70. Around the Fire
Night began to fall as ships arrived one by one at the dock on Rangga’s island. The glow of a campfire lit up the yard, which now felt far larger than when they had first arrived in this world.
Andre and Fajar didn’t even have time to sit down. The moment they stepped off their ships, they immediately started walking around, looking at everything on the island.
“Damn… this place is huge now.”
Andre glanced in every direction. The unfinished stone house, the large warehouse, the furnace, drying racks, and the small hut with crafting tables made the island feel like a small base.
But what truly left them stunned was Rangga’s warehouse.
When the door opened, all kinds of materials were neatly arranged on storage racks.
Wood. Hardwood. Stone. Copper ingots. Iron ingots. Coal. Chromium ore. Natural rubber. Tree resin. Conductive Coils. Capacitor Modules. And many more materials they had never even seen before.
Andre scratched his head.
“Bro… what even is all this?”
Rangga looked toward the rack Andre pointed at.
“Oh, those are drops from mechanical dinosaurs. That one’s a Conductive Coil… next to it is a Capacitor Module… and that’s Chromium Ore.”
Fajar picked up a cylindrical metal item.
“What about this?”
“Heat Regulator.”
“What’s it for?”
Rangga shrugged.
“For upgrading my furnace.”
Andre could only shake his head with a small laugh.
“Man… your warehouse looks like a factory storage.”
While the three of them were busy talking, Mayor Deri was near the campfire. Calmly, he stirred a large pot filled with rice and hunted meat, occasionally adding simple spices they had.
Before long, the aroma of food spread across the island.
Mayor Deri turned.
“It’s ready… let’s eat.”
The three of them immediately gathered around.
They each took an earthenware bowl and sat in a circle around the fire. The firelight cast their shadows across the ground, while the sound of waves could be heard faintly in the distance.
Andre took his first bite and let out a long breath.
“Haaah… eating together like this feels really good.”
Fajar nodded in agreement.
“Yeah… I’ve been eating alone all this time.”
Mayor Deri gave a faint smile.
“If all the Pioneer Garuda could gather like this… it would be even livelier.”
Rangga smiled.
“We could even have a barbecue.”
Andre quickly added,
“And talk all the way till morning.”
They all laughed together. After a while, Fajar started telling stories about their desert exploration.
“Seriously, the Mayor was right… Rangga’s basically like someone who already lives here.”
Andre looked curious.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… he knows everything. Finding water in cacti… that idea with channeling lightning using a javelin… knowing all these minerals.”
Fajar chuckled, shaking his head.
“Like the Mayor said before… he’s not just surviving here anymore… he’s like a native.”
Everyone burst out laughing, and Rangga just grinned while continuing to eat. Andre chimed in next.
“I was shocked the first time I saw the Mayor too.”
Mayor Deri raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“That armor.”
Andre pointed at what Deri was wearing.
“From a distance, it looked terrifying.”
Fajar suddenly laughed loudly.
“I ran away.”
Everyone turned to him.
“For real… when I first met Rangga, I saw someone wearing that kind of armor walking toward me… I thought it was a new monster.”
Andre burst out laughing.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah! I ran until I tripped in the sand.”
Their laughter filled the small island again, and Rangga shook his head, laughing.
“That’s your own fault… I called you and you ran.”
Fajar was still laughing, pointing at Rangga.
“Man, you looked scary as hell!”
After a while, Rangga looked at them.
“So? The weapons and armor… feel good, right?”
Andre nodded immediately.
“I swear… this is awesome… the crossbow feels great too.”
Fajar nodded repeatedly.
“Comfortable… the hammer’s great too… way better than the old weapons.”
Hearing that, Rangga smiled in satisfaction and continued eating. The atmosphere around the campfire grew more relaxed. Bowls were refilled, and their conversation drifted from one topic to another.
After finishing a bite, Rangga turned to Mayor Deri.
“Mayor, how was Sabana earlier?”
Mayor Deri set his bowl down before answering.
“Quite troublesome… there are small creatures there called Gallimimus.”
Andre nodded eagerly.
“They’re super annoying… fast, and there’s a lot of them too.”
Mayor Deri continued.
“The problem isn’t the Gallimimus… it’s the larger one… called Parasaurolophus… it can summon Gallimimus using something like a trumpet on its head.”
Andre immediately added,
“When it makes that sound… man… they all come running. So many of them… like a whole neighborhood showing up.”
Rangga paused mid-motion with his spoon.
“Huh? What do you mean by summon?”
Mayor Deri explained, pointing to his own head.
“There’s some kind of sound channel in its crest.”
“When it produces sound, nearby Gallimimus immediately gather and attack.”
“Luckily, a Pioneer from the Brown Bear Nation told us its weakness.”
Rangga turned quickly.
“Huh? You met another Pioneer?”
Andre nodded.
“Yeah. His name’s Lucas… thankfully he wasn’t shady. Just gave us info.”
Mayor Deri nodded.
“He told us the Parasaurolophus’s crest must be destroyed… once it’s broken, the Gallimimus scatter immediately.”
Rangga nodded slowly.
“Then what?”
“Then that’s it,” Andre said casually. “We went our separate ways.”
Mayor Deri added,
“We don’t know him well enough… so we didn’t exchange coordinates… besides, tomorrow is the seventh day, and the third message will arrive.”
The three of them nodded.
“Right… tomorrow’s day seven.”
The atmosphere fell quiet for a few seconds before Rangga spoke again.
“What about resources there? What’s available?”
Andre shrugged.
“Just trees… acacia and baobab… the wood’s just normal wood.”
Mayor Deri shook his head slightly.
“But there is one interesting thing… there’s a mine guarded by a mechanical Ankylosaurus.”
Rangga frowned.
“Ankylosaurus?”
Mayor Deri nodded and described the creature. Its body was covered in thick metal plates, with a massive tail like a steel mace.
Rangga’s eyes widened.
“Damn… seriously guarded by something like that? Do you know how to fight it yet?”
Mayor Deri shook his head.
“Not yet… we didn’t try. Too risky, so we chose to avoid it… but I’m certain the mine is important. I just don’t know what’s inside.”
Rangga thought for a moment.
“Yeah, it must be important… if something that big is guarding it, it’s definitely not normal material.”
Andre sighed.
“What can we do… just the two of us, I’m not sure we could beat it.”
Rangga finally nodded.
“Then don’t worry about it for now… when we’re stronger, we’ll come back.”
Mayor Deri nodded in agreement.
“That’s the safer decision… rather than forcing it now.”
Andre and Fajar nodded as well.
The discussion about exploration gradually faded. They returned to enjoying their meal, occasionally laughing and joking, letting the night pass in a warmth far greater than the days before.