Tecnomagic Engineer

During most of the night, I worked on that oven, going back and forth to fetch clay from the lake with the help of one of my lanterns to mold it with Vothrial. The process, like the previous ones, was somewhat time-consuming. However, unlike before, since this was a smaller oven designed solely for drying fish meat and cooking, it was much easier to construct. So much so that, by the middle of the night, I had finished all the construction work.

After completing the oven, I was, once again, very tired, having already used up all the energy reserves I had accumulated earlier.

- "Huff… huff… Finally… haha… I finished this oven today before going to sleep," I said, looking at the oven proudly.

- "Sigh… Now I can rest in peace. After all, tomorrow, I'll only need to test it, and if everything is in order, I'll have plenty of food available, making my life a bit easier…" I commented.

- "…Besides, I also need to keep up with my training routine, as well as my work with Vothrial, because I want to evolve technologically as quickly as possible so that events like what happened before never occur again in my lifetime," I thought.

- "And, most importantly, so I can protect those little ones in there…" I thought, as I looked inside the cave, referring to the dragon eggs.

- "Sigh… That's it. Starting tomorrow, we'll do everything we can to evolve faster," I reflected.

As I was already very tired, I took a sip of water, closed the gate I had crafted again on the protective screen around the cave, and went near the dragon eggs, where I had made a small area lined with a cloth made of Thalvarýn threads I had woven myself using Vothrial, so I could sleep.

During the night, even though I was extremely tired, I couldn't sleep despite trying. The events of the previous night still haunted me, and although I was physically healed from the battle against that creature, my mind remained on high alert, preventing me from having a good night's sleep. However, as no one is invincible, even my consciousness's state of alertness was eventually overcome by exhaustion. Thus, after a few hours, I fell asleep, only waking up the next day much later than usual, very likely due to the time I went to bed the night before.

The next morning, I woke up startled, not realizing that I had fallen asleep. By then, the light of Estalyrion was streaming through the holes in the cave ceiling, illuminating the hall where I was.

- "Zzz…" I snored before waking up suddenly.

- "Hu… huh? W-WHEN DID I FALL ASLEEP?" I asked, startled, looking around, thinking someone might be there.

- "Tsk… Argh… What happened last night is still bothering me, huh?" I thought.

- "Sigh… Okay… focus, Dravyn. After all, we've got a lot to do today," I said, giving myself a few light taps on the face with my hands.

- "Looks like I slept quite a bit today, huh? Estalyrion seems pretty high in the sky already… It must be around midday now, huh?" I commented as I looked at the light streaming through the cave ceiling holes.

- "Sigh… Okay… Well… Let's get to it. The first thing I'll do is check on you guys and moisten you…" I said, getting up, stretching, and heading toward the dragon eggs to check on them.

- "Hmm… You're looking great… better than me… hahaha," I joked as I turned and went outside the cave to fetch water to moisten them.

So I left the cave, grabbed the water container I always used, moistened the dragon eggs, and then returned outside the cave.

- "Sigh… That part's done… Now onto the next task. What should we do next?" I asked, looking around and trying to remember where I had left off the previous day.

- "Oh, right… I need to fish now to test the oven, and then I need to keep working on the field down there for planting…" I thought.

- "Alright… Let's start with fishing. After all, I'm starving…" I said as I grabbed my fishing rod and headed toward the lake.

I stayed there by the lake for a while until I managed to catch three common fish. Fewer than before, but enough to feed me at that moment and to test the oven I had built, which would avoid any waste.

That oven, unlike the previous ones that needed to reach a high combustion temperature — requiring a more extensive ventilation and oxygenation system for the flames — was simpler. This meant that its ventilation system was enough to keep the flames at a relatively low temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. That was sufficient to evaporate the water from the meat without cooking it, which was essential because I wanted to dry it.

After finishing the fishing, I returned to the oven, lit it, and performed the leaf test to determine if the interior temperature was suitable for starting the fish meat dehydration process. The leaf test, as I call it, is quite simple. After lighting the oven, we place a green leaf, which shouldn't be wet, inside on the grill. If the leaf starts to dehydrate without burning, the temperature is low and appropriate. However, if it burns almost immediately, the temperature is too high and must be reduced.

As for the grill, it was already ready because I had quickly made it while constructing the oven the night before, using interwoven pieces of Thalbûren and the Vothrial crystal.

After performing the leaf test to confirm the temperature was adequate, I prepared the fish by removing their scales and entrails. I set aside two of them, cutting their flesh into smaller pieces to speed up the dehydration process. The third fish would be roasted over the fire since dehydrating the others would take a long time, and I was far too hungry to wait.

So I organized everything: placing the pieces of the two fish inside the improvised oven on the Thalbûren grill and sealing the door with a net I had woven using Thalvarýn fibers to keep insects out. The last fish went directly onto a support over the fire so it could roast quickly, allowing me to eat sooner.

- "Alright... These two will dehydrate in the oven. I divided the meat so the process would be faster, but still... 10 to 12 hours is quite a long time," I thought, observing the fish in the oven.

- "Well, it doesn't matter. I'll leave these here while I prepare the other one over the fire," I murmured, adjusting the grill and ensuring everything was in order.

With the fish on the fire, I sat near the flames and waited until it was well-cooked. After eating and resting for a few minutes, I got up to continue the other tasks I had planned for the day.

