“Man, I wish we had a map. Then we wouldn’t be lost,” I commented.
“Can you get maps easily in your world? Ones with even the small roads on them?” Nito replied from the back seat.
“Easily? Well, pretty much everyone has one.”
After all, you’d be able to find one in minutes on your phone.
“It’s peaceful there, then,” Nito marveled quietly.
Describing my world as being at peace felt a little off to me. It was just the norm for me. I did find it hard to dispute that description in comparison to this world, though. Everything else aside, this world was already in ruins. A strange phenomenon called mana collapse had started to swallow up everything—trees, earth, plants, animals, even people—and turn it all into white crystals. It was still happening even now, and as far as the eye could see the landscape looked like white sand dunes.
I’d been flung into this situation, and my only option had been to load up my steam-powered vehicle—I’d named it the Kettle—with food and other essentials and just keep traveling. I’d been like a lost child wandering around in search of something familiar. No matter how far the child goes, though, there’s nothing to be found, and sooner or later they’ll collapse in exhaustion, with nothing left to do but cry.
Then one day I’d met a girl, and finally managed to become something more than a lost child. I’d gained a destination—an objective—and before long we’d found ourselves on a journey together. Ruins though the world was, we still met survivors from time to time. Each time, they’d entrusted me with something of theirs, so now I took on the role of a peddler as we continued on our journey. We could have a bit of a chat, laugh together, or share a meal. We stood shoulder to shoulder between our hope for tomorrow and the sky and wilderness of this uncertain world.
I looked into the rearview mirror to see Nito’s clear blue eyes looking back at me. Her pointed ears, peeking out through her long white hair, were proof that she was part of a mysterious race called half-elves.
“Maps were highly classified before the collapse,” she explained. “If you made one that showed even the smallest roads, then opposing countries would use them for military plans.”
The idea felt utterly alien to me. Maps were such an everyday thing for me that I didn’t know how to react to being told that they were classified material.
“Doesn’t that make things difficult, though?” I asked. “You know, for traveling and such.”
“People didn’t travel far enough that they’d need a map. They used trains instead.”
“So maps weren’t necessary in the first place, then...”
“I think there would have been local maps which showed the roads everyone in the region knew. I just assume that the country controlled collated records that had detailed information for a wide region.”
“That’s a real shame. I want Google Maps back.”
“Google?”
“It’s a magic spell that can tell you anything.”
“You had magic in your world too?”
“Something like that,” I replied.
I sometimes had to fudge the details like this when we ran up against questions where our worldviews and ideas of common sense clashed, and I didn’t particularly enjoy doing so.
“We’re going to struggle finding those places in your mom’s notebook without a map.”
Nito had set out on her journey in order to find the places painted in her mother’s notebook. Her mother had told her countless tales of a place called the Golden Sea which she’d visited during her own journeys when she was younger, as Nito hadn’t been able to leave her room because of her illness. It was supposed to be the most beautiful place ever, and while it might not actually be a sight found in this world, it was the place most precious to Nito—a land promised to her by her mother.
She had found some of the other places that were painted within the notebook’s pages, so it seemed like following the paintings would lead us to the Golden Sea. The problem was that there were no notes of where the places had been found, and with no satnav or map, it was difficult to find them, let alone get to them.
“I guess normal people couldn’t get hold of maps if they were kept so classified.”
“I think simple ones of the region would be doable, in libraries or the feudal lords’ mansions... Hmm, I hadn’t thought of this,” Nito mused, the sight of her pressing her pencil into her lips reflected in the mirror.
“So let’s look for a town, go to the library, and look for a map there.”
“Right. Even a rough map should let us know where towns are and where we can resupply.”
“You sound like a fine traveler to me,” I praised.
“Don’t I just?” she said with a smug chuckle, before starting to hum a slightly out-of-tune version of a song from my world. I always had my phone playing music in the car when I could, so she must have learned one of the tunes she liked.
The scenery outside the windows remained constant for quite a while, but eventually, the road started to descend and wind into curves. The rain showed no sign of stopping—just kept falling endlessly with varying intensity. It was daytime, but the entire sky was covered in gray clouds. If the car had been silent too, then we’d have quickly grown depressed. The pop music coming from my phone cheered us up, though.
