Elemental Cats

Toz and the cats sensed the object approaching the island at almost the same time. The difference between when each of them noticed was so small it wasn't even noticed by them.

Although they had been busy celebrating Nil and having as much of a party as they could with their limited supplies, the object they sensed took priority as they rushed over to the edge of the island where the trees weren't blocking their view.

Standing on the edge of their island, Toz got a better look at the object drifting around in the Void only a dozen meters away from them.

Although it was difficult to tell its exact size with the distance between them and the object, it couldn't be more than a few meters long and slightly more than a single meter wide.

The tiny wooden rowboat was covered by a white cloth, so it was impossible to identify the contents of the boat. But a boat was a sign of civilization, even if the boat was empty. Upon identifying the boat, Toz and the cats almost cheered. The boat had to have come from somewhere, maybe even a plane, where they could finally find something other than void beasts to eat.

But before they began hoping to find a nearby plane, the boat was an incredible opportunity of acquiring supplies that Toz and the cats wouldn't let slip past them.

After calming down, Toz and Nil started creating a fishing rod and line they could use to haul in the rowboat before it started drifting away from the island. Encountering the boat in the vast Void was an extremely unlikely occurrence, and Toz wouldn't let the boat get away.

If the boat had been uncovered and empty, Toz and the cats might not have been that interested in it, but the cover indicated it at least held something within it.

Toz threw the weight at the end of the wire at the boat and controlled it to wrap around the boat. Controlling conjured mana in various directions at a distance was difficult, much more so than simply propelling projectiles, even more so through the chaotic mana in the Void, but with the help of Nil, Toz managed to grab the boat.

Toz gently pulled back the boat in case the wire would slip off and send the boat spinning away somehow. Since the boat wasn't too far away, it didn't take long for it to bump against the roots of the wooden island.

Toz pulled up the boat further onto the ground, where it lay tightly secured so it wouldn't fly away if the island was attacked. And in case it contained something dangerous, Toz didn't bring it all the way to their house in the center of the island.

If it was booby-trapped with powerful explosives, opening up at the edge of the island would at least save some of their refuge from the Void, while uncovering it right in the center might shatter the entire island.

Although the odds of something like that actually being the case were almost slimmer than a knife's edge, Toz didn't want to take unnecessary risks when they were already in a generally bad situation.

Toz and the cats stood at a distance, the cats and most of Toz's body protected by a tree. Toz used a long metal stick to prod the boat's cover and gently began pushing it off the rim. Since they were taking precautions and hiding a few meters away from the boat, Toz and the cats couldn't see what was inside.

But after confirming that there weren't any dangers included, they got closer.

Toz and Lucy had the advantage of height as they got closer and could see their haul first. Since the other cats couldn't with clear conscience take Lucy's place on Toz's head and were walking beside him instead, they only saw the contents when they got to the other side of the tilting boat.

Though even Toz and Lucy couldn't see the objects clearly until they tumbled out of the boat, startling all of them.

When they saw that the bundle of cloths wasn't moving after falling out of the boat, Toz and the cats closed in with gentle steps.

Toz wondered if he should have brought the stick with him, but the curiosity was too strong to go back and get it. And he was too busy to think about how he could create one himself as he bent down and started untangling the heap of cloth that came from the boat.

Aside from Lucy, the other cats looked on from the side, their face full of curiosity. Despite not needing to lean forward to get a better look at the large bundle that had filled most of the space in the boat, the cats did just that as Toz pulled at the cloth, trying to find an opening.

While touching the beige and white cloth, Toz sensed a few patterns with his fingers, but they didn't seem to be more than a part of the cloth, so he didn't pay any more attention to it. Especially not when the things hidden within the cloth were finally about to be revealed.

Though, it wasn't quite what he had expected.

Since the cloths were so airy and loosely packed together, the shape of the contents had been impossible to determine before unwrapping the bundle. However, since it had been wrapped in so much protection, it should be something fragile. And while fragile could be both good and bad, it at least meant it was something valuable if it needed protection. And valuable things could sometimes be useful things.

Toz didn't know what to hope for when he realized it wasn't a food storage that had gotten loose or been dropped into the Void. But even if it was something valuable but currently useless, Toz held confidence in one day being able to return to human civilization where he could sell it and get some funds.

Though, all thoughts of selling it or using it disappeared when he actually saw the contents after removing several layers of fabric.