Chapter 26: Today is a stormy day
Translator: Tseirp
“All right~ I have closed all the shutters. I have also kept all the medicinal grass in the garden that is likely to be blown off and only left those that are not ready for harvesting; well, it can’t be helped even if they get damaged.”
“I have taken down the signboard and items that might get destroyed.”
A storm was coming to Zoltan.
The storm formed in the southern ocean traveled along the wall at the end of the world and moved northwest.
Although it was a little rare for it to come at the beginning of autumn, it was common for it to come by once every several years.
“Then, next would be the washroom!”
The winds outside had already become stronger.
The sky was also dark so it was just a matter of time before it started raining.
“According to the announcement from the Mineral Dragon Meteorological Observatory, the full-fledged storm would happen about dawn tomorrow?”
“Yup, the young Mineral Dragons flew around to give out the warnings.”
Fuyu, one of the four old dragons of light, an Ancient Mineral Dragon with a shiny black body of mica mineral, established a Mineral Dragon University on the summit of Mount Hyhelum in addition to a Crystal Observatory and was the greatest geologist in the continent of Avalon.
Young Mineral Dragons, aspiring Geologist and Elf youths visited and the old Mineral Dragon generously imparted their knowledge.
One department of that Ancient Mineral Dragon University, the Ancient Mineral Dragon Meteorological Observatory, observed the weather of the entire Avalon Continent and gave out advance warnings for impending disasters.
The information from the Ancient Mineral Dragon Meteorological Observatory was indispensable for Zoltan that was battered by storms.
No matter if a person was a sailor or a farmer, the weather was a key element. The countries in the continent supported the academic castle run by the Ancient Mineral Dragon and announced their agreement to a non-aggression treaty in which various countries would cooperate to defend them during emergencies.
The Mineral Dragons were not of the Drake species but the Dragon species.
They were wise and loved to study the natural sciences.
As their scales were made of mica minerals, the uninformed would call them Stone Dragons but they would strongly correct their mistake by announcing ‘I am a Mineral Dragon’. During such times, they would thrust their scales in front of the other party’s eyes and clearly describe that black sheen.
To the four dragons of light, the brightness of their scales was their pride.
As they constructed research laboratories in various locations and continuously conducted their research for decades on end, even among the Light Dragons, they were reticent dragons when compared to the Radiant Dragons.
Radiant Dragons lived to bless the beginnings of future Heroes. When young children went on their first adventures, Radiant Dragons would shapeshift into humans to give them aid and they enjoy watching the growth of children during adventures. Comparatively, they were also the more frequently sighted dragons.
Well, foul-mouthed people called them shotacon dragons and lolicon dragons though.
I also adventured together with them when I was an apprentice Knight.
It was a little tough because he would break out into song whenever he was happy regardless of the situation … why did I have to be the one worrying about such things when I was the child … but he was a good guy. If I remember correctly, that guy’s name was called Alhazen.
The remaining Light Dragons are the Steam Dragons known to be engineers and the Lightning Dragons known to be watchmen.
The four Darkness Dragons that hail from the Darkness Continent are the nihilistic Vacuum Dragons, the Salt Dragons that symbolize stagnation and destruction, the child-abducting Ash Dragons and the Dust Dragons that pollute the land.
Dragons, along with humans and elves, were the three main races that live on the continent of Avalon. But then again, there didn’t seem to be any of them in Zoltan. Perhaps it was a land that had no appeal even to the Dragons.
“Hey there! Stop slacking and move your hands!”
I was scolded.
“The water channel would be disrupted once the storm comes so we should store some water while we still can.”
The inlet on the riverside for the water channel that drew water from the river would be closed before the storm. As it might get flooded with muddy water and the sudden torrent of water might damage it.
The wells would be murky from the heavy downpour and would not be usable for a while.
Even though Zoltan had an abundance of water resources, it would suffer from water shortages immediately after the storm. As a countermeasure against that, I poured water from the water channel into bags and barrels while I still could to stockpile water for daily use.
All households did the same so the water flow was ever so slight. It was a futile task that only served to pass time.
“I told you to do it yesterday but you were the one who went out to play with Gonz!”
“But I was invited …”
The carpenter Gonz would be extremely busy repairing the homes in the town once the storm was over. At times like these, even the lazy Zoltan people would have to give up on rest and work.
For that sake, Gonz wanted to go out and have fun in advance as the storm neared. It was setting a bad example for Tanta!
“You came along too!”
As I was complaining, Lit nimbly jumped on my back and clung to me.
“Well, get to work get to work.”
She imitated a horse rider, pretending to hit my bottom.
“Yes yes, I shall work, Lit-sama.”
” … Give me your attention to repay for the lack of yesterday.”
“All right, I won’t have anything to do for tomorrow and the day after anyway due to the storm.”
Oops, I stopped moving my hands.
I silently continued my work as I felt Lit’s body warmth as she hugged me harder.
Hn, this feeling kind of reminds me of something from the past …
( … Ah, I remember now.)
A storm was coming that time too. The storm was weaker compared to the ones that hit Zoltan but the villagers in my hometown were flustered because they were not used to storms.