Chapter 362: Setting Off Again
Chapter 362: Setting Off Again
After parting ways with Elaine, Lin Sai stood alone in the center of the Sanctuary's ruins.
With the cold northern wind as his companion, he took out the Flower Fishing Rod and cast his line into the muddy pool, which barely qualified as a pond.
Plop—
The hook unceremoniously landed on a clump of mud.
"..."
Lin Sai stood frozen for two seconds before running over to retrieve the hook, shaking off the mud.
This time, he didn't bother with casting again.
Instead, he aimed for a larger puddle and carefully lowered the hook vertically into the water.
Whoosh—
Woooooo—
The chilly northern wind continued to howl, unrelenting in its accompaniment.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Lin Sai felt there was something off about the wind, making the fishing line flutter in the air.
"Why else would I not catch anything?"
"Even without the Sanctuary's unique produce, I should be able to catch a couple of loaches!"
"..."
Woooooo—
Lin Sai spent another half-hour braving the cold wind.
He silently reeled in his rod, his empty-handed outcome prompting him to set off, mentally grumbling about the irresponsible Awakened who didn't care for the environment.
"This is just too irresponsible!"
"When I defeated my opponent in the Sanctuary, I made sure to properly extinguish the fire..."
Lin Sai set off on his own.
Just half a day after the threat to the Vein was resolved, the forest seemed to have returned to normal.
Following the map's guidance, Lin Sai headed towards Echo Valley.
Along the way, he opened the map several times and realized something even more intriguing.
"The direct route from here to Echo Valley almost perfectly aligns with the forest's Vein. So, Hans Ke and Mullernahun..."
Lin Sai recalled Elaine's reminder.
Hans Ke and Mullernahun were also heading in the direction of Echo Valley.
Both being Phase VII existences with exceptional Essence perception, they were not likely to be on this path by chance.
Given that they had sensed the forest's Vein hidden deep within the earth during the forest's turmoil, they had followed this route towards Echo Valley.
"This means I'm bound to run into them, right?"
Lin Sai frowned:
"In any case, I'll try to handle it peacefully if possible."
"My goal is to obtain a fruit and resolve my Essence conflict is my priority. I don't need to get involved in their battle."
Lin Sai reminded himself of his plan of action.
Along the way, he sorted through some of his miscellaneous gains and discovered another pleasant surprise:
"Defeating Aly Kun also earned me quite a bit of experience!"
The Phase VI Great Merchant had been killed by Lin Sai himself.
Adding to his previously accumulated experience, it was now quite substantial.
Lin Sai's Constitution had become quite outstanding, and in his pursuit of balancing his physical attributes, he allocated 2 points to Strength and 1 point to Agility.
"Strength and Agility, without equipment bonuses, already have a base of 30 points."
Lin Sai examined his attribute panel and continued scrolling down.
The 'Jungle Expedition III' task was also completed, and he immediately claimed the rewards.
Magical Plant: Winter Jasmine Bean Vine
A seed of a rapidly growing vine-like plant. After planting, it forms a massive vine column that can traverse certain special terrains. Once fully grown, it bears bean-like fruits with substantial volume and rich nutrition.
A magical plant capable of breaking through spatial barriers, it is of higher value.
Oddity: Self-Sustaining Watering Can
A watering can with autonomous functions. You can set tasks such as cleaning, watering, and extinguishing fires, and it will complete them within a specified time.
A versatile tool with low value.
"..."
"Break through spatial barriers?"
Lin Sai raised an eyebrow.
Among the two task rewards, the Winter Jasmine Bean Vine was clearly the more valuable one, as indicated by its description.
However, like many items Lin Sai had acquired, their true potential wasn't immediately apparent upon acquisition.
He casually stuffed both items into his bag, ready to continue his journey.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Lin Sai noticed that the text on his task bar had changed.
After completing the 【Jungle Expedition III】 task, the text disappeared, but a new content appeared in the empty space.
【Jungle Expedition IV】
【The Garden Core is being targeted by thieves. Protect it, protect the forest, and put an end to the suffering of nature!】
【Task Reward: Garden, Professional Prospector's Compass】
"..."
"Is there a sequel?"
Lin Sai slapped his forehead, feeling that his plan had been immediately overturned.
Aly Kun, the big merchant, had already been taken care of, and the only ones left in the forest who could target the Garden Core were the two Seventh Stage Awakeners who were chasing him.
Unless Lin Sai gave up on the task.
Otherwise, on the road to collecting the rewards, he would inevitably conflict with them.
"Garden, Professional Prospector's Compass..."
Lin Sai's eyes widened.
Just looking at the names of these two equipment, the desire to act was almost bursting out of his chest.
"I've come this far."
"And the task says it's to protect the forest, not kill the enemies."
"I've made it this far, I shouldn't give up halfway, right?"
Lin Sai tried to convince himself, and his footsteps quickened.
He was still four or five days away from Echo Valley.
During this time, he could find a place to set up his mobile shop.
Other magical plants were fine, but resources like 【Sunflower】 and 【Radiant Ironstone Tree】...
If he planted them now, he could harvest them on the road.
It was always good to prepare in advance.
"Hmm?"
Lin Sai walked while planning his next actions.
But when he occasionally opened his map to scout, Lin Sai suddenly discovered a new icon on the map.
At that moment, he was on a downhill road leading out of the mountains.
On the left front slope, behind a pile of rubble, a green grass-like symbol appeared on the map.
Lin Sai's attention shifted to it.
Next to the mark, a line of short text floated.
【Frostbite Thornwood】
"..."
—The effect of 【Botanist's Backpack】 has appeared!
—This is a special plant!
Lin Sai's eyes lit up, and he rushed over immediately.
He exerted force under his feet, crossing several meters of rubble in two steps, and indeed found a blue-gray tree growing there.
The plant looked extraordinary.
It was slender and resembled dead wood, but it was full of vitality, constantly emitting a cold aura, as if warning any life that dared to approach it.
Lin Sai walked closer and discovered more things with his sharp vision.
Next to the plant that resembled dead wood, there were scattered animal bones and insect shells.
This cold aura was clearly enough to kill ordinary life.
"But I'm not afraid of the cold."
Lin Sai smiled slightly.
He switched his magic pattern and directly reached out to touch the plant, and its properties immediately appeared.
【Special Plant: Frostbite Thornwood】
【A plant with cold venom, ordinary animals cannot resist its cold aura and will become nutrients for the Frostbite Thornwood after dying.】
【A rare wild plant, moderately valuable.】
"Today's luck is really good!"
Lin Sai took out his machete and trimmed the 【Frostbite Thornwood】 to a height that could be carried.
After adding 7 units of 【Frostbite Thornwood】 to his bag, Lin Sai stopped and left a way for this rare wild plant to survive.
"That's enough."
Lin Sai put away his machete and continued on his way.
He also placed the materials on his workbench, and the corresponding synthesis formula appeared.
【1 Frostbite Thornwood = 20 Frost Venom Arrows】
【1 Frostbite Thornwood + 2 fabrics + 3 vines = Frostwood Cloak】
...
(End of Chapter)
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