Chapter 485: Coming Along

Chapter 485: Coming Along

“Yo, long time no see, Brother Oss.” Zheng Yichen greeted a bewildered Oss. The latter nodded blankly. This personality… really was the same as the one encountered within the Containment Barrier… quite easy to get along with.

“R-Right, long time no see.” Oss replied dazedly. Zheng Yichen glanced at other areas of the Temporary Camp.

“Where are your old buddies from before?”

“… They ’ve returned to normal life.” Oss said with a hint of conflict. Thinking back on the days of adventuring together still filled him with nostalgia. Separating now made him feel a bit tangled up. However, for Gale and the others, parting ways was a good thing. After all, the adventures he would face in the future were no longer at the same level as before. Acting together with them would only drag them into his trouble.

“You seem to be looking for a place to stay for now? How about coming over to our side?”

“Sure.” Zheng Yichen put away his Bicycle. Oss couldn’t help but take another look at it. The style of this Bicycle was very different from those normally circulating on the market. The gears with chains numbered over ten, which seemed excessive, but they probably served a unique purpose, right?

Although curious, Oss did not ask about it.

Arriving at the spot where Oss and his group were, Zheng Yichen looked at his new companions. These new companions were quite distinctive. One had green hair… Well, that head of green hair was really eye-catching, and his ears were somewhat pointy and longer compared to a normal person’s. Another was a burly man with red eyes—a real strongman. He carried a very large axe on his back and was a man of few words. The last one was a seemingly normal young man similar to Oss in appearance.

Age was not absolute in this world. Someone who looked very young might actually be an old-timer. On this person, Zheng Yichen sensed a familiar aura. Hmm, the aura belonging to the Azure Wrath Evil God.

This person was also a Cultist. Speaking of Azure Wrath, its influence had spread quite early, yet it hadn’t been exposed until now. That could be considered a skill in itself. It might also be due to its scale being too small. However, after encountering a Cultist related to Azure Wrath here, Zheng Yichen couldn’t help but think… this really gave a feeling of the world being small.

“Let me introduce. This is Green.” Oss said, looking at the green-haired man. Then he looked at the silent, red-eyed strongman. “He’s Fred.”

“Garcia.” The remaining person, who was a believer of Azure Wrath—a Cultist—introduced himself proactively.

“As for me, you all know me, right?” Zheng Yichen pointed at his own face. “Looking at this face is certainly more comfortable than facing a dragon’s face, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…” Oss nodded. That was true, but he guessed everyone was probably quite curious about Zheng Yichen’s real appearance.

“Where’s Lena?” Zheng Yichen couldn’t find Dan Marina’s figure and asked.

“I’m here.” Lena walked out from a tent, holding the Magic Weapon Summoning Book in her arms. The open page was stuck on the Forum section. This girl was browsing the Forum… how degenerate!

“Hey, hey, Captain, she seems more interested in that dragon.” Green pulled Oss aside and said in a low voice.

“Well, it is a dragon after all.”

Green nodded. “That’s true… dragons are rare creatures. But I’m a rare race too, right? Why does she seem so uninterested in me? My bloodline is quite good too.”

“It probably has something to do with you being from an Alien Race.”

Oss shook his head. Having been around for a while, Oss knew some inside information about certain matters, like some affairs among Nobles. Nobles could accept women from Alien Races, but it was rare for their daughters to marry out to Alien Races. This mainly involved issues of Lineage.

Dan Marina was a Noble, so it was normal for her to not be interested in an Alien Race member like Green. As for a dragon? That was no issue. Could dragons be compared to Alien Races? Obviously not. Just think about how many people, in the past, wanted to obtain a dragon’s body, even going so far as to create Cursed Dragons. For the sake of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, some researchers in the Life Domain had even conducted related studies.

Unfortunately, those studies had completely vanished along with the demise of the Cursed Dragons.

“The difference is huge. Strictly speaking, the Dragon Clan is also an Alien Race without human form.” Green slightly pursed his lips. “Chatting with an Alchemical Puppet can’t be as interesting as chatting with a real person…”

“Uh, but they seem to be chatting quite well.”

“That’s why I kinda regret asking you, Captain, to greet him. So envious!” Green said with frustration. Oss shook his head. The racial difference meant Zheng Yichen and Lena wouldn’t have any special relationship. After all, one was a giant creature, and the other was a little person about a meter tall. The difference was too great, wasn’t it?

After chatting with Lena for a while, Zheng Yichen walked to an empty spot nearby. He took out a small square box and tossed it on the ground. Upon landing, the small box immediately burst open. Like being inflated, it rapidly filled that empty area, quickly forming a small house.

“Wow… holy crap, so convenient?” Green exclaimed, looking at this ‘small house.’ The small box Zheng Yichen took out was only palm-sized. Yet after landing, it became this luxurious residence that looked like a must-have for travel. Compared to a tent, this was indeed luxurious!

“He can make Alchemical Puppets, so making something like this isn’t strange.” Garcia said, examining Zheng Yichen’s ‘single room.’ When Zheng Yichen opened the door, Garcia’s eye twitched slightly. If it were just the external shape of a house, that would be one thing. But the moment the door opened, he saw furniture inside. That was a bit ridiculous, wasn’t it?

