He didn’t rush to clear the weeds and shrubs from the path, as he still wasn’t sure why the cabin’s owner had abandoned it.

If they had left for personal reasons, it would be fine. But if it was due to environmental factors or even animals, then this place couldn’t be used as a shelter, and there would be no point in clearing a path.

After following the faint path through the woods for about five minutes, he pushed aside another patch of shrubs and found the path suddenly ended.

Stepping closer, he saw it was a terraced hillside.

He assumed the slope below would also be overgrown, but with a ’since I’m already here’ mentality, he decided to check for any useful plants that might have been left behind.

As his gaze swept across the area, he noticed a large patch of long, blade-like leaves growing conspicuously among the weeds.

’Sisal?’

The leaves made him instinctively think of a very important plant.

But when he took a closer look, he saw that these blade-like leaves were only similar to sisal at the base and the very top. There were no leaves in the middle section; instead, there was a round, greenish-brown cylindrical object.

As his gaze shifted to the left, he saw that the entire terrace was covered in them.

’Huh?’

Suddenly, a patch of yellow-brown caught his eye.

The moment he saw it, he froze for a second before realization dawned on him.

This wasn’t some sisal-like plant at all—it was clearly a pineapple field!

No, wait. It was a field of a specific type of pineapple, the kind you see in supermarkets.

The pineapples that appear in supermarkets abroad are of this type; the other variety had been phased out for lazy Westerners long ago.

Distinguishing between the two is actually quite simple. The quickest way is to look at the leaves of the plant.

The variety with serrated leaf edges is the tougher kind, while the ones with smooth, spine-free leaves are the supermarket variety.

For the same weight, the amount of fruit is actually similar, but the tougher variety is more fibrous, has less edible flesh, isn’t as juicy, and it even makes your mouth tingle.

The supermarket variety had none of these drawbacks. It was as if it had evolved specifically to be eaten.

Even from across the two-meter drop, he could see the shape of the leaves on the crown of the fruit and was absolutely certain these were the good kind of pineapples.

But the leaves on their crowns were much longer than what he was used to seeing in supermarkets. He remembered them being about finger-length, but these were nearly as long as his forearm.

’I don’t know if it’s a different variety or an effect of the environment, but a pineapple is a pineapple. The taste should be the same. It looks like only about ten percent of the fruit in this field is ripe.’

Looking past the pineapple field and further down the slope, he could see seven or eight trees with many orange-yellow fruits hanging from their canopies.

’Tangerines? Or oranges?’

’Probably oranges, right?’

Tangerines were more common in East Asia; in North America, people mostly ate oranges.

’Holy cow... The owner of that cabin must have lived here for a long time. They managed to clear all this land and plant tobacco, pineapples, and oranges.’

’Oh, maybe not. Judging by the height of the orange trees, they must be quite old. It’s more likely they found the trees here and decided to clear the land for the pineapple field.’

His interest piqued, he rummaged through the bushes along the edge of the slope and, sure enough, found a path leading down.

He quickly cleared some weeds from the earthen steps to make a foothold, then carefully made his way down into the pineapple field.

Only up close did he realize how tall the pineapple plants were. The fruit itself grew at a height near his navel.

He chopped down the two yellowest pineapples, tossed them in his back-basket, and without lingering, continued down the slope. He then climbed a tree and picked a dozen or so oranges before heading back.

On the way back, he didn’t retrace his steps, heading toward the coast instead.

The forest vegetation here was especially lush, thick with weeds and bushes. He could also see many dead logs lying in the grass.

Perhaps because of yesterday’s rain, large clusters of wild mushrooms had sprouted on and around the deadwood.

After picking some of the edible varieties, his steps became noticeably lighter, and a smile never left his face.

This was his most incredible find to date. After a few more scouting trips, if the area proved safe, he could even move his shelter here. Or build a warehouse and start a proper farm.

Lost in these plans, he found he had already reached the coast.

There was almost no beach here, just black reefs covered in all sorts of shellfish and algae.

The pockmarked spaces between the reefs were filled with tide pools. It was a paradise for crabs; a single glance revealed at least a hundred vividly colored blue crabs skittering across the rocks.

Abalone, oysters, and clams were everywhere. He even saw the skeletal remains of fish.

’Not bad at all. When the tide goes out, these pools trap all the seafood. They can’t escape. It’s all just easy pickings.’

He gathered some clams and oysters for lunch, getting his protein for the day. He didn’t linger any longer, instead heading for the sandy beach area at top speed, from where he would return to his shelter.

Lunch was a simple meal of boiled seafood; he didn’t bother trying to make anything elaborate.

For one, he had limited seasonings and couldn’t get creative. For another, his mind was completely preoccupied with the dilapidated wooden cabin. He was eager to scout out the area properly and had no mental energy to spare on fancy cooking.

After a quick meal, he rested for half an hour before heading back toward the abandoned cabin.