10 Sidetracked

Zanir was walking through the familiar scenery while taking his time. He could have rushed things but wanted to enjoy himself. There was, after all, no rush at the moment.

Zanir didn't miss the high paced and even higher stressed life he formerly had on Earth. This kind of leisurely stroll would have been a rare event. Something relegated to a vacation or day off. Here it was just another day and Zanir loved that.

Walking past the surrounding fields Zanir was able to reach the nearby Forest. He would have to cross through the forest as his destination was on the other side.

Zanir was very tempted to start grabbing whatever he could but held back for two reasons. The first was that he didn't have enough space yet. He asked the system for more details about how his world would grow physically larger as it's level increased.

The explanation revealed that each additional biome collected would unlock extra space. For example if Zanir collected enough of a desert he would unlock a small desert biome within his world. There were many different habitats across the world from icy tundras to bogs and marshes to grasslands and tropical savannas.

The system would allocate the biome spaces automatically. As long as Zanir unlocked the appropriate zone it would place the materials there. He wouldn't have to worry about anything being absorbed into the wrong biome. Each individual biome would grow slightly larger itself as the world became higher level.

There was also another reason that Zanir didn't grab everything that wasn't nailed down.

He didn't want to leave a barren wasteland behind. What would be left behind if he took everything for himself?

Theoretically once his world was fully unlocked he could suck up every tree, boulder, animal, and whatever else remained. He would even have room for any crumbs left behind. There wasn't anything stopping him directly but he felt that it would be incredibly selfish.

Zanir had seen environments destroyed on Earth. There were areas where the rain forest was cut down miles at time. Heartbreaking before and after pictures of areas that had been strip mined out leaving deep gashes into the planet.

He didn't intend to repeat the mistakes of the past. Zanir also wanted to avoid attracting attention to himself. The area was also his homeland and had a special meaning to him.

Zanir wondered if there were any kind of scanning option instead of directly absorbing things. He was almost certain to come across rare or valuable things that could not be taken. There had to be a way for the system to scan them. As a gamer he certainly didn't want to leave things behind or have to backtrack later for something.

[Host will unlock a scanning function once the world space is restored. Cost will for usage will be calculated based on objects, size, complexity, and distance.]

Zanir was both excited and sad to hear the news. It would be possible to scan objects. He could preserve the areas around Norantal and enhance his own world without even leaving a trace.

The only downside was the last part the system mentioned. It would cost him. Zanir clarified that the cost wasn't a monetary charge but the system needed a certain amount of energy to function. He hoped his system was efficient. It would break his heart if the system was a point hog.

Walking on autopilot soon brought Zanir farther into the nearby forest than he'd realized. He'd been consulting with the system and noticed he may have stumbled off his intended path or past it.

He'd thought that he knew the surrounding area like the back of his hand. The small clearing that Zanir walked into proved there were a few areas he'd yet to explore.

The vegetation around the area was thick and vibrant. Everything from the trees down to the grass seemed to thrive here. The sunlight streamed down through the open canopy creating beautiful light ray effects.

Zanir saw several small animals running around by the far end of the clearing. There was an old tree that had fallen over and become a hollowed out log. There were rabbits and squirrels chasing each other around playfully.

There were so many animals around that Zanir almost missed the old man sitting among them. His robes were old and tattered. The robes looked like they'd been made out of tree bark. It was to the point that, visually, he blended into the tree he was sitting against.

Zanir had to do a double take to confirm he was really seeing this.

"Hello."

Zanir called out but the old man just ignored him. He was staring off into the distance and seemed oblivious to what was going on. Zanir watched the old man to see if he would have any reaction.

All the old man did was take an occasional sip from a wine-skin and sigh. The animals all seemed to flock to the mysterious old man and center around him. Some of them even climbed on top of him and all over him. He still didn't budge.

Zanir decided to take a break and figured this spot would be as safe as any. There weren't any predators around and the old man didn't seem dangerous.

Grabbing his canteen he headed down to the stream nearby to fill it up. Zanir absorbed the water into his system which was his real purpose. He figured he'd take some of this cool refreshing stream with him since he could.

[System has detected a higher quality water being absorbed. Replacing spatial water base source. Upgraded spatial water to level 2.]

'Ahem!'

Zanir heard the old man cough. He looked over at him quickly.

'Please don't take too much water'

The old man had a dejected voice. He didn't even bother to look over at Zanir as he warned him. It seemed like he was depressed or something was bothering him.

Zanir didn't know who this man was but noticing the animals around he thought he might be some kind of mage or druid. Knowing he had been caught red handed he quickly thought up an excuse.

"Sir, I was just getting some water for the animals and myself to drink"

The old man took another drink and sat back with no further response.

Zanir brought out a few pieces of fruit from his pack to eat. He poured the canteen out into a cup. Several of the nearby animal walked over. They were all interested in the spatial water and started trying to drink it out of the cup.

Noticing the commotion the old man hurried to get up. He walked over sniffing the air.

"That's an interesting canteen you've got there. May I try some of that water please?"

Zanir was surprised that the old man took the initiative to talk to him. He was polite with his reply to the old man.

"May I know senior's name?"

The old man explained who he was.

"My name is Reed. I'm the local druid assigned to protect the surrounding nature in this area. This place is so remote, nothing much happens out here."

"Don't tell the association but I brew wine out here using the stream water and nearby fruits."

Zanir listened as he brought another cup of his pack and filled it from the canteen. Zanir handed it over to Reed who received it graciously.

Reed held the cup close and smelt it first before swirling it around in the cup. He took a long gulp and closed his eyes. He clearly enjoyed it.

Reed opened his his eyes back up. He looked back at Zanir.

"Would you be willing to provide me with this water for brewing?" Reed asked.

"You told me earlier not to take too much water?" Zanir replied.

Reed laughed and assured Zanir it would be left off any official reports to headquarters.

Zanir knew that having connections with a druid would be very beneficial.