< Snow, Ice 1 >
The reason my sister and I looked a little embarrassed.
Clearly, according to the words of Elder Jegal Hou, a soldier of the Murim Alliance, the inside of the cave was filled with light pouring down from above and strange grasses blooming everywhere.
To borrow a military expression, it’s a different world.
He said it was a very mysterious and strange place, but the space we entered felt quite different from what he described.
‘Something feels strange.’
It was true that light was pouring in from above my head.
The lifeboat was quite high above my head, and the light inside was like a searchlight.
The sight was as strange as the military said.
However, the statement that strange grasses were in full bloom did not match.
A circular light shining down from a hole.
It was shining down on the center of the common, but outside of the light, most of the grass was withered and dead.
Moreover, should I say that the grasses that survived in the center look a bit lifeless?
“There are some parts that don’t match what you said, sir, but let’s check it out.”
“Yes, Little Dragon.
But I didn’t come here to check the environment, I just had to check the blue lizard.
First, we cautiously advanced to the center of the common where the lizard was found.
With the head of the Peng family in the lead.
The military said that the lizard lunged at the soldier.
Although it may seem like an administrative position to the military, the craftsman said that it has similar skills to his own, so he should pay special attention to it.
Even he, a master, was embarrassed, they say.
“You said that the rocks in the middle were overlapping like the Chinese character for person (人)?”
“Yes, Lord Peng.”
The human-shaped rock that you see ahead of you, pointed to by the head of the Peng family.
It wasn’t long before I started walking slowly, following the footsteps of the Peng family.
-Kyahahaha!
The lizard’s menacing noise reverberates through the cave’s interior, using the roof-shaped rock as a loudspeaker.
At the lizard’s threatening sound, the head of the Peng family drew his long sword and took a stance.
-Slurp.
However, at my request, I raised the sword face forward so as not to hurt the lizard.
“As you said, there is something there. Didn’t I tell you to be careful since I took a step back from the military?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, you stand right behind me. And everyone, be careful.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“Understood, Lord Peng.”
We formed up again and advanced further towards the rocks in a long, snake-like formation.
-Kyahaa!
-Wow!
Then came the threatening sound.
It was the cry of a guy who looked more ferocious than I had thought, even though his form was not visible yet.
‘It’s just so lively.’
But the more fierce it is, the more hopeful it becomes.
My heart started pounding.
Lizards’ tendencies can be divided into two types.
On the contrary to the timid ones who avoid other creatures at all costs, there are aggressive ones who warn others like this and then rush in if they are bothered.
Of course, when raising them, it is better to raise them with an avoidance tendency.
Because it is easy to manage and control.
But as a parent, I would say that I like these type of temperamental dogs better.
It’s because that haughty guy who pretends to be indifferent to people and makes threatening sounds when touched is attractive.
Why are cats that only eat food so cute?
Isn’t it all because of that haughty and indifferent charm?
As we arrived at the place where the roof-shaped rock came into view, anticipating how cool it would look, two sparkling eyes appeared in the shadows beneath the rock.
-Kyaaaa!
The figure finally appeared on a flat rock in front of a shade about three jang (丈) high.
It was about the size of a Chinese character, with round, yellow eyes, a body as blue as the clear sky, and a white highway running in a single line from head to tail.
And the plump tail that tops off the look,
The guy’s tail swished above his head.
‘This is crazy! It’s a total fat-tailed gecko!?’
The creature’s appearance was typical of a pet-tailed gecko, although it was certainly larger than average.
Gecko is a general term for the gecko family, and there was a misconception that it refers to a lizard that can climb walls, but it is called that because it resembles a lizard.
At first glance, it may seem like it’s not a lizard, but it is definitely a lizard.
And the English name, Gecko, means that these guys sound similar to the word gecko, so they got that name.
As I was secretly admiring the guy’s well-made appearance, I heard my sister’s voice exclaiming in admiration, as if she thought the same thing.
“That’s a really pretty blue wall tiger, huh?”
‘Byeokho? A tiger that climbs walls. I guess they call geckos Byeokho here?’
I nodded and answered, thinking that the name “Wall-Climbing Tiger” surprisingly suited it well.
“Yes, it looks similar to a fat-tailed spider mite, it’s really pretty.”
“Bimi Seokcheok? Oh, so you’re saying that the tail has gained weight?”
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“Yes, ma’am.”
The older sister, who has already raised the boys together, shows interest in them, perhaps because their tastes are similar.
-Kyaaaa!
-Wow!
A guy who bares his teeth and threatens us without mercy.
A plump tail swung over the creature’s head like a viper’s head.
It was when I was observing the guy while keeping a suitable distance from the guy’s threat.
The head of the Peng family, who had been keeping a close eye on the guy in front of us, revealed some shocking facts.
“Huh? There’s another one inside.”
“One more!?”
One plus one.
The fact that there are two means that they may be a pair.
In surprise, I quickly used the method of improving my eyesight that I had learned before departure.
‘Send energy with your eyes···.’
As I send my inner energy towards my eyes and raise my visual acuity, my vision becomes clearer and clearer.
Behind the guy who was jumping around and threatening us in front, a whitish object began to come into view.
And the guy’s figure became clearer and clearer.
“Huh? That’s it.”
It was the moment when I roughly confirmed the guy’s appearance.
I heard the voice of my older sister who had checked on the guy before me.
“Little Dragon, the guy behind you is lying still and not moving?”
I wasn’t used to raising my gaze so I couldn’t confirm it exactly, but one of the guys was moving with his eyes closed just like his older sister said.
