A year had passed since Chuck had arrived in the new world. He was 18 now but so much had happened that he somehow felt older. He was essentially married for one thing, even though he and Tess had never had a formal ceremony. He also owned a home. Both of these things would have seemed crazy to his old self that was still going to school on Earth.
After the insect migration not much had happened. Things settled down and he continued to work with the alchemy guild and Bright. Chuck had thought up a few different inventions but not many panned out. Bright continued working on the translation of the parchment and with the other projects but so far none had been completed.
In between working at the alchemy guild and lazing around with Tess, he studied. It took a lot of effort but he was finally able to read and write fairly well. Chuck didn’t think he would ever be able to speak the new language however. He could understand a few words here and there but that was about it. Chuck just wasn’t good at languages.
His pickup was still running fine and the tires were holding up but he didn’t drive it that often. The guild had finished making him a magical jug of engine oil so he was finally able to change oil in the pickup. It was starting to get low on oil so Chuck was happy that they were able to come through for him once more. Magic sure was handy. He just wished he could use magic like a normal isekai protagonist.
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Luckily his futuristic laser gun was still working. The ammo problems with his other guns had still not been solved so it was his main weapon. He practiced with it at least once a week and the battery seemed to be so far inexhaustible. R2 was still working fine as well. It was the perfect guard and had already caught one pair of thieves while the family had been away from home on a fishing trip. It was still using two swords and one spear in its clawed hands. The combination seemed to be a good one so Chuck had left it as is.
To celebrate the new year, he wanted to take Tess to the capital since she hadn’t seen her clan in a while. It would be a nice vacation and Tess joked that it could be their honeymoon. Chuck decided to take R2 to be on the safe side. Raz and Maz, who were now both taller than him, would take care of the house. They had both wanted to go too but understood that Chuck and Tess wanted some alone time. Chuck promised to bring back souvenirs for them of course.
The sales of the music devices and other things he had come up with gave him a steady income. Chuck was looking forward to spending some of his stash shopping in the capital. Now that he could read, he wanted to buy some books. The book stores in Axtol were unfortunately lacking in variety. It didn’t take them long to prepare for the trip and they were soon on the road.
R2 rode in the back with the camping supplies. With a capable guard like R2 around, Chuck could relax a little more on the trip. Tess was in her favorite cat girl form and snuggled up to him while they traveled. As usual she had immediately put in her favorite CD to listen to music. The weather was nice and the road clear. Chuck smiled happily with his arm around Tess and looked forward to the trip.