Eventually, we left the mountains and the road suddenly widened. Nito normally would have said something, but she was awfully quiet. I glanced back to see her with her sketchbook resting on her chest and her pencil still between her fingers, breathing steadily in her sleep. I turned the volume down and decided to be extra careful while driving.
Before long, our surroundings changed from simple wilderness to land maintained by people. Green fields that looked like rice paddies stood to either side of us, but over half of the area had dissolved into white sand. Farther down the now-straight road, I could see a lump of blue and black. My eyesight wasn’t great, so the main thing I could see was the patch of color resting on top of the darkened ocher of the ground rather than any actual outline or features.
When we finally got close enough for me to make it out more clearly, I was honestly shocked. In the distance was a person wearing an overcoat. They were standing in the rain at the crossroads, looking up at a rusted sign. The figure’s main feature was a newsboy cap with cat ears sticking up on each side. A big three-wheeled vehicle stood at their side, looking to me like this world’s version of a motorcycle.
I stopped a little ways in front of them, now able to see that it was a girl. She looked my way, water dripping steadily off the brim of her hat.
“Hi there,” I said, winding the window down.
She just inclined her head slightly. Her hair was an ocean blue and was plastered to her cheek. From her appearance, I’d have guessed she was around the same age as me. She offered no reply other than the nod. I assumed she must have been wary of me, but her composed posture and air of belonging didn’t fit with that, which just confused me all the more.
I glanced at the motorcycle next to her. Most vehicles in this world used steam power, and this one looked like it was no exception. I’d only ever seen standard four-wheeled ones back in the town, though, so this was a fresh sight for me. It had a seat in the middle and handlebars like a bike, with a unique body composed of two wheels at the front, on an axle in a T-shaped arrangement with the steering column, and a single wheel at the back. It was about the same size as a car too, so it was pretty imposing. I was sure that there was a specific name for this kind of motorcycle.
“A buggy?” I mused to myself after some thought.
“Do you mean my trike?” she asked.
“Ah, that’s it!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands together and feeling much more energetic all of a sudden. “It’s so cool.”
“It is? Thank you,” she answered, glancing at the trike before returning her gaze to me. She spared a glance at the luggage on the roof rack as she added, “Are you traveling? Or maybe making deliveries?”
“Traveling, I guess. I’m also doing a bit of peddling.”
“I see. Do you have books?”
Books, she asks. The only ones that came to mind were Nito’s notebook and the recipe collection we’d gotten from Vandyke, but those were both individuals’ personal books. I was certain that wasn’t what the girl wanted.
“Unfortunately not. What kind of books are you looking for?”
“Stories,” she answered shortly.
She seemed to have nothing more to say and retook her seat on the trike. Water cascaded off the hem of her blue caped coat, soaking her shoes and legs, but she didn’t seem to care as she leaned forward to grab the handlebars. I could tell that the conversation was over and that she was leaving.
“Take care, then,” I said after a moment.
“I will. Farewell.”
The engine must have already been hot, because the trike immediately started to move with a high-pitched hiss. I watched as it sped up, and her figure soon vanished into the haze of the rain.
I looked over toward where she’d been standing and noticed something strange. Everywhere around us, the ground had darkened from taking in the rainwater, but the ground where she’d been standing hadn’t done so as much. Even taking into account that the trike could have blocked the rain, its shelter wouldn’t have formed a perfect circle. It was almost like there had been an umbrella or something keeping the ground around her dry.
“She didn’t have anything with her though...” I murmured.
Something else was bothering me too. The Kettle was piled high with luggage. The steam engine needed mana stones as fuel and a large amount of water. Plus, we had food and clothes for us along with other necessities for the journey. These supplies became all the more important for longer distances. Yet that girl had only had the single bag over her shoulder. She was way too lightly equipped, and it left me bemused even now.
I was puzzled. She’d had amazingly little with her, the ground wasn’t completely soaked where she’d been standing, and she was looking for stories. I had so many questions. It wasn’t like I could chase after her, though, so I just put my hands back on the wheel, feeling bewildered.