And so a week passed, going to the village every day to explore and investigate; Janeth always followed me everywhere. On one of those trips, I learned that this kingdom is called Divon and that it is made up of four villages: the Village between Cliffs (near the palace), Bigue, which is a coastal village; Honoriria, situated in the mountains; and Futoterra, located near the forest where I first appeared.
I still know nothing about the supposed rebellion the female voice warned me about; I'd like to know her name so I don't have to keep referring to her like that. This is proving to be complicated, and King Zoran hasn't returned since they gave me shelter in the palace. How am I supposed to help? Maybe I can go to the other villages to investigate; the thing is, I don't think the bitter giantess will let me. I feel uncomfortable because she is always watching me.
Three more days passed and finally, the King appeared. From what I gathered, his absence was due to him attending to a crisis in Bigue: apparently, the food was rotting. In this place, refrigerators don't exist, so it's normal. Perhaps I can suggest a way to preserve food and thus get them to take me there to investigate.
The problem is that I barely remember how fridges work, and they are ruled out due to the lack of electricity and materials. I could try something with ice; I know that in ancient Persia, an emperor devised a way to keep it fresh in the middle of the desert. If I could manage to remember how it's done, that could be my next move.
I went to the throne room and requested an audience with the monarch.
—Good morning, your majesty —I greeted Zoran.
—You requested an audience? For what exactly? —the King asked with curiosity.
—I heard you're having trouble in Bigue with food rotting, and I think I have the solution.
The giant remained silent, thinking.
—What do you propose? —he looked serious.
—Do you know what ice is? —I asked.
—Yes, it is the crystal generated at the top of the mountains. Why do you ask?
—If we know how to use it, those crystals could serve to keep the food fresh.
—It could be, however, it melts when taken from the mountain —the Viking said.
—You're right about that, but there is a solution to keep it solid so it doesn't melt —I announced enthusiastically.
—You have my full attention, Samuel.
—We could build a structure that maintains the cold; there, we would store the ice along with the food to preserve it.
—It makes sense —the monarch conceded—. The problem is transporting the crystals from the summits without them going to waste.
—You're right, your majesty. For the moment, I wouldn't know how to preserve the ice during transport. Give me a few days and I will bring you a fully polished plan —I promised.
—Very well, I hope you surprise me.
I left there and went back to my room; now I had a challenge on my hands. I know I sounded very confident, but I don't know how the hell to transport ice without it melting; modern life turned me into a complete useless person. I should have studied engineering instead of staying home making video games. At least I always liked history; thanks to that, I remember many useful things. If I want it not to melt, I'll need something to keep it cold the whole trip... something like a thermal insulator.
Sometimes, while I was lying down watching my phone, I'd see videos from India where people sold ice cream on the street without the need for a freezer. They put ice in a metal container and added salt... That's it! Maybe that will help. I also remember they bought blocks in a cart where they were covered in sawdust. That has to be it! Thank you, India, for living in the past.
The advantage is that, since Bigue is a coastal village, it will be easy to get salt. The real challenge is the sawdust. Maybe it can be replaced with straw or fabrics, but first I'm going back to the village; I remember seeing places where they work with wood.
It won't be easy to convince the giantess to let me rummage through the carpenters' waste, but it's my only chance. If I can make this plan work, I won't just save the food in Bigue; I'll have the exit pass I need so much to investigate the rebellion.
With a plan in mind, the next day I went to the Village between Cliffs. As soon as I arrived, I headed toward the carpenter shops; I entered one and, to my surprise, there was a man working with iron tools. That was new, since very few people have that material besides the King.
—Good morning, my lord —I greeted the worker.
—Hello. What do you want? —he replied, a bit curtly.
—Hey, could I see where you throw the wood waste?
The guy looked at me weird; I guess it's normal, I'm a talking animal.
—Behind the shop; we throw everything there to use it as fuel later —he replied.
I went out and around to the back. There I found a bunch of wood scraps and something resembling sawdust. "Maybe this will work," I thought.
—What are you plotting now, little vermin? —Janeth's voice made itself present.
—I'm doing science, miss.
—I heard you offered to solve the problem in Bigue —the girl said cautiously.
—You're right, this will help with that problem. Instead of interrogating me, help me with this.
Strangely, she accepted and, after a while, I had everything in the castle. Now it was time to figure out how to build the structure and the transport; everything was progressing bit by bit.
That same night, I thought about how they made the wall material so the cold air wouldn't leak out. They must have used some kind of resin or insulator; plastic didn't exist, so they must have taken it from nature. Maybe from animals... That's it! The hair and skin of living beings normally secrete oils to stay protected. The solution will be there.
I need to get mud, animal hair, and I think everything will be ready. I feel like quite the engineer. I think I saw a similar story before: it was a guy who was reborn like me, but he, at least, appeared in a world with humans. What irony!
I'm going to be the first to make a fridge; I feel very happy and smart. How is it that someone so useless can change the world? That's the advantage of coming from a place as prosperous as the modern world. At least, for now, I only have to deal with small problems; I don't even want to imagine what it will be like in the future.