Chapter 103: Territory (2)
DpfJfThe oven was a cooking tool with quite an ancient history.60mZ
5C4DjTo put it simply, without an oven, even bread—one of the staple foods of the West—would not exist.p5fMYe
JpVkThe oven was a tool created to take cooking with fire to the next level.K0Zhpkp
VbFg2PWell, technically the real next step would be cooking in a pot with water, but let’s leave that aside.b7e0z
K6mWhat mattered was that the presence or absence of an oven had a huge impact on my quality of life.CRhN
D2guDhx“Ha.”2QC
Bg3nI let out an exclamation as I gazed at the perfectly cooked roasted fish.hGICfE
lW9fEven though it was a makeshift oven, it was still an oven, so the heat had been distributed evenly.kbWcHQ
UcfKQeWhen I cooked on the iron griddle, there were always parts that got burned or remained half-raw.KCs
L3LqPZBut in an oven, the heat came from all directions, so it was impossible for it not to cook evenly.oKj
fxamb8x‘If I get the chance, maybe I could even make bread.’Oiw8GV8
1iwCarefully, I moved the roasted fish that was making my mouth water just by looking at it.5pv
HOk6aOf course, I didn’t forget to put on gloves to avoid burning myself.4pUN9I
kQQUIiJIn fact, I had bought a new pair of cooking gloves at the auction specifically for today.CqbNAs
6FIjxM9Munch— Munch—pNzU
P6dN9T“Mm!”UFIELA
6SuExactly the taste I had expected.iq0DT5R
6zxAnd precisely because of that, it was delicious.wzl
FpejjoEven when I grilled it before, it already had a meat-like flavor, but now it truly tasted like meat.Cv9V
7LxcQkMIt resembled samgyeopsal that I once treated myself to after desperately saving money while living alone.9fwUQJ
HKneFxOf course, it wasn’t exactly the same.inGCEKx
7ToEThe texture, in particular, was different.WgQyD
XMqPEven so, the flavor itself was just as good as samgyeopsal.AqW
ry28LoY‘Even the parts that look burned are still tender inside.’l7oez5
K13I was definitely going to use the oven a lot from now on.TQ1Xg6m
9AlLUI happily enjoyed the meal.8xDesI
BwRNaturally, I didn’t forget to share a portion with a few fixed-nickname users.qTs
CAoFThis time, it was HeavenlyDemon and the dwarf.vz8
mgaBoth of them tried the oven-cooked fish and praised it quite a bit.dVvFB9
lKAKObjectively speaking, it really was delicious.p4BK
cjV‘How did humanity even invent the oven?’ig0rN79
dr3While eating fish, I looked at the oven.0Bt9BG
33tsMuHThe firewood had already burned down completely and was turning into charcoal, while a bit of smoke slowly drifted out of the chimney.uqCdb
6lVNThe oven, a creation that revolutionized human cooking.EFL7y4
JMTZ6Without ovens, bread wouldn’t exist.vpB
6erbdR‘Could I make pizza with this?’9DyG
WPRDxjuNo.X8Hyz
WCpc4That would be too much of a luxury.oll7
JsQUnless I personally grew wheat and obtained eggs, it was nothing more than an absurd fantasy.gh8Btb3
7XtPFor now, I had to be satisfied with oven-roasted fish.b7jx41N
Hl1Besides, it would also be useful for reheating smoked meat.DepuYUY
48Et“Lululu~”dSXjCgm
Df1nMnAs my quality of life improved, my morale naturally rose as well.mODQ1Fd
BJJ5And when morale rises, combat power improves too.zNo
BQzZmwWhile praising the oven, I started organizing my afternoon schedule.6luOU
U6s46e‘I need to find out where those gorillas’ territory is.’M2o
D4RmXXAThe cause of death of Rice Craone, the last scribe of the Valkhan Kingdom, had been suicide.8PWq
QgQBut before that, he had already been doomed by an infection.0VPYCpj
SY8In other words, the real cause had been the gorillas.hwM
t2q6M0xI needed to find out exactly where their territory was if I wanted to avoid putting my life at risk.ykFlN8C
BQG‘First I need to understand how gorillas behave…’GPDJB
vZrYbqI didn’t know how gorillas had adapted to the Forest of Four Seasons.qv2E
lgbUraFIn other words, I also had to consider the possibility that their original habits had changed.fmpx
