On the second day, around 10 AM, five people excluding the Moose leader and the newly arrived Flan gathered together for lunch.
"The taste is a bit bland, but in such a place, being able to eat food like this really feels good." Flan ate hot oatal with a wooden spoon, feeling quite pleased.
After a night of rest, his originally tense and exhausted mind relaxed a lot. In fact, it wasn't only Sura and Guy who held a sense of caution towards him; Flan also felt wary, fearing that soone might kill him in his sleep and take his necklace and naplate.
This was land without a country or law, where reputation and credibility had to be judged by oneself.
Luckily, after a night of fighting together and good rest, both sides reluctantly established the first bit of trust.
The reason why Tilan and Ores weren't suspected by Sura was that they were too special; in her view, their appearance and attire were definitely not those of people who co to such remote places to scam.
While Flan was marveling at how the food was not bad, Ores beside Tilan was also observing Flan; after all, there were only a few people in the settlent, and suddenly seeing a new face today naturally raised her curiosity.
"Silver-gray hair." Ores whispered softly in the girl's ear, but the sound was heard by everyone in the room since Ores never had the habit of doing things quietly.
"Yes, why?" Tilan blew on the oatal on her spoon and ate in small bites, preferring it slightly cooler.
"Familiar." Ores seed to sense sothing but couldn't recall past events.
It might be that she had seen many people with silver-gray hair before; silver and cool blue hair colors were quite common among Ice Spirits, Tilan thought.
"Oh, has this young lady seen people with the sa silver-gray hair color before?" Flan couldn't help but ask.
"She probably has, but recently she was injured and can't rember many things." Tilan had to explain.
"I see..." Flan looked Ores up and down, wondering what he was thinking.
Despite Sura and Guy still being sowhat cautious, they didn't show it overtly at the mont. They just changed the subject, and later Guy said he would take Flan to familiarize him with the environnt, where he could go and where he couldn't.
Compared to Tilan and Ores, who could move freely with almost no restrictions, Flan faced more constraints; for example, he couldn't enter the depths of the cave or go into the enclosed fields on one side of the mountain. He could only move around the shallow cave rooms and the open spaces in the mountain.
Flan didn't seem to mind this restriction; in this land, such demands were considered polite enough.
In the afternoon, Flan leaned against the mountainside, watching the scenery and resting, while Tilan and Ores were led by Sura to the fields in the mountain.
"This was developed by the leader and is also the most important source of life for our settlent." She walked in the half-ripe wheat field, the lush wheat stalks reaching half a person's height, growing quite well and standing out in this desert-like grassland.
"Ah, the fragrance of this grass, it refreshes the mind. Sotis I even pick so grass leaves to chew on for a quick boost." Sura was in a great mood.
"You have no idea how precious this field is, especially in this place." She turned to look at Tilan.
"To maintain it, the leader has to periodically dig out fresh and safe soil from the depths of the cave for cultivation, otherwise always using old soil would quickly degrade it to a similar state as the outside environnt."
"But because of it, the leader didn't have ti to co back that day." Sura seed a bit down saying this, fingers plucking a stalk of wheat and holding it in her hand.
"So many people died, Grandma Moroli who sewed clothes for , little Erlo who played around , Pip - Small Egg, Tedley who was amazing and powerful with knives, Nanguo who joined the settlent early on. That day, I stood as his guarantor, giving him a bottle of treasured apple preserves…" It seed like Sura's emotions of steadiness over those days were crumbling, and maybe recalling many past events as she spoke.
Tilan listened quietly beside her, occasionally comforting her, but mainly listening, then sitting on a stone by the field, hearing Sura speak emotionally about many past people and events.
"I wish I had hurried back that day to warn everyone, wish I hadn't run so far for so prey." She blad herself heavily, even though the remaining people never blad her.
"Life is unpredictable..." Tilan shook her head slightly with a sigh, stroking Ores who was nestled in her arms. Though having many puzzlents, she could sense the change in emotional atmosphere and didn't speak out to interrupt.
After a while, maybe having let out emotions accumulated those days, Sura slowly recovered and beca sowhat embarrassed.
"I was really sad about what I said earlier, but I'm still strong; no need to worry too much, I am an Iron Core Species, always a person with a steel-like will."
"Even your will must aspire to iron?" The girl wondered whether this was Sura's self-made saying or a doctrine originally believed in by their species.
"Of course." She responded, patting her chest.
"Almost forgot, the reason I called you today." She then stood up.
"Over the next few days, I'll need you and Ores to water these wheat plants, but not too much, just ensure they don't dry out. I'll show you exactly how much later."
"Alright." Tilan nodded; this was simple enough for her.
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