Regarding this, Garcia didn’t want to offer any further opinion. When did Auxiliary Profession Practitioners in Alchemy become so capricious… Uh, well, there probably weren’t any Auxiliary Profession Practitioners in Alchemy who would go adventuring in such a place. Whether such people existed or not, who knew?

Now he had seen one. However, this was a dragon. He couldn’t be viewed with normal standards. This guy wasn’t just skilled in Alchemy crafting; he was also particularly formidable in combat. Not long after Zheng Yichen arrived at the campsite, a man riding an old-fashioned Magic Cycle, wearing a tattered and worn cloak, with a resolute face, also arrived at this Temporary Camp. Some Sanctuary Church members in the camp noticed Moser’s arrival and subtly shifted their gazes away.

Dark Executor. Although not an absolute secret, it was better to pretend not to see them when encountered in public.

Moser glanced at Zheng Yichen’s house, and his eye twitched slightly. He had seen this thing before! He even owned one.

He found an empty spot and, without a word, tossed the cube in his hand onto that spot. The cube burst open, forming a black single room. The two houses attracted a lot of attention in the camp, especially from the Sanctuary Church members. They watched expressionlessly, even feeling a faint sense of “holy crap” in their hearts.

Dark Executors indeed had money. After all, they took on private jobs and bore greater risks. As long as they didn’t target ordinary people or people without sins, it was fine. But what the heck was this high-tech thing? It wasn’t circulating on the market, right?!

So where did Moser get it from? Right, and that dragon too.

When traveling, maintaining good condition was important, and a good resting environment was crucial. These single rooms that popped out from those small boxes were far superior to tents in terms of quality and everything else. Setting up a tent took time. But this thing? Just toss it on the ground and that was it!

More importantly, there were simple furniture inside!!

News about this type of tent began spreading in the camp. On the first day, people could hold back and not inquire further because Zheng Yichen was a dragon, and the other looked very intimidating. That’s why people restrained themselves. Some were even thinking about the practicality of this thing. After all, it looked quite complex. It unfolded faster than a tent, but what about packing it up?

Leave it as is? If left unattended, who knows what would be left of it after going out and coming back!

But the actual situation slapped these people in the face. After Moser walked out from inside, the tent quickly and orderly shrank back. The shrinking speed was fast, but for people with good eyesight, they could clearly see the shrinking process. The shrinkage followed a certain folded pattern. Under orderly folding, plus the expulsion of some gas substance inside, the volume was forcefully compressed back to the original palm-sized cube.

“…Captain, I think we need to update our team’s equipment. That house is great. Us Adventurers are often in the wild all year round. Having a sufficiently safe temporary dwelling is too necessary!” Green said seriously to Oss, looking at Zheng Yichen who was leaving the Temporary Camp and making crazy hints!!

“Money.”

Oss said expressionlessly.

“I have some savings. That thing surely can’t be more expensive than a car, right?” Green said. The other two new partners nodded. A proper dwelling was indeed important. Tents were ultimately not very safe. More importantly, when sleeping at night, small bugs could crawl in from outside. In general environments, that wasn’t a big problem. But in dangerous environments filled with poisonous insects, if some poisonous bugs crawled into the tent… it would be terrifying!

“Then I’ll ask about it tonight.” Oss nodded. After eating breakfast in the morning, they also needed to prepare to go adventuring to the Stone Forest. Eliminating ‘Soul Spirits’ and collecting things there was a great way to make money. Adventurers had financial needs too, so of course they wouldn’t miss it.

As for the money Oss had earned a lot before, he didn’t plan to touch that money. He would keep it. After all, he didn’t have many places to spend money. He didn’t need fancy equipment. Getting a decent set of leather armor was enough. The materials for the leather armor were all obtained from hunting powerful Magical Beasts. Finding a skilled tailor to make it was sufficient. Much more cost-effective than buying finished products.

As for weapons, he had the Magic Weapon Summoning Book… no need. Therefore, money was something to be saved and not spent recklessly. In case something happened accidentally, that money could still be left to his sister. Oss had long been clear about his future plans.

“Let’s go. If we’re late, we won’t find a good spot.” After checking the axe he carried, Fred said in a muffled voice, taking the lead to walk out of the Temporary Camp.

Outside the Stone Forest, Zheng Yichen looked at the place and couldn’t help but chuckle. This was his second time coming here. The first time, he had foolishly arrived without realizing this was a place deeply connected to Witches. Thinking back, it was probably then that he truly formed some connection with the Undying Witch.

Now, the Undying Witch’s soul was permanently imprisoned, and the Stone Forest would soon become history. Looking at the Stone Forest from afar, it was shrouded in an ominous aura. Visible to the naked eye, upon closer inspection, one could make out the swirling, ominous mist above the Stone Forest. From time to time, a ferocious, distorted human face would appear within it, sending chills down one’s spine.

