Chapter 3

First Comes Food (1)
A shelter, indeed.

Even a very small shelter is better than none at all. A proper one will be built later, but having even a simple shelter makes a big difference. It's essential to have a facility that allows Marylia to get some decent sleep and recover a bit of energy. After all, her body and health are the most important assets for her future life here.

Now then.

Marylia took about an hour to return to the beach and another hour to transport her belongings.

The trip back, especially with the luggage, was tiring. However, carrying her belongings made it feel like she was finally establishing a "campsite." As it became a base, she started to feel attached to the land, which put her in a good mood.

Along the way, she also looked for a few things.

The first was a clay excavation site.

Clay will be very important in the future, not only for making building materials like bricks and tiles but also because of Marylia's ability, “Golem Command,” which will require it.

There are, of course, other ways to make golems besides using clay. They can be made from wood carvings or even iron. Iron golems, in particular, are very sturdy and strong, immune to arrows and sword strikes, making them formidable soldiers.

But... well, making golems from iron is still a few years away.

For now, the most important material for making golems is clay.

Marylia wanted to find another source of clay, thinking ahead to when the current clay layer would be exhausted.

"Hmm... it seems more likely to find clay along the river."

Unfortunately, after a quick survey, there didn't appear to be any promising spots for clay excavation. However, she was optimistic that if she searched along the river, she'll eventually find a suitable location. Clay tends to accumulate in areas with flowing water.

Marylia decided to remain positive and think, “I'll look again next time.”

The second thing she was looking for was suitable wood.

… Materials are needed to make a shovel to create a golem for making an axe.

Additionally, she needed a few wooden poles to construct the roof of her shelter for the night.

Since she didn't have an axe, she couldn't cut down suitable trees. So, if she found any already fallen trees, she had to actively gather them.

"Oh my, here's another perfect one."

… As expected, walking through the forest, she found what she needed. Marylia heaved another piece of wood onto her shoulder with a “Heave-ho” and sighed.

"... I wish I had a golem to carry all this."

Carrying a wooden box and several pieces of wood was heavy. But it couldn't be helped. Until she could make a shovel to create a golem, she had to manage on her own.

The third thing she needed to find was the most important for the immediate future.

… In other words.

"My! Raspberries! What a stroke of luck."

Food! She needed food!

Marylia found a bush with red berries... a raspberry bush.

It seemed to cover a decent area, and the red berries stood out even in the forest. This made foraging easy.

"Let's see... I need a basket for picking these. After the roof and shovel, a basket or container is next."

Right now, she couldn't collect them. She only had a pot and a bottle, which she needed for water. Water is very important, indeed.

"Also... oh, there's some silverberry over there!"

Looking up a bit, she saw silverberries... a type of Elaeagnus fruit. Some varieties of Elaeagnus bear fruit in autumn, and others in early summer. It seemed this island had the early summer variety.

"Hehe, red berries easy to spot thanks to their striking color, which is helpful..."

For now, she picked and ate the berries. Pick and eat. Since she couldn't take them with her, it was best to eat them on the spot.

While raspberries and silverberries alone wouldn't fully satisfy her hunger or provide all the necessary nutrients, they were far better than nothing. They would give her some energy.

Marylia continued picking and eating berries, thinking about whether to propagate them through cuttings or transplant the bushes near her home for future harvests.

"Oh my, lily buds?"

Additionally, she found lilies. Their small buds were swaying in the wind, and in a month or two, they would bloom. The fragrance they would bring was something to look forward to.

But there was something else even more exciting.

"Which means, I can eat the roots..."

Yes, lily roots... the bulbous parts are edible. They have a sweet, starchy taste.

"Harvesting time... will probably be after the flowers bloom, right?"

Marylia thought about this as she gently touched the small lily buds with her fingertips. She jokingly declared, “I'll eat you someday,” which might have been a terrifying death sentence for the lilies.

With that, Marylia managed to carry her belongings. The sun was already high. Although she had snacked on berries, she was thirsty, having pulled up several berry bushes to bring back.

Fortunately, she had some boiled water, so she drank it to quench her thirst. And now,

"Let's make a roof. I don't want to sleep under the stars tonight."

After taking a break, she immediately started working on her base—something like a tent or a pitched roof.

… Now then.

"First, I need to level the ground. Since the land doesn't have much of a slope, I don't need to do much digging or filling for a temporary shelter, but... the grass is overgrown, and there are remnants of dead grass that haven't decayed..."

Marylia surveyed the land she had decided to use as her base.

The land had little slope and few trees. It was a relatively open area. However, that meant the grass was thriving, and last year's dead grass was still piled up, not yet decomposed.

"Weeding and removing all the dead grass... that's tough work..."

