“This is the base…”
Nadira muttered involuntarily as she stepped down from the truck bed.
This was the campsite many adventurers used to enter the Demon Forest.
But now, it had been transformed into a magnificent forward base by ＜Paraiso＞’s hand.
Adventurer parties who had arrived earlier were already gathered, eating or holding strategy meetings.
“Seriously? They really built a fortress like this,”
Reidus grumbled next.
Similarly, Glaver whistled.
“Amazing, what is this? Is the fence made of iron? Hey, Reidus, look at that roof, isn’t that glass embedded in the ceiling? How much did this cost!”
Glaver, being a gatherer, seemed most interested in the building materials. He shouldered his luggage and ran straight to the large roof.
“Today, we’ll be meeting with the remaining personnel and confirming equipment. Departure will be tomorrow after it gets light, unless there are any problems. You can read numbers, right? There’s a clock over there. Let’s gather under that large roof at 12 o’clock. Until then, you’re free to do as you please. Also, we’ll provide a meal after we gather, so there’s no need to buy anything.”
“Understood. Sulfareus-san, is it okay to look around here?”
“Feel free. If you have any questions, please ask the ＜Paraiso＞ personnel. Then,”
Alpha Sulphareus=Cosmos conveyed the necessary information and turned on her heel. She judged that it was better to pretend to be doing some work, even if there was nothing in particular to do.
Of course, Reidus and Nadira, unaware of such circumstances, simply thought she was busy and began exploring the forward base.
“There’s a clock. It might be a bit of a waste.”
“…I wonder. It might not be a big deal for the ＜Paraiso＞ folks. After all, they were moving those Golems in such large numbers. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had a lot of clocks too.”
“…Now that you mention it, you’re right. Ah, ＜Paraiso＞ is amazing…”
Even in the Afrasia United Kingdom, a less developed country, there was at least one clock tower in each city. There should have been several in North End City as well.
However, they also knew that the mechanism of a clock was very complex and precise, and not something that could be easily made.
Therefore, while they accepted the clock tower built in the middle of the forward base, they were once again filled with awe at ＜Paraiso＞ for building such an expensive thing at the front line.
It was a typical case of humans understanding things they know well faster than things they don’t know well.
“Let’s go to the store for now. I want to know what they’re selling.”
“That’s right. Depending on the price, there’s no need to buy it in town and bring it here if we can get it here.”
Thus, the two of them rushed to the general store with light steps.
Incidentally, all three of them were late.
“I’m really sorry… There were so many rare things. I just…”
“I’m sorry…”
“I apologize. I’m reflecting.”
“No, I understand having curiosity. It’s within acceptable limits.”
Sulfareus forgave the three who were apologizing sheepishly with a single word.
In fact, there was no particular problem. Today’s schedule would be over in a few hours, and the rest was free time.
The reason for specifying the time was just to share the experience of having lunch together.
There is data that humans feel a greater sense of solidarity just by eating together. Since they would be spending a long time together, it was necessary to build up this kind of foundation.
“It’s pork and vegetables sandwiched in bread (Sandwich Bread). The drink is fruit juice mixed with carbonated water. We don’t plan to have alcohol.”
“That’s amazing… We can eat fresh vegetables? Are you serving this in the cafeteria?”
“That’s the plan. I’d also like to get your honest opinions. Today’s schedule is just equipment confirmation. Feel free to eat as much as you like. However, I’d like you to introduce yourselves first.”
Six people were gathered in a corner under the large roof.
From the ＜Paraiso＞ side, the three members of the advance team. And the three members of the adventurer party.
These six were the first team of the Demon Forest survey team by ＜Paraiso＞.
“I am Chrysanthemum. Please call me Chris.”
The first to speak was Beta Chrysanthemum=Cosmos. She was also a Communicator Doll controlled by the Strategic AI ＜Cosmos＞. Her base seemed to be a monkey, with ears in the same place as humans but pointed upwards, covered in short fur. She also had a long tail, which she could skillfully grab things with.
“I am Atrosanguineus. You can call me Atro.”
The other was Alpha Atrosanguineus=Cosmos. Her distinguishing feature was her tanned skin and protrusions from both sides of her forehead. She was based on a reptile like a lizard. The protrusions looked like horns, but they were hardened scales. There were also fine scales around the protrusions. Her tail was thick and magnificent, and could be used like a third leg, but she couldn’t move it as skillfully as Chris’s.
“Nice to meet you, Chris-san, Atro-san. I’m Reidus, the leader of this party. I’m the scout during our missions.”
“I’m Nadira. I’m the attacker in this party. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Glaver. I’m a gatherer, despite my appearance. Please be kind to me.”
“Once again, I’m Sulfareus. You can call me Sulfa as well. I’m the leader of this team.”
Alpha Sulphareus confirmed that the introductions were finished and prompted them to sit at the round table.
“Then, let’s continue while we eat. Please ask for seconds.”
“Ah, I’ll eat without reservation. Man, this looks delicious!”
Like adventurers who value practicality, the three of them bit into the Sandwich Bread heartily. ＜Cosmos＞ judged that there were no problems with the taste, and the Communicator Dolls also began to eat.
It seemed that these actions were somewhat traumatized by the battle between ＜Ringo＞ and Commander (Eve). It was fortunate that they were not being monitored in real time by ＜Ringo＞. If it was just a log check, it wouldn’t be noticed.
“Delicious! The meat and vegetables are so fresh!”
“The bread is completely different too… I can’t put it into words, but it’s amazing!”
“Perfectly aged meat, exquisite saltiness. The leafy vegetables are fresh and juicy, and there’s no aftertaste. To have such ingredients in this remote place…”
While giving their enthusiastic reviews, the three adventurers stuffed their stomachs. As expected of adventurers whose bodies were their livelihood. The Sandwich Bread piled on the table disappeared in no time.
“More please!”
A Communicator Doll acting as a store clerk added a large plate. The ingredients were different, but it was also Sandwich Bread.
The store clerk was a rat Beastkin.
It seemed that ＜Ringo＞ was operating Communicator Dolls with various patterns of genes to collect data. ＜Cosmos＞ had Communicators prepared with diverse traits under her command.
“It was undeniably delicious… I could eat this every meal…”
“It can be provided in the city as well. Anyone can make it as long as they have the ingredients. Trade will also resume. The diet will become richer.”
The group savored the aftertaste of the meal and resumed their work.
It was time to confirm each other’s equipment.
“First of all, I’ll tell you this. When entering the Demon Forest, that Multi-legged Machine over there will accompany us. Please guide us with that in mind.”
Alpha Sulphareus pointed to the Multi-legged general-purpose machine sitting in the corner of the site.
It was 3m in total length and about 1.3m in height.
“＜Backpacker＞. It has several functions, but it’s basically a luggage carrier. It can carry 10 times the amount of luggage we can carry individually. With that in mind, I’d like you to propose a plan for tomorrow and beyond.”