I find myself awake in the early hours of the morning. The sun has yet to rise, but I can’t seem to stay asleep. With only five days to get into the [Dark Forest] to set up my dungeon, I need to make the most use of my time. It will take a whole day and a night to get to the confluence where I intend to set up the dungeon if we travel by boat. The way everyone keeps talking about the dark forest makes me worry that it’s the wrong choice.

I take out and glance at the glowing orb that is the dungeon seed. Is it really possible for me to make it there in time? Should I give up and just set it up nearby? No, I chose that location for a reason. It’s all about future growth, even if it’s difficult at first. Just then, I hear a gentle knock on the door.

“Kazuki, are you awake?”

I hear the voice of Elli, the girl I’m engaged to. Admittedly, it weirded me out at first. Still, after consideration, It’s best if I don’t fight the culture of this world. I wouldn't want to force my world’s culture in this world. I find myself in culture shock frequently, but again this isn’t the world I come from.

Slowly, I get out of my bed and walk over to the door. Opening the door gently, I see the beautiful green-haired elf girl standing there in a thin white nightgown. I can't help but feel my heartbeat hasten a bit. It’s as though a fairy is paying me a visit in the middle of the night. I respond to her in a quiet voice.

“I’m awake. Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“Nnn, I can’t help but worry about entering the [Dark Forest]. We’ve been through a lot of serious fights in the last few days. I’m scared that this time we might not make it out alive.”

“To be honest… I’m worried about that as well.”

“Are you sure that building a dungeon there is the best idea?”

“Looking at the map, there’s nowhere else nearby that provides as much room for future growth. I doubt that moving the dungeon will be easy once we place it. We’re not just making a dungeon; for now, we’ll need it to have room to grow in the future.”

“I understand. I’ll trust your judgment on this. Still, I worry about how we’re actually going to get there...”

“Once we get there and build the dungeon, we’ll have shelter. However, we need to get to the confluence.”

We sit quietly next to each other on the bed, and I’m close enough to feel Elli’s warmth. She looks so adorable with her worried expression and her pajamas. Looking at her somehow makes me feel a bit lighter.

That’s right; our goal is only to get to the confluence. We don’t have to fight, and it’s not as though we have a lot of cargo. We aren't merchants. Perhaps this will be easier than I thought. I sit next to her for a little while until eventually, she returns to Mari’s room.

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Some time passes, and before I know it, I fall asleep for a second time.

I hear the thump of a knife cutting up vegetables. It looks like someone is cooking breakfast. I wonder who? I slowly get dressed and walk down the hall into the kitchen. To my surprise, I see Elli fastidiously cutting up some vegetables to make breakfast. I didn't realize Elli could cook. I mean, I guess it’s not that surprising, but it makes me a little excited. She turns to me with a smile and greets me.

“Good morning, Kazuki!”

“Good morning, Elli.”

I walk over to the table and slowly have a seat. It would seem that Mari and Cecie have yet to wake up. I mean, I’m sure they’re sleeping a lot better than Elli, and I did.

While Elli cooks, I continue practicing my writing in this world’s language. It’s been relatively easy for me to pick up. I would expect it to be, considering that there are fewer letters than I’m used to, and my [Universal Translation] skill makes it so I can already read the language. I’d really like to go to a bookstore or something. Still, historically books were quite expensive before the introduction of the printing press. It’s something I’ll have to worry about after establishing the dungeon. Eventually, I’ll need to understand the full geopolitical situation of this world.

As I sit and write, Cecie walks into the room and has a seat by me. We all casually exchange greetings. Finally, Elli finishes cooking our breakfast, and we eat. It seems that Mari decided to sleep in today. I’m getting quite used to Elven Cuisine. There aren’t many options available, so we mostly alternate between salads, vegetable medleys, and soups. There may not be many options, but that’s not to say I’m overcome with disappointment. The food that Elli cooked this morning isn't as good as Cecie’s but just getting to watch Elli make it made it that much better.

After finishing up with our breakfast, Elli and I leave the house and head to the city's northern district. In the northern district, a canal has been dug in to allow the transport of goods by the river. To be honest, it is quite an impressive feat. The buildings that surround it are all multi-storied, and they vaguely resemble European architecture. There is an air of wealth to this part of the city. That makes sense, considering all the goods that come through the river.

This is where we’re going to have to find a boat. We walk casually around the river, enjoying the air and the cool spring breeze. The air in this world is noticeably fresher than in my world. Taking a deep breath is very refreshing. While there are many shops around, most of them sell random consumer goods, and so far, we have found no place that sells boats. I can't help but let out a sigh.

Eventually, after walking for nearly half an hour, I glimpse what appears to be a dock area. There are many boats moored here. I wonder if this would be a place where we could buy a boat. Of course, they're so many people here, and no shops are labeled as boat shops. I feel a little overwhelmed. Who knew buying a boat would be such an undertaking. Elli speaks out about it first.

“Seems buying a boat will be tougher than we thought.”

“Yeah, it seems like it will be tricky.”

“I’ve just been letting you lead the way since you seemed confident. Shouldn’t we ask one of the people who are on boats right now?”

“Oh, yeah… Why didn't I think about asking directions.”

Elli seems to get a good laugh from how I didn't even think about asking for directions. I’m glad Elli is here to help me out with this. I’m sure I’d otherwise be looking around like an idiot still. We approach a young man who is working on trying to moor his boat. He seems relatively inexperienced since he can’t even seem to tie his boat down properly. I’m not experienced with boats, but I know how to at least tie a proper knot. I call out to the man.