Chapter 57: Chapter 57 – Sweet Peck
Adam's Plan was ambitious, to say the least.
He planned on altering the depleted ecosystem through his external influences. Reinvigorating the land and making it suitable for monsters to inhabit it.
Taking the monsters biology into consideration, Just surviving was not an issue as long as they were given enough land. Most monsters were either carnivorous or omnivorous, very few were herbivores like the horned rabbit. So if they were put into an environment with other monsters present in it, with their amazing ability of adaptability they could make do.
This was good but not good enough. Adam wanted the monsters not only to survive but also to thrive. For this, along with his initial plan of making the monsters constantly fight till the bitter end, he also needed to provide the monsters with an appropriate environment that could facilitate their growth and not hold them back.
The Bullpen Mountain Range was not an ideal place to do so at first glance but this was nothing a bit of modern ingenuity that was drilled into Adam's very personality, could not fix. He was an engineer in his previous world. He took up this project as half a challenge to himself and the other half as a way to keep his skills sharpened.
Though he had put in a considerable amount of effort on his own, Yuki had paved an easy path for him till now. He needed this challenge, to rehone his skills and keep himself on his toes.
The trio arrived at midday to the mountain range. They made their way across the geyser death zone by traversing the underground tunnel. Their first stop was the smaller rectangular depression that was closest to the entrance.
A look at the rectangular hole could tell people that it was completely man-made. The hole was 30 or so feet deep, with a length of 140 metres and a width of 75. It was a measured dug up hole that had thin ledges that created a path down on the sides as well as two pulleys on its shorter sides and 2 simple elevators made from wood planks and ropes right next to them.
The pulleys and elevators had ropes that had been eaten through and rotted with age. The metal parts had already rusted and any movement from the wind would create creaking and cracking sounds from the mechanisms.
"Let me test them out first. If they aren't working we will have to use the ledges on the sides." Adam stepped up and carefully made his way onto the wooden platform of the elevator after a few taps and kicks with his feet.
Holding onto the edge of the platform he held his breath and made a few jumps to test its durability.
Incessant creaks rang out as if the wood was crying but it did not give. The girls then stepped onto the elevator after Adam insisted that it was safe and then the three descended to the bottom of the pit.
As they descended the trio saw countless wooden logs used as stoppers embedded in the stone walls. It was obvious that the land had countless waterways running through it underground to support the geysers that surrounded it. The miners must have gone through hell to avoid this pit from being submerged during its excavation.
Thump.
A cloud of dust arose as the elevator came to a stop after landing heavily onto loose soil. The trio disembarked.
Thick and thin soil from the crushing of rocks covered the ground at the bottom of this pit. The floor had been flattened to an extent to make it easier to travel but the years of it being unused had made the place chaotic.
The whole ground had bumps on it from the soil moving about. Some places had soil so thin that a footprint would reveal the bedrock beneath.
Adam and the girls began exploring.
There was nothing much in this place. A few broken down abandoned carts and mining tools lay on the floor of the dark soil. Dozen's of mining cave signs could be seen but almost all of them had collapsed from a lack of maintenance. Only a few surviving caves were left but even they had their tunnels collapse a little way in and had become ordinary caves.
"This place is going to need a lot of work." Elaine looked around at the wide open expanse that had nothing in it.
"Yes, time to get started." Adam looked up along the 30 feet long walls that surrounded and enclosed this isolated space.
"Luna you have all the weeds and seeds. I'm leaving you in charge of planting them. Using your earth territorial skill should make it a fast task. Elaine, you are with me. We have some digging to do." Adam started delegating tasks.
"Leave it to me!" Luna lifted her smooth and fair arm and then patted her muscle in a show of strength.
Adam let out a chuckle as he messed with her hair and then left.
Back at the top.
"we need to find the underground waterways, right young master?" Elaine said. Adam had already explained his plans to the girls so they had a general idea of what to do.
"Yeah, for efficiency lets just dig three feet holes to test a spot. If it does not open up a water source by then, we should move on." He had a contemplating look on his face as he made his calculations.
"Understood." A pickaxe came out from her storage ring and she grabbed it in midair and brought it down to the ground.
"Stop. We cant dig so close to the elevator. Let's move out a bit but stay close to the outer edge of the pit." They began moving a good distance from the elevator when he said his warning.
The elevators were on the two shorter sides of the rectangular pit. Taking this into consideration the duo began digging on the longer side.
Clink. Clunk.
The sounds of metal and stone colliding rang through the air in a constant rhythm.
Adam and Elaine took turns to swing their pickaxe down onto the hard rock floor. 3 small holes could be seen, already dug around them.
Adam switched to a shovel and flipped out the accumulated rocks and stones. "Just a bit more and then we switch to another spot.
