Initial Exploration

Chapter Six: Initial Exploration

When the first ray of real morning light, free of any terrifying pressure, streamed through the hole in the roof of the stone house and gently fell across Chen An's face, he nearly shed tears of emotion.

He had fallen asleep on a pile of relatively clean hay in the corner of the main house. Although the ground was hard and the night air slightly chilly, this was the first true "sleep" he had experienced since crossing into the Primordial Wilderness. There were no nerves kept taut at every moment, no ear-piercing roars threatening to take his life—only the reassuring, absolute silence within the Safe Zone.

He sat up and stretched, his joints giving off faint cracking sounds. His body was still exhausted, but the mental relaxation he felt was unprecedented. He walked to the door and pushed it open.

The Small Courtyard in the early morning was shrouded in a thin mist, and the air was so fresh it seemed to have been thoroughly washed. Dewdrops clung to the moss beside the well, sparkling with crystalline light. The dark soil of the garden plot he had turned exuded a vibrant sense of life. Everything appeared peaceful and tranquil, forming a dreamlike contrast with the silent yet perilous Primordial World beyond the courtyard wall.

"Being alive... is wonderful." Chen An sighed sincerely once more. With the Absolute Safe Zone as his foundation, he could finally calm down and systematically, carefully explore the Small Courtyard that would become his long-term shelter.

Yesterday, he had only taken a cursory look. Today, he needed to be like a meticulous engineer, thoroughly examining every inch of land and assessing all the resources that could be used.

His exploration plan was very clear: from primary to secondary, from the inside out, without overlooking a single detail.

This stone-built house was the main structure in the courtyard and, theoretically, the sturdiest shelter. He entered the house again.

He carefully tapped every wall with his hand, especially the joints at the corners and the areas near the roof. The walls were exceptionally sturdy. Although the filler between the stones—seemingly some kind of mixed clay—was mottled, it remained solid, with no signs of loosening. That was good news.

He looked up and carefully examined the holes in the roof. The largest was about half a meter in diameter; the others were merely small cracks. Rainwater and cold wind would pour in through them. This was a hidden danger that had to be dealt with first. He needed materials for repairs.

He tapped the floor with the handle of the hatchet. The sound was dull, with no hollow resonance, indicating that the ground beneath was solid and that there was no cellar or secret passage. The floor was packed earth and fairly level.

He nearly lay flat on the ground as he inspected every corner. In one corner against the wall, he found several badly shattered pottery fragments, almost blended into the earth. They might have been remnants of broken vessels from the past. Other than that, there was nothing else. The previous owner had indeed cleaned up very "thoroughly."

The main house was structurally sound, but its leaking and drafty roof needed to be dealt with. It could serve as his main residence and storage room.

Beside the main house stood a smaller, independent stone building. It had no door, only a doorway. Yesterday, he had assumed it was a storage room, but after examining it carefully today, he discovered a simple stove built from stones, with a depression in the middle, as well as a small vent beside it.

"This is a kitchen!" Chen An was delighted. With a ready-made stove, starting fires and cooking would be much easier and safer. He would not have to worry about sparks igniting the thatched shed.

He entered the kitchen. The stove was filled with dust and fallen leaves. After carefully cleaning it out, he found that the stove was intact and the vent was not blocked. In the corner lay some completely carbonized wood remnants. Along the wall, he also found a severely damaged pottery container. Only half of its body remained, making it impossible to hold water, but it might serve as a flowerpot or a place to store small items.

The kitchen was crude but basically usable, solving the problem of where to start fires.

Chen An designated the thatched shed, which was open to the wind on all four sides, as a storage shed and workshop. He needed to organize it so he could store firewood and tools there and carry out some simple crafts without cluttering the main house.

He thoroughly cleared out the rotten wood and fallen leaves piled inside the shed, then roughly leveled the ground. Afterward, he neatly stacked the burnable firewood he had gathered yesterday in one corner. He also leaned the repaired hatchet and hoe against the wall. Using several relatively flat stones, he built a simple workbench.

The storage shed now had a clear function, improving the Small Courtyard's use of space.

This was where his hope for the future lay. Chen An entered the garden again, this time with a more professional—at least in his own opinion—eye.

He grabbed a handful of soil and rubbed it between his fingers. The soil was dark, fine, loose, and rich in humus, with an incredibly fertile texture. He could even see tiny insects moving through it, a sign that the soil was full of life.

The garden plot was about thirty square meters, large enough for him to grow quite a few crops. He planned where to plant leafy vegetables and where to plant root vegetables, and considered whether he needed to make raised beds for easier drainage and management.

Yesterday's clearing had only been preliminary. The roots of many weeds were still buried deep in the soil. He needed to turn the earth over completely and pick out the roots. Otherwise, they would quickly grow back and compete with his crops for nutrients.

The garden plot had excellent conditions. Clearing and planting would be the focus of his work next.

He returned to the well and pushed aside the stone slab. The well water looked even clearer in the morning light. He found a small stone and tossed it in, then listened intently.

"One, two, three... splash!"

The sound of the stone hitting the water came from below. It seemed deeper than yesterday, perhaps? He was not sure. To measure the depth, he found a long, relatively straight vine, tied a small stone to one end, and slowly lowered it into the well. When the vine stopped sinking, he marked it at the wellhead, then pulled it out and roughly measured the length of the wet portion with his footsteps.

"About... more than fifteen meters deep." Chen An made an estimate. It was very deep, but the water source was abundant and stable.

He drew up another half-jar of water and examined it carefully. The water was crystal clear, without a trace of impurities or strange odor. He took a large drink. It was sweet and refreshing, and after swallowing it, his whole body felt comfortable. Even his fatigue eased somewhat. This well was definitely one of the most precious resources in the entire Small Courtyard.

Just as Chen An was preparing to end his survey and begin his actual labor, his gaze was once again drawn to the vague marks at the base of the main house's outer wall. In the clearer slanting morning light, he seemed to see several even fainter marks beneath those disorderly lines. They resembled abstract symbols and had almost blended into the color of the stone.

He crouched down and carefully brushed away the loose soil and moss covering the area with his fingers. Sure enough! They were not random scratches, but three extremely ancient symbols with simple strokes, arranged in an irregular triangle.

What did they represent? Numbers? Markings? Or some kind of primitive runes?

Chen An's heart began beating faster for no apparent reason. The traces left behind by the previous owner of the Small Courtyard—or by an even earlier existence—were like a silent riddle. Perhaps the Small Courtyard concealed secrets deeper than "absolute safety."

He silently committed this discovery to memory. Now was not the time to investigate it further. Survival was the first priority.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Chen An looked at the "home" he had initially planned: the sturdy stone main house awaiting repairs, the usable kitchen, the clearly purposed storage shed, the garden plot with enormous potential, and the ancient well that was the source of life.

A clear survival blueprint unfolded in his mind: repair the roof, thoroughly clear and cultivate the garden plot, sow seeds, make more tools, try setting traps—practicing within the Safe Zone—and perhaps... even try firing better containers from clay.

The road ahead remained difficult, but hope had already been kindled. This dilapidated Small Courtyard was his only—and final—fortress in this terrifying Primordial World.

He tightened his grip on the hatchet and turned his gaze toward the fertile soil awaiting cultivation.

(End of Chapter Six)