The treasure-hunting rabbit quickly ran forward again.
And this time, it ran even faster than before, as if it had caught a scent of something special.
Flora jogged to keep up with her basket in hand. Loviki followed closely behind her. Having gone so long without encountering any formidable magical beasts, her tense expression had gradually shifted into one of curiosity.
Chen Mian brought up the rear, his pace leisurely.
The treasure-hunting rabbit stopped in a damp, low-lying hollow.
The lighting here was dim, and the ground was covered in moss and ferns. Deprived of sunlight for so long, the air carried a musty scent of damp earth and rotting wood, yet mixed within this unpleasant odor was a faint, sweet fragrance.
The treasure-hunting rabbit stopped in front of a fallen, decaying log and looked back at the three of them.
Chen Mian was the first to walk over. He squatted down and peered into a crevice.
“What is it?” Loviki leaned in.
Chen Mian reached out and pried open a piece of rotting wood, revealing a cluster of silvery-white mushrooms inside. They were small, roughly the size of a copper coin, packed tightly together. They pulsed with faint mana fluctuations, resembling a cluster of tiny silver lamps.
“These are...” Flora leaned closer to inspect them, and her expression quickly turned to pleasant surprise. “Moonlight Mushrooms! The main ingredient for the magical cuisine 《Moonlight Mushroom Condensation》!”
“Eh? Does that mean I’ll get to try a new dish made by Flora again?” Loviki’s eyes lit up.
“Mhm! Now that we have Moonlight Mushrooms, we can gather all the other ingredients.”
Flora nodded excitedly. From her expression, it was clear that her joy came straight from the heart.
It had to be said that Flora truly possessed a deep love for cooking.
She carefully picked the Moonlight Mushrooms one by one, wrapped them in a large leaf, and placed them into the basket, leaving a few behind.
“Moonlight Mushrooms can only grow in this kind of environment. They probably won't survive if we try to plant them in the garden, so let's leave a few here to keep growing.”
Hearing this, Chen Mian covered the rotting wood back up. When it came to identifying ingredients, he seemed inferior to Flora.
At least, in all the time he had been in this world, he had never put much thought into food.
After a moment of thought, Chen Mian took out the pale silver seed he had picked up in the forest from his storage space. “Flora, do you know what kind of seed this is?”
Flora took the pale silver seed and examined it closely. The seed was about the size of a hen's egg, its surface covered in delicate patterns that shimmered with a faint silver light.
“This...” Her eyes gradually widened, and her voice carried a hint of uncertainty. “This looks like a Spirit-Silver Tree seed.”
“A Spirit-Silver Tree?” Loviki leaned in.
“A very ancient magical plant recorded in the ancient texts of the elves.” Flora turned the seed over, pointing to a small spiral pattern at the bottom. “It's said that the Spirit-Silver Tree only bears fruit once every hundred years. The fruit can be eaten directly to significantly increase mana affinity. But its most precious part is its leaves—brewing them into tea can purify curses.”
“Purify curses?”
Flora nodded, her voice growing softer. “The ancient texts say that tea brewed from Spirit-Silver Tree leaves has a neutralizing effect on negative curses. Though it only temporarily suppresses them, if consumed over a long period...”
“Then we’ll plant it,” Chen Mian said, placing the seed into Flora’s basket.
“But the Spirit-Silver Tree requires very specific growing conditions. I don't know if it can survive in the vegetable garden's soil,” Flora said with some uncertainty, looking at the Spirit-Silver Tree seed in her basket.
“As you said, the soil in the garden isn't ordinary magic soil, and we have a dedicated area for planting fruit trees.” Chen Mian paused before continuing, “Besides, we only need the leaves. If it really won't grow, we can always look for one in the forest. Since there are seeds, a mature Spirit-Silver Tree must exist somewhere.”
“Mhm!” Seeing his expression and remembering the rapidly growing crops in the garden along with the pale gold mana patterns, Flora nodded. She carefully placed the seed at the very bottom of the basket.
“Let’s go, then. Let's keep moving,” Chen Mian said, continuing forward.
Next, the three of them followed the rabbit's tracks.
On a rock by a stream, they found Gold-Thread Moss (which could be used to make soup after being washed and dried).
Beneath a patch of brambles, they found several Blue Glass Fruit plants. They picked six fruits in total, which were sweet, sour, and very juicy. While not rare on the Continent of Cecia, because the plants were quite small, Chen Mian decided to transplant one.
