"I've found you a proper job. From now on, you'll earn your own als," he told the Cyro Wolves, explaining the cooperation he'd arranged with the Pyeongseong Safe Zone.
The Cyro Wolves originally had no particular opinion about the arrangent, but as soon as they heard that the wages they earned would be entirely their own—and that they could use the money to buy food from Kim Haru's farm, food that would belong exclusively to them—they instantly perked up. One by one with their tongues lolling, they made to pounce on Kim Haru in excitent.
"Stop right there!" Kim Haru shouted, quickly putting an end to their antics.
The wolves agreed to the plan, and Kim Haru wasted no ti. He instructed Snowball No. 2 to lead the other snow wolves along the path they had just taken to the Safe Zone to find the Safe Zone Commander, Moon Baein. Concerned that the wolves might not be allowed through the city gates on their own, Kim Haru wrote notes of introduction on their behalf, attaching them to the wolves as a formal endorsent.
This idea, in fact, ca from the drawings he had seen on the wolves' bodies previously.
Once the wolves had departed, Kim Haru caught a glimpse of the ginseng spirit finally erging from hiding. He suddenly rembered that he'd forgotten to ask the spirit to find out who had painted the designs on the wolves in the first place.
But since the wolves had already left, he decided it would have to wait until their return.
Not all the snow wolves would be gone for this job. Snowball No. 1, as the leader of the pack, enjoyed the respect and offerings of the other wolves. Kim Haru had often witnessed this dynamic during altis on the farm.
Snowball No. 1 would eat first and even take portions from the other wolves' bowls. Sotis, he took the food himself; other tis, the other wolves offered it voluntarily. None of the wolves ever seed to mind. Only after Snowball No. 1 gave his signal did the rest begin eating.
This ti was no different. When the other wolves earned wages from their work, they would naturally set aside a portion for Snowball No. 1. So, Snowball No. 1 wouldn't be working during this trip; his role was rely to sign the contract.
Once the contract was signed, Snowball No. 1 would return to the farm. Kim Haru still needed him to pull the sled cart, after all.
As for the other wolves, if their work shifts were short and didn't require overnight stays outside the Safe Zone, they too would return to the farm. It was, after all, far more comfortable there, with their cozy kennels waiting for them.
Kim Haru wasn't worried about the wolves encountering danger outside. Honestly, if there were any trouble, he was more inclined to believe that the snow wolves themselves would be the ones causing it—putting others in peril rather than falling victim to it.
With the energetic wolves off on their assignnts, a collective sigh of relief spread across the small farm.
That's right. Not just Kim Haru, Go Okrim, and the ginseng spirit, but even the two chickens and two pigs seed visibly relaxed.
In fact, Little Nugget and Sir Peckington, the chickens, had been so terrified during the wolves' stay that they hadn't dared to leave their coop—not even to peek their heads out. They knew all too well that their tiny chicken shelter wouldn't stand a chance against so many boisterous wolves.
The two pigs were equally fed up with the rowdy wolves. Their pen was spacious, and right next to it was a "uniquely aromatic" ferntation pit. How could it not attract the wolves? Little Snort and Big Snort had lost count of how many tis their food had been stolen by the wolves. These silly creatures wanted to eat everything—they couldn't resist sneaking bites of the pigs' feed, even though the coarse bran in it was harsh on their throats.
But now, finally, they no longer had to worry about their food being snatched.
With the wolves gone and the chaos subsiding, Kim Haru could finally try his hand at building an igloo.
Kim Haru wasn't particularly familiar with igloos and didn't know exactly how to construct one. However, he had stayed in one for two days during a trip before and had a general idea of its shape and thod. It didn't seem too complicated. Besides, with plenty of ti on his hands, Kim Haru figured he could experint and take it slow.
First, he used wood to make a rectangular fra, which would serve as a mold for the ice bricks.
"Gojo, fetch so water."
"On it!"
Kim Haru poured water over the inside of the mold to make it smoother. Then, he and Go Okrim worked together to pack snow into the fra.
Typically, ice bricks were made by pouring water into molds and letting it freeze before removing them. But Kim Haru's idea of building an igloo was born out of a need to deal with the excessive amount of snow piled up everywhere. Even though it was a bit more troubleso, he decided to use snow instead.
The snow in the post-apocalypse world was piercingly cold. Even with his super-insulated coat, Kim Haru's hands quickly grew numb.
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"Step aside. I'll handle this," the ginseng spirit said, unable to bear watching such a "fragile" human struggle. With a flick of its root-like appendages, it began packing the snow into the mold with lightning speed.
In no ti, the wooden mold was packed tightly with snow.
"Pat it down and compress it more," Kim Haru instructed from the side.
The ginseng spirit grabbed a tal shovel and began pounding the snow in the mold with loud, echoing thuds. The snow compacted further into a dense block.
Kim Haru poured a bit more water over the top, making the ice brick smoother and more solid. After waiting a while, when he judged it ready, he carefully removed the mold.
A perfectly rectangular, smooth ice brick was completed.
Kim Haru was extrely satisfied with the result. With the first brick done, making the rest beca much easier.
He and Go Okrim set up several more wooden molds, while the ginseng spirit focused on packing snow into them. Their assembly-line cooperation quickly consud over half of the snowpile.
"Brother Kim, these bricks are so slippery. How are you going to stack them into an igloo?" Go Okrim asked, shaking his hands to warm them up.
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