The next task was to prepare the field for planting the plants I hadn't yet cultivated: Thalbûren sprouts, Thalvarýn, and a Tháliar that had started germinating. First, I checked the Tháliar I had stored and was pleased to discover it already had visible sprouts, indicating it was ready to be planted. I gathered the necessary tools and headed to the area where I had planted other seeds a few days earlier.

The area was overgrown with weeds, but thanks to the markings I had made earlier, I was able to locate the planting spots. I first checked the seeds I had previously planted, all of which showed signs of vigorous growth, aided by the proximity to the lake and the germination process I had prepared before planting them.

…Sounds of footsteps in the brush…

- "...Sigh... Let's see you guys… how are you doing…" I said as I approached the spot where I had planted the seeds.

- "...Look at the size of these weeds... agh... I'll need to make a hoe soon to clear this area…" I thought.

- "...But okay, I'll worry about that later. First, let's check on these little ones and then plant the rest of the sprouts..." I said.

- "...Oho… they're growing already, huh? … haha, THAT'S IT!" I thought, happy to see that my work was paying off and that they'd soon bear fruit, literally.

- "...That's great… Now, let's plant you all..." I said, taking the sprouts I had brought with me and a small stone handpick I had previously made using Vothrial to dig holes and plant the sprouts.

After a few minutes, I had planted the remaining sprouts.

- "...Sigh... Done… now, it's up to time to do its work…" I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

- "...Okay… another task completed. Now, let's start organizing this area… I mean, look at all these weeds… it'd be nice to set up some fences here… and there… and clear this region. Plus, I also need to check by the lake how the Nhalvyris are doing. If they're mature, I'll start a field by the lakeside…" I thought, planning my next steps.

Thus, I entered that afternoon multitasking — keeping an eye on the oven and the meat I had left to dehydrate, ensuring the fuel and temperature were adequate, and also checking and moistening the dragon eggs. Eventually, I managed to craft a simple hoe using stone and Vothrial to clear the planting area. By the end of the afternoon, I was exhausted, feeling like I had worked nonstop for days.

During all that time, I had managed to clean the planting area, improve the markings where I had planted the seeds and sprouts, and confirm that the Nhalvyris by the lakeside were not yet ready for replanting. Thus, I left setting up a lakeside field for another occasion.

Finally, as Estalyrion gave way to the stars and both moons in the sky, I returned to the cave. First, I checked on the dragon eggs and then went outside to see how the dehydrating fish were progressing. At that point, the fish were in the final stages of preparation, requiring at most another two hours to finish, which was perfect as I was starving. While waiting for the fish to finish, I sat against a nearby rock, admiring the night sky.

- "Today was exhausting... It doesn't even feel like I just woke up, and it's already nighttime," I thought, yawning. Despite the fatigue, I was satisfied with what I had accomplished.

However, as I was so tired, I ended up falling asleep while gazing at the distant stars and the two moons on the horizon. About an hour passed without any problem. I was sleeping peacefully until, suddenly, I was startled awake by a sound that sent a chill down my spine. A scream — piercingly sharp — came from within the forest, alarmingly close to where I was. That scream was unlike anything I had heard before; it didn't sound like an animal or another creature, as I'd already heard, but it sounded more like a... woman?

- "...ZZZzzz…" I snored before suddenly being jolted awake by the scream.

...Sound of an eerie, agonized scream…

- "...UUAAAGHHH… W-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT… DAMN IT… WHERE'S MY DAGGER?" I said, jumping up in alarm and grabbing the dagger I had repaired to defend myself.

- "...WHERE DID THAT SOUND COME FROM?" I thought, standing still and listening intently for any noise, remaining vigilant and ready to act.

…A few minutes passed…

- "...Tsk… What the hell was that? … It sounded like a scream… and it came from nearby," I said, a bit calmer after finding nothing but still on high alert.

- "...Damn… Could it be another creature? … No, the sound didn't match the one I heard from the previous creature or any animal in the forest. It was more like… a scream of pain… from a woman?" I thought, recalling the sound.

- "...Damn… and it was really close. Very close, in fact…" I said, scanning the surroundings.

- "...Tsk… Could there be more people in this forest, again?" I wondered.

I stood there for a few seconds before deciding to act. If there were more people around, I would attack them first to eliminate any potential threat to my life or the dragon eggs, even if it meant creating another bloody massacre like the one before.

- "...Damn, I'd better go check it out… If it's more humans, I'll strike first before they have a chance to cause me trouble… and I don't mind if another carnage is necessary for that… In fact, I'd love to torture a few more people," I said, with a sinister grin slowly spreading across my face.

At that moment, I vividly remembered how satisfying it had been to torture that pathetic noble before killing him. For some reason, recalling that memory erased any fear or hesitation, replacing it with an insatiable hunger — a hunger that could only be satisfied by seeing humans suffer slowly and in the worst way possible.

With no more fear or hesitation, I set out into the forest toward the area where I believed the scream had originated. However, I felt... different in a way I couldn't explain.

- "...Damn… hahaha….n-no...agh... I shouldn't have thought about that… agh… this feeling… huff… ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA… huff… Okay… Let's go see what's happening…" I thought, after recalling the noble's torture.