I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 137

Looking at the yard completely swept clean, I felt gloomy, but I thought positively.

Let’s take this as an experience and prepare thoroughly next time.

What wouldn’t I do to survive in this damn forest?

I’d ask the Dwarf to help with the swept-away barricade, and prepare the materials for the furnace and oven first.

Besides, since I had already built them once, as long as my connection to the Gallery remained, I could restore them without difficulty.

’Though that sapling actually survived.’

Everything else was swept away, but the sapling given by Let’s Grow Trees stood firm.

I became deeply curious about what kind of tree it was, but let it pass. Surviving is good enough.

’First, it’s best to prepare for disasters.’

It couldn’t be called a simple climate change; each one was close to a ’disaster.’

Even avalanches, which seemed structurally impossible, occurred in this place.

As someone once said, in spring, instead of yellow dust, a sandstorm might blow in.

’I should build an emergency exit, and postpone crafting until winter passes.’

It was my first winter, and since it was the Forest of the Four Seasons, there was a mountain of work to do.

Sighing in helplessness, I turned my head.

Where I turned my head was the grave where my senior predecessor was buried.

’How on earth did that person survive?’

He definitely lived here longer than I have. Looking at the amount of diary entries proved it.

His experiences up until he died from a conflict with the gorilla would be written in that diary.

’They must have translated everything by now, right?’

I had left the translation to Allfather and Necromancy is Love.

However, except for stories related to the Immortal King and the gorilla, I gained nothing.

It would have been great if I had known winter would come early through that journal, but it was regrettable.

’I should ask.’

I planned to stay cooped up in the cave until the season changed.

I might as well take this opportunity to ask. First up was Allfather.

Allfather-nim.

[Wild Grylls: Are you there by any chance?]

[Allfather: What is the matter?]

That Balkan Kingdom record I gave you before.

[Wild Grylls: Have you fully translated that?]

[Allfather: Not entirely.]

There is vocabulary used exclusively by the royalty of the Balkan Kingdom, so it is taking time.

If it was that, I could understand.

It wasn’t like I asked him to tell me in real time, nor did it fit my nature to rush him.

Instead, he must have gathered a few important facts by now. I immediately asked.

[Wild Grylls: Was there any mention of the season changing abruptly?]

[Allfather: There was.]

It seems there was an instance where it suddenly turned into winter, just like with you, Grylls-ssi.

Just as expected. My senior predecessor had experienced the same phenomenon.

It was proven that even this trashy forest had rules.

[Wild Grylls: Were there no signs or omens?]

[Allfather: It says that on the day before, animals migrated on a large scale.]

It is written that this person warmly took in the animals.

Now I feel kind of embarrassed. But because of precedents like the raccoon chopped up by Bbareumbo, I had no choice.

Besides, the pack I met was intent on taking over my shelter given half a chance.

Anyway, now that I knew the clear omen, all that remained was how long this winter would last.

Even if it continued for several months, it would be despairing, but if it was on a year scale, it would be nightmarish.

Praying it wasn’t that, I asked Allfather.

[Wild Grylls: Is it written how long winter lasts?]

[Allfather: Yes.]

Winter itself did not last long.

It said the weather cleared up after about five days.

That is a relief.

[Allfather: Furthermore, there is a description stating that all four seasons are included within a single month.]

It would be wise to keep this in mind.

What kind of premature-ejaculation-like four seasons is this? Absurd.

Still, except for winter, all the other seasons were livable, so I wasn’t worried.

’Since the weather is like this, animals with bad brains can’t survive.’

Either their inherent instincts had to be superior like Wonmo’s, or they had to be smart like the raccoon. One of the two.

Otherwise, one couldn’t survive normally in this forest.

The most dangerous thing in this forest wasn’t predators, but the environment itself.

[Allfather: :]

Ah.

And there is information you should take to heart.

It is about the gorilla of the jungle.

[Wild Grylls: The gorilla?]

[Allfather: Yes.]This story is hosted at nоvelping.com.

It appears there is an individual separated from the pack.

