"The New World, huh? I like it. Can I use that name too?"
"Of course. Now, back to the topic—our lunch during the picnic may be the same as always, but it's the usual hamburger series."
"In exchange, Tomorrow has new ice cream," I said.
"Yay! Hooray!"
Exactly! In moments like this, it's time for snacks. I decided to hand out treats in the car. I had acquired an off-road vehicle from the Self-Defense Forces, so we planned a picnic as a test drive.
Since we couldn't drive through the center of town, we first took a Transfer out of the city and then enjoyed a leisurely drive! It would be fun bouncing along the rough terrain.
Lisa and the kids, riding in a car for the first time, might get car sick, but a quick sip of Healing Potion should fix that.
"Is everyone ready?"
Dressed casually and with shoes on, that was all that was needed, but I added a bit of flair by calling out, "Everyone ready?"
The response came as a chorus: "Yes!"
"Alright, now everyone, grab my hand with either hand. We'll Transfer out of the city, and then it's time for the fun picnic!"
Six hands reached for me. I checked that everyone was holding on and said, "Transfer!"
I said "Transfer," but as I spoke, the scenery shifted in front of us. We found ourselves standing alongside a highway heading south out of town.
The road was about six meters wide, flanked by trees that had been cut back on either side, each extending around five meters. The surface of the road was made of compacted gravel, quite solid, with no traces of ruts like those left by carriages. Curious, I reached down to touch it and found it rough and firm, resembling some form of concrete. In this world, it was surprisingly advanced!
Carriages and people moved along the road, but I paid little attention to them as I retrieved the Turtle from my item box and set it down on the ground.
"Wow! Amazing! So cool!"
"Are we supposed to get inside this? I wonder where we enter? From the back?"
"Are these round black things the wheels? Oh, they feel a bit soft when I touch them."
It was understandable, given it was their first time seeing a car, that they were intrigued.
"Well, everyone, hop in!"
But apart from Lily, nobody seemed to know how to get inside. The back seat had doors that swung open on either side, accommodating four people sitting opposite each other, reminiscent of a shared carriage. Of course, I had never been in such a carriage, so it was merely my imagination. The back resembled a truck bed, with the seat height enclosed in metal, though the surrounding area was covered only by a canopy. Sitting in the back might not feel too different from being inside a carriage.
"Lily, could you open the back door? Once everyone's in, please close it," I said.
The back seat was nearly a meter high from the ground, so everyone struggled to climb in and managed to board the Turtle vehicle.
"Lily, sorry to ask, but can you help everyone with their seatbelts?"
Lily, initially seated in the front passenger seat, got out, lowered the back door, and climbed into the rear seat to assist everyone with fastening their seatbelts.
As I started the engine, Lily settled back into the front seat and secured her own seatbelt. I followed suit and fastened mine. It was time to go.
"Alright, let's hit the road. The car might bounce around, so be careful not to bite your tongue. And if you feel unwell, just let me know right away. A potion will sort it out quickly."
I pressed the brake, released the parking brake, shifted into drive, and gently pressed the accelerator to pull away. After all, I was a beginner behind the wheel—this was my first real drive since driving school. Luckily, it was an automatic.
The vehicle's sturdy build meant minor bumps wouldn't leave a dent, and even if it did get scratched, I could just store it in the item box and recreate it at the alchemy workshop, so no worries there. The only thing I dreaded was an accident. I figured I'd be fine with minor self-inflicted bumps inside this car, but I definitely wanted to avoid crashing into people or other carriages.
The Turtle vehicle is currently moving at around 10 kilometers per hour, swaying alongside the roadside. Nevertheless, the children are excitedly exclaiming, "So fast!"
I maneuver the Turtle onto the main road. As the vehicle jolts over the uneven surface, the children squeal with delight. They're probably enjoying the bumpy ride.
It seems that carriages in this area drive on the right, so I've decided to stick to that side as well.
Once on the main road, the Turtle feels like some strange beast. A carriage ahead appears to notice the approaching Turtle, making loud noises. The driver yells something, but the carriage suddenly accelerates. Still, it only picks up to just over 10 kilometers per hour. Passersby start to notice the Turtle and quickly step aside to avoid it. At this rate, traveling on the main road seems impractical.
"It'll be bumpy again, but the main road doesn't seem feasible, so let's head into the forest," I say, steering the Turtle off to the side and toward the trees.
Each bump sends the vehicle leaping, and the children continue to squeal with excitement. Perhaps this is good fun in its own way.
Ignoring small branches, I push deeper into the woods until we reach a wild area. This should be private land belonging to the temple, but that's of little concern to me, so I keep driving the Turtle without a second thought.
"We have snacks too, so everyone feel free to enjoy them," I call out.
I pulled out a bag of snacks I had bought for the children and placed it on Lily's lap, asking her to tear open the packaging and hand it to me from behind.
"Are these snacks?"
