Chapter 126: Hell (3)
VsYThe Mithrilcon sword that the dwarf had recommended I hand over very carefully if possible.I2uO
WgdQAt first, I had planned to give it away only after someone proved they had reached the entrance to the Four Seasons Forest.KL8n
PkbqBut then a rather strange old man appeared and proved it in an even stranger way.SAW
7jbOn top of that, he seemed to be quite a famous person, because there were people who recognized him.jDgdFHO
xZQIfaThe master of the Heroine, Asella, who was currently considered a traitor and was on the run.rbGKwDc
GOCnbvThe fact that someone like him had been sent with the expedition threw the entire gallery into an uproar.w6mVD3U
Xj2qUaq‘And it seems the head moderator knew him too.’qnyNzT
aoe5XWhat caught my attention the most was how surprised he seemed.cZo5k
1IGSo much so that he even stopped putting the exclamation marks at the end of every sentence.yiCm7
unmjPeAnd not only that.fIsqupg
5NLdcHe even sent me a private message asking for a favor.ZSx6vjY
T3TQ[HeroDontThrowAway: T-this… Mr. Grills!]yTU
8VixArp[WildGrills: What’s wrong?]XZhNHNV
rbK12[HeroDontThrowAway: Could I ask you a favor?!]r6DH1e
8mlUD[WildGrills: What favor?]Thl
Mx8GPS[HeroDontThrowAway: The gift you said you would give to whoever proved they belonged to the expedition!]36h
NkD9M[HeroDontThrowAway: Could you give it to Mr. LudwigvanErold, the one who just posted?!]0eP0B
55nFj1[HeroDontThrowAway: I can guarantee who he is!]Ngp8zC
acqwRPJ[WildGrills: Do you know him?]tNd
hlKCKSs[HeroDontThrowAway: Yes! I know him very well!]AySK29
0YWYAGy[WildGrills: Well, if it’s a request from the head moderator…]iHMO
8DDydr9[HeroDontThrowAway: Thank you very much!]bbU2zn6
FoEk[HeroDontThrowAway: The next time you do something worthy of a ban, I’ll grant you amnesty!]Zsv2gh
BnzThat was how we ended up making a sort of deal.JVY
gvaiwIn my case, it wasn’t a bad bargain.XbTfpxK
3SIBAfter all, I could always forge another sword.uZwI5
1OJZ5More importantly, I wanted the expedition to survive after entering the forest.bDL
7g2H9VPAnd for them to manage to reach where I was.XMX5N2
kievYou could say it would be better to give them an elixir as well, but that was different.6jSYqs
hJSA498The elixir that DemonPrincess had worked so hard to create.B3jM7
qeCI had obtained it through a trade, yes, but it also carried her goodwill.IJEnU
ModxIf I simply gave that token of goodwill to someone else, DemonPrincess might feel uncomfortable.rSxLT
FT1That’s just how the human heart works.LR9C
qWc‘Besides, if they’re part of the expedition, they must be carrying all kinds of medicine.’Koi6LD
WMCEven if they weren’t on the level of an elixir, they surely had excellent remedies prepared.L2ohMOh
0fKThen all that was left was to wait for them to arrive.obCs7K
LHcCVrSNo one knew how long it would take.QzX
tylKmmvIt was a place where space changed constantly.5Y6
6OqBAnd on top of that, the forest was as large as a small country.8IXH2
NOdIf they were unlucky, we might never meet.ZaFSi
XpqQ‘They might also settle down somewhere, just like I did.’oJ7
ONbM4If they could use the gallery, finding each other would be dozens of times easier.qj9J
EEulMHowever, common sense said that it was impossible to use the gallery inside the Four Seasons Forest.7wF9
ACwKEldorado was convinced that it was possible.iwB8zxV
VK7dThough who knows.Yzzgl
WGwMaybe I was the only special one.UmFaed
0QaC‘Have they entered already?’9gGetu
EJS6I checked the post made by the man who had introduced himself as Ludwig.5aHgwW
2WLzOSince I had given him the sword, he hadn’t posted anything else.9Awuc
op4It seemed he had received the gift and simply disappeared.a5L8kAJ
1ExIf he was really going to enter the Four Seasons Forest, he could have at least announced it.nut
FPE6ZfBut he hadn’t even done that.fNdLI
uVurUMaybe he really was an old man, and after receiving the gift, he had simply gone in without another word.KhTdAtK
ky2EVM‘If he had been able to use the gallery, he would have written something. What a shame.’5aZk
ynbWAVNot five minutes had passed.Xe88OM
