Chapter 67

I introduced the squirrels.

Fuwafuwa circled around the squirrel... Is it happy?

It's hard to tell, but probably.

Fuwafuwa is a ball of fluff with small eyes, so it's hard to read its expression.

The crows had no problem.

They didn't panic when they saw the squirrel and just carried on.

The chais also seemed to accept it.

I got the impression they froze for a moment, but they each nodded at me when they saw me.

The baby ants and little ants ran into their holes as soon as they saw the squirrel.

...Huh? They ran away?

When I looked at Shuri, it seemed to be a bit scared, or at least the atmosphere suggested so.

I approached Shuri and petted its head.

The squirrel, perhaps seeing my behavior, had one of its members nod.

It's okay, I trust them.

...Do squirrels eat ants?

The baby ants and little ants came out of their holes, still a bit scared, but they're okay.

Karen came home.

She's been leaving in the early morning and returning in the evening these past few days.

I don't know where she's been going.

The perch Karen built in the yard... has it grown bigger again?

We need a slightly larger perch.

When I tried to introduce the squirrel to Karen, the squirrel hurriedly ran to the wooden deck.

Then it climbed up the pillar and onto the roof.

...I confirmed with Karen, it's okay.

When I called the squirrel, it only showed its face through the gap in the sunshade.

Is it really okay?

Karen nodded.

It's okay, come down.

When I waved my hand, it cautiously came down and gathered a bit away.

Hmm??

Ants < Squirrel < Birds... looking at Karen.

It's not a matter of size, or strength?

I don't understand, but I think it's okay.

Anyway, since we have a new friend, let's have a meal.

The baby ants are quite fond of fish.

They were originally carnivores, but since we started making fish sauce, they all eat fish except for Shuri.

Today, I'll mainly grill the fish that Fuwafuwa caught.

Because I scared them.

Fish marinated lightly in fish sauce and sweet fruit.

The baby ants, little ants, and squirrels competing for the fish.

The ants seem to be okay now.

Victory for the baby ants and little ants... the numbers are just too different.

There's still more, so don't look at me like that.

I hurriedly grilled more fish for the squirrels, who looked so tragic.

They were supposed to be so scared that they hid in their holes, what was that about?

After the meal, the squirrel noticed Karen nearby and froze.

Eating is important.

...

The greenish-yellow rock I brought back.

For now, I'll consider it as iron ore.

Extracting iron... I can't even imagine how.

How do you get iron from a rock?

The method of melting it with high heat... I stopped imagining it.

All I could picture was getting burned.

The image of iron turning red-hot at high temperatures... impossible.

I tried cutting the rock into smaller pieces.

I imagined "extraction" by taking out the visible greenish-yellow part from the rock.

Greenish-yellow something rolled next to the rock.

There are various shapes, but was it successful?

When I brought a magnet close, it didn't stick.

...?

When I brought it close to the rock, the magnet stuck.

??

Could it be that the rock is the iron ore?