Chapter 99: Chapter 96: Lina Always Sees the Essence
The Mission Hall was as noisy as ever.
Allen had his head raised, rapidly filtering through the mission list with the help of DSeek.
[Mission: Collect five stalks of ’Princess Jingmi’.]
[Location: Sinking Dream Swamp, First Ring Belt.]
[Relevance: The plant’s growth environnt coincides with areas frequently haunted by Shadow Demon Spiders.]
[Reward: 300 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
’This is the one.’ He just needed a "piggyback" mission related to his target, sothing to earn a little money on the side.
"Is it okay if we take this mission?" Allen asked, pointing it out to Lina.
Lina glanced at it, nodded, and didn’t ask any further questions.
The two of them accepted the mission together and, without wasting any more ti, headed directly for the Alchemy Airship transport point in the academy square.
Half an hour later, the Alchemy Airship ascended smoothly, flying toward the distant, gray swampland.
Aboard the Alchemy Airship, Lina rested her chin in her hand, staring intently at Allen.
He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was in his consciousness, optimizing the energy distribution plan for the "Spider Slayer" with DSeek.
Sensing Lina’s gaze, Allen opened his eyes. His deep blue irises were as calm as still water.
"Are you analyzing my weaknesses?"
Lina shook her head. "No, I’m looking at your ’color.’ Your color is so quiet, a very, very deep blue, like a moonless night at the bottom of the deepest sea. And there are always so many thin silver threads spinning around inside it. Aren’t you tired?"
She pointed a finger toward the cockpit, where only the blurry back of a figure was visible.
"Look at the apprentice flying the airship. His color is a warm orange, like freshly baked bread. And there are lots of little pink hearts floating inside, popping up one by one—POP, POP, POP—and bursting. He must be thinking about his girlfriend."
The steady airship suddenly jolted up and down, and a few low chuckles could be heard from nearby.
"Uh..."
For a mont, Allen didn’t know how to respond.
"I’m used to it."
That was the only answer he could give in the end. He couldn’t explain to Lina that for him, this kind of high-intensity computation was as natural as breathing.
The airship continued its steady flight, and the cabin fell silent once more.
When the distant view was completely dominated by a boundless, gray swamp, the airship began to descend slowly.
The potent stench of rotting plants and damp earth stubbornly seeped in, even through the cabin walls.
The airship ca to a steady stop on a patch of relatively solid black earth at the edge of the swamp.
The cabin door opened, and the putrid sll hit them in the face, instantly ten tis stronger.
Before even stepping off the airship, Allen imdiately took an intricately designed tal mask from his Space Ring and put it on, sealing off the foul outside air.
He looked toward Lina, who had stepped out first, only to find the girl with her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling, and an expression of almost blissful satisfaction on her face.
She spread her arms and took a deep breath.
"Wow..." she sighed in contentnt.
"It’s the sll of sadness and loneliness mixed together, left for so long it’s practically fernted. It’s like a mushroom that grew over a hundred years from soil where soone, after being heartbroken a hundred tis, burned all their love letters and buried the ashes! No matter how many tis I sll it, it’s so unique!"
Allen: "..." ’You weren’t this talkative last ti.’
"It’s not poisonous gas, you know."
Lina opened her eyes, looked at the mask on Allen’s face, and explained, "It’s residual negative energy in the swamp. Too many creatures have died here, and their emotions have settled. For us in the Mind School, this is nourishnt. It’s not toxic."
Allen didn’t remove his mask, just nodded to show he understood.
The swamp wasn’t entirely a mire. Dead tree roots, black rocks, and patches of resilient moss intertwined, forming paths where one could step.
As the two entered the swamp, the Magic Boots on their feet imdiately took effect.
When they stepped on the seemingly soft mud, a Rune flashed with a faint light, and a gentle force supported their weight. They left only shallow footprints, feeling no sense of sinking at all.
With a thought, Allen retrieved a "Spider Slayer" from his Space Ring.
The mont the all-black chanical Body appeared, its six articulated legs automatically unfolded, attempting to stabilize it on the ground.
However, as soon as its sharp tal feet touched the mud, they sank in without resistance.
It tried to adjust its posture, but only ended up futilely churning the black sludge, causing itself to sink deeper.
Allen recalled the chanical Body into his ring. It was a field test, and the result was within his expectations.
He would need to find more solid ground for his chanical Body to be effective.
One behind the other, they advanced cautiously, occasionally using Flying Magic to bypass terrain where there was no place to step. Lina had also recently learned this practical, Low-level Witchcraft.
Lina walked in front. Her steps were light, sotis turning left, sotis weaving right, as if following so invisible guidance. It seed she had a way of finding her direction.
Allen followed close behind, holding his assembled Judgent Sniper Rifle in case of any sudden developnts.
’It seems building a chanical Body with reconnaissance capabilities is now urgent.’ He quietly issued a command for DSeek to create a new design plan for a small, flying chanical Body for reconnaissance, intending to start building it once he returned.
Suddenly, Lina stopped and held out her arm, signaling for Allen to halt.
"Wait."
Her voice was sowhat serious, her gaze fixed on a clearing ahead that looked extrely flat and was covered in green moss.
"The ’sadness’ here is too thick. Many creatures have died here. Sothing must be hiding below. This is a trap."
Allen observed for a mont but couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.
He channeled his Magic Power, and Craftsman’s Hand picked up a dead branch from nearby, tossing it onto the mossy ground.
The instant the branch landed, it made no sound of impact.
The seemingly flat ground instantly collapsed!
Black mud bubbled up—GURGLE GURGLE—and a head covered in thick scales, with eyes as large as a human fist, shot out from within. It opened its massive maw, filled with interlocking fangs, and let out an enraged roar.
[Identified: Swamp Giant-toothed Crocodile, Low-Level Magical Beast. Traits: Camouflage, Thick Armor, Powerful Bite.]
The giant crocodile was furious that its ambush had failed.
It gave the two "little snacks" on the bank a resentful glance before quickly sinking back into the mire. The thick mud rendered Allen’s grenades and sniper rifle useless.
"See?" Lina turned back, her face showing a hint of smugness, as if to say, ’I was right, wasn’t I?’
Allen nodded, acknowledging her contribution. ’Good thing I asked Lina to co along. Otherwise, it’s hard to say who would have been hunting whom.’
They bypassed the dangerous area and continued deeper into the swamp.
The light within the swamp grew dimr. Twisted, dead branches and mist intertwined overhead, filtering out so of the daylight.
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