aixFYgEven so, it was better than knowing nothing.A2sH
bAuSo I sent a message to the person most suited for this.9ylbv5
Maw[WildGrills: AllFather. Are you there?]ssHklhh
p7BIpKM[AllFather: What is it?]pCyr
LnQ1sJ[WildGrills: I wanted to ask you about gorilla behavior.]OK5i
Nhs[AllFather: Gorillas? Ah. It seems you’ve already discovered how the owner of the book died.]kBJew
JTIbZThe information NecromancyIsLove had given me.WYqpP
rDxIt seemed that, in the end, it was correct.voD23j
HLD2Did that mean I accepted that he was actually the Immortal King?s3j
nFbVfNo.07sl
exfI simply saw him as an intelligent person who was far too committed to his roleplay.03x
kcoPjxeAnd even if he really were the Immortal King, it wouldn’t change much for me.24KJc
u4J8l7G[WildGrills: Yes. I heard there’s a gorilla territory. And I think I have a rough idea of where it is.]MXwLEq
KFPj[AllFather: Among all primates, including humans, gorillas tend to be among the least aggressive and violent.]VSh
7AvKpP[AllFather: Of course, it depends on the subspecies, but that’s generally the case.]nmIT
XolP[WildGrills: Does that mean they’re safe?]FShz
uC3x[AllFather: Not exactly. If a gorilla showed itself in front of you, it means you’ve invaded its territory.]NIOXdU4
sdGVdx[AllFather: And considering how the owner of the book died, you can’t let your guard down.]Dtw3
cN0g12So in the end, the only option was to be careful.DudACO
xX3mqsVI had to avoid entering their territory as much as possible.LEz4
5B2eBut the problem was that I had no idea where it started or ended.pTd4jeS
qUD3Normally, animals mark territory using their droppings.kgCfUlu
WZsehIt seemed I’d have to carefully search for signs of that.l7t
zvT‘I’ll have to take Wonmo with me.’VvTji
R1vUnWonmo had an excellent sense of smell, so finding droppings would be easy for him.y0X
e3nuZBesides, today he hadn’t even taken a nap and was still bouncing around full of energy.PdGYnI
wOEvucRPerfect for taking with me.2b7MsG
rXSbI was writing a message to thank AllFather when—SQUaWg
Tdvk[AllFather: Although there’s something about the gorillas that worries me a little.]pMe3hPC
wFiqQ[WildGrills: Something that worries you?]eZYn
G7YXX[AllFather: According to the book, the gorillas seemed to behave like humans.]FIb
hNP[WildGrills: Like humans? What exactly do you mean?]fDXhaBV
meNqND[AllFather: First of all, they apparently used “tools.”]uev3fY
5psbh8d[AllFather: They carried beast bones in their hands and used them as clubs.]Azp
Ojaw2NV[WildGrills: …]18g
PjP5i6What the hell?uCdJ6
4VfWmBPlanet of the Apes?BOh
yfBMLNo matter how intelligent the gorillas were, that was already terrifying.Soh
UsEThat meant one of those bones could end up crushing my skull.dBfZ
lvNLsAnd if they were aggressive on top of that.1xyqcNd
rYNaThere was a possibility that an entire troop of gorillas would beat me to death.9fFt
bFPoEbM‘…Maybe I just shouldn’t go?’HisCsH
JxmcAfter hearing AllFather’s explanation, I felt all my enthusiasm disappear.uwZ5OL
dysdPBut only for a moment.edXZM
eyHoWFlI violently shook my head.buc
inx7Moments like this were exactly when I needed to take risks.Xgbk4CR
oM4The difference between having information and not having it was enormous.X2iYRJT
HmxiAzx‘I just need to clearly identify the gorillas’ territory.’MbVm
Yvr83That would be my only objective.OtlYyn
efW0sNothing else.Y4yzS
SVgJIakEven if I found a legendary medicinal herb there, I planned to ignore it.FodZaP7
mj8jFNm[WildGrills: Thank you for the advice. I’ll be careful.]fD22B
8fmXi[AllFather: Even out of simple curiosity, I recommend that you do not enter their territory.]jzN
iE73I[WildGrills: I only plan to determine how far it extends and then return.]D6M
ly6c[AllFather: Understood.]7Pyy9W4
o9xLAfter finishing the conversation with AllFather, I prepared for the exploration.Sv57X