"Oh! This dark brown part is chocolate!"
"You're right!"
"It's delicious!"
The children seemed to enjoy them. Lily gathered the wrappers and put them back in the snack bag.
I drove the Turtle through the rough terrain, occasionally crashing through the underbrush to give everyone a thrill.
"Mr. Rockwell, the people at the temple said there's a dungeon entrance to the south," one of the kids said.
"A dungeon, huh? We might check that out later."
"The temple guards are watching the entrance. Also, there are wild animals around, and Goblins too."
"Goblins? So it's just like the illustrations in light novels, right?"
"I don't really watch light novels or anime, so I can't say for sure, but they looked like small, dark blue, frankly ugly creatures."
"For example, those two standing over there. Is that what they look like?"
"Those are Goblins!"
"Can I take them out?"
"They're aggressive, so they'll come after you. Look."
"One's coming at us with a club! Wait, it looks like he got scared and ran off."
"I'd rather not get hit by that club, so I think I'll run him over."
"Wait, are we going to run them over?"
"If we approach from the front, we might get hit with a club, but chasing them from behind is much safer. This is our chance!"
With that, I slammed down on the accelerator.
The Turtle vehicle bounced wildly as it pursued the Goblins. This was the true thrill of the chase.
I had them cornered, almost within reach, but just as I was about to strike, a Goblin ducked behind a tree, slipping away from my grasp. I decided to let them go and brought the Turtle to a stop.
"It's surprisingly hard to run them over," I remarked.
"You look scary, Mr. Rockwell," Lily pointed out. I realized my excitement had turned me into a bit of a wild man.
"The ride was pretty bumpy, but how does everyone in the back feel?"
"We're good!" came the enthusiastic reply. It was a relief; they say that someone can get sick on their first ride, but it seemed like they were fine. If that was the case, they'd likely never feel nauseous in the car again.
"It might be a bit early, but let's find a clearing and have lunch."
"Okay!"
Starting the Turtle again, I reversed just a little, turned the wheel, and headed south.
After driving for a bit, we found a perfect clearing. I stopped the Turtle and pulled the handbrake.
"Alright, let's have lunch right here."
"Everyone, get out of the car!"
They all struggled with their seatbelts, but eventually managed to unbuckle themselves. Lily showed them how to open the doors, and they climbed out on their own.
It would have been nice to have a tarp, but such things are usually forgotten. Still, with my skills as a Grand Alchemist, a simple tarp is no trouble at all!
Holding a somewhat thick plastic sheet, I said, "The uneven patches of grass will cause bulges when I lay this down."
"I'll take care of that! Wind Cutter!"
Lily unleashed something from her right hand toward the grass, and it was instantly mowed down.
"Wow! That's amazing! Wind Cutter, huh? So cool!"
When I complimented her, Lily beamed, her index finger brushing the side of her nose.
Meanwhile, for the first time in a while, a blue translucent board appeared in front of me with a cheerful chime.
"Would you like to use 1 skill point to acquire Magic Level 1? Yes, No?"
Since it felt pointless to learn magic with Lily around, I chose "No" this time.
To master magic, I probably need around 55 points, just like alchemy. That must come with some perks, so it seems smarter to max out my skill level when I can. Right now, I have 25 skill points, meaning it'll be a while before that happens. Eventually, I might really want or need other skills.
I spread a blue vinyl sheet made in the alchemy workshop over the grassy area Lily had cleared, and said, "Everyone, take off your shoes and come onto this sheet. We're having lunch here." I was the first to step onto the sheet, pulling out various burgers, fries, and drinks from my item box and placing them in the middle. I also grabbed enough paper cups and small plates for everyone, along with a bottle of ketchup to set down.
Gathering around the food and drinks, we sat in a circle. I was the only guy sitting cross-legged, while the others settled in comfortably on the ground in a traditional sit. Of course, no one was using seiza.
"Well then, let's dig in," I announced.
"Let's eat!" everyone echoed.
As everyone bit into their burgers, I casually asked, "Isn't it delicious eating under the blue sky?" No one in the group could possibly disagree, but I wanted to hear their thoughts.
"Yes!" "It's so tasty!" "I want to have picnics like this again and again!"
"Go ahead and eat a lot. There's more than enough to go around," I encouraged.
Watching everyone happily munch on their burgers and snack on fries, I bit into mine too. Since time didn't pass in the item box, everything inside remained as fresh as when I bought it. The originals were all gone, so what I had laid out were freshly made burgers crafted in the alchemy workshop. This freshly made taste was something you couldn't experience with takeout, was it?
Once everyone had eaten a decent amount, I announced, "Today, I've prepared a different type of ice cream than last time." I took the pamphlet I got from the ice cream shop and made three copies, giving one to each pair of people. "You won't be able to read the text, so you'll have to choose based on the pictures. Each person gets to pick one, so choose carefully."