The gorilla you met only issued a warning, but the gorilla that attacked this person ambushed without warning.

That sounds ominous?

Allfather

I do not know how it is now, but it would be wise to be careful.

According to the records, unlike other gorillas, its fur is white.

Furthermore, its eyes are said to be blood-red.

White fur and red eyes only brought albinism to mind. I should keep the possibility of it actually being an albino in mind.

Since albinos have conspicuous colors compared to other animals, their survival rate would be lower.

If such an animal had survived until now, it must possess tremendous strength.

’It might have a worse temper than the alpha gorilla.’

Being a mutant, its aggressiveness might be exceptionally developed.

If this fellow had learned martial arts too, it would be troublesome. It would be a tough fight.

’The problem is not knowing where it appears.’

I hadn’t seen anything with white fur so far.

Nodding at the information Allfather gave me, I decided to ask if there were any other dangers.

[Wild Grylls: Are there any other points of caution?]

[Allfather: Rather than points of caution, there is something unusual.]

This person originally had Mana Insensitivity, unable to use mana.

[Wild Grylls: Mana Insensitivity?]

[Allfather: Yes.]

It is a condition where one cannot naturally accumulate mana from birth.

However, while staying in the Forest of the Four Seasons, mana gradually accumulated.

[Wild Grylls: Does that mean this person evolved too?]

[Allfather: I am not certain to that extent.]

It is said that by randomly eating whatever to survive, at some point, mana usage became possible.

Allfather’s explanation went like this.

My senior predecessor couldn’t accumulate mana due to a disease, whereas I couldn’t accept mana itself because I was from another world.

Still, the fact remained that the herbs deployed in the Forest of the Four Seasons possessed terrifying efficacy.

Do you know what kind of herbs he ate?

Sounds like important information.

[Allfather: Regrettably, I do not know.]

Since he ate anything recklessly intending to commit suicide, he did not properly confirm or record it.

...

[Allfather: If he intended to die, he could have just eaten mushrooms. Quite a strange person.]

Hohoho.

[Wild Grylls: Teacher?]

[Allfather: Just a joke.]

At any rate, since even weeds seem comparable to medicinal herbs, plucking random ones to test might not be a bad idea.

I harbored hope at the statement that even weeds were like herbs.

However, since poisonous herbs would be mixed in among them, I had to be cautious.

I see.

May I request an analysis of the weeds?

[Wild Grylls: I’ll send over a few.]

[Allfather: I apologize, but I am likely to be quite busy for a while.]

I plan to engage in external activities.

Ah. I see.

Then I’ll ask someone else.

Even if it wasn’t Allfather, there was Starlight Lady.

If even Starlight Lady found it difficult, well... I’d have to figure it out myself.

Once I figured out the effects, I planned to give them to Heavenly Demon immediately. That way Bbareumbo’s food would be completed a bit sooner.

Ending the conversation with Allfather, I was casually browsing the Gallery when—

[Necromancy is Love: Save me.]

Huh?

Necromancy is Love

Keep talking to Allfather.

Did something happen?

A strange message came from Necromancy is Love.

Even when I asked what was wrong, no answer came back.

I wondered if I should ask Allfather again, but decided against it.

If it were truly urgent, he would have posted on the Gallery rather than sent a message.

’There really are all sorts of weird people.’

I lightly brushed it off and focused on real life.

Since it was said the seasons change once a week, I just had to prepare.New chapters come out on nоvelping.com first.

Moreover, today was day two, so I just needed to hold out for about three or four more days.

’At this rate, will farming be difficult?’

I was planning to farm if worst came to worst, but it seemed like it would be tough.

The seasons didn’t change monthly; they changed weekly, so plants would find it hard to endure.

Or maybe, like the sapling that rapidly grew last time, crops might grow quickly as well.

’Even if I stockpile crops, I have to store them well...’

Storage was the biggest issue. Things like meat could just be salted and smoked.

However, crops would easily rot the moment they were left unattended. I couldn’t help but worry.

’To store them, I need something like a refrigerator, but that’s impossible. I’d rather use ice... Wait. Ice?’

