32. Modern Civilization
The incident had been resolved.
Therefore, Han now had some time to spare.
While the elves were fully focused on their work, he decided to do something else.
The chaotic scene of his house appeared before his eyes.
Even the kitchen was piled high with dishes.
“Thinking about it, I’ve been so focused on the elves these past few days that the housework has piled up.”
With that in mind, he got up right away.
It seemed like the elves wouldn’t be moving from their spots for a while.
There was a considerable amount of monsters to deal with.
It seemed like he had accumulated quite a bit of work to do as well.
Amidst doing the dishes, cleaning the house, and other chores, Han’s gaze occasionally drifted towards the elves inside the refrigerator.
As the evening approached unnoticed…
The elves were still engrossed in preparing the rabbit.
Click.
The Earth Golem’s flashlight turned on.
It was a light that illuminated the darkening square.
However, it felt a bit insufficient on its own.
Normally, it would have been fine, but this was the middle of a vast square.
The light didn’t appear to shine very brightly.
As Han pondered for a moment, he noticed one of the items on the store list, a ‘streetlight.’
It was a fixed installation.
“I should just buy a streetlight now.”
Although there were some differences in the facilities, the streetlight Han was planning to install cost 1000 points.
With plenty of extra points, he immediately pressed the install button without hesitation.
Thud!
A streetlight suddenly appeared in the middle of the square.
As the flickering streetlight lit up, the darkness was pushed back, revealing the surroundings.
Streetlight
This facility automatically turns on when the surroundings become dark beyond a certain level.
It is a facility that does not require electricity.
A large facility that appeared out of nowhere.
However, the elves’ initial startle and confusion were short-lived.
“Wow!”
“It’s an incredibly bright light….”
For a while, the elves gazed blankly at the spectacle of that divine transformation.
Though their initial surprise quickly turned into smiles as they realized it was just another event orchestrated by their god, Han.
A dark night.
Thanks to that, the elves could continue their work well into the late hours.
***
“Oh-.”
Upon waking in the morning, many things had changed.
Han could see a vast amount of fur spread like blankets all over the square.
The process of butchering meat… well, let’s skip the details.
Honestly, to modern-day Han, it was a bit unsettling.
In any case, amidst the piles of fur, chunks of fresh meat were meticulously being dissected, forming small mounds in the middle of the snowy landscape, similar to the fur.
The elves were busy from early morning.
They seemed tirelessly occupied with the task of trimming the fur.
Every inch of fur was spread thin, and with hefty rocks, they were painstakingly crushed and spread out.
What were they up to?
Han observed their actions attentively.
Everyone’s touch was skilled.
As if they had done it more than once or twice.
Sizzle!
Over the still burning bonfire from yesterday, Irina brought over some fur and began to spread it out.
They were drying the fur.
After watching for a while, it became clear.
A vague memory surfaced.
“Oh. Could that be the tanning process?”
In that case, this must be their way of securing materials for clothing and leather goods.
Indeed, the elves still held an air of anticipation, just like the day before, which made sense.
Every action involving the fur was handled with care.
“Oh….”
At this point, even Han couldn’t help but feel a significant interest.
From sourcing materials, processing, to finishing touches.
Not a single step was taken lightly.
So, what exactly were they planning to do with all this?
Fur coats? Hats? Perhaps tents or blankets could be made.
Several possibilities came to mind.
While the final outcome remained uncertain, one thing was clear – there was a growing sense of anticipation as the work progressed.
As the work continued for a while,
Irina, stretching her stiff body, asked Zion beside her for a favor.
“Zion, could you help me cut the meat?”
“…Meat?”
Zion blinked at the sudden sound.
He smiled even more brightly than usual. It was a beautiful smile.
“We can’t just enjoy it by ourselves, can we? We should also feed these kids who helped us yesterday. Since Noah, Lua, and Mia all worked hard to help us.”
“Oh, right!”
[Growl!]
The young wolves responded vigorously, as if agreeing with his words.
Their tails wagged more energetically than usual, reflecting their emotions.
It seems they know that Zion is talking about them.
“Now, little ones.”
Zion offered them meat.
[Growl!]
The young wolves eagerly accepted the meat Zion offered.
They definitely seemed to enjoy the meat.
Although they usually readily ate the apples and tomatoes that the elves shared with them, their reaction this time was different.
Their tails wagged more vigorously than usual.
“It seems monsters really do prefer meat. Or maybe it’s because they’re wolves?”
The elves seemed to have noticed this aspect.
“If that’s the case, let’s store some nearby!”
“Let’s bury it in the snow and take out a little at a time.”
They didn’t need a separate refrigerator.
The snow-covered ground everywhere served as a natural storage place.
