For a moment, a subtle fear creeped into Atlas' heart. Evangeline was just too similar to something they had back on earth—AI!
And last time humans and Ai had any kind of relationship, it did not end well…
But what were the chances of that happening?
He had never had any implants since he always hated the idea, and they had all lost any type of technology they had when they entered this world.
What was Evangeline then?
It was then Atlas remembered something...
'That scam reaper promised me a gift right?'
That was what she said moments before she disappeared.
'Evangeline…'
[Yes?]
'Any chance you are a gift from the sc—er Beautiful reaper?' He asked mentally.
[That would be correct]
'I guess she comes through with her promises then. By the way, what can you do?'
[•••]
[I can offer assistance in a variety of ways]
[First, and the most important feature you will need at the moment is 'simple analysis'. I can give you information regarding a variety of subjects in this world. From food to architecture and even history.]
[Please note that Simple analysis is not a cheat and has its limitations. I will cannot draw out the blueprint of a construct or directly give you the secret to winning a war]
[These are within my capabilities but are considered cheats and a such have been restricted]
'That sly woman! What's the point of being reborn without cheats?'
[Also, Simple analysis is an upgradable feature, meaning it can evolve over time.]
Atlas nodded, it was a very helpful feature as it currently was, he couldn't help but think how an upgrade will affect it.
'Go on…'
[I can also give you information on your status as well as offer you advice on a variety of topics.]
'Alright. Can you tell me what happens tou our ship, how did we—'
Atlas felt someone grab onto his shoulder and shake him slightly.
"Are you alright? You've been staring into space for sometime now…" Akaman said.
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
Atlas then turned to the rest of the group.
"The two of you can take it back to the base, we'll try looking for another elk. One elk was far too little to satisfy them.
***
The hunting party only returned to the forest when the sun was hanging low in the sky. By then, everyone had equally returned from their respective tasks.
The first thing Atlas noticed on arrival were multiple little huts scattered around the clearing.
From a glance, Atlas could tell that Dahlia had to make do with the materials she could gather on such short notice.
Branches, sticks and stones were the basic material used to build them but still, they were good enough.
Atlas was even surprised that she had managed to build so many in such a short time, but even with that number, a lot of them would still be sleeping under the night sky.
The real importance of the shelter was for the children and elderly.
Tomorrow, they would try to build a few more.
After giving instructions to the rest of the hunters, Atlas accompanied by Akaman went to find the scouts to get their report.
When he located them, the leader of the group, a slender man who was known to be quick on his feet, gave a report on all they had seen.
They were able to find a source of water and as Atlas had instructed, managed to gather a reasonable amount using bamboo stems.
But from their report, there were no signs of any other humans, only animals and nothing else as far as they went.
It wasn't surprising since they were pretty deep into the forest. If they were anything like humans then they would live farther from the forest to protect themselves from its dangers.
Atlas instructed them to gather firewood so that they could start cooking dinner before moving over to where the berries they had gathered were.
There was something he needed to check…
*
Evening was fast approaching, the sun had retreated to the end of the horizon and was now a thing the world in a beautiful orange glow.
There was a calm breeze that carried with it the natural scent of the forest along with it. It was a calm atmosphere but for one woman it was anything but that.
Resting her back on a tree was a woman with wavy blonde hair and dark green eyes. While others made themselves busy with their different tasks, she was simply standing next to a large quantity of large berries.
That was the task she was given, defending the berries from the greedy hands of the children.
They had not tested if the berries were poisonous or not so they could not let them eat any, but the children didn't seem to care.
At first, things had been simple. She even felt a little bad that she was relaxing while others were busy making camp.
That was until the children grew a little too serious…
A particularly rough looking kid took a step towards her with a scowl on his face.
The woamn sighed.
"Billy, I told you already, we have to test if they are poisoned first."
The boy did not budge and instead took another step closer, a crowd of children following behind him.
He then lifted his shirt to reveal a sharpened stick tucked within his trousers.
The woman let out a nervous breath as she watched the boy. It was not that she was scared of his little stick… it was just that the way the children looked at her hand changed over time.
The air looked desperate…
She was afraid they would somehow bypass her and eat the untested berries hur luckily for her, her saviour arrived just in time.
"Lord Atlas!" The woman said as Atlas approached. It seemed keeping the berries away from them had taken a toll on her judging by how tired she looked.
"How are you doing Anna?"
The woman frowned tiredly.
"Not well. These children won't let me rest, I told them we will have to test the berries for posit first but they won't listen."
Atlas glanced at them, watching as one of the older kids quickly concealed something within his shirt.
"Don't worry, I'll check them out."
Atlas walked towards the berries and peered down at them.
'Evangeline?'
[Fruit name: Pea berries. They are perfectly safe for consumption, but consuming too much of them may cause an upset stomach].
Atlas nodded before popping one of them
Into his mouth.
"My lord!" She screamed, you cannot try it out yourself!
Atlas smiled and rose to his feet.
"Don't worry, they are safe. Alright kids, come have some!"