Chapter 7 : Arriving of Townspeople – 1With a loud bang, the rough earth shook and reverberated.
It was the morning after the first night in a different world.
I went to the back of my house and practiced my marksmanship with a 9mm handgun.
[9mm Handgun], 20 million yen (Listing price 200 thousand yen). This purchase was for self-protection while scouting the surrounding region. There were other handguns called New-Nanbu at half the price, but compared to the 9mm handgun with a nine bullet count, the New-Nanbu only has a bullet count of five. In addition, judging by its price and extent of durability, I’ve made the 9mm handgun my choice.
[TL: I need to have some gun expert to confirm it to me. While googling around I read that 9mm handgun can have magazine for more than 9 while Nanbu was 7 to 8.]
When I shot the gun for the first time, I was surprised by its recoil, but on the second time, I’ve started to get the hang of it. It was like the time when one can’t lift up a block of gold which weighs twice that of a block of iron on the first attempt. Judging by its size, I only spent a little power to lift it up. The recoil of the gun shows its worth, and experiencing it once with my own body is a good thing.
One bullet was 10 thousand yen (Listing price 100 yen). Whenever I think that 10 thousand yen will disappear each time I shoot, it nearly made me hesitate to shoot.
However, in a life or death situation, I can’t hesitate because of the cost.
Besides the gun, I also bought [Camouflage Combat Uniform (Sand Color)], [Half-Length Boots (Brown)], [Bulletproof Vest], [Helmet], [Goggle (Orange)], [Face Mask], and [Gloves], all of which I’ve already equipped.
This one set of equipment cost 18,558,000 yen (Listing price 185,580).
I also bought an automatic car [Type 73 Large Truck], which cost 1.2 billion yen (List Price 12 million).
Since there were no regular roads, a normal car was out of the question. For that reason, I chose a vehicle that was used by the JSDF.
Why I didn’t just use a jeep, you ask? It’s because of the size. When facing a large truck, common beasts from the surrounding areas will just run away.
By the way, I had intended to buy a tank, with the price of 12 billion yen (Listing Price 120 million yen). However, when I consider what the future may hold, I can’t afford this price.
“Something like this.” After I finished shooting, I flicked the safety lock and put the gun back into the holster on my waist.
Later, I went to check the paper target that I’ve fixed on a board on a tree thirty metres away.
There were holes were punched all over the place. For now, it seems like I’ve managed to hit the target to some degree.
“Well, next.”
I took out a new piece of paper from my pocket, and attached it onto the board on the tree with some scotch tape.
When I went back into the house, I picked up the object that was supported by a two-legged stand.
[Type 89 5.56 a.s.sault Rifle], 35 million yen (List Price 350 thousand yen).
Type 89 a.s.sault rifle. It was also an automatic rifle that the JSDF uses. Even though I said it was a rifle, it wasn’t just small, it also took the shape of a real rifle.
[TL: this is just a pun joke, where the kanji for rifle 小銃 can also mean small arms]
In comparison to its size, its performance wasn’t a point to be compared with. Its shooting range was 500 meters, ten times that of a 9mm handgun, and its magazine can load up to thirty bullets too.
____ I have read the summary of its manual up till here.
[Umm… First of all, a single shot….]
When I was 100 meters away from the target, I flick the safety lock and pulled the trigger of the rifle.
Before long, it turned noon, so I ended the test fire to eat my meal.
After that, I boarded the truck and left from the back gate.
Once the truck was outside the gate, I exited the truck to lock the gate from the inside. Afterwards, I left by the gate’s [Side Door], and locked the [Side Door] from the outside.
Even though the gate used bolt locks, the side door still uses a key lock.
After locking my house this way, I started to investigate the surrounding areas with my truck.
First of all, I confirmed my position with a [Compa.s.s]. Even if it’s too late to be checking it now, the sun of this world also seemed to rise from the east and set in the west.
To the east of the town is a large river that runs from the north downwards to the south. It was the river used for the disposal of waste water from the sewer. If people were to live around here, then it would be somewhere near a river.
I stepped on the accelerator and moved on in the southeastern direction. Afterwards, while raising the dust along the river, I advanced the truck southwards. However, no matter how much I advanced, the same scenery continued on.
Since I first started driving, three hours had already pa.s.sed. There was nothing but a dried up earth-desert spreading out as far as I could see. It was a scene that I could only see on TV. Not even a Shepherd’s Purse grew here. It was exactly like a land of death.
I become somewhat scared and returned back home.
The next day, I travelled to the north, and the following day, I explored the west. However, after driving for three hours in both directions, I can’t even find any shadows of humans, and the wilderness continues.
Considering that there is a river in the east, I didn’t explore beyond that.
Thus, the investigation of the surrounding regions was finished for the most part. What I can conclude so far was that there were no people living around my home base, while the eastern side remained a mystery.
Therefore, I decided to stop the search and stayed inside the house quietly for now. It was the ‘good things come to those who wait’ strategy.
I pa.s.sed my days leisurely in this different world. As the temperature becomes warm, wind blows from the southwest, and sand danced around. If one says that it was a western wind, it could very well be a seasonal wind.
As the continent becomes warmer, warm air currents rise. It was a natural phenomenon related to the wind blowing from cold water spots. In other words, at the further reaches of the southwestern area, there is an ocean, or a large lake.
Nevertheless, the town was full of sand because of this wind. It might have been a rash decision to make a town without residents.
___with that, one month has pa.s.sed since I’ve arrived at this different world.
Here is a piece of good news. There is a resident besides me in this town at last.
Her name is Catherine. She has round eyes with long eyelashes. She has two large swelling peaks, and she has a distinctive voice___.
[TL: oh s.h.i.t did I finally TL a harem novel?]
“OUHHHHHHHHH”
The origin of this cry… That’s right. Catherine isn’t human, she’s a camel.
[TL:………. FCK!]
[ED: Rofl. Expected.]
I met her when I was about to drive out from the gate and head to the south. In my tormenting loneliness, I wanted to attract her interest by any means. While luring her using some food, I was able to trap her inside the stone wall.
[TL: Oh G.o.d please don’t make it b.e.a.s.t.i.a.l I beseech YOU!]
[ED: Probably won’t, unless she has a human form. …I hope.]
I will tell you a little bit more about Catherine. She’s a lazy fellow who usually just folds her legs and sits around doing nothing. Sometimes, when I thought she was finally standing up to take a walk, it turned out that she was just taking her meal. She just starts munching on the gra.s.s on the ground. The gra.s.s around my home has already disappeared. Everyday, I ended up having to cut gra.s.s from town and feed it to her. She’s lazy and gluttonous.
Therefore, in order to make Catherine exercise more, I put a saddle on her back, and forced her to walk around town. The saddle was made by stacking blankets, a handmade item.
I was thinking of feeding her a good meal, but I was worried that she would develop a cavity. Thus, at the very least, even if it’s just water, I poured some of j.a.pan’s soft water into her bucket. I also cleaned up her droppings.
How should I say it… Surprisingly, it’s possible to [Sell] her feces.
There was a famous story from the Edo-period where a farmer bought human feces as fertilizer. In addition, they also collected horse dung along the way, and there was also a job called horse dung picking.
By the way, Catherine’s feces were about 100 yen a pile.
Catherine was also attached to me now. She was rubbing her long neck against me when I complained about the weather ‘It was hot, recently’ while lying down. She was really a spoiled child.
Like this, she became the support for my heart.