If needed, they could bury the meat in the snow and simply cut off pieces when frozen.
Watching this, Han suddenly had a strange question.
Oddly enough, the elves showed no interest in meat at all.
With so much meat around, one might expect someone to suggest eating some, but no one ever did.
Instead, after sharing with the young wolves, they seemed completely unbothered, even turning their heads away.
“System.”
Puzzled by this fact, Han finally spoke up after watching for a while.
“But why do the elves show no interest in meat at all? Yet, they freely share it with the young wolves?”
[Elves have no need to consume meat due to their nature. In fact, they tend to avoid it. Unlike humans, who are omnivores by nature, elves are herbivores and can thrive solely on the essence of the forest. If elves were to consume meat, the strong taste of flesh would resemble that of mud, which they find repulsive.]
“…Mud?”
Even so, mud.
It was quite an extreme expression.
No wonder they barely even looked at it; there was a reason for that.
There was no point in arguing against the system.
This was just a confirmed fact.
If such an issue existed for them, then meat was simply an unpleasant ingredient for them.
Unless it was necessary for survival, there was no need to put it in their mouths.
“Indeed, since coming here, we’ve only been eating things like mushrooms and apples.”
[That’s correct.]
Surely, it was natural not to even consider the taste so dreadful that it was referred to as such.
It was said that most of the previous generation of elves who faced the end failed to adapt to the changed world, couldn’t endure for long, and died, and there was a reason for all that.
Ultimately, the current generation of elves.
In any case, they were the new generation who had adapted to the taste of that “sludge-flavored meat” in their own way.
No matter how necessary it was for survival, it was a lamentable change nonetheless.
***
“Now that the installation is complete, please contact us if you encounter any issues in the future.”
“Thank you.”
Han closed the front door, watching the installation technician walk away.
“hehehe.”
Returning home, he gazed at his living room.
It was filled with equipment that hadn’t been there before.
They were the fitness machines he had only dreamed of before.
“Things I couldn’t afford before, but not anymore.”
He had carefully selected only high-quality and well-known brands.
Even the installation technician had expressed envy, saying it was impressive to fill the house with such a range of products.
He even went as far as asking if he was a rich man.
Though he was a bit different from that, it wasn’t entirely incorrect.
The fact was, there was a considerable sum in his bank account that an average person would find hard to fathom.
From Noble mtl dot com
He intended to stay holed up at home for a while.
Most of the day, no, all day long, it was to observe the elves.
It was the plan until their lives reached stability.
But health must be taken care of.
One never knows what might happen, so it’s best to be prepared at home, if possible.
And this was the result.
It might seem like a waste, but he wasn’t facing any particular difficulties when it came to money.
There was also the tribute he had received from Imira not long ago.
Of course, this time too, he left the emotionless offering to be auctioned at the appraisal office.
Rumor has it that the selling price may be even higher than before.
“Well, shall we start with a light workout on the treadmill?”
Hmm-.
His phone began to vibrate at that moment.
“What’s this?”
Upon checking, it was none other than his former superior, Manager Kim Ju-hee.
“Oh, Manager Kim.”
– Are you doing well?
“Thanks to you.”
Han’s lips curved upwards.
It was because he heard the voice of a welcome acquaintance after a long time.
– A new recruit has joined in your absence. It’s… interesting.
“Are you carrying something?”
– Hoho. Something like that.
Boooooom-!
A strange sound is heard.
“…?”
Weird.
Is it the sound of the waves? If not, it could be the sound of the ship’s movements.
But at this hour, she should still be at the company.
“Have you gone out for field work or something?”
– Something similar. Well, it’s not exactly the company.
It’s strange that she rarely goes out for field work. Originally, her responsibilities included internal tasks such as managing the company, so there was no need for her to go outside.
Could something urgent have come up?
Strange.
– If anything comes up, feel free to contact me. I may not be able to help, but I can at least offer some advice.
Han’s lips curled up at Manager Kim Ju-hee’s words.
“Well, Manager Kim, counseling has always been your specialty. Both I and my colleagues have had the experience at least once.”
Click.
A sound comes from the other end of the call.
It sounds almost like the sound of loading a gun.
– Hm. It seems like things are getting busy, so I should end the call here. Well, see you later. Let’s have dinner together sometime.
“Of course, Manager.”
After ending the call,
Han started exercising in earnest.
Is sweating really this enjoyable?
It’s a fact he hadn’t realized before.
But as Han focused on his workout, his gaze kept drifting towards the refrigerator.
The elves were still busy, spending their day diligently.
The leatherwork that continued from yesterday was still ongoing today.
Seeing the pile of rabbit fur, it seems like there’s still a lot of work left to do.
Well, it’s a mountain of work to be done in the backyard, so it won’t be finished quickly.