After having lunch, they rested for a while and ended up sleeping until the afternoon.
"Brother... brother, wake up. It's already evening," Rose called out.
Kai, who had been sleeping soundly due to exhaustion, woke up groggily.
"Why, Rose? Is something wrong?" Kai asked, worried that something might have happened.
"Hmmm, nothing's wrong. I'm just bored. There's nothing to do here, and you're the only one I have in this place. If you sleep, I'll be alone."
Kai felt a bit worried about her. They were in an era where people relied on nature to survive, so most lived as nomads, never staying in one place for too long.
"It would be better if we had more people here, right? With different powers, each human could help minimize the work we have to do and help build a civilization here," Rose said to her brother.
Kai suddenly got the idea .
"Yeah, maybe tonight we'll light a bonfire. Who knows, there might be humans nearby. We can work together with them.
But the problem is the language barrier. I don't know how they communicate, but if they want to stay here, we'll need to teach them our language later."
Rose's inner child started asking hard questions again.
"Our world is full of new technologies made by humans, right? It all started with natural resources and meteor materials. So, which era should we start with here?"
Deep in his heart, Kai knew that learning theory was easier than applying it in reality, but he had an idea of where to start if they had around 4-5 people.
"We can start with the Stone Age, using clay to make bricks. It's easy to do with a small group. If we get around 20-30 people, we can start making pure iron using the bloomery method."
She applauded her brother, satisfied with his explanation.
"I didn't know I had such a smart brother. You should be proud of yourself and stop being lazy at home like you were in our world. But how did you earn money back in our world?"
Kai brushed his hair back and acted all macho.
"I sold myself to sugar mommies. Any milf in my prime would completely fall in love with me if they saw my face."
Rose made a disgusted face at her brother's behavior. He was never serious when she asked about his work.
But then she suddenly remembered the perverted tree woman she had met earlier and started imagining them together, leaving her all alone.
"Noooo!! Never ever!" shaking her head vigorously.
Kai, puzzled by his sister shaking her head, knocked on her head lightly and laughed.
"Did you just imagine something about me and some kind of milf doing bad things?"
Curious, he leaned his head closer to hers and flicked her forehead with his finger.
"Ouch! That hurt! Your fingers are just too big. I wasn't thinking about that, hmph!" She turned her body away, avoiding her brother's gaze.
Kai laughed and picked her up, sitting her down in front of him. "I'm not doing that; I was just joking with you." He closed his eyes and hugged his sister tightly.
Rose, hearing his words, smiled and hold his hand back, her face glowing with a sweet smile. (Picture of this novel) .
IntheNight
Kai had gathered dry leaves and wood, piling them up in one spot. He found two sharp stones and sparked them together to create a flame. After the spark caught, it began to burn the dry leaves, and he slowly fanned the flames with his hand. Smoke started to rise, and the fire grew brighter.
That night, the two of them sat together, watching the bonfire. The smoke drifted into the sky, and they hoped that any humans nearby might see the light from the fire.
"Brother, don't you have any stories about bonfires?" Rose asked, her curiosity about her brother's knowledge bubbling up again.
"You know what, Rose? If I ever have kids, I'll leave you by the roadside and let someone else take you," Kai teased.
She pinched him hard.
"Ouch, ouch! I'm joking!"
He then began to explain what he knew.
"Well, there are many myths about bonfires. Some consider them as protectors, like they can ward off ghosts and evil spirits.
Others use them to connect with the supernatural, like communicating with ghosts. Huhuuuuhuuu..." He made a spooky sound to scare his sister.
Rose, her body covered in goosebumps, stood up and walked over to her brother, sitting in front of him and taking his hand to hug him tightly.
And again, her curiosity grew.
"This one's a bit more fantastical. Some people believe bonfires can grant magical powers. They'll call upon spirits and ask them to reveal the truth about someone.
Another one, for life events, there's a culture in our world where bonfires are used in ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. They believe fire holds the power of life, constantly renewing itself.
If we go back to ancient times, priests would use bonfires to predict the outcomes of wars or harvests. They believed the flames could convey messages from the gods or nature.
Well, for us in the modern world, bonfires are used for storytelling, love, friendship, and romance.
That's all I know. It's a bit boring, right?"
Rose shook her head, her eyes shining. "No, it's not boring at all! It's amazing how something as simple as fire can mean so many things to different people."
Kai smiled, patting her head. "Well, I'm glad you think so. Now, let's just enjoy the fire and hope someone sees it."
As they sat together, the flames crackled, and the night felt a little less lonely.
Not long after, Rose noticed shadowy figures in the distance—three people, one adult and two children, standing still.
Rose, who saw the shadows, was terrified. "Brooother, brother, there..." she pointed toward the shadowy figures, her voice trembling.
Kai, confused by his sister's shivering, looked in the direction she was pointing and also saw the three dark silhouettes in the distance.
"Who's that, brother? Is it a ghost? I'm scared..." Rose clung to him tightly.
Kai, curious, tried to stand up to get a better look.
But Rose tugged on his shirt, pleading, "Don't go!"
"Don't worry, I'm strong. If you're scared, let's go together," Kai reassured her.
He picked Rose up and carried her as they cautiously approached the shadowy figures. To their surprise, the figures they saw were...