… If it were just grass, she would gladly weed it. She could make a hay bed with the cut grass or use it for a thatched roof, finding various uses for it.

However, the grass here was mixed with dead grass from last year or even earlier. It was covered in dry mud, and even if it weren't, it was mixed with half-rotten dead grass, making it unusable. The effort required to separate fresh grass from rotten dead grass was rather daunting.

… So.

"Let's burn it."

Marylia decided to burn the whole area.

"It actually burns pretty well. Hehehe..."

And so the ground burned. It was worth the effort to start the fire.

Green grass doesn't burn easily, but the area was mixed with dry grass. Once the dry grass caught fire, it spread across the ground, and even the green grass was partially cleared. The grass was cleared to a manageable level.

The fire stopped where Marylia had previously cut the grass and sprinkled water. If it burned too much, she put it out with leafy branches.

… Thus, Marylia obtained suitable land... finally.

"Next, let's make a shovel."

… Finally, to build a house... next, she will make a shovel.

Making a shovel, like the one Marylia knows with a long handle and a blade at the end, would be difficult. This is because making a blade was too difficult for Marylia now!

She could make it by slowly whittling down wood with a steel knife. But finding suitable wood and the time to whittle it down is limiting her. For now, it just needed to be simple and functional enough to dig up the ground and move soil.

So, what Marylia made was a "pointed stick."

… A "pointed stick." Well, she used a forked branch to create a place to put her foot. Using a branch that splits into two, keeping the straight part as the handle and breaking off the other short part. This way, she can put her foot on the forked part and use her weight to drive it deep into the ground.

"Well, this will do for digging. For transporting... I still need a basket soon... For today, I'll have to carry it by hand."

There is no choice. The simpler and more focused the function of a tool, the easier it is to make. Something that Marylia can make quickly like this is what she prefers for now.

"I'll dig and cultivate the ground with this and remove the softened soil."

She will use the tool only for digging and carry the soil by hand. That’s Marylia's plan for today.

"Alright, let's start digging. Hehe..."

Marylia, humming a tune, dug the ground in a square to create a trench.

The soil she dug up was moved to the planned dwelling area and compacted. This created a "slightly raised area" and "a surrounding trench."

These were essentially drainage ditches. To prevent the temporary dwelling from flooding when it rains, the rainwater from the roof will be directed outside.

"And this will be the field!"

… Additionally, she cultivated the area where the rain was expected to flow and planted the berry bushes she collected. Now it looked a bit like a field.

After digging the trenches, it was time to make the roof.

The method to make the roof is very simple.

"First is the framework."

Using the wood she collected along with vines, Marylia started assembling wrist-thick wood into a structure.

The main framework consisted of five pieces of wood. Two pieces each for two legs, and one long piece across the top. It’s a simple gable roof shape.

… But this was surprisingly tough.

"Oh no~ if I stand this up, the other side won’t stand~"

Marylia struggled alone, trying to hold one side while fixing the other. With two people, one could hold while the other ties, but she was alone.

"... Let’s make a golem soon."

Deciding strongly on making a golem soon, Marylia managed to complete the framework by tying and pulling and holding with her feet.

Now. With the framework completed, it looked like a gable roof lying flat on the ground. Or like a triangular prism framework placed horizontally.

"Mm, it’s cramped."

… Of course, it was cramped. Marylia smiled at the modest size. She didn’t dislike small spaces. This eel-like crib she made... actually, when Marylia lied down, she nearly filled the interior whole, but such a place felt dear to her at the moment.

"Next, I need to thatch it. Hehe... It’s not just about leaks."

Once the framework was done, it was time to thatch. Marylia immediately went out to gather thatching materials.

… Well, this is hard work.

"Phew, 100 bundles... still not enough."

Sighing, Marylia put down the large bundle of grass she carried.

The grass was tied into manageable bundles. But gathering it was tough.

"And I quickly run out of vines... mhm, it’s not easy."

Vines are needed to tie the grass bundles and attach them to the roof framework. She’s using split vines now, but for strength, proper ropes were needed eventually.

"Well, it’s a temporary dwelling... Let's aim to thatch one side today. And... let’s make a basket. I must make a basket today."

Marylia quickly gave up on completing the roof today. Giving up is important in life.

Now.

Using the collected vines, Marylia started weaving baskets.

She was making two baskets.

One a bit larger than her head. And the other...

"Hehe, make two rings with braids, pass warp threads between them, and fill in with weft threads... Done!"

What Marylia made with vines was a funnel-shaped item.

The larger mouth was slightly bigger than the first basket. The smaller mouth was about the size of Marylia’s fist.

"Now, with this... alright."

Marylia fit the funnel into the first basket and, humming a tune, headed to the river.

These two baskets combined was a trap for catching fish.