12 Shore, Sounds About Right

Crunches of leaves, each step generating a unique rhythm. The sunlight, filtered through the intricate web of branches above, dances upon the forest floor. Ephemeral patterns were constantly shifting with the sway of leaves.

Before the marches halted as the smell of water emulsified with their stench of sweat and soil.

"By the way," Mako nudged Karasaki, who was currently taking care of everyone's shovels per Nagan order. "What makes you so sure that we'll survive that fall?"

The expedition stumbled upon a running river with vivid glows. The water was the same as that of earth, with the difference of lots of bioluminescence on the surface. They took a temporary settlement on the shore after confirming the safety of the surrounding.

"To say the truth, Mako." Karasaki playfully pointed one of the shovels towards Mako's face. "I absolutely have no idea! For a second, I consulted Patriarch within the link channel, and he immediately urged me to keep going forward!"

"Huh, what makes Patriarch so sure that we will survive the fall then?" Mako commented, while glancing on her left as three usalians were being tended to by their broken bones. Albeit, they aren't necessarily being tended, just being rested so that they could focus on their regeneration. 

"Who knows." Karasaki shrugged. "Patriarch's way of thinking is much closer to an enigma than a meadow of grass, if I'm going to be honest. But, my gut feeling told me to trust him anyway. Unlike this individual of tomfoolery over here."

Just as Karasaki said that, Hopscotch appeared into frame with an exasperated face, carrying fruity hauls on her arms. "I told you numerous times, you dolt. Badmouth me in front of my face."

"Bucko, I haven't even started the trash-talk."

"Regardless." Hopscotch gave one of the fruit to Mako, before chucking a fastball on Karasaki's face, in which she cockily caught before chowing down on the fresh treat. "The act of sprinting we had done would be for nothing if we didn't get any form of nourishment afterwards," she continued.

"What's this?" Mako began exploring the purple ball-shaped fruit with her hands.

"Not in my form of knowledge, but Immortal Dragon Overlord named it Spherut."

"Oh rwight." Karasaki swallowed the content of her mouth before talking. "Immortal Dragon Overlord, Bluebell, and Patriarch are currently foraging for food."

"That explain the number of the shovels." Mako took a bite out of the spherut. The cold flesh of the fruit began to spread in her mouth. "Woah, it's crisp and juicy, with a balance of sweetness and tartness. It's also surprisingly cold when it touches your tongue."

"It definitely fits the description of an apple to an extent." Hopscotch said before casually taking a bite on her spherut. "There are actually a lot of goodies in this area, but so far, only the spherut that's confirmed to be safe for consumption. Might need some more time for our palate to touch more variety."

"How do they know that it's safe for consumption though?" Karasaki asked, tilting her head.

"Well, through the package of memories that the Queen gave us?" Mako took a wide chomp on the spherut. "Hmmmm~! Ehem. I bet that there are some foraging techniques prescribed within one of them if we search enough. That's mostly the case as far as I know."

"Mako, you're talking to the Unnamed Kingdom's number one dumbass, don't expect much sensibility."

"Hush! Let me eat first! I don't want to throw hands right now." Karasaki grunted. "Also, that title should be meant for Fernleaf. My IQ should be the same as Hoppington's, if not better!"

"Pfft, Hoppington is too high in comparison." Hopscotch snickered. "Yours is lower than Bluebell's."

"Speaking of Hoppington, where is she?" Maka wondered.

"Ah, she got called by the Patriarch." Hopscotch pointed to the forest, while her other hand was trying to push away Karasaki who retaliated in fits of rage.

"Huh, and here I thought that I'm part of the gatherer team…"

Foraging isn't just about survival, but a dance with nature's secrets. The trees, sunlight, and scents create a living canvas. Plants become nature's chefs, mushrooms pop up like little guardians, offering a peek into the mysterious world beneath the surface. Berries, hiding among protective thorns, sometimes bravely exposing itself to the world.

They all tempt those who sought for sustenance with promises of delicious rewards, if one is willing to navigate the forest's hidden puzzle.

"Poisonous, it seems. Not to a terrifying extent, but will still bring a great amount of discomfort," Immortal Dragon Overlord commented on a small singular berry that was cradled by its stem and leaves like a flower. "I would gladly try to play the roulette, Patriarch. Our regeneration might be useful to concisely deal with the harmful substances. It might be very useful if we can condition ourselves to fight off any inside threat in a controlled sense."

"What do you think, Hoppington?" Nagan said to an usalian who had just arrived. "I still don't know how much an usalian encompasses the concept of growing by experience. Ido over here really wants all of you to build an immunity instead of just picking the right thing to consume."

"I doubt that your opinion stops there, Patriarch," Hoppington replied.

"As much as it is a great idea for the expedition team to start cultivating some immunity, that means the logistic team will need to do the same, and possibly the future usalians," Nagan said casually, before picking the poisonous berry and stuffed it in his mouth. 

"Huwaaa! Patriarch is eating the dangerous berry!" Bluebell panicky pointed.

"I see, so that's how it is." Immortal Dragon Overlord commented, caressing her chin with a smirk. "That will be a long time investment, though. My certainty for the time we develop such a method isn't the most high."

"We have Denebola Blue and Vainya, both of them like to go through the memory tree line for medicine and history," Hoppington added.

"Uhm, I absolutely have no clue what you guys are saying," Bluebell said with a troubled smile.