"Well, we're finally running out of food," Adriana declared when there was no more snow around the institute.

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Adriana announced when there was no more snow around the institute.

"Uh-huh."

"I thought we'd be okay for another year or so."

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"...... my fault."

The amount of food consumed by one person is now two, and that's just plain crazy.

"I think I'm going to go home. I mean, I have to."

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We have no way to feed ourselves if we stay here," he says.

"So I'm going to the nearest town, Battaghtaluf."

How?　How far is it?

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"Well, it would take about three days if we walked normally."

Shuki does some rough calculations, averaging 35 kilometers a day.

"That's about 100 kilometers. ......"

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With food and water on their backs, it could take more than three days. Neither Shuki nor Adriana have the strength.

"......How much food do we have left?"

"If we continue as we are now, we won't last 10 days."

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Even if we save our food, we won't last two weeks, Shuki thought. But it would be reckless for the two of them to suddenly embark on a three-day trip.

"Let's ...... build a car."

After much thought, Shuki came to a conclusion. If he could build a car, a car with power, it would be possible to travel 100 kilometers a day.

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"Ad, I'll finish the car in three days and we'll go to Battaghtagh!

"Yes, yes!"

Shuki hurriedly started to design the car.

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The bicycle Shuki was riding had a distorted frame and flat tires, but he managed to keep it in pristine condition.

"Here, this is the bearing," he said.

"Hmm, it's a very detailed structure," he said.

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"But I can reproduce it with ads."

"Hmmm, after all, I am a genius!"

Thanks to Shuki's knowledge, Adriana's talent, and the example of the bicycle, the <> was completed in two days.

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It was a four-wheeled cart, but it was the first <> to appear in the world of Ars.

Since it was not powered by an engine, whether or not it could be called a <> was left aside, as it was driven by the <> created in the process of developing <>.

A handle called a crank is attached to the axle of the wheel on each side, and the < turns it to generate the driving force.

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"Okay, we'll leave tomorrow morning with enough food and water for two days.

"I'm looking forward to it!"

* * * * * *

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I'm so excited!

"............, me too ............"

As it turns out, the ride was too uncomfortable.

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There was no rubber equivalent, so the wheels were made of metal, and the suspension, which was only a little, did not do much to reduce the shaking.

It is not surprising that this would happen at a speed of about 15 km/h on an uneven road surface. It was the fault of the two of us who set off without having done a thorough test drive.

Nevertheless, they managed to reach the town of Battaghtaluf before dusk.

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Adriana's name seems to be well known in the town, and they are able to roll into the inn without being noticed by the strange << car>.

"......I'm going to bed. I don't want to do anything today. I can't. ......"

"......I can't do anything today. ......"

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There was no single room, so we had a double room, but both Shuki and Adriana were so tired that they do not even change their clothes and dive into the bed. They fell asleep without changing their clothes.

Since they had fallen asleep at the beginning of the night, Shuki woke up at dawn, which was natural since he had slept for more than 10 hours.

He feels completely calm and is very hungry. It is not surprising since he had eaten only breakfast the previous day and had not eaten lunch or dinner ......, or rather had no appetite at all.

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The time is ...... about 5 a.m., I guess."

I looked to the side and saw that Adriana was still sleeping.

The way she was curled up in a blanket, sleeping, reminded me of a little cat.

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Shuki quietly left the room and went to wash his face so as not to wake Adriana.

After a quick stop at the bathroom, he washed his face in the washroom to refresh himself.

The sky is clear and the weather looks good again today.

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When I returned to my room, I heard that Adriana had just woken up.

"...... Oh, Shuki, good morning."

"Good morning, Ad. Go wash your face."

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"Yes."

Adriana, who had fixed her slightly disheveled clothes, left the room to wash her face.

Shuki, who stayed behind, looked around the room of the inn.

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Wooden floors, wooden walls, wooden ceilings.

The bed was also made of wood. The blankets seemed to be made of wool or something similar.

"I guess they don't do any tree planting. ......"

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Originally, forestry in large areas was often done in such a way that the trees were left alone and moved to other forests after being cut down.

Few countries have the same idea of rehabilitating and utilizing the limited land and forest resources as Japan does.

Without a high rainfall climate, forests regenerate at a slow rate, and if not properly managed, can even go through grasslands and become wastelands.

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"......Why is that?"

I told Adriana about it after breakfast, and sure enough, the question came back.

"Well, trees, or rather forests, store <>. Also, the roots of the trees hold the soil in place, so if you cut them down, they will ......"

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"If you cut them down, they won't store water, so plants won't be able to grow. Also, the soil will run off when it rains. The result is a wasteland.

"That's right, Ad. That's right.

"Well, that's a lot of work. I'll have to talk to my father first. ......"

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Adriana, with a difficult look on her face, looked as if she had made up her mind.

From Battagaluf onwards, there was a town about every 20 to 30 kilometers, as well as rest stops and settlements along the road, so the two slowed down to less than 10 kilometers per hour. We slowed down our speed to less than 10 km/h, so we did not get carsick as badly as we did on the first day.

"...... but still a little uncomfortable."

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"...... agree."

It is indeed hard to bear after being rocked for a day.

"Hey, hey, ad..."

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"...... what?"

A blue-faced Shuki talks to a blue-faced Adriana.

"Can't you cure carsickness with magic?"

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"...... didn't think of that."

"That doesn't sound like you."

"...... sorry."

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However, it's no wonder that I can't think half as well as I normally do in this state.

"Well, ......"

"<> is what happens when your third sense organs go haywire. ......"

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"So we can use healing magic on the head. ......<>. How about ......?"

"...... I feel so much better all at once!"

The queasy feeling in my chest is gone, and my vision is clearer.

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"Really? ......<>...... Oh, wow, I feel so much better!　You should have noticed that earlier, Shuki."

"Don't be absurd."

Yesterday Shuki was so carsick that he couldn't even think straight.

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But now we can go a little faster.

They were able to reach the town of Naminthe before the sun went down, although they had to take care of twice more as they increased their speed to about 15 km/h.