On a sunny slope, they found some purple pulp berries. They picked two clusters of the fruit. Since Flora and Loviki liked them so much, they decided to take one of the plants with them.
Before they knew it, the basket was full. Since Flora lacked mana, the task of carrying the basket was eventually handed over to Loviki.
“That should be enough,” Flora said, looking up at the sky. “We should head back.”
“There's still one more place,” Chen Mian said.
Flora blinked. “Another place?”
“Mhm.”
Chen Mian turned and walked in another direction. That direction led to the territory of the flame demon bear, though of course, Flora and Loviki had no idea.
The three of them passed through a dense forest, where the trees eventually began to thin out.
The vegetation on the ground gradually grew sparser, replaced by scorched earth and grayish-white rocks.
A faint smell of sulfur hung in the air.
Ahead was an open clearing. In the center of the clearing lay a massive, dark-red figure.
A flame demon bear.
It lay there like a miniature volcano. With every breath it took, tiny sparks puffed from its nostrils.
The moment Loviki saw the flame demon bear, her hand went to her hilt, her face turning slightly pale.
“Don't be nervous,” Chen Mian's voice came from ahead.
The flame demon bear heard the noise. It raised its head, its dark red eyes scanning in their direction.
Loviki drew her rapier in a conditioned reflex.
But the flame demon bear ignored her. It merely looked at Chen Mian and let out a low, rumbling growl from its throat, as if greeting him.
Chen Mian nodded to it.
The flame demon bear rested its chin back on its front paws and closed its eyes.
Loviki stood frozen in place. “It... really won't attack us?”
“You saw it yourself,” Chen Mian said. “It didn't even bother to stand up.”
After meeting Chen Mian last time, the flame demon bear had brought its cub along. In the Forest of Death, such behavior from a magical beast was equivalent to showing friendliness.
Just then, a rustling sound came from nearby.
A small, dark red bundle rolled out from behind a rock, scurried over to Chen Mian's feet, and rubbed its head against his shin.
It was a flame demon bear cub, about the size of a large dog. Its fur was a light red, and a tiny puff of smoke occasionally drifted from its nostrils.
“A cub,” Chen Mian said, squatting down to pat the little bear's head.
The little flame demon bear let out a series of grunts and rolled over, exposing its fluffy belly.
Loviki watched the little bear act cute with a complex expression.
“Do you want to try petting it?” Chen Mian looked up at her.
She hesitated.
The little flame demon bear rolled back over, looked at her, and then wobbled over. It sniffed her fingers and gave them a lick with its tongue.
Loviki's body tensed slightly, but she didn't pull her hand back. “...It licked me.”
“It likes you,” Chen Mian said.
The corner of Loviki's mouth twitched slightly. She slowly squatted down and placed her hand on the little bear's back. Its fur was stiff, but felt warm to the touch. The cub narrowed its eyes and let out a soft purring sound.
Flora squatted down to pet it too, her eyes curving into crescents. “So cute.”
Loviki looked down at the little bear nuzzling against her knee, and suddenly murmured softly, “Thank you.”
Chen Mian glanced at her. “As a landlord, if my tenants are frightened by the surrounding environment, I have to take responsibility.”
Loviki didn't look at him, continuing to pet the little bear, but the tips of her ears turned red.
After a moment, Chen Mian stood up. “Let’s go, it’s getting dark.”
Loviki gently nudged the little bear off her lap. The cub gave a soft grunt and ran back to the adult flame demon bear, curling into a ball next to its giant paws.
The three of them started heading back.
【Flora's Interaction Quest completed! +30 Points】
【Loviki's Interaction Quest completed! +30 Points】
【Current Points: 2040】
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Flora suddenly stopped. “Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Yes?”
“That direction... is that the place you took me to last time? The one with the glowing spores?”
“Yes.”
“It was so beautiful there.” Flora's voice carried a hint of nostalgia. “It was so beautiful. Next time, let's bring some food and sit there for a while.”
Chen Mian stopped walking. “No need to wait for next time. We can go now.”
“Now? But it's almost dark...”
“We can camp. It looks best at night,” Chen Mian said, turning to Loviki. “What do you think?”
Loviki thought about it. “I don't mind, but what about a tent?”
Chen Mian pulled a roll of waterproof tarp, several folded metal poles, and a bundle of rope from his storage space.
Rate on N.U.
