Chapter 61: Solitary Journey in the Wilderness
Chapter 61: Solitary Journey in the Wilderness
"The further east you go, the colder it gets..."
On the fifth day after parting ways with his companions, Lin Sai muttered to himself as he traversed a forest solely populated by cedar trees.
It was autumn, and the drop in temperature was to be expected.
However, based on Lin Sai's three years of experience living in the Hidden Frontier, the rate at which the temperature had dropped in just five days exceeded the normal seasonal fluctuations.
Lin Sai couldn't help but recall Finn's research and instructions.
In recent years, the stable temperature in the Hidden Frontier had been gradually decreasing.
"Is this due to a natural trend in environmental temperature, or is something happening in the east that's affecting the climate?" Lin Sai muttered to himself.
He was heading towards the border between the Black Mountain World and the Hidden Frontier.
Recalling the information he had seen on the treant's corpse, Lin Sai suspected that something might have occurred in the Black Mountain World, and the changes were spreading to the neighboring Hidden Frontier, causing the temperature drop.
If this speculation proved true, a crisis that the Hidden Frontier couldn't avoid might be imminent.
After all, this could be the worst-case scenario.
Lin Sai even imagined that the dragon beast on Black Mountain might be planning to expand its territory and was about to take action against the Hidden Frontier!
Over the years, many had attempted to breach Black Mountain, but the dragon beast that resided there was a genuine high-level beast. Through various means, it could learn human languages and was likely well-informed about the Hidden Frontier.
As Lin Sai pondered this, he emerged from the dense cedar forest.
Before him was a hill with a steep incline, causing the trees to thin out, creating a natural boundary.
【Map】
Lin Sai opened his map and zoomed out to take a look.
Beyond the hill, to the southeast, there was a small river, and beyond that, another small forest.
As dusk fell, the sky gradually turned a shade of twilight.
Lin Sai decided to set up a temporary camp for the night...
"Hmm?"
Lin Sai was about to quicken his pace.
But his gaze shifted, and he spotted a patch of unique green foliage at the edge of the cedar forest, where it met the hill. The leaves were feathery and covered in sparse white down.
"Potatoes?" Lin Sai was incredulous. Without a second thought, he rushed over.
His primary task these past few days had been to travel, leaving little time for collecting wild plant species. Yet, he had the good fortune to stumble upon a wild crop!
【Plant: Potato】
【A common nightshade plant that thrives in mountainous regions, forest edges, and other wilderness environments. Leaves and stems can be used as fodder, but humans should only consume the tubers.】
【Tubers can be sold as food, but wild parent plants are not popular.】
Lin Sai opened his skills, and the item attributes appeared.
Controlling his excitement, Lin Sai dug up the potatoes.
Wild-grown crops often had nearby counterparts, and Lin Sai carefully searched the hillside, soon discovering two more potato plants.
Initially, Lin Sai planned to dig up all of them.
However, after digging up two, he didn't find any more potato plants in the vicinity. Remembering Finn's teachings, he abandoned the idea of taking all the plants.
If he recalled correctly, potatoes could self-pollinate.
"Take what you need, leave what should remain, that's enough."
Lin Sai stood before the last green leaves, brushed off the dirt from his hands, and placed the two potatoes into his bag.
This is indeed a peculiar phenomenon unique to the game.
According to the description of the Portable Bag, it shouldn't be able to contain living creatures. Lin Sai has tried, and indeed, living chickens, ducks, fish, and insects cannot be stuffed into it.
However, plants are an exception.
They can be placed in the bag, and when taken out, they can even be sown normally.
Although plants are considered life in biological terms, they are not classified as such by the bag.
This is indeed a setting that disregards reality but aligns with the game's logic.
"But if that's the case..."
"Can carnivorous plants and Cordyceps be put into the bag too?"
"Also, aren't there zombies in this world? Do they count as undead life, and can they be stuffed into the bag directly?"
Lin Sai mumbled, contemplating the unique aspects of her skills. However, there were no subjects available for experimentation, so these thoughts remained in the realm of imagination.
Searching for and digging up these potato plants took Lin Sai quite some time.
As the sun set, the evening glow behind her stretched out, casting a long shadow on the hill in front of her, as if dressing the slope in a magnificent gown.
"It's getting late."
With the intention of saving time, Lin Sai headed straight across the hill, intending to find a place to sleep by the river on the other side.
But not long after, Lin Sai's steps halted.
As he crossed the highest point of the hill and dashed down the slope, the scene in the distant east caught his attention.
Due to the late hour, the east had already been consumed by the dark night sky.
However, with the last light of day, Lin Sai could make out the landscape in the far distance.
To the east of the hill was a barren land with sparse trees and shrubs, large and small rocks scattered on the dark brown ground, moss and grass turning yellow and green, with large and small land rifts hidden in between.
But this desolate scene wasn't the main focus.
At the end of this flat plain, Lin Sai saw a stretch of yellow land covered in snow, reflecting the sky's color, making it hard to imagine this as the typical hue of heavy snowfall.
"..."
For a moment, Lin Sai was speechless.
The majestic natural landscape stirred his emotions, leaving him in awe.
However, the unease Lin Sai had felt all along was also confirmed by this sight.
According to the records of the expedition team from 120 years ago, the Hidden Borderlands exhibited seasonal uniformity, and based on distance, the maximum seasonal variation was only around a week.
Yet, it was only mid-autumn now.
This scene of snow-covered land was undoubtedly a violation of seasonal common sense!
"Haa..."
Lin Sai inexplicably felt the chill of the season.
He rubbed his hands together, gazing at the distant scene, then tried to expand the scanning range of his Map.
But the actual area of this wasteland was much larger than it appeared in his line of sight.
Lin Sai's Map skill couldn't even explore the boundaries of the wasteland.
At this moment, he could only look at the distant scenery, sensing the chill that must exist there.
Lin Sai stood on the slope of the hill for a long while.
Only when darkness completely engulfed the snowfield did he snap out of his daze and hurried down the hill.
No matter what awaited him ahead or in the future, for tonight, at least, Lin Sai needed to find a decent spot by the woods to get through this night.
(End of Chapter)
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