The next day, a group was formed to make a courtesy visit to the Forest Elf village, bringing lunch and serving curry.
The group consisted of myself, the culinary master Mr. Santos, the inseparable best friends Mimi and Momo who were the drivers, and Kirika for security. That makes four people, no, five.
And then there was Sokuran, the handsome Elf.
The store would be left in the care of the Manager, Rana from the Merchant Guild, and two young Meow Tribe members working part-time, Rolo and Miku. While the two Meow Tribe members could only do tasks like cleaning and stocking shelves, they were hired due to their enthusiasm.
For some reason, it seems common for Meow Tribe children to have two-character names and be paired up.
For example, Te-te and To-to, or Ru-ru and Mo-ru… The reason isn’t entirely clear, but apparently, they are often born as twins and grow up as a pair, leading to this naming convention.
Even though they are twins, they are more like fraternal twins, similar to siblings… Mimi and Momo are also like that. It truly feels like the residents of another world.
Param, representing the Merchant Guild, is also accompanying us. The Merchant Guild seemed eager to build relations with the Forest Elf Tribe and readily joined, viewing this as an unmissable opportunity.
Param, in a nutshell, is competent and cunning. He’s not a bad person, though, and he looks like a gentle, sparkling handsome guy.
He’s always surrounded by a shimmering aura, and flowers bloom in his wake as he walks. He’s a handsome man straight out of a shojo manga.
The fully-automatic Infinite Crawler Vehicle sent by Ms. Kashima is a high-tech, high-power machine that runs through uncharted jungle paths solely by voice command.
Mimi and Momo are fond of it, and it’s a common sight to see them squeezing in together despite it being a single-seater.
We, however, are crammed into the cargo area of the trailer hitched behind, along with the luggage. Still, it’s much easier than walking.
It’s still scorchingly hot during the day, but that’s nothing new. We brought several USB fans bought in Amazonia, powered by mobile batteries, so it’s relatively cool.
Incidentally, the Infinite Crawler Vehicle has USB ports, so you can even charge your phone or mobile battery. It’s amazing.
The trailer’s tires are heavy-duty, puncture-proof tires that can withstand bullets. In the uncharted jungle paths, it sometimes gets stuck in ruts, immobilizing the trailer. But with Kirika, the dog-eared girl with the power of power, it’s no problem.
“This is truly incredible… To be able to pull such a heavy load with five people in the wagon and move so effortlessly…” Sokuran exclaimed, impressed.
“If only we could move faster… Having to cut our way through the path makes it take so much time. How long will it take to reach the Elf village at this pace?”
“Let’s see… We usually travel by going through the trees, which takes about 3-4 hours. At this pace, we’ll arrive in the evening, right? This iron horse will need to rest too, I imagine.”
“Machines don’t need to rest, so we could go without breaks, but we probably couldn’t. I guess lunchtime will be our break. We can take restroom breaks anytime, so don’t hesitate to say so. But it’s that close… Couldn’t you usually make it there and back in a day?”
“Yes. We had heard rumors from the Watari people and from young hunters who had gone on sorties. However, the elders and older folks warned us not to go near such uncanny places…”
Come to think of it, Sokuran himself was trying to escape… He seemed to feel more at ease now that Lansia had come.
“That makes it even more important to make a proper greeting. By the way, what do the elders like? We’ve brought a lot of things, I hope they’ll like them.”
“Indeed. We would also like to build a friendly relationship with you. For the sake of delicious food! As for gifts… wouldn’t alcohol be good? They always drink their ancestral medicinal liquor with a look of extreme disgust, and it’s actually very foul. We don’t drink alcohol ourselves… but beer and wine were the best. If they try that, I’m sure the elders will understand.”
He concluded, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Delicious food knows no borders or barriers of worlds… That’s how it is.
We had indeed brought a large quantity of beer and wine… I was fully intending to bribe them with goods, and if that’s the case, it would surely be highly effective.
