A vast wasteland stretched out before Jin and his companions.
There were only a few budding shrubs and patches of withered grass; the moss had yet to reclaim its green hue.
They had been urged repeatedly to stay longer in the town of Inno, but they had shaken off those requests and departed about two hours ago. Now, the road had vanished entirely.
By all accounts, the rainy season in this region arrived in May. That was still a little over half a month away.
"It might be for the best," Jin muttered to himself. "Once the grass starts growing, it’ll probably be even harder to see where the road used to be."
The automobile rumbled along as he spoke. They were forced to maintain a crawling pace, searching for the faintest hint of old footprints or sections where the earth looked partially leveled. Their average speed was only about ten kilometers per hour.
By Jin's estimate, the total distance was roughly three hundred kilometers. If they could cover a hundred kilometers a day, they would arrive in three.
The first day passed without incident.
On the second day, the air began to feel somewhat chilly, likely because they had traveled further north. The mountain peaks that had been visible to their left fell behind them, and the view to the west finally opened up.
"Is that... the Great Sahara Desert?"
A vast, desolate expanse of sand stretched out into the far distance. Somewhere out there was the automata who guided the Fuhrer of Miyako.
Turning his gaze to the right, Jin thought he could just make out the stony haze of the Harihari Desert. In reality, it was impossible to see that far; it was more of a feeling than a fact.
And directly ahead of them lay the light-green earth welcoming spring.
"It looks like the arid zone ends here."
They were currently in the central region of the Lauren Continent. Having passed what could be considered a watershed, Jin felt the moisture in the soil increasing, perhaps due to the influence of the northern sea breezes.
"Jin-nii, it looks like it’s going to rain," Elsa whispered, looking up at the sky with concern.
"Ah, you're right. The dark clouds are moving in, Jin," Saki added, peering out the window.
"Well, if it rains, it rains. If it gets too bad, we can always head back to Hourai Island for a while."
"Hehe. Honestly, you have no sense of tension for someone traveling through uncharted territory."
Finally, the first drops began to patter against the vehicle.
"Now that I think about it, this is our first time dealing with rain in the field."
When Jin had built the automobile, they had performed test runs to check for leaks and performance in the wet, but this would be their first time driving through an actual storm for an extended period.
"It looks like it’s going to be a real downpour."
If necessary, they could simply deploy a solid barrier to keep the water off, so it wasn't a major concern. But then, the automobile suddenly came to a halt.
"Edgar, what’s wrong? A malfunction?"
"No, Jin-sama, it is not that. It simply appears that there is a massive puddle ahead of us."
Edgar explained that the puddle was so large he couldn't tell whether it would be faster to bypass it to the right or the left.
"I see... Reiko, can we get any information from the Watcher?"
At Jin's request, Reiko contacted Laojun via her internal manacam. After a moment, she reported back with a regretful expression.
"I am sorry, Father. It seems the area is covered by rain clouds, making it impossible to see from orbit. However, this rain appears to be localized."
"I see..."
While they could have checked older images taken before the rain started, the puddle wouldn't have existed then, making the data useless for their current predicament.
"Let's wait and see. It doesn't look like the type of rain that will last very long."
Jin decided to stop the automobile and wait for the weather to clear, figuring it was likely just a passing squall. The rain fell in sheets, and the heavy drumming against the roof only served to emphasize the silence inside the cabin.
"The rain just won't stop," Hanna said, sounding bored.
Outside, the world was a blur of gray mist, and visibility was poor.
"Hanna, it should stop any minute now. Look, the sky over there is getting brighter."
Even on this planet, prevailing westerlies seemed to govern the mid-latitude regions, meaning weather patterns generally shifted from west to east. Sunlight was already touching the horizon in the direction of the Great Sahara Desert.
"I've heard it even rains in the desert occasionally," Jin remarked, watching the window while trying to remember the technical definition of a desert's annual precipitation.
"But it's quite rare, isn't it? That means we're having a precious experience," Saki said with a smile. "Being able to see desert rain is a once-a-year opportunity."
"But Big Sister Saki, this isn't a desert, you know?" Hanna pointed out.
Jin wasn't a meteorologist, so he couldn't say for sure if Earth's climate classifications applied here, but the area they were currently in was definitely more of a steppe than a desert.
"Ugh... w-well, I suppose so," Saki stammered. Hanna's rapid growth in knowledge had been truly remarkable lately.
"...The rain is getting quieter," Elsa murmured, having been listening intently.
Indeed, the sound on the roof had faded to a light tapping.
"Look, the clouds are breaking."
From the window on Elsa's side—opposite Jin—the sky suddenly brightened as a single ray of sunlight pierced through the gloom.
"It didn't even last an hour..."
The clouds vanished as quickly as they had arrived, and the landscape regained its vibrant colors in an instant.
"Wow, Onii-chan, look! It's incredible!"
Hanna pointed toward the northeast. There, a massive body of water sparkled brilliantly as it caught the sun's rays.
"It really is something."
"Beautiful."
"It's almost mystical!"
The puddle was enormous, perhaps ten times the size of a soccer field. Though ripples still disturbed the surface, their visibility had improved significantly.
"Ah, I see. We should have gone around to the left."
Going right would have meant circling eighty percent of the puddle's perimeter. Turning left would cover only twenty percent.
"Alright, Edgar. Let's go around the left side."
"Understood."
Edgar tried to set the automobile in motion, but the rear wheels merely spun in place. They were stuck. With such narrow tires on freshly soaked, muddy ground, it was almost inevitable.
"It can't be helped. Reiko, if you would."
"Yes, Father."
Reiko hopped out of the car. She activated her force generator to hover above the ground, ensuring she wouldn't lose her footing in the mire or soil her clothes and shoes.
"Pushing now!"
As she spoke, the automobile began to move. Edgar gave it a light touch of the accelerator, and the tires finally climbed out of the muddy ruts.
"Good, that should do it."
Just to be safe, Reiko continued to hover and push until the ground was no longer soft. After about fifteen minutes of navigating the edge of the puddle, the mud gave way to firm, gravelly earth, and they stopped the car briefly.
Reiko deactivated her force generator and climbed back inside.
"Good work, Reiko," Jin said, praising her. The rest of the group joined in, thanking her for the help.
"Now then, we still have some daylight left. Let's keep moving."
So far, their journey was proceeding quite smoothly.