It was hard to see clearly because the inside of the rock was shaded, but the color seemed to be more hazy than the lively one in front, and it was lying down and not moving at all.
First, he patted the shoulder of the man in front of him and said.
“Your Majesty, please step back for now.”
“You want to step back? Why don’t you fix it right now?”
“You can’t catch it now.”
“Why do you say that?”
The head of the Peng family makes a face of incomprehension at the words that he cannot catch it now.
But catching the guy as soon as you find him is a bad idea.
I don’t need a specimen, I’m going to breed the guy, so catching him now would be a problem.
Because I have no idea what the guy eats or what his basic habits are.
If you catch them in this condition, there is a high chance that they will die from breeding failure since you have no idea what they eat or what their environment is like.
I don’t know if there is any information about breeding, but in cases like this where there is absolutely no prior information, it is essential to at least understand the basic ecology before collecting.
“I want to catch them and raise them, but if I catch them now, I won’t be able to find out what they eat or what kind of places they like.”
“Can’t we just feed it a variety of things?”
“Yes, because if an animal like that eats the wrong food, it will die right away.”
“This is really a lot of work. Okay, I see. Let’s step back for now.”
As we slowly backed away, the guy noticed and then straightened up and started licking the guy behind him.
***
-Knock knock. Knock knock.
The delicious smell of grilling jerky wafting from the campfire below began to tickle my nose.
And then I hear my sister’s voice.
“Little Dragon, come down and eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I was looking at Bing-i and Seol-i while standing on a rock that was slightly protruding from the common wall, and then I quickly jumped down.
Then, the old man, Daeju, climbed up the slanted wall instead of me.
I brushed past him in the middle and asked him to look after me.
“Okay, Grandmaster of the Old Testament, then please take care of me. If anything happens, please let me know right away.”
“Of course. Just trust me!”
The reason I and the Gupae Daeju took turns was because it was my mealtime, when I was observing the habits of the two lizards named Bingi and Seol.
As I was sliding down the slanted wall, my older sister offered me grilled beef jerky and boiled rice cakes.
“Here you go. Little Dragon.”
The three Wukongs on my sister’s shoulders waved their tentacles happily at me.
‘Are you the wife and three daughters who greet your husband when he gets home from work?’
The image of Wukong in the dream came to mind, and I paused for a moment, thinking that the image of my sister and Wukong offering food might be the image of my wife and daughters welcoming their father. I quickly accepted the food my sister offered.
“I will eat well, my lady.”
This was our dinner.
I don’t know much about martial arts, but I remember hearing once that in martial arts, people eat something called Byeokgokdan (辟穀丹) when traveling, so I asked, and was told that it was something that Taoist priests eat when they practice.
He said that it is common to carry around dried rice cakes and beef jerky like this.
Beef jerky is eaten by roasting it over a fire, and dried rice cakes are eaten by boiling them in water in a ceramic pot.
You can eat it as is or boil it in water together and eat it.
“So, did you make any progress today?”
As I sat down next to Peng Gaju, who was already seated and eating dried beef jerky, I began eating the dried rice cakes boiled in water, when I heard a voice next to me.
He asked about the current situation while chewing on the jerky.
“It doesn’t move at all.”
“Even when I checked on you two nights with your holy fire, they didn’t move from there.”
“It’s strange what living things have to eat.”
“That’s what I mean.”
At night, I observe the guys with the Pangazoo that can maximize their power, and during the day, I observe them.
It’s been three days already and the guys haven’t moved from the shadow of the rock.
I was in a state where I couldn’t figure out what I was eating.
Fat-tailed geckos and other lizards may not eat anything for several days.
Moreover, fat-tailed geckos are lizards that store energy in their plump tails.
So, I was starting to get a bit confused as to how long I should wait, as there were days when I didn’t eat for several weeks or even a month.
Normally, when they are healthy, they eat something every day, and when they are raised, they are usually fed something every day, or at least once every two days.
Besides, I didn’t know how long he would stay still without eating anything, but I was still concerned about the guy at the back who wasn’t moving.
If they were sick without eating anything, there was a high probability that they were surviving solely on the energy stored in their tail.
‘It’s not good if you’re sick…’
“Little Dragon, what are you thinking?”
My sister’s question comes to mind as I think about the condition of the guy I saw last.
He answered while tearing into the jerky.
“I was worried about the guy who wasn’t moving.”
“ah···.”
After answering my sister’s question, I thought about it for a moment.
I’m talking about whether I should wait a little longer or what.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I felt like I couldn’t just wait forever.
After thinking about it carefully, I wondered why the guy in front was only threatening and not rushing at me, but then I suddenly had the thought that maybe he was doing it to protect the guy behind him who was in pain.
The military said that the guys would rush at you if you even approached the rock, but one of them just threatened you in front of the hole in the rock, and one of them lay down and wouldn’t get up.
If one of them was sick, then it would be understandable behavior.
I thought I needed to check on the condition of the guy who wasn’t moving.
“I guess I should check on the guy who wasn’t moving.”
“You’re checking? Are you saying we should catch it?”
“I’m not saying we should catch them right away, but I think we should at least check to see if they’re sick. Also, if they use up their strength because of us, they’ll get hungry and want to eat something. Could you help me, Peng Gaju? It might be good if you could lure one of them away for a bit.”
Peng Gaju responded to my words with a stretch.
“Ah, then I’ve been feeling a little tired from just sitting still, so let’s see how great the spirit is. Hehe.”