As we were talking, the vehicle suddenly stopped. Mimi looked back at me with a troubled expression. Looking ahead, I saw a large tree trunk lying across the path, completely blocking it.
“What… oh, another log blocking the way? Kirika, it’s your turn!”
“Understood! Leave it to me!”
Kirika easily lifted the large log blocking our path and casually tossed it aside. Wow, she’s as powerful as ever… I wonder if she could go toe-to-toe with a small excavator?
Incidentally, Kirika has been a great help since earlier. Whether the trailer gets stuck or the Infinite Crawler Vehicle gets lodged in a tree, she resolves it with brute force.
When it comes to brute force, she’s number one among our employees!
Even when large spiders and lizards appeared, she quickly scattered them with her favorite morning star.
With this group, Kirika is the only one who can be called a combatant, but she can handle it all by herself. It’s not for nothing that she’s a solo traveling merchant.
Me? Well, when the spiders showed up, I was clinging to Param and trembling. Param is also not fond of insect-like monsters, what a coincidence!
Incidentally, a proper road has been made where we’ve passed. That’s great! If we can build a relationship with the Elves, this road will surely become useful.
The Merchant Guild has made various contracts and brought business with the Wolf Tribe and Meow Tribe, selling and buying things, but the Forest Elves remained untouched simply because there was no proper road leading to their village.
Well, it seems that Elves in general are a bit reclusive, but we often hear stories of them coming out to the main road to barter with traveling merchants at campsites.
Elves are skilled in magic and adept with their hands, making them excellent at creating magic items and intricate woodwork. Their bows, in particular, are renowned for being light, durable, and beautifully designed. Dwarf artisans are not as skilled with such delicate work, so one-of-a-kind bows made by Elf artisans are considered extremely rare. Furthermore, these unique items are usually imbued with magical effects, known as magic bows, making them incredibly valuable when they appear on the market.
They can also concoct their own health teas and medicines by blending medicinal herbs, so Elven-made goods are apparently in demand. The Merchant Guild had already found success trading with mountain elves living in the mountains and was looking for a way to trade with the Forest Elves.
They didn’t know the village’s location and there were no roads… It would certainly be difficult for ordinary humans. The Forest Elves and Meow Tribe have their own unique routes through the trees, inaccessible to humans. Even I, a cat-like beastkin, am not that agile… I can’t jump from branch to branch like a monkey.
Since we started interacting with the Meow Tribe, I’ve learned that they are actually a nomadic hunting people with a vast territory.
“However, this vehicle is magnificent. It easily crushes bushes and even small trees, creating a path as it moves forward. And at this speed… Is this why several narrow paths have appeared in the forest around convenience stores without us noticing?” Param remarked, impressed.
The bumper is equipped with something like a battering ram, so it crushes bushes and other obstacles, as Param said, clearing a path and forging ahead. In essence, it’s like a bulldozer. This attachment is apparently designed to smash through anything obstructing the way and push forward relentlessly.
If you were to be hit by its full-force charge, you’d likely end up worse than minced meat, but it’s reassuring to have.
“Hahaha… Mimi and Momo seem to go around quite a bit too. Besides, according to Ms. Kashima, it was designed with the assumption of forging paths through undeveloped jungles, making it perfect for this kind of terrain. It’s not very kind to nature, but it’s incredibly reliable.”
…Well, this powerful vehicle’s power source is a mystery. The engine room is sealed and heavily locked. Incidentally, the exhaust, which sometimes sprays out with a warning sound, seems to be steam, but it seems to contain helium or something similar. Inhaling this exhaust directly causes your voice to become strangely high-pitched for a while.
…The actual harm is minimal. Your face doesn’t turn black, nor does it become smoky, but we try to avoid inhaling it directly.
…Or rather, how on earth do you generate helium gas? That’s a rather precious resource, isn’t it…
Well, it was undoubtedly something best not to dwell on.
This side story is written between new works and uploaded as soon as it’s finished, so the update pace will likely slow down eventually. Please forgive me if it becomes every other day or every 2-3 days.
