Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter 18: How to Determine When Someone Left

Moving the wood was done; now, only the roof needed to be set up.

Because grooves had been left on the walls in advance and with Mu Liang’s strength, the wooden framework was completed in about ten minutes.

“Mu Liang, I’ll lay the bricks. You pass them to me.” Mino nimbly climbed onto the roof.

“Be careful and watch your step,” Mu Liang reminded as he handed over the bricks.

“Got it.”

Mino cheerfully began laying the bricks, already imagining how wonderful it would be to live in the new house.

Halfway through laying the bricks, night fell.

A bonfire was lit in the yard to provide light, and the two continued their work.

An hour later, the roof was complete.

The Rock Armor Turtle then fused all the stone bricks into a single entity, ensuring the roof wouldn’t leak during rain.

“Finally done!” Mino exclaimed as she happily jumped down from the roof.

Clenching her small fists, she was visibly excited, but a day’s worth of activity had calmed her down enough to face the sight of the new house.

“Let’s start moving in. Bring everything over,” Mu Liang said, patting her shoulder.

“Mhm.” Mino nodded firmly.

Moving in didn’t take long since the girl didn’t have much to bring—just a pillow, wooden planks for bedding, two wooden bowls, a wooden bucket, and the door of her wooden shed.

The wooden planks were for her bed, while the wooden shed door was intended for her new room—a sentimental keepsake of sorts.

In the end, aside from the wooden shed structure, which couldn’t be disassembled, everything else was moved.

“…”

Mu Liang stood silently at the entrance of the wooden shed, holding a torch.

He watched as Mino stood in the center of the shed, holding her pillow and staring blankly.

Mu Liang didn’t stop her.@@novelbin@@

As for her sister, he didn’t have much hope that they’d find her again. Keeping a few shared items from their time together could provide Mino with some comfort.

“Let’s go,” Mino murmured, biting her lower lip as she turned away with her pillow in hand.

From now on, there was no telling if they’d ever return.

“…” Mu Liang offered no words of consolation. Anything he said now would feel hollow.

He led Mino back toward the Rock Armor Turtle.

Even in the darkness, Mino couldn’t help but glance back several times, as if unwilling to part with the shed.

Once they were back on the turtle’s back, Mino’s mood brightened as she explored the rooms, running in and out excitedly.

Clutching her pillow, she ran up to Mu Liang and asked eagerly, “Is this room really just for me?”

“Yes, you can arrange it however you like,” Mu Liang said with a smile.

“Hehe~~ I’ll go tidy it up!”

Letting out a cheerful laugh, Mino dashed back to her room.

“Let’s leave the tidying for tomorrow.”

Mu Liang glanced at the scattered items in the courtyard and the main hall.

His stomach growled; first, he decided to set up a fire pit in the main hall for cooking dinner.

The fire pit was square, just like the one in the wooden shed. It was layered with soil at the bottom, followed by sand for insulation.

The roof had a connected chimney pipe to serve as the smoke vent for the fire pit.

“Fire pit and chimney complete.” Mu Liang clapped his hands, admiring his work.

With a touch of humor, he muttered to himself, “I guess I’ve discovered a new use for my Earth Piercing skill today.”

After making a simple frame, he hung a steel pot, filled it with water, and began simmering meat for soup while also preparing roasted meat.

“Sniff, sniff~~”

Mino poked her head out of her room, her little nose twitching.

She stared blankly at the fire pit, which she hadn’t noticed being set up, and the meat roasting over the flames alongside the simmering soup.

“Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you hungry?”

Mu Liang turned the roasting meat over. With no seasonings available, the best they could do was savor the meat’s natural flavor.

“Of course I’m hungry.”

If it hadn’t been for the motivation of building a new house, Mino would’ve already been too hungry to move.

She plopped down by the fire pit, staring longingly at the roasting meat and soup. She opened her mouth, intending to remind him to ration the meat, but when she looked up and saw Mu Liang’s soot-streaked face, she changed her words.

“Isn’t it done yet?”

They’d worked hard all day and moved into a new home. Eating a bit more would be a fitting celebration.

“The soup needs more time to bring out the flavor,” Mu Liang said, somewhat surprised as he looked at her.

He had been expecting her to lecture him about saving food and had even prepared a rebuttal.

“Didn’t you say scouts or thieves might come tomorrow?”

Uncomfortable under his gaze, Mino shifted the topic with a bashful tone. “How do we make the camp look like everyone just left?”

“If you were a scout arriving at the camp,” Mu Liang asked calmly while turning the meat, “how would you determine when everyone left?”

Some lessons couldn’t be handed over directly; Mino needed to think and learn for herself.

After all, the two of them would be living together for a long time. Mu Liang planned to gradually teach her survival skills and wilderness experience.

“Let me think…”

Mino bit her lip, her bunny ears twitching as she pondered hard.

Her gaze fell on her toes as they wiggled slightly. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

“I’ve got it! You look at the footprints, right?” Mino shouted excitedly.

“Correct. The depth and freshness of the footprints can help estimate when people left,” Mu Liang affirmed with a nod. “But there’s an even simpler way to judge.”

“What’s that?” Mino’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“The burn state and temperature of charcoal.”

Mu Liang shared the knowledge he’d learned in the army: “Once you know this, practice observing how long it takes for charcoal to burn out and for the soil under the fire to cool completely. With that, you can deduce when people left.”

“I see,” Mino said, nodding earnestly, though still a bit confused.

“Eat up. You need energy for tomorrow.”

Mu Liang handed her a skewer of roasted meat.

“Okay.” Mino absentmindedly took the skewer, her mind still mulling over his words.

“Snap!”

Mu Liang flicked her forehead lightly with a finger.

“Ow!” Mino yelped adorably.

“Focus on eating.”

Mu Liang handed her a bowl of meat soup.

“Okay…” Mino pouted, looking a little aggrieved as she accepted the wooden bowl.