Zeke retraced his steps along the mining tunnel back to the opening he had originally excavated.
He pulled cobblestone from his backpack—stone matching the color of the surrounding rock layers—and sealed the entrance from the inside.
Zeke quickly ascended the stairs he had cut. Along the way, he knocked down and collected the torches from the walls, doing his best to seal off sections of the path behind him.
He returned to the crude base; it was empty.
Climbing out via the ladder, he found it was already early morning. He hadn't realized he'd spent the entire night mining.
"Please respond, over. Please respond. This is Dance..." The static-filled noise of a radio drifted from nearby.
Zeke walked over briskly. Dance was still there, relentlessly trying to tune the equipment.
Zeke offered no explanation for his disappearance the previous night, and Dance, sensing the mood, didn't ask. He simply gave Zeke's iron armor a lingering glance.
"No time to explain. We need to move, Dance!" Zeke spoke rapidly. He pulled a sheaf of wheat from his backpack and waved it before the lethargic Cow's eyes.
The Cow's nose twitched; its spirit instantly lifted, and it began to trot after the wheat.
"What's going on?" Dance followed without wasting words.
"It's too much to explain right now," Zeke said, guiding the Cow with the wheat while frequently checking behind him. He needed to ensure the Greenskins weren't on their tail. "By the way, do you know a good place we can head to? Preferably somewhere far from this area."
"A destination?" Dance thought for a moment, then raised his hand to point toward the east.
Zeke gazed into the distance in that direction. Beyond the rolling hills before them, a patch of green emerged at the edge of his vision—a jungle of considerable size.
Beyond the jungle stood a peak towering into the clouds, its upper half capped in pristine white snow.
"If we cross the Axel Sea of Trees, then traverse Mount Lezra, we can reach Tyrok Bastion," Dance said, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Zeke withdrew his gaze and patted the Cow's neck. "Let's move out!"
–
The distance between the hills and the forest wasn't great.
Half an hour later, low-growing ferns appeared, and the air grew humid. The group formally stepped into the fringes of the Axel Sea of Trees.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting coin-shaped spots of light on the ground.
It felt a bit like a Jungle biome. Zeke held the wheat in his left hand, leading the pack animal, while Dance brought up the rear with his lasgun.
As they walked, Zeke idly toyed with a freshly obtained [Emerald] in his right hand.
He had traded 15 lumps of coal with Dance to get it.
Unfortunately, he only got one. The option to trade coal for emeralds had turned gray, preventing further transactions—a far lower limit than what standard Villagers offered.
In the dappled light, the emerald sparkled, radiating an almost surreal beauty.
Zeke subconsciously weighed it in his hand; the gem lifted slightly from his palm, defying gravity for a moment before slowly settling back down.
Zeke was certain Dance didn't actually carry any gems on him.
So where did the trade come from? Zeke pocketed the emerald. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it.
"Moooo!"
The Cow behind him let out a long, pained cry.
Zeke turned to see a gray shadow flash past the pack animal's ankle.
Blood spurted from the side of the Cow's hoof; a chunk of flesh was missing.
"Careful, it's a wild rat!" Dance reacted instantly, training his gun on the target.
The rat dove straight into a burrow, vanishing without a trace.
"One isn't a problem, but if they swarm, they can strip a man to the bone in minutes," Dance lowered his voice.
Zeke finally noticed that the roots of the trees on either side were riddled with bowl-sized holes.
Several heads popped out, eyeing the group.
The rats of Cadia were much larger than the ones Zeke had seen in his previous life, with the characteristic incisors of rodents looking far sharper.
One of them held a bloody chunk of fresh meat in its front paws—torn from the Cow—and gnawed on it nonchalantly.
Noticing Zeke's gaze, most of the rats zipped back into their holes.
A few bold ones stood their ground, emitting threatening noises from their throats.
Another gray figure burst from the flank, aiming straight for the lumbering Cow, clearly marking it as an easy target.
"Again?!" Zeke drew his iron sword and slashed horizontally.
The gray shadow twisted mid-air with surprising agility, dodging the blade.
It even turned to squeak at Zeke upon landing—a sound that felt like mockery—before diving into another hole without looking back.
Little punk, think I can't handle you?
Zeke walked straight to one of the larger holes. Under Dance's confused gaze, he casually pulled out a Water Bucket.
"You... what are you—?" Dance started.
Zeke placed the water source at the entrance. A torrent surged into the depths of the burrow.
Moments later, bubbles gurgled up, followed by two or three soaking wet rats, gasping for air as they floated to the surface.
[Rat Meat] x4, [Rat Hide] x6.
Zeke repeated the process, flooding every hole within his line of sight.
The final harvest was bountiful: 16 units of Rat Meat and 32 Rat Hides.
The hides felt tough, similar to rabbit hide; four could be crafted into one piece of Leather.
Leather was incredibly useful, whether for the books needed for an Enchanting Table or for a Saddle.
Speaking of saddles, Zeke glanced at the Cow.
He hadn't observed it closely before, but looking now, it had a broad back and sturdy, connective tissue around its limbs. It would likely make a decent mount.
Taking out two iron ingots and some leather, Zeke crafted a Saddle on the Crafting Table and threw it over the Cow.
It was a long road ahead; having a mount would save a lot of trouble.
Zeke climbed up and sat down heavily. The Cow froze for a moment, then twisted uneasily, snorting rough breaths from its nose.
Zeke stroked its neck to soothe it, but the beast was unappreciative. Abandoning its previous docility, it tilted its massive body violently from side to side, trying to buck the intruder off its back.
Caught off guard, Zeke clamped his arms tightly around the Cow's thick neck. "Dance, lend a hand!"
Seeing the struggle, Dance braced his body against the Cow's flank. Under their combined force, the Cow's struggles gradually weakened until it finally let out a grunt of resignation. (TL/N: Remember it's a Stegadon not a normal cow, I am just using Cow everywhere because our MC thinks it's too fancy of a name for it.)
Zeke steadied himself. Even though he had never truly ridden an animal before, his body seemed to trigger some built-in riding memory.
"Forward," he commanded, lightly nudging the Cow's belly with his legs.
Reluctantly, the Cow began to move.
However, the speed was agonizingly "steady." It felt like leading a pig would be faster than this.
Once the novelty wore off, Zeke looked at the Cow's leisurely pace and couldn't resist slapping its rump.
The Cow simply flicked its tail, its pace remaining unhurried.
Zeke scratched his head in frustration, then had a flash of inspiration. He took out a unit of wheat, leaned forward, and dangled it right in front of the Cow's eyes.
Snort— It huffed, its pace unconsciously quickening. It stretched out its tongue, trying to wrap it around the delicious treat so close at hand.
But as the Cow moved, the wheat moved with it, the distance remaining constant.
The Cow got desperate. It surged forward, craned its neck, and managed to snatch the wheat into its mouth.
The first attempt ended in failure.
His arm was too short. He needed a fishing rod to make a "Wheat on a Stick" variant.
But then, Zeke had a better idea.
--
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