sZLNsQIt was better to prepare for the worst possible scenario in case I accidentally entered gorilla territory.7Ts
K1pxn3‘Gorillas are herbivores, right?’8XRLcrv
iGeaIQEThat’s what AllFather had explained.iXG0
T6f0cnGorillas were animals that survived by stripping and eating tree bark.03R
fC7W3And despite feeding only on that, they possessed the greatest muscular strength among all primates.ZLcvc
HTkFor a moment I felt a ridiculous sense of envy, but quickly pushed it aside.iCjYjH0
661Humans had intelligence far superior to theirs.n2PMF
zam50fAs a gesture of goodwill, I prepared a few fasting pills to bring with me.DQH9V
IcKs9If I ended up in a tense situation, I planned to offer them some and win their favor.Muig01
YWQ3uC‘If the sloth can eat them without any problems, then gorillas should be able to eat them too, right?’VsAH6
Bh6Or should I buy some bananas?EwWn
HvJij8When people think of gorillas, they automatically think of bananas.uzbpn
otfwXdWhile entertaining useless thoughts, I finished preparing completely.mGaimCN
nVQnrqtThe sloth riding on my back.wV2m2
Eq9TbBfAnd Wonmo hurrying me so we could leave quickly.F9U48
zuWUSzIt was time to depart, but—0IX
8td4TGrrrllll—iWC
2ezhG“Ah.”uhoK
OfxDLooks like I’ll have to delay it a little.6D21uC1
oUZr***msX
WNxOnly after completely emptying the waste from his body did WildGrills head out to explore.299G
cK47PGBThe cave he left behind was silent.X7RHr
MHpThere wasn’t the slightest trace of a presence.uWo
Y0UVAThe only sound that occasionally echoed was the crackling of the campfire.3pZ
4VhNmeSilence dominated the place.UN0kwS
7BCIyQRustle! Rustle!aeXcOaj
I4HeThen it happened.6vECk
vypYfgHNot from the path WildGrills had taken, but from the trail leading toward the river.fkaCBBL
5ZaZThe bushes growing densely on both sides began to move.2hpzV
BngMqIAt first they barely trembled, but before long the movement became obvious.CSLkCh
zVyxQkSwoosh—Xvo9KCV
whEaj8Finally, something emerged through the bushes.FMxaMj8
HS6KThough “emerged” wasn’t exactly the right word.Y5zfLg
GbpgOnly its face appeared.8xXFIX
S7k3It looked fairly human-like, but with a flat nose and black skin.YtWHRN
HadnuAnd above all, the thick hair covering its face made it obvious that it was an ape.tIdH
ZnG“…U! U!”663SP
tOCsThe ape observed WildGrills’ shelter for a while before letting out a low grunt.YPzK
7c95At that sound, the bushes began shaking much more violently.mIG
HTMP5av“Uuu!”ZPxJ3
M0LQ8HU“U! Uuuuu!”luNQo
jDv3It was a group of apes.AIX
n1mZgFThe very troop of gorillas WildGrills had been wary of.xDyQn
PVPXThe gorillas seemed to communicate through their distinctive grunts as they slowly entered the shelter.144sx
Es0LAZAt first glance, they looked like ordinary gorillas.7hW3OY
uvOIOtyBut upon closer inspection, there were several differences.Svz
sWbyThe gorilla that appeared to be the leader carried nothing in its hands.gp3Zb
cUcZsNcHowever, those following behind were armed.lghF
i7LEach club was different.ClQllEb
UrdaBones.slxk
OgFWood.XfKeq
4JbAEEven crudely made stone axes.zGLnUQj
8aLxTDIt was obvious these were not ordinary apes.5MGdG7y
zR1“Uuuuu.”24htec
sxz“Uuu.”2rpwq98
BbyVosThe apes began carefully inspecting WildGrills’ shelter.yL0N5
fvtSFrom the metal barrel filled with fish to the container where he stored charcoal.KOfFA
47uQiAnd finally, the oven.zl25n
aA3JCDI“Ukkiaaaak!!”f7vQL
aTHTePW“Uuu?!”bwpSxM
aXgU6Suddenly one of the gorillas let out a scream.5rolQx
hMI3YYThe others rushed over.Tod
bcxLThe gorilla was rolling on the ground clutching its hand.xvJ
4W9dIn front of it stood the oven WildGrills had just built.zdmI
pfkBPApparently, it had stuck its hand inside before it had completely cooled and burned itself.cElhu
BZn5Es9An accident caused by curiosity.Bc4K2GJ
0M7uDThe leader quickly approached and examined the injury.FokXp
