Chapter 593: Material Gathering [IV]
After getting scolded by Raye, Adelaide returned home with the Golem Cores. Of course, it still needs to be processed, but she is not worried about that, with many people capable of helping them process it.
When she arrived, Arthur was still on the field and was still busy planting. It seems that he has already decided to plant the whole field with the Feys. Of course, Arthur noticed her arrival very quickly, so he stopped his work.
"Sis, you are b- Whoa there, you are hurt, Ade! That’s a lot of bruises!" Arthur noticed the injuries that Adelaide sustained during the battle.
"I am fine. Thankfully, I got the cores. I even gathered two more in case things fail, and we have some extra at the very least."
"No way I will call that okay! Let’s get inside and get those wounds treated. If Mother contacts us while you look like this, not only will I get scolded for getting you to look like this, but Mother will also reprimand you for this as well!" Arthur forcedly dragged his sister inside the house and forced her to sit on the sofa as he grabbed the potion from the cabinet.
"These are just some minor scratches, Arthy. And besides, I managed to grab the items we needed. The only thing we have not gotten yet is the branch of the Corrupted Treant, but other than that, we should be good for some time."
"Haaaah...even with that, I don’t think I will have you be like this for quite some time. I know you, Ade. Once the core is secured, you will go back out again to fetch the branch without even patching up the old wounds you have, as it is too much of a hassle!"
Adelaide got hit on the mark by Arthur’s words. The only reason she came back is for her to drop the cores before she returned to searching for the next material. If she had the dimensional backpack storage, then she would not be returning without grabbing the item they needed.
"Drink it. You should be grateful that the wounds you receive aren’t too bad. If you had gotten into some trouble while doing so, you would be in big trouble. Based on your wounds, you didn’t ask Raye and the others for help, correct?"
"Urgh..." Adelaide couldn’t refute that. If she lied, Arthur would immediately call out her bullsh*t.
Arthur sighed. "Alright, if you don’t want Raye and the others to help you out, then at the very least, let me help."
"Huh? What about the plants and the field? Have you even finished planting the ginseng?"
"Yep. Pretty much done. Bam and Poe are quite helpful with their tricks on farming. I was just assisting them as I don’t have anything to do after the task, so there are no issues with leaving and getting the item we lack."
"No, I can do this. You said you will be tending the field while I take care of the monster and dungeon-related materials we will get."
"Yes, and I am done with that. All I have done is learn the usual tasks on taking care of regular crops, but I can learn that any day, and it’s not like it will run away. And besides, I am worried you will go full ballistic on an enemy and get trapped. So yeah, I will be going, and you can’t say no to that. I will be going whether you like it or not."
Adelaide couldn’t stop her twin brother. Considering that he is basically done with the task, means he can freely do the task. In the end, she has no choice. Instead of going solo, Arthur is gonna be assisting.
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"There’s no need to actually assist me on this one, Arthy. Are you really sure?"
"Very sure, Ade. You might be a backliner, but I can see you wanting to go and engage against the enemies in close-quarters combat like how Mother does. You can do that next time, but for now, I will keep the frontline like always."
As much as Adelaide wanted Arthur to remain at home, she couldn’t say no to him. After all, he is her other side, and likewise for him. Despite their differences, despite her past experiences in her previous life, she never treated Arthur like a regular sibling. He is her partner who watches her back when things get bad, and likewise for him