With a loud clink, Elaine's pickaxe came down and sunk into the ground a lot more than it usually did.
"I think that this is the one!" The girl said excitedly and pulled out her pickaxe.
From the small hole left behind by the sharp edge of the pickaxe, water spurted out with force.
Seeing this, Adam moved at lightning speed. His hand went out and grabbed by the waist of the smiling and oblivious girl who stood in her spot to appreciate the sight.
He pulled her out of the whole and a few steps away before the water sprayed back down to the floor.
A portion of the water evaporated into steam before it even hit the ground.
"What are you doing?! Do you want to get burned?" Adam had a furious expression on his face as he reprimanded the girl in his embrace while also moving aside her hair that had flown all over her face and checking her skin for any burn marks meticulously.
His tender actions, along with that fury for her safety, made Elaine blank out and blush. A bright red tinged her cheeks.
"I forgot. I…I'm sorry." Her eyes became watery and at the edge of tears.
"Not good enough. My heart almost beat out of my chest when I saw you standing there like a fool." Adam still had a bit of repressed anger. Time felt like it had stopped in that instant for him and he had acted out of complete instinct.
Adams gentle words hidden in that protective fury made Elaine feel incomparably content and warm but also guilty at making him worry so much for her.
"It's because I always feel so safe when I'm with you young master. I let my guard down." The tears in her eyes began to overflow as she buried her head in his chest. "Thank you for always saving me. I promise to become stronger and be less of a burden in the future."
"Fool. You are never a burden to me and I will always save you without a doubt no matter how strong you get because you will always stay this silly." When she began crying, his anger vanished and a gentle voice overtook his speech.
"I won't always stay this silly. I'll get smarter. I'll protect you one day." Her voice was a bit muffled from her face being squished into his clothes.
"Hmmhmm. I was just messing with you. I know you will. I know you will. You are already plenty smart and strong." He gently patted and caressed her back to calm her down as his words only grew sweeter.
"Realy? You're not just saying it to make me feel better?" She looked up with her pretty eyes that had already become red and pudgy and her pink lips quivering.
Elaine had always felt a sense of inferiority. Her sister was a legendary ether constitution and Adam was a dual class. The spars that they would have, had only made her lack of strength more prominent. Without teaming up with Luna she was never able to attain a victory. She worked harder than anyone realized, just to keep up with these two monsters.
"I mean it." He said resolutely. He lifted his hand and put it on her head.
Elaine thought she was gonna get a pat that she always longed for and closed her eyes to enjoy it.
His fingers slid through her bright orange hair. With a swipe of his palm, her hair was combed aside, revealing her fair and slightly red from her blush forehead.
He bent down and with a light peck gave her a kiss on her forehead.
Electricity seemed to run through the whole girl's body as her eyes opened in a start and her mouth opened in an 'O' shape.
It was an impulsive action from Adam and he only felt embarrassed after he had already done it. Suppressing the emotion, he kept a straight face and smiled at the girl as if it was a very normal thing.
When she saw that handsome face that gave her so many sweet emotions light up with a smile, her lips curled up as well.
A shy but also mesmerizingly charming smile was fully displayed on her cute little face. A tear was still making its way down her cheek and its faint glimmer only added to her beauty.
Her toes lifted and her hands raised up from his chest toward his head. Her fingers combed aside his hair that had become messy from his previous movement.
Her chin raised as her lips aimed for his forehead.
Adam's heartbeat raised and he closed his eyes as he bent his head forward to make it easier for her.
Peck.
A quick little peck and Elaine was already back on her feet.
Adam opened his eyes with a twinkle as his hand raised and touched his cheek. He could still feel that lingering sweet scent that came with the girl, along with the softness of her lips. That wet mark still remained on his cheek.
He rubbed his cheek without a sound as his eyes sparkled and his mind wandered.
Elaine stood there, still held by the waist and her head hung low. She was doing her best to not show him her current expression.
"Umm…" Adam's heart was beating so quick that he could hear it with his ears.
"For always being there for me." She said nothing more and the top of her head bumped into his chest gently and rested there.
"My pleasure." He smiled as they stood there enjoying the moment. Only after a moment did he slowly let go of her waist.
They both stepped back a step.
"What should we do about this water spout?" Elaine's charming smile would not fade away no matter what she did. She brought up the matter of their work again, in the hopes that she could shift the topic.
The hole was too small and the water pressure too high, so the water continuously spluttered out.
"It's fine to leave it for now. We need to find more of these water sources and then create gullies to connect them." Adam replied. His mood was really good right now as well. A brilliant smile was on his face, it was similarly unable to be hidden.
Elaine nodded and led the way as they moved a few steps away and began digging with their pickaxes.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Abeini
Abeini Once again... apologies for the whole confusion >.<
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