Hua Mi scratched his head. "Three in one go after being outside for just a while? Left, middle, or right... this is tricky."
After a mont of thought, he decided to head left first. "If I'm wrong, I'll just swing right. It's the fastest way, and that left scent's stronger."
He set off, following the fragrance from the left side. The mist here persisted year-round, visibility limited to about five to six ters even with enhanced sight. His 'Keen Vision' was more about seeing through illusions and details, not X-ray vision; useless here.
To aid his exploration, Hua Mi bought an infrared thermal imager, handy for situations like this. It was a bit pricey, but worth it. "You better be worth the cash I splurged," he muttered as he pulled out the imager from storage.
Slightly heavier than a handheld cara, he switched to thermal vision. The fog disappeared on the screen, objects clear and stable, making spotting standard-temperature creatures a breeze. Variable-temperature animals were trickier, their body heat matched the environnt, harder to detect.
But living things moved. The mont they shifted, they stood out. He'd have to be more alert, constantly switching between bee scouting, his own vision, and thermal imaging.
The first scent wasn't too far, about two or three kiloters. No surprises on the way; he reached the spot quickly, only to find it wasn't from the Beyond Tree. Instead, it was a vast expanse of wildflowers, larger than the previous patch by the lake, teeming with insects and critters.
A quick scan didn't reveal any exceptional flowers. His standards now demanded at least Moon Slumber Flower quality for value. Otherwise, the honey brewed wouldn't stand out.
"Magic world or not, plants with magic elents are still rare." Hua Mi didn't pause, ready to head to the next scent.
Before he moved, he noticed a peculiar thing about the third marked point. "Huh? Did the location of the third scent source change?" It seed slightly shifted compared to the initial spot. But he wasn't entirely sure; terrains in these mountains could easily cause mory errors.
Regardless, he headed for the next target as planned, still juggling between the three viewpoints.
After a while, the thermal imager proved useful. Amidst the trees on the left side, two 'warm' figures appeared.
Halting, Hua Mi took cover behind a tree, sending a scouting bee to gather intel. With his improved ntal prowess, the bees easily covered a hundred ters.
The bee swiftly arrived at the target spot, revealing three figures actually. One lay obscured by rocks and trees, missed earlier. The standing pair were none other than the couple from Tianlei Peak, those Pseudo-Flower Spirits he'd t at the bookstore.
"Tianlei Peak sounds thunderous... let's just call them Thunder and Lightning. Genius nar, that's ."
Both stood arms-folded, looking quite arrogant. The guy sitting, though, seed genuinely rattled.
Hua Mi had presud these two were bullying him. However, it turned out they had saved him from an attack by that beast?
"No need for thanks." Thunder raised his head, indifferent to the bleeding from his arm. "Just a Level 4 magical beast. Easy pickings."
"That's right," Lightning added, more diplomatic, "we saw your bravery. A re 3-star adventure site is as easy as a walk ho for us."
"So..." Thunder glanced at him, a sly smirk, "how about joining us?"
"Huh?" The adventurer seed surprised by the sudden proposal.
Hua Mi was equally surprised. What was this guy's obsession with forming teams?
"If you join us, we'll share the spoils from this Level 4 magical beast," Lightning chid in, more tactful than her partner.
"Uh..." The adventurer looked conflicted, likely experiencing a similar internal journey. Noticing hostility toward them, he thought better of it. "No thanks. I need to check with my other two teammates. But with your skills, they'd probably agree."
"Far away?"
"Not too far... Here's the deal, I'll go find them, and you two just stay put. I'll be back soon."
"You're not tricking us, right?"
"Co on, I'd never lie to my saviors."
"Then swear to your deity."
"Swear on my deity, I'll be back and tell you."
Thunder nodded. "Hurry."
"Alright, alright." The adventurer rushed off, disappearing among the trees.
Thunder leaned on a tree, grinning smugly, while Lightning perched on a nearby rock, looking bored.
Hua Mi was confused. What was this play about? Did they really believe his story?
Their whole 'swearing by the gods' didn't hold much weight; these folks on the western continent were practical, their belief fluid depending on the situation.
Did they not know this? Or... was there so deeper sche?
"Plan's going smoothly," Thunder remarked, confirming a plan was indeed underway.
There it was, a plan. Hua Mi listened intently.
"We've got a long way to go. This is just the start," Lightning sighed, her gaze shifting from the sky to a more relaxed position. "To change people's perceptions of Tianlei Peak, we need more than a few team-ups."
"Co on, let's put in more effort. Every bit counts."
"Boring. I want to go ho."
"You were the one clamoring to co out in the first place."
"Who knew people out here would be so hostile..."
...
Hold up. Hua Mi couldn't wrap his head around this.
If he got it right, these two wanted to team up to change how others saw them...
Reviewing their previous actions, he could only conclude that their hostile treatnt might have so grounding.
With their style, who would like them?
"To avoid trouble, let's steer clear of them." Whether they were nave or pretending, it was best to keep a distance.
He decided to take a longer route, bypassing their way.
Adjusting his course, he aid for the target point along a curved path, keeping a scout bee to monitor them.
This ti, by using the bee's location as a reference point, he pinpointed the locations of the other two floral scents. This ti, he got a clear ssage.
"The third marked point did indeed move..." It wasn't a significant shift, but it had stopped moving for now.
A theory ca to himcould it be a Flower Spirit?
Wild Flower Spirits were incredibly rare. Without care, they'd never spontaneously produce, requiring perfect conditions.
This ant rare flora surrounded him. Flower Spirits demanded high magical elents, not necessarily rare elents, but high levels and purity.
Though he'd co for the Beyond Tree, if he found other valuable nectar
sources, he wouldn't miss the chance.
"Typically, Flower Spirits don't emit such strong fragrances." At least, Xiao Bai had no strong flower scent.
Regardless, he hastened his pace.
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