve removed stones little by little for a long time, making it more comfortable than other spots.
“Let’s mimic the moss,” Ash said as he went off to gather some.
“I’d rather grow it here,” Dean replied.
“Wouldn’t it just get trampled and die?” Chris chimed in right after.
In the end, everyone returned with moss. It would be frowned upon back in the mountains of Japan, but in this world, where life revolves around taking various blessings from the forest, there’s no room to appreciate it.
Since we arrived at the campsite quite early today, I decided to go fishing. Even though I only had fishing line and hooks, everyone was using makeshift rods made from branches or simply wrapping the line around a stick.
We scattered to our chosen spots to start fishing. Lacking confidence in my skills, I tied the end of my line to a nearby branch next to Dean and tossed the baited hook into the river.
“I’ll make enough soup for everyone, so if you catch something, that’d be great,” I said.
“Sure thing. Soup is appreciated; it gets chilly,” Dean replied. I asked him to keep an eye on our gear and returned to the campfire. Even though the campsite is by the riverside, we’ve set up a bit of distance to prepare for sudden rain.
I tossed some vegetables, chickpeas, and a bit of dried meat into the pot and set it over the fire. I added a generous amount of dried tomatoes, making it a tomato-flavored soup.
Next, I prepared the sourdough starter for tomorrow morning and made the pizza dough for today. Mixing strong flour, weak flour, and salt with warm water, I had to use the pot since I didn’t have a bowl. A splash of olive oil went in, and after kneading, I slapped the dough down.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Dean asked.
“I’m making pizza. Sorry for the noise, but don’t mind me.”
There was a flat stone nearby that I figured would be good for baking, so I started slapping the dough onto it. Concerned by the noise, Dean came over to check on me, Ash trailing behind him.
“Well, that’s… strange,” Dean said, leaving me with that terrible comment as he returned to fishing. Is it really that weird?! I resumed my work, slapping the dough until it became smooth and elastic.
Once I cut the toppings, I just needed to let the dough rest until the fishing crew returned. If the sourdough starter was ready, I’d toss it into a leather bag. Tomorrow, we could spread some jam on it and grill sausages.
Since this area doesn’t see many visitors, it seems my makeshift setup actually caught a fish, which Dean brought back for me. The smaller fish were grilled with salt, while I prepared the larger ones for herb grilling.
Everyone had brought their own frying pans and pots for boiling water, but only the Butler and I were doing the cooking. The campfire was a bit cramped.
Dean and Chris had frying pans, but they used metal cups directly over the fire for boiling water. It seemed like a clever way to reduce their load. Retze usually preferred a cup too, but since he was carrying supplies this time, he brought a pot along.
“This pot is heavy, so I can’t really mimic that,” the Butler said, looking disappointed.
“I could use a round shield as a pot, but I don’t have a lid,” Dean added.
What a terrible pot! I brought three Dutch Oven Replicas, each slightly different in size. They were quite heavy, but I was fine; the enhancement to my physical abilities was truly appreciated.
The largest one was a deep pot for soup, and I had the foundryman make it so that two smaller pots could nest inside. While making the herb-grilled fish, I also placed coals on the lid to bake the pizza.
“This one’s done; pass me a plate. Feel free to serve yourself some soup,” I said.
“Looks like mine’s ready too,” the Butler replied.
I served the herb-grilled fish onto the wooden and thin metal plates that were offered.
“Wait, Dean, you have a frying pan?”
“Nothing wasted, right?” Dean grinned.
“My plate can double as a lid,” Chris added.
“Adventurers heading deep into the wilderness must have it tough,” I thought. If it were just Dean, I could chalk it up to his rough nature, but with Chris involved, it seemed like they were both trying to minimize their loads.
As everyone pulled out their hard, flat bread from their supplies, I moved the coals aside and opened the lid of my Dutch Oven Replica.
“Gene, what’s that?” Ash asked, peering in.
“Wild asparagus and bacon pizza,” I answered.
“Is that what you were doing earlier, some strange ritual?” Dean said. What ritual?
“I’ve never heard of that dish before,” Chris said, looking intrigued as he leaned closer.
I cut a piece with my knife from the pot and lifted it up. The cheese stretched perfectly.
“Hey, you guys. Why are you putting away the bread?”
Isn’t the meal supposed to be for everyone?