He began walking again, the leaves crunching under his feet. He sighed as he looked down at his bare feet. He really needed to make sandals. But that’s the job for the protagonist.
Rin, oh Rin, hurry and make their lives better. I’m waiting for you.
Enzo had already decided that he would leave the discovering to Rin. He had a space, which he hadn’t explored yet. And quite frankly, in the short time he had met Rin and thought about his own status as a background character, he decided to let it go.
There was already someone willing to do the work. The tribe benefitted from the knowledge. He would stay in his own lane and ignore everything. Just continue to be a background character and be surprised every time ’something new’ was found.
Running his fingers along rough tree bark, Enzo walked and searched with Nova and Zeli. From time to time, they would see a group searching or a beastman patrolling.
They brushed aside thick layers of leaves in their search for sweet potato vines.
"Nothing over here,’ he muttered, straightening up and wiping the damp earth on the tree beside him.
A few steps away, Zeli’s tiger ears twitched, and he responded, "Nothing over here either."
"It really isn’t easy to find this stuff," Nova commented.
"We don’t have to find it today. Aren’t we coming back tomorrow? We can mark the places we’ve already been so we don’t waste time next time."
Zeli and Nova nodded, agreeing with Enzo’s approach.
Looking through the trees, Zeli said, "We still have time. We can look a little further away. If we find it, we can tell the rest of the tribe. If not, we go with your idea, Enzo."
The trio walked farther into the forest.
Enzo had been in a constant state of thought all morning. He had only been here for two days, and he already discovered he was in a novel. Not to mention he’s supposed to be one of Rin’s husband’s exes.
He told himself that things wouldn’t get any worse. The book might have glossed over some things, but at least he didn’t end up in one of the trashy shows he watched before.
Granted, being in the background, watching the face-slapping, he would definitely enjoy it.
Shaking his head, he ignored the torrent of thoughts. All he needed to do was live his life and reap the blessing of the protagonist. He already made a friend; that was enough.
He told himself not to overthink. But all it did was lead to more overthinking. He wondered if he had died over there or if the original was in his body.
If he did die, it’s fine. Everything he owned was locked in a trust. The lawyer would tell his parents about it.
He smiled mockingly, wondering if his parents would take what their gay son left for them. Would they cry? His shoulders sank.
Forget it, what’s done is done. What he needs to focus on now is getting ready for winter. This would be his first winter here. He wasn’t sure how harsh it was. He glanced at Zeli. Maybe he should ask Zeli to have his beast-father make him a door?
Later, they would talk about it later.
As he withdrew from his thoughts, his eyes caught sight of a patch of broad-leafed plants. They looked familiar. Enzo crouched to take a closer look.
He had seen them before. During his gardening phase, he had tried to grow them. The more he looked, the more familiar they became.
"Ginger," he said, smiling.
Then again, who knows if it’s actually ginger. But the more he looked, the more convinced he was. So, he didn’t waste any time and decided to pull out the root. However, the moment he touched it, something strange happened.
Enzo’s hand, which was about to pull it out, paused. His mouth dropped open as he stared at the space in front of him.
[Name: Ginger]
[Classification: Edible Herb/Spice]
[Grade: Common]
[Growth stage: Mature]
[Quality: Good]
[Properties]
[-Stimulates circulation, aids digestion, reduces nausea]
[-Reduces inflammation, mild antimicrobial]
[Primary Uses]
[-Cooking, herbal medicine, treatment of mild colds and chills]
Enzo chuckled; the corner of his lip turned up. He remembered that this morning he was ready to beat Zeli up because he couldn’t check if he really had a space; now he suddenly had this ability.
He stared at the words floating in front of him, then down at his hand, still holding the stem.
"Enzo?" Zeli calle out.
Enzo’s head whipped around. He hadn’t noticed Zeli and Nova approaching. He straightened up, pulling up the ginger in the process.
"What’s that?"
"Not sure," he replied. "Didn’t you say we were looking for new things to show Rin? Well, I found something new. Maybe he knows what it is?"
There was no way he was going to blurt out that he knew what it was. It was good enough that he knew Rin had transmigrated. The earlier interaction left him with no desire to let Rin know he was a fellow traveller.
Nova sneered. "Really think you found a treasure? You didn’t even answer when Zeli called you."
"Whether it’s a treasure or not, at least I found something. What have you found?" Enzo glared.
Enzo held the ginger in his hand. He didn’t put it in a bundle; rather, he kept it in his hand. The smile on his face was big. If anyone else were around, they would surely walk up to him and ask.
Nova grumbled under his breath, seeing Enzo’s smile. He noticed, but decided to ignore him. He was in a good mood. When he went to Zeli’s house for food again, he could freeload in peace.
The food last time tasted good, but he still noticed the slightly gamey taste. With a bit of ginger, the food’s taste would reach new heights.
With the first glimpse of his ability, Enzo felt the need to try again. He wanted to make sure what he saw was real.
Searching for familiar shapes, his eyes became searchlights, looking for everything and anything he could possibly find. On the way, he saw a cluster of mushrooms growing on a dead log.
[Name: Wood Mushroom]
[Classification: Edible/ Medicinal Fungus]
[Grade: Common]
[Growth stage: Mature]
[Quality: Good]
[Properties]
[- Blood-nourishing, supports circulation, mild detoxification]
[-Supports digestive health]
[Primary Uses]
[-Cooking, herbal medicine, supporting blood health, recovery from weakness]
Grinning like an idiot, he didn’t even think about whether Zeli or Nova was there; he picked them up directly and threw them into his bundle. This was food. He didn’t need to go to Zeli’s hut for food; he could cook for himself.
He felt their warmth, but he didn’t want to impose.
"What are those? Why are you taking them?"
Enzo paused and didn’t turn around. He wiped the grin off his face. "Rin, remember?"
Hearing this, they didn’t say anything else.
They walked for a while longer but didn’t find anything else. Seeing it was almost time, they went back to the group.
Everyone was talking about the things they found. While not sure if they were edible, they were waiting for Rin to tell them.
When everyone had gathered, they made their way back to the tribe to check their harvest.