Tsking lightly, Zheng Yichen patted the Magic Weapon Summoning Book beside him and walked towards one of the entrances to the Stone Forest. Several Church members stationed at this entrance saw Zheng Yichen and were slightly taken aback but didn’t say anything, allowing him to enter.

Other Adventurers and Mercenaries had a duty to be reminded to avoid foolishly going deep into the Stone Forest and not coming out. For Zheng Yichen… there seemed to be no need for such reminders. But why was this dragon coming here? To stir up something?

Although they didn’t stop Zheng Yichen, a report was still necessary. However, the reply they received was to ignore the matter. What Zheng Yichen wanted to do… Hmm, as long as it wasn’t dangerous, let him do it for now. That dragon wasn’t someone to be easily moved against at the moment.

But…

“Never mind, never mind. What this dragon wants to do, we can’t stop him anyway.” one Church member said, looking at the person who came to the entrance afterwards. “Want to go through? Come, come, register first. Oh, it’s not to prevent anything, but to better count the number of people entering. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know how many died.”

After entering the Stone Forest, Zheng Yichen clearly felt the atmosphere inside was completely different from his first visit. Back then, the aura here was eerie but calm. Now, upon entering, the entire Stone Forest was filled with a frenzied aura. Once inside, Zheng Yichen, who relied on Mana to supplement his primary senses, immediately sensed the Mana’s restlessness.

It gave a very uncomfortable feeling. Zheng Yichen curled his lip and pressed his hand against a nearby stone pillar. A ‘slimy’ sensation transmitted over, making his eye twitch as he immediately withdrew his hand. Looking at this stone pillar, a human face had already appeared on it, biting at the empty air.

Zheng Yichen looked at this thing expressionlessly and slapped the human face. The face shattered along with the stone pillar. Then, a silent scream seemed to erupt in the air. A large number of ‘Soul Spirits’ emerged from the shattered stone pillar. Zheng Yichen glanced at these Soul Spirits circling around him. According to Irene’s explanation, these things were Soul Spirits, not Souls. A Soul generally contained a True Spirit.

Without the True Spirit, it was an empty shell Soul. Soul Spirits were more like Soul Material that had been retraced and restored. The difference was they gained a new ‘drive.’ Unlike empty shell Souls, which were dull and sluggish, would dissipate quickly if left alone, Soul Spirits would violently attack living creatures.

One stone pillar produced hundreds of Soul Spirits… They were all attracted to Zheng Yichen. After a moment of stalemate, all the Soul Spirits swarmed forward. Zheng Yichen silently drew Frostmourne. This wasn’t a Projection but the Magic Arms itself. As the Soul Spirits approached Zheng Yichen, they were all sucked into Frostmourne. Soul Spirits counted as a type of Soul and could also generate Negative Power. Although they didn’t contain pure things like Grudge, they still had an enhancing effect on Frostmourne.

More importantly, these were materials. It was a great place to farm good materials. Unfortunately, Zheng Yichen’s purpose wasn’t here. His main goal was to find the core of the Stone Forest. Once he obtained the Stone Forest’s core, all the stone pillars seen here would be illusions. Zheng Yichen really wanted to ask the Undying Witch where exactly the core of this Stone Forest was. But that woman… Zheng Yichen glanced at the transparent sphere within his Personal Space. The Undying Witch sat quietly inside.

She showed no reaction to Zheng Yichen’s gaze. However, if Zheng Yichen took it out and shook it a few times, she would immediately break this silence and start cursing him. Her vocabulary… one should never underestimate the ferocity of a Witch who had lived for who-knows-how-long when she started cursing.

Back at Zheng Yichen’s Temporary Camp, a woman in tattered clothes cautiously approached the area. She didn’t get too close to the Temporary Camp but observed from a distance. A Mercenary Squad leaving the camp intending to go out spotted the woman lingering there. The squad leader’s mind stirred slightly. Although her clothes were tattered, they were extremely clean. Her appearance wasn’t affected at all by her attire.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Going to take a look might be to offer help or have other intentions. Anyway, one shouldn’t think too highly of the integrity of most Mercenaries or Adventurers. Although people of this sort weren’t like those in RPG games who would go into houses uninvited, rummaging through chests and drawers.

Their integrity was honestly not high. Well, on average, it wasn’t high.

The movements of this Mercenary Squad were seen by a Church member. However, this Church member didn’t see the woman who had already hidden herself. He frowned slightly but didn’t think much about it. Mercenaries going to the Stone Forest area was normal. Their specific actions were their own business. It wasn’t possible to chase after and question every single one.

There weren’t any matters at the Stone Forest that needed absolute secrecy. The main operation was to deal with the effects of the Stone Forest’s collapse. Withdrawing his gaze, the Church member continued patrolling nearby. As for what that Mercenary Squad was doing… perhaps seeing that it was almost noon, they were going to hunt some game? Although with the advent of food delivery, the lifestyle in the wild had become different from before.

While this Church member continued his patrol, the small Mercenary Squad had already made contact with the woman who had hidden herself, avoiding the gaze of the Sanctuary Church members. From afar, they hadn’t seen clearly. Up close, after seeing her, all the men in the Mercenary Squad started breathing heavily… She was a captivating little enchantress!