RnqZOSg“Uuu!”JVGt
zVN4JAfter checking it, he pointed toward the barrel full of fish.Fif
KPfBAs if saying there was water there and the hand should be cooled.HXQDU
DvhUnLoThe injured gorilla quickly plunged its hand into the barrel.kSc2
7knSplash!g5oQ0e
XyTDW9The moment it touched the water, it showed an expression of complete relief.RrI6aT
IbdThe fish inside the barrel began splashing around in fear, but the gorilla didn’t seem to care.kC8pvV
hYHK8iThe leader sighed in relief and then looked at the oven again with interest.bXo18
q5npZPerhaps he had noticed the delicious smell lingering inside.N0PLA2M
pD7Ank9He brought his nose close to the opening and repeatedly sniffed.uSoaB
m9ABut he still didn’t seem to understand exactly what it was for.lzGx
lvSHe merely tilted his head in confusion.fk2vDv
ZSI8FEventually, he lost interest and looked elsewhere.4Ur7oU
syueyxz“Uuu!”uhC0QB
qhiCcjTOne of the gorillas pointed at the barrel full of fish.0G8
kWM9fWildGrills’ precious food supply.6CpAl
7Zer8SUBut the leader shook his head.mvoaYe
9VGa1KIt would be too difficult to carry away.BiMCf1A
ydyqThough disappointed, the other gorilla accepted the decision.vDfaQ7
Kdkr4yThe leader turned his attention away from the fish and continued looking around.Aao
nsQo0WnThen he found the clothes hanging on the clothesline.4Z1
INM“U.”4AEVk
2R2SXVHe carefully examined the clothes and then slowly tugged on them.MEoO3Am
sW3cwThe makeshift clothesline offered no resistance against the gorilla’s overwhelming strength and fell to the ground.c4wL9
mm6The leader carefully inspected the uniform that StarlightPrincess had gifted.jzql
ox14QLOThen he simply threw it onto the ground.cSM
2rdHe didn’t seem particularly interested.rW1eI2F
Iu3“Uooooo!”L3AwdJ
E9G“Uoo! Uoooo!”HEv7
k3Zm4oThen the gorillas exploring the cave came running outside.9d1m9uO
Ln0qvBut this time, it wasn’t a scream like the burned gorilla’s.sQ6vZ
dm9iOIt was a cry of celebration.kD6KNS
LphDcfYCurious about what they had found, the leader watched as they placed something before him.FMsD1T
dHrVWhat they brought was the sack of fasting pills that currently served as the sloth’s main source of food.Ovd5d
Wmci“Hmmm……”7VDbR
C5DOl“Uuu! Uuuuu!”PGUJ6l
fxa7jAThe other gorillas urged the leader to make a decision.s59
3ae1But he remained cautious.lZ7A
VtvThen he picked up one fasting pill from the sack and brought it to his mouth.SxHtPp
YiuicsPCrunch crunch—5gTbWjA
iJrBThe pill was slowly chewed.SzWjSD
nt7dAD2“Uoooo?! Oooo?!”xGl
TAp7wYThe leader’s eyes widened, and he let out an exclamation.6GN6
jdWAnyone would have understood he was saying, “It’s delicious!”Qnf3mJ
cKXHe looked like someone tasting the greatest delicacy in the world.yG51
xmoRc5qThe other gorillas each began eating a pill as well.PLqgkuy
DbEBw“Uuuuu?!”Y7TjNS
YA1nVy“Uooooo?!”eSIP
qRh2QLu“Oooook!!”pr9Ht
MmLJust like the leader, they all reacted dramatically.fxOoBcq
FPjcoaETo someone else, it was a bitter emergency ration.Z1zPvhT
xpz1FrBut to the gorillas, it seemed to be a genuine delicacy.NmUj
XNshwW8“Uuuuu!”OhE
uapnXKc“Uuu!”lQ9
O3bZFThe gorillas ate several more pills before carefully lifting the sack.3IXW4
OpwThey couldn’t keep something this delicious to themselves.NqgD
U6UXbeThey had to share it with the rest of the troop.NqFVVS
3Q5JD3WThe leader agreed, so he carried the sack without hesitation.Ki0g
F6h8nw“Uuu!”Z9C
k5Ur0F“Uuuuu!”VjLkL
rJOLAnd so, the group of gorillas left WildGrills’ shelter.LLO
RwF5tThey didn’t find the elixir or the internal core that he treasured.m8YUl6
P0FcGSBut even so, the losses were enormous.JC0GlB
Rlvq“Uuu!”VWCr
Wd9yzs“Uuu!”SGjluwH
mkHj11Without caring about anything else, the gorillas happily returned home.6RQuMO
68UfQh5 8V2
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
Misanaria
MortalComplete eradication, time to annihilate their species