We finally reached the next town, but water was scarce.
According to the shopkeeper, the melon farmers, who grow fruit, seemed to know more about the situation. For the time being, we bought some expensive water and returned to the camp where everyone was.
“Welcome back. How was it? …What about the water? Is that all?”
Nina made a sour face as I placed only two bottles down.
“Hey, that’s not even one mouthful per person!”
I immediately told them what had happened in town. Hearing this, she let out a short sigh.
“Now it’s water. Well then, let’s quickly go and blow away that gang and take back the water source.”
Following Nina, everyone else began to prepare one after another. To start, we decided to go and hear from the melon farmer.
The farmer we needed to see was a little to the east of here. After walking for a while, we saw a well-maintained field on the dry ground. Plants with long vines were planted densely.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
In response to my call, a person appeared from one of the many huts. He wasn’t a human, though, but a Centaur with horns growing from his head.
He noticed me and smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry for coming all the way here, but I have nothing to sell right now.”
Upon closer inspection, he wasn’t a Centaur. That’s because his lower body resembled a deer more than a horse. Could he be a species called Cervitaur? However, he lacked the distinct slenderness of a deer, and his horns were knotted, making him more like a goat.
I asked him about the gang that had taken over the water source.
“Ah, yes, it’s a real problem, truly. It’s been tough for us, you see. They barely give us any water, and we have to fetch it from the well every time.”
It seemed they had a well for daily life. But it certainly wasn’t enough for an entire field.
“Hey, aren’t you guys going to do anything?” Nina asked, looking over my shoulder.
“It’s not that we’re doing nothing, but we’re not good at fighting. Are you perhaps hired Adventurers? If so, please drive them away quickly.”
“I’m sorry, but we’re not Adventurers, we’re Travelers. I don’t know if we can help, but we’ll give it a try.”
We asked the young melon farmer for the location of the water source and decided to head there next. By the way, we left Lauren, Cecilia, and Veronica at the camp. We asked them to keep an eye on our luggage.
As we proceeded in the direction we were told, we saw a large rock in the distance. It looked as if a part of it had been carved out, leaving a gaping hole. The water was probably inside that cave.
We immediately started walking towards the large rock to reclaim the water.
