第１０３６堀：地元の人に聞きましょう (Part1)
### Chapter 1036: Let's Ask the Locals
**Side: Firia**
"Ooh, it's snow!"
"Sure is snow."
"Indeed. It's nothing but snow as far as the eye can see."
Firia and the others had bypassed the forests on the slopes of the Great Mountain Range and landed near the summit, where the snow had piled up deep. As far as they could see, it was a world of silver and rock.
"Firia. Don't raise your voice so much. You never know when an avalanche might occur."
"I'm sorry."
I apologized immediately after being scolded by Milly-aneesama. She was right; shouting on a snowy mountain is a bad idea. An avalanche would mean it's all over. I was being careless.
"Let's see... Magic measurement is normal. Casting spells is also fine. How is everyone else?"
"Yes. No problems here."
"No issues on my end."
"Everything's normal. No abnormalities."
"Yes. Everything is fine."
Oops, I can't forget. In a new environment or a new location, the first step is to confirm that magic and science are functioning correctly. It would be a disaster to find out they don't work when we actually need them. So, I checked my monitor as well.
"Firia is also okay. Magic power, spell output, and the scientific equipment are all running smoothly."
"Good. Everything is fine on my end, too. Alright, everyone is clear. First... let's secure a location for our base camp. It's all snow around here. We can't investigate the Gae-en or the Hydra without a base. Is that alright?"
Since Aetheri-aneesama said so, no one had any objections. Without a base, we wouldn't be able to investigate anything in peace.
"Right. Now, about building the base. Well, we're just placing the containers we stayed in yesterday, so it won't take long to set up. The problem is the location. If we don't find a place that's convenient for future investigations, we'll have a hard time moving around."
"That said, I have no idea where we should set up base."
"True. I don't know either. Aslin, Firia, do you two have any ideas?"
Even if asked where would be convenient, I'm just an amateur when it comes to base camps, so I had no clue. Aslin was the same, so we both shook our heads.
"In that case, Aetheri, Milly, do you two know?"
"Well, based on my experience as an adventurer..."
"And I have my experience as a general..."
"And where would that be?"
"“First, a place that is flat, spacious, and has room.”"
The two of them said in unison.
"It's a common issue in adventurer work, but investigating monster movements or forests often turns into a long-term battle. At least a week, sometimes up to a month. When that happens, the most important thing is..."
"Supplies. Even for a week, it's a significant amount. Thanks to our Item Boxes, we don't have trouble moving or storing them, but for others who might investigate after us, or for a place to dismantle monsters, we need a decent amount of space. If we're inside a cave, we need a large chamber. Actually, shouldn't you know about supplies, Shou-dono?"
"That is certainly true. When moving an army, the thing we are most careful about is supplies. If you leave them in a bad spot and get ambushed and have them burned, the army won't be able to eat. We choose a place that is spacious and easy to defend."
Ah, Shou-aneesama's explanation is so easy to understand. Yes, Nii-sama often says that supplies are the most important thing for an army to move. If people can't eat, they can't move. It's simple. That's why the ideal place to store food is somewhere spacious and easy to defend.
"But where can we find a place that big around here?"
"Yeah. This is a mountain... I don't think we'll be able to secure such a wide area."
"Muu, this is difficult."
"Well, we'll just have to search the area and find a few candidates."
"Right. We don't need to rush and find the perfect base camp in one go. For now, let's aim to find one by sunset... no, since we have preparations to make, let's aim for noon."
"That's surprisingly little time."
That's true. It's still morning, but if we walk around a bit, it'll be noon before we know it.
"Exactly. So, let's search while heading toward the summit. We have magic-based cold protection active, and as long as a blizzard doesn't reduce visibility to zero, we can keep moving. The problem is the monsters around here..."
"I don't see any. When we looked from the sky, we didn't see any monsters that looked like trouble. I wonder where they're hiding. According to Cleena, besides the Hydra, there should be Wyverns, Rock Ice Golems, and Salamanders—a pretty luxurious lineup."
"Ah, I know that one. The Wyverns and Salamanders are at the volcanic crater. They can't move if it's too cold. So, the only things in the snow around here are the Rock Ice Golems. But they're buried in the snow, so I think they're hard to find."
Ooh, Aslin is amazing.
"I see. That makes sense. Wyverns' movements slow down in cold weather. They don't go very high because it gets colder the higher you go."
Yes, that's true. Wyverns love warm places and are often seen sunbathing on the beach.
"Right. Usually, wild Wyverns only go up to about 2,000 meters. This Great Mountain Range is 4,000 meters high, so the ones here must have higher performance than normal Wyverns."
I see. So the Wyverns in this Great Mountain Range are strong.
"Then, the only thing we need to be careful of is the Rock Ice Golems. With that said, let's start looking for a potential base location. We never know when a blizzard might hit."
"Ah, you're right. Let's start looking."
"“Ooh!”"
And so, Firia and the others took out our mountaineering gear, strapped it to our backs, and started walking through the snowy mountain. Walking through the snow with a *crunch, crunch* sound felt fresh. In our usual training, the snowy mountains are always in the middle of a blizzard, so I've never had the chance to feel the snow under my feet like this. I've slipped and fallen, or gotten stranded and received a "death" verdict many times before.
"Hey, Firia-chan. We came from over there, right?"
"That's right. It's very clear today, so we can see quite far."
"Yeah... though we can't see the town from here, of course."
"We're high enough that it wouldn't be strange if we could, but well, it's quite a distance."
"Um, it's great to be moved by the grand nature, but let's focus on finding a base location. Actually, Milly-dono, since we can fly, why don't we search from the sky?"
Ah, that's right. Since we flew here using flight magic, there shouldn't be any problem with searching for a base location from the air.