vViAn entire hour had gone by.c9P
brXZZAnd still, there were no new posts.VEQa9F
zBUaBPeople in the gallery also seemed curious about what had happened to Ludwig, but no one had a way to find out.xtU8j
73zulThere was, however, at least one indirect method.cqT2
7261Ask the head moderator.Tm1
EmSPoNFThe head moderator could see the real-time location not only of registered accounts, but also of anonymous users.NvojDl
wv4It was a privilege exclusive to him.WuA
TjcbAdThat could at least give me an idea.QqaX5
Gpp7‘I’ll ask him.’g8q
tWFBHe seemed to know Ludwig, and it was important to me as well.YLqf
BsMK8xeI immediately sent him a message.y5M
yYmYHoping he was online.h8Y
5epZv[WildGrills: Head moderator.]YfWYr
wyMB[WildGrills: Do you know where the LudwigvanErold account is?]RPdupQ
nJM[WildGrills: Is he still outside the Four Seasons Forest?]rOE
RAy[HeroDontThrowAway: He’s still right in front of the entrance to the Four Seasons Forest!]LnuBh
ji0H4[HeroDontThrowAway: I sent him a message, but he won’t answer me!]6zcm
g3Ww96[WildGrills: What do you think is happening?]vp5UFX
FSd0F[HeroDontThrowAway: I don’t know that either!]Ou9gm
4xDM[HeroDontThrowAway: I think we’ll only know after a little more time passes!]Z1Xeg
TXoJLDid something happen?dVFNF
geP6HThat was what I thought after hearing the head moderator’s explanation.S5dri71
S9REven in the gallery, people were saying that it wasn’t an investigation at all, but practically a purge.SFN
6tlG2Because once they were sent into the Four Seasons Forest, the chances of them officially ending up as “missing” were very high.vb2
dYTN5HO’…Or could it be that, because he’s an old man, he doesn’t know how to send messages?’MdcN
jkMWFQIt wasn’t a completely absurd idea.mSF
HnkvLiBut there was no way to be sure.JbaiAv
PH2dvBefore I could even start making a plan, the expedition first had to enter the forest.r6rp
XOwM‘No. What plan?’8imBl
MUfaRnkIn a place where space changed however it pleased, what could I rely on besides luck?YnXe03O
48R1If they were lucky, they might appear in the same forest where I was.aejdX
CuGAnd if luck abandoned them, they could end up on the complete opposite side.jQp
soFrEBesides, according to the head moderator, I was currently located in the center of the Four Seasons Forest.5VB
bveuRThe chances of us meeting were terribly low.DswX
DqfBut I had no choice but to trust.XvN63H
aTJ7kM‘For now, I’d better keep making charcoal.’7OWRm
aePdGxZAs long as the expedition hadn’t entered the forest, there was practically nothing I could do.LWXerPY
Sy4gBesides, I had my own tasks as well.GYfaI
o2YzrvFor the moment, I planned to focus on my own work.rjkfyz
StMLf‘Let’s see… the charcoal kiln…’3poO
xqCUp until now, the amount of charcoal I had obtained by lighting campfires had been insignificant.Pv5
LW4pIt wasn’t even enough to fill a small container.e8BKpYF
xHSRUUAnd every time I forged a sword or another tool, I consumed an enormous amount of charcoal.Br2
nXuvznI needed to find a way to produce it in large quantities.pro
izNxkKTI knew nothing about that subject, but I knew someone who did.j3iJ
nYgQ[StarlightPrincess: The most important thing for making charcoal is blocking oxygen.]XQq3trC
1ekh5[WildGrills: Blocking oxygen?]bYicf7
2Uf8q1r[StarlightPrincess: Yes.]5Q9N4ZV
SQ9y8kX[DemonPrincess: Charcoal is produced through incomplete combustion, and to do that, you need to isolate the oxygen.]sG0
0DHro[StarlightPrincess: Would you like me to explain it in more detail?]STsR
qAVbX[WildGrills: No.]nmsKlk
aTgD1[WildGrills: That’s enough.]A3cV
eaFgr[WildGrills: Anyway, thank you very much.]Zr66
5Bb3uxe[StarlightPrincess: It’s nothing.]q5ECEt
4TLbD[StarlightPrincess: Whenever you have questions related to alchemy, ask me.]Alg
Z9ellThat person was StarlightPrincess, a true genius of alchemy.kKZD
MXROThe same registered user who had taught me about smoking food before.M6uE2I
nvtNrI could have asked AllFather, but that didn’t seem to be his specialty, so I preferred consulting StarlightPrincess.H971QUU
97QX3sQI didn’t even think about asking the dwarf, because metallurgy was his field.jxe