The moment the keyword ’ice’ popped into my mind, my head snapped up.

At the same time, I checked the time via the Gallery. It was still 2 o’clock, so there was plenty of time.

I hurriedly got up from my seat, geared up, and ran outside.

Wonmo was being well cared for by Bbareumbo, so there was no need to worry.

The place I arrived at shortly was the river. A river completely ’frozen solid’ due to the sudden seasonal change.

Ice, which was convenient for storage, was right here—why hadn’t I realized it until now?

’It’ll be hard to just blindly carry it back. First, I need to build a storage box or a Stone Ice Storage.’

Our ancestors gathered ice every winter and stored it in a Stone Ice Storage. I planned to do the same.

Since it was winter, animal activity had also thinned out. As long as I kept good guard, I would be able to easily gather ice.

I leaned forward to check how frozen the ice was.

Due to the rapid drop in temperature, the river had turned into a river of crystal-clear ice.

’The time is four days at most. Until then, I have to make a Stone Ice Storage, or at least a storage box.’

No matter how good salting was for preservation, it couldn’t compare to a refrigerator.

Besides, it would be even better to store crops or fruit in a cool place, so taking this opportunity to make one would be good.

With my mind made up, I returned to the shelter and wrote a post on the Gallery.

I only knew the history that our ancestors used Stone Ice Storage, but I didn’t know a single detail about the mechanism.

Title) Does anyone know how to build a Stone Ice Storage?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the river frozen solid)

I’m thinking of building a Stone Ice Storage like the ancestors used. There’s a frozen river right in front, so I think it’ll be fine.

↳ Sword Matstar) An ice house? Shall I give you a box with good insulation? I think putting ice in there would work.

↳ Wild Grylls) That’s fine too, but I think making an actual ice storage building would be better.

↳ Sword Matstar) That’s not a bad choice. But couldn’t you build it slowly?

↳ Wild Grylls) It was written in the diary that the seasons change every week. Even for that reason, it’s good to do what can be done in winter.

↳ Sword Matstar) What a pitiful set of four seasons.

↳ Passing Dwarf) Stone Ice Storage, damn, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. My father’s time was around when the refrigerator was invented.

↳ Wild Grylls) Do you know how to make it?

↳ Passing Dwarf) The principle itself is simple. Instead, the crafting difficulty is hard. I’ll post a thread soon.

↳ Wild Grylls) Thx thx

↳ But aren’t there quite a few ice storages even now?

↳ Rural areas without urbanization have quite a few. Still, refrigerators are being distributed recently.

Since the Dwarf said he would teach me how to make it, all that remained was to wait.

The disaster gave me a huge middle finger, but at the same time, it gave me an opportunity.

I was able to realize a little that winter wasn’t just a season where you only had to prepare.

’Since the avalanche came behind the cave, I should build the entrance here.’

I started with what I had to do until the Dwarf gave me the structure and crafting method for the Stone Ice Storage.

First was logging. As much as I had to endure the winter, wood was an absolute necessity.

"Huh?"

It was right around when I was hard at work chopping trees. Something behind a fallen tree caught my eye.

Small plants were covered in snow, but this single plant stood upright.

A flower displaying an overall blue color, as if ice crystals had turned into a blossom.

I wondered whether it was frozen solid or if the plant itself was like this.

’What is this?’

When curious, of course I should ask the Gallery.

I immediately took a photo and posted it on the Gallery.

Title) Found a fascinating flower.

Wild Grylls

(Plant looking like ice crystals turned into a flower)

Found this while chopping wood. Anyone know what this is?

↳ Starlight Lady) Ah. That looks like an Ice Snow Flower?

↳ Wild Grylls) What’s that?

↳ Starlight Lady) If you absorb it completely, you can gain cold resistance.

↳ Wild Grylls) Oh...!

↳ Starlight Lady) Instead, if you just eat it raw, your entire body will freeze solid.

↳ Wild Grylls) Oh...

↳ Starlight Lady) When the weather changes, it melts quickly, so it’s also hard to ask someone else to process it.

Is it a sunfish or what?