Earth Cakes and Unexpected Currency

It’s truly unfair, isn’t it? Liliya actually spent two whole days just mining… My feelings are so complicated right now. I really want to go back and see Ruka… And honestly, I’m absolutely sick of these nutrition bars!

Liliya didn’t turn her head. She remained diligently focused on operating something in front of her. The adjacent monitor reflected a stark white glow off her glasses – the glow of two sleepless days.

‘Her schedule is incredibly bizarre…’

“If you’re bored, you can go out and explore, but make sure you’re at the airport on time today.”

‘Ugh… Are there cameras in here too? How did she see my expression?’

‘Forget it, I don’t care. It’s a rare chance to get out of here.’

“You said it yourself, didn’t you?! Then I’m off!” Colt declared, rising to her feet and stretching, twisting her neck and loosening her joints.

“Do as you please.”

‘Heh heh… Does that strange pronunciation mean she’s eaten another nutrition bar?’

Stepping forward, Colt watched as her vision seemed to melt away instantly, and then—

“Time to go get some fresh air~”

Her bad habit of talking to herself had resurfaced.

****

“It’s so hot…”

‘Ugh, seriously, I should have checked the time first. Why is it always noon?!’

Shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand, Colt ambled idly down the scorching street.

Having just checked her location on her phone, she realized she was in Cape Town. They had apparently dug straight from the north of Africa all the way to the south…

That bizarre machine, which resembled a weapon of mass destruction, was truly astonishing. If its manufacturing methods and technology were ever to leak, it would undoubtedly cause utter chaos.

As expected of a city street during the day, there were quite a few pedestrians. Predominantly, however, they were Black. Every now and then, Colt felt curious gazes upon her, given her distinctly different skin tone.

‘Prosperous?’

‘No, not quite to that extent. The city didn’t feel overwhelmingly urbanized. Aside from the architectural styles, it might even bear more resemblance to some smaller towns in China.’

Oh, around the street corner, vendors were selling what looked like very red plates.

Just as she slowly approached, intending to investigate further—

“Huh?”

Colt stood frozen, dumbfounded. One of the vendors had picked up a red plate and was taking a bite out of it…

‘Uh… So, this is food? I honestly couldn’t tell…’

“Excuse me, what exactly is this?” Her curiosity piqued, Colt stepped forward and immediately asked.

‘Hmm? What language is “Afrikaans” that just popped into my head? “CHOKER”‘s translation should be correct, right? I recall South Africa and the Netherlands being miles apart on the world map; one’s in Northwest Europe and the other’s in Southern Africa… How did these two get mixed up?!’

“These are ‘earth cakes,’ five for just ten cents. Sir, would you like to try one?” The dark-skinned vendor enthusiastically offered her one.

‘Earth cakes? Is that translation really correct? Does it mean cakes made of actual earth?!’

“Please forgive me if this offends you, but may I ask if this food, these ‘earth cakes,’ are actually made from soil?”

‘My curiosity was uncontrollable; even if I got scolded, I had to know.’

“Yes, sir.”

‘No way! They’re actually made of earth?!’

“I’ll take five!”

‘What in the world do they taste like? I’m so curious!’

“Alright, sir, that’ll be ten cents, please.” After bagging five earth cakes for her, the vendor extended a hand.

“Okay, let me just… uh—!”

Without a second thought, she rummaged through her pockets for coins. Then, a most unpleasant truth dawned on her—

‘I forgot to go to the bank and exchange for local currency… I have no money to pay! What do I do?!’

“Sir, is something wrong?” Sensing her predicament, the vendor asked with a touch of curiosity.

“W-well, uh, would you be open to bartering? I don’t have any local currency on me…”

“That’s… a bit difficult.”

Just as he said, the vendor looked truly troubled. Under the scorching sun, they fell into an awkward silence, staring at each other.

‘My mind needs to start working. I seem to recall something…’

“Sir, judging by your skin tone, are you Asian?” The vendor, breaking the silence first, posed the question.

“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m Asian. More specifically, I’m Chinese,” Colt answered truthfully. ‘The vendor must have something in mind, right? I hope it helps me.’

“If you have cooling oil or medicated oil, I’d be willing to exchange it for fifty earth cakes,” the vendor said. Finishing his sentence, he flashed a smile, revealing white teeth that contrasted sharply with his dark skin.

“Really?! I happen to have medicated oil on me!”

She always kept a few bottles of medicated oil, a common household remedy, stashed in her [Corridor] as spares. She never imagined they would come in handy here!

‘Wait, if five earth cakes are ten cents, then fifty earth cakes are one dollar, right? Is medicated oil really that expensive here?!’

Using her pocket as a cover, Colt excitedly pulled an unused bottle of medicated oil from her [Corridor] and handed it to the vendor. The vendor, in turn, beamed happily. It seemed medicated oil might be quite a luxury item here.

“Thank you very much, sir. I hope to see you again,” the grinning vendor said, directly handing her a small basket full of earth cakes.

“Thank you, and see you next time.” Colt happily accepted the small basket of earth cakes. ‘I wonder what they taste like?’

Clutching the small basket of earth cakes, Colt continued her stroll down the street under the blazing sun. ‘Perhaps I can find other strange and wonderful things. Oh, no, wait, I should go to the bank and exchange some local currency first.’

Lost in these meandering thoughts, she casually picked an earth cake from the basket and took a bite.

“Crunch—”

With that crisp sound, Colt froze in place once more…

…

…

“Oh… my god… this thing is so disgusting it’s making me cry…”

Beads of sweat trickled down her stunned face, and her expression, along with her tongue—

Was utterly crestfallen.