sivZ3f‘So I have to block the oxygen…’0I0xpS
qRWIf the oxygen was blocked, incomplete combustion would occur and, as a result, charcoal would be produced.LSL6p8
npM3While I was thinking about it, my eyes fell on the kiln.PcE
rgtoqOr, more precisely, on the clay between its joints.iNLsf
qCtMIt had already hardened and was acting as an adhesive.6IPSpN
iu2PZG‘That’s it!’BVwQ
Ob8bdYTAn idea came to me.O0M2
biWl7I immediately went to gather logs.m0XRt
n3ZXqIThe path that the boss gorilla had opened with a single punch.E52E
xxp9mkoSince the fallen trees were still there, getting wood wasn’t difficult.ccJgC
hqQ‘I’ll explore that path later.’kCzAk7
MqJ6YCI piled the logs up as if I were preparing a campfire.Jp9Nn7
kpUaJbLAnd then.LRk
xRBI didn’t light them.bJWj
SWomji9First, I had to cover them with clay to block the oxygen.jCJ
myWIf I simply spread the clay over the wood, it wouldn’t stick properly and would just slide off.AZB3
frbk‘I’ll make a framework with branches first.’LMu
w4lSo I surrounded it with branches, especially dry branches that still had leaves on them.j9cPBa
KQF7BThen I covered the whole thing with a thick layer of clay, shaping it like a kiln.gCe
N5OkBut that wasn’t all.mextY
APWYimAt first, it had to burn strongly, so I left several ventilation holes.5hN
KNII also left an opening at the top.eLfDTsz
4AYTtmI planned to light the fire from there.Tis
l3kcjFwoosh!OsbGP
krj3EFinally, I inserted a burning branch through the top opening and checked that it ignited properly.iRTy
SaXBzaThe upper part burned without any problems.ZaWOco
AgSvU2QThe important part was the bottom.5eyy
ss6WVqNThat was why I had made the holes.3XSm3
ahoYPA0Once I confirmed that the fire had reached the bottom, I sealed all the air vents and blocked the oxygen.G5gvCbE
gGDOri“Cough! Cough! Ugh… It’s so spicy. I shouldn’t have checked.”H9JTS
KSRII opened a hole to see how the fire was doing, and all I managed to do was fill my lungs with smoke.JggHh6q
lcX1CIn any case, I had confirmed that it worked.mcCTU
gQwNow I could take care of other things.JfsI
zRkeWp‘I wonder how things are going.’l5Vd2M
76ID40PI entered the gallery to see if there were any updates.WEHM
XRgPHBut Ludwig hadn’t posted anything.h0lE8
jIAG25YThe only thing circulating were rumors about the expedition.Av4cda
a4UuoThat an internal conflict had broken out.sUkFnUN
Ah9deThat Grills’ gift was too powerful and had caused trouble.p8JyI
pJhThere were theories everywhere, but their credibility was close to zero.tKRFSj
8CLmiw1‘An internal fight? When their chances of survival are already so low.’kGB0ila
Mn6kiezPlease, don’t fight.UsDLq1r
zOWEnter on good terms and come find me.BwJ
KbBhNWell.6pWJvh2
2NRIf I’m being honest, there’s no guarantee they’ll even make it here.D0y
08vgdI’d better not get my hopes up too much.qs1GO
wf0p29lAfter checking the gallery a little longer, I closed it.qTs
u4WOThere was nothing interesting.9eMNtD
AFjOA‘Wait, now that I think about it, even if they enter the forest, will they be able to reach this place?’Sdqb
KjqJwSometimes a column of smoke rose into the sky, but that wouldn’t be enough.GEwXRKz
atGMIn this damned forest, even compasses don’t work, and it’s so hard to get your bearings that getting lost is incredibly easy.qHzc3
vdPy0v1I was fine because I already had experience and always traveled the same routes.09li2
D7y48But someone entering for the first time wouldn’t have that advantage.AwGP
e9wMG‘I should make signs.’6onus
EZB2tThat way, they could find the path to where I was.iDBH
7oGiKEvIt was a bit of a stupid method, but an effective one.Gx0NZjE
IDZmasI prepared the tools immediately.h4bWfVP
jCg0Since there were no signs for sale in the auction house, I had no choice but to make them myself.3rNgdx
8CVScritch. Scritch. Scritch.IImH
E0eVgAhThere were plenty of trees.TELc
3ZCI carved a sign using a dry log of an appropriate size.z4elt
g6DlI made the board and the post separately, then assembled them together.YlAzAbZ
08TWCCP‘I’d better paint it white so it stands out.’0N9
T5ZffaJI had bought the paint at the auction house.H1hV
