Chapter 103

Territory (2)

The oven was a cooking appliance with a remarkably long history.

One didn’t need to look far to understand its importance. Without ovens, Western civilization couldn’t even have produced bread, its staple food.

The oven was created to take fire-roasting to the next level.

Well, the true next step was probably putting food in a pot and boiling it, but that was beside the point.

What mattered was that possessing an oven had an enormous effect on my quality of life.

"Wow."

I exclaimed in admiration as I looked at the deliciously cooked fish.

Even though it was a makeshift oven, it had cooked the fish evenly.

Whenever I grilled fish on the cast-iron pan, some parts ended up undercooked while others burned.

An oven, however, surrounded the food with heat from every direction, so it naturally cooked everything evenly.

’I might even be able to bake bread if I ever get the opportunity.’

I carefully carried the grilled fish, which made my mouth water just by looking at it.

I didn’t forget to wear gloves since I could easily burn myself.

I had even purchased a new pair of kitchen gloves from the auction house specifically for today.

Munch, munch.

"Mm!"

It tasted exactly as I had expected.

That was precisely why it was so delicious.

Even when I grilled it normally, the fish had tasted somewhat like meat. Now it tasted like actual meat.

It reminded me of the pork belly I used to splurge on while living alone and desperately saving every penny.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same. The texture was especially different.

Even so, its flavor was every bit as good as pork belly.

’Even the parts that look burned are tender inside.’

I would probably be using the oven often from now on.

I happily enjoyed my meal.

I didn’t forget to send a piece to each of the registered users who had helped me. This time, the recipients were Heavenly Demon and Passing Dwarf.

They also tasted the oven-roasted fish and praised it highly.

It was objectively delicious.

’How did people invent the oven?’

I gazed at the oven while eating the fish.

The firewood had burned away and was turning into charcoal, while thin wisps of smoke rose from the chimney.

The oven had made an enormous contribution to human cuisine.

Without ovens, there would be no bread.

’Could I make pizza with that?’

No.

That would be a luxury.

Unless I cultivated my own wheat and obtained eggs as well, it was nothing more than a pointless fantasy.

For now, I should be satisfied with oven-roasted fish.

The oven would be useful not only for cooking fish but also for reheating smoked meat.

"La-la-la~"

As my quality of life improved, my morale naturally rose with it.

An increase in morale also meant an increase in combat effectiveness.

While singing the oven’s praises, I planned my afternoon schedule.

’I should determine where the gorilla troop’s territory is.’

Rice Kraone, the final chronicler of the Kingdom of Balkan, had died by suicide.

However, the infection had already left him without hope of survival, meaning the gorilla troop was effectively responsible for his death.

I needed to determine the precise boundaries of the gorillas’ territory so they wouldn’t pose a threat to my safety.

’I’ll have to learn about gorilla behavior first...’

I didn’t know how gorillas had adapted to the Forest of Four Seasons.

In other words, I needed to consider the possibility that the behavior I already knew about had changed.

Still, knowing something was better than knowing nothing.

I sent a message to the person best suited to answer my questions.

[Allfather: What is it?]

[Wild Grylls: I wanted to ask you about gorilla behavior.]

[Allfather: Gorillas? Ah. It seems you discovered how the book’s owner died.]

Apparently, the information NecromancyIsLove had given me was genuine.

Did that mean I accepted his claim that he was the Immortal King?

No.

I could simply assume that an intelligent person was engaging in elaborate role-play.

Even if he truly was the Immortal King, it didn’t particularly matter.

[Wild Grylls: Allfather? Are you still there?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. I heard there’s a gorilla territory nearby. I also have a vague idea of where it is.]

[Allfather: Among primates, including humans, gorillas are exceptionally unaggressive and nonconfrontational. Naturally, this varies by subspecies, but that is generally the case.]

[Wild Grylls: Does that mean they’re safe?]

[Allfather: Not necessarily. If a gorilla reveals itself, it generally means you have intruded upon its territory. Furthermore, considering how the book’s owner died, you cannot afford to let your guard down.]

So I ultimately had no choice but to be careful.

I should avoid entering their territory if at all possible.

However, I had no idea where their territory began or ended.

Animals commonly marked their territory with excrement.

It seemed I would have to search carefully for their droppings.

’I’ll have to bring Wonmo.’

Wonmo possessed an excellent sense of smell, so finding the droppings should be easy.

He happened to be bouncing around energetically instead of taking a nap, so I could bring him along.

I began composing a message to thank Allfather.

[Wild Grylls: Like humans? What did they do, specifically?]

[Allfather: First, they reportedly used "tools." They carried animal bones in their hands and wielded them like clubs.]

[Wild Grylls: ...]

[Allfather: Incidentally, there is one aspect of these gorillas that concerns me.]

[Wild Grylls: Something that concerns you?]

[Allfather: According to the book, the gorillas behaved almost like humans.]

What was this, Planet of the Apes?

Could gorillas really be that intelligent?

It was a terrifying thought.

One careless mistake, and they could smash my skull open with those bones.

What if they were also aggressive?

The entire gorilla troop might gang up on me and beat me senseless.

’...Should I just not go?’

Allfather’s warning dampened my enthusiasm.

My resolve faltered briefly, but I soon shook my head vigorously.

This was precisely when taking a risk was necessary.

There was an enormous difference between possessing information and remaining ignorant.

’I’ll only determine the boundaries of their territory.’

For now, that would be my sole objective.

I would do exactly that and nothing more.

Even if the territory contained a legendary medicinal herb, I intended to ignore it.

[Wild Grylls: Thank you for the advice. I’ll have to be careful.]

[Allfather: I don’t think you should enter their territory, even out of curiosity.]

[Wild Grylls: I only intend to determine where the boundary lies and then return.]

[Allfather: I see. Understood.]

After ending my conversation with Allfather, I prepared for the expedition.

It would be wise to prepare for the possibility that I might accidentally enter the gorillas’ territory.

’Gorillas are herbivores, right?’

Allfather had told me that gorillas survived by eating things such as tree bark.

Despite living on tree bark, they possessed the greatest physical strength among all primates.

I felt an irrational stab of envy but quickly dismissed it.

Humans possessed far greater intelligence than they did.

I packed a few fasting pills as a gesture of goodwill.

If the situation became tense, I planned to offer them the pills and earn their favor.

’Namu-Ppareumbo eats them without any trouble, so gorillas should too, right?’

Or perhaps I should purchase a banana.

When people thought of gorillas, bananas were the first fruit that came to mind.

Entertaining such pointless thoughts, I completed my preparations.

Namu-Ppareumbo climbed onto my back, while Wonmo eagerly urged me to get moving.

All that remained was to depart, but...

Grrrrumble!

"Ah."

It seemed I would have to delay my departure for a moment.

***

Grylls set out to explore only after thoroughly relieving himself.

The cave he left behind was silent, with no presence to be felt anywhere.

Only the occasional crackling of the campfire broke the stillness.

Rustle! Rustle!

Then it happened.

The bushes lining the path toward the river—the opposite direction from the one Grylls had taken—began to shake.

At first, they trembled only slightly, but the movement soon became noticeable.

Swish—

Eventually, something emerged through the bushes.

It did not fully reveal itself, instead cautiously poking out only its face.

Its overall features resembled a human’s, but it had a flat nose and pitch-black skin.

Most tellingly, the hair covering parts of its face revealed that it was an ape.

"...Ooh! Ooh!"

After surveying Grylls’s shelter for some time, the ape let out a quiet call.

In response, the bushes shook even more violently than before.

"Ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

A troop of apes emerged—the very gorillas Grylls had been wary of.

The gorillas appeared to communicate through their distinctive calls before cautiously entering the shelter.