TNAtrAnd it wasn’t cheap either.azcfGOd
ypp7MIn the center of the arrow, I drew a house.m0ZKkWD
pckoHA square with a trapezoidal roof.mrM
F1gcWI even added a window.9HTgSYM
HnUTIFSo that anyone could understand.QZHa
KTvlQxSomeone lives here!TlaMc7
9GbIt looked pretty decent.N19P
ChwwFgIt stood roughly between my chest and my neck in height.AXyWRiX
nnTDThat way, it would attract more attention.sfNT3
4LpTitle) I made some signs in case the expedition passes by. I’m going to put them up now.CQBb8C
Hqhric1WildGrillsXkl80KS
MIxe1VBMembers of the expedition! If you see this, just follow the arrow! It’ll lead you to where I am!2pDAZ
jlvlmwS└HeavenlyDemon: You made it very well. Just like your swords, you’re very talented with your hands.QVF0jrj
HRnqj└WildGrills: Thanks haha.B34
g1k1└Aren’t you getting your hopes up a little too much? lmao.dAFYumt
DoCAT└I thought this guy was joking, but he’s completely serious lol.99aI4
eQRFtFB└And what are you going to do if no one ends up entering the Four Seasons Forest?Ou1s
pyt2Ls└WildGrills: I’ll grab Wonmo and start crying.EBjQhuo
EUSY└LMAO.YHso
n1S└LOL.CrBE9j
m6zM5q└This guy is kind of adorable lol.ggMK
eQoa└And what did Wonmo do to deserve that? lmao.qYQdl
Jsx1└WildGrills: He’s my only method of healing.45Kd
qQWz└Are you feeling that lonely? Want me to come?eOkDWEV
1w0Ld└WildGrills: Really?s3d2
wCUL└Of course not, I was joking lol.Tqa
BhXUC└WildGrills: You bastard lol.5RVc
FOombFl└HeroDontThrowAway: If you really do end up meeting him, please treat him kindly! Mr. Ludwig is a truly good person!vLWIq
ObfTVDw└WildGrills: First, they’d have to enter the forest for that to happen. And there’s still no news that they’ve done so…M6NwE
aGKg└HeroDontThrowAway: That’s true too! Honestly, I’d rather he didn’t enter!Vlu0ref
Y1tI└WildGrills: You’re destroying my hopes.RidM2
IADW└HeroDontThrowAway: I’m sorry, but I think it’s better to lose hope than to sacrifice a life for nothing!RVWo
TbNSmKC└WildGrills: Shit… T_T. I don’t even know how to respond anymore.yFYr1I
QLM9L5G└I kind of feel bad for you, Grills… But the head moderator is right.cyJCT2o
SeiDt└You’re the weird one. Normally, people enter the Four Seasons Forest and die within a few days…ut31
U7qAx2└WildGrills: If someone is strong enough, the chances of surviving go up. My senior managed it too.ZsxMR
L7P└Senior? You mean that skeleton?qlVi
75vcM7f└So you finally accepted him as your senior lol.YBfh9ub
XPYbk0yEven the head moderator was indirectly telling me to give up hope.YRd
WSBOIZVBut I had no intention of giving up!aoVN3np
NmKOf course, that didn’t mean I wanted them to risk their lives by entering.KwEleM
WQz8It was just…0XRSCt
KjKlCOI was assuming that the expedition might end up turning into a group of castaways.0jyKaS
0TJdM9U‘Are they still waiting in front of the entrance?’F6n7j
gg7R1While thinking about that, I made even more signs.hF1jl8
Go8TI planned to place them all along the path I had traveled so far.iAio3
d17T‘I want to talk to someone too.’xyubyMr
GfJAfter two weeks, the loneliness was starting to get to me.TFIrO
uIm3***DSSJf
dq1LfzDAnd while Grills continued making and setting up signs with all his goodwill.s2GaoJ
sKm8v0Boom!PGnr7
EUY“Aaaaargh!”M17
vtQ1oA Holy Knight was sent flying toward the entrance of the Four Seasons Forest.8T6pyD
SEzHe flailed his arms as though he was resisting with all his might from going inside.7GpvtPa
mwDTLBut the moment he crossed the forest’s entrance.QPaHKNm
YUKit62He vanished without a trace.fbC
TQS“Fuu…”RPNj
m1JLThe other Holy Knight who had kicked him inside, Ludwig, let out a long sigh.yJco
kgj0sPSThen he slowly turned around and faced the surveillance group, who were watching him with open hostility.OQDRI
0ER0WXSwoosh.v2dq
bUC1OPrLudwig raised the sword through which a green galaxy flowed.62LiveI
eD2ed4kAnd, releasing a radiant Aura Blade, he asked,Gqnm0px
q125DV“Is there anyone else who wants to go in?”cWZ4J
mPAgfCJust as Grills had wished, Ludwig was gathering survivors with exemplary kindness.qUyFcs
8wy R7HO8zc
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