At first glance, they looked like ordinary gorillas. Upon closer inspection, however, several details set them apart.

The gorilla presumed to be their leader carried nothing, but the gorillas following him were armed with clubs.

Their weapons varied considerably. Some wielded bones, others pieces of wood, and a few even carried crudely fashioned stone axes.

It was clear that these creatures were fundamentally different from ordinary apes.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh."

"Ooh-ooh."

The apes meticulously inspected Grylls’s shelter.

They examined the iron container holding the fish, the container filled with charcoal, and finally the oven.

"Oookyaaagh!"

"Ooh-ooh?!"

Suddenly, one of the gorillas screamed.

The others hurried toward him at the sound.

The gorilla was rolling on the ground while clutching his hand. In front of him stood the oven Grylls had recently constructed.

Apparently, he had put his hand inside before it had fully cooled and burned himself.

It was an accident caused by curiosity.

The leader hurried over and examined his condition.

"Ooh-ooh!"

After assessing the injury, the leader pointed toward the iron container holding the fish.

It was as though he were telling the injured gorilla that the container held water and that he should quickly cool his hand.

The burned gorilla immediately plunged his hand into it.

Splash!

As soon as his hand entered the water, the gorilla’s face filled with relief.

The fish inside were startled and began splashing wildly, but he didn’t seem to care.

After briefly showing his relief, the leader carefully examined the oven.

Perhaps he noticed the appetizing scent lingering inside.

He brought his nose close to the opening and sniffed repeatedly.

However, he apparently couldn’t determine the oven’s purpose and merely tilted his head.

Eventually, he lost interest and turned his attention elsewhere.

"Ooh-ooh!"

One of the gorillas pointed toward the iron container holding the fish.

It was an important source of food for Grylls.

However, the leader shook his head in refusal.

He appeared to be indicating that it would be difficult to carry.

Although disappointed, the other gorilla accepted his decision.

The leader turned away and continued surveying the shelter.

He soon discovered the laundry hanging from the clothesline.

"Ooh."

The leader stared at the laundry before slowly pulling on it.

The makeshift clothesline couldn’t withstand the gorilla’s immense strength and collapsed helplessly.

The leader carefully examined the uniform PrincessCheonggu had given Grylls, then tossed it onto the ground.

He didn’t seem particularly interested in it.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh-ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

Just then, the gorillas exploring the cave rushed outside.

Unlike the burned gorilla’s earlier scream, these were cries of celebration.

When the leader showed interest in what they had found, the gorillas placed their discovery on the ground.

They had brought out the sack of fasting pills that currently served as Namu-Ppareumbo’s staple food.

"Hmm..."

"Ooh-ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

The gorillas urged their leader to make a decision.

However, the leader remained cautious.

He took one fasting pill from the sack and placed it in his mouth.

Before long, he began chewing it thoroughly.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh?! Ooh-ooh-ooh?!"

The leader’s eyes widened as he cried out in astonishment.

Anyone could tell that his reaction meant, "Delicious."

His expression made it seem as though he had discovered the greatest delicacy in the world.

The other gorillas each placed a fasting pill in their mouths.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh?!"

"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh?!"

"Oooook!"

Like their leader, the other gorillas reacted with tremendous excitement.

To some, the pills were unbearably bitter emergency rations, but the gorillas apparently considered them an exquisite delicacy.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh-ooh!"

After eating several more pills, the gorillas quietly lifted the sack.

We can’t keep something this delicious to ourselves. Let’s share it with the rest of our troop.

The leader apparently agreed, as he picked up the sack without hesitation.

"Ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"

The gorilla troop then departed Grylls’s shelter.

They had not stolen the elixir, inner core, or any of the other treasures Grylls cherished, but the loss was still devastating.

"Ooh-ooh!"

"Ooh-ooh!"

Oblivious to that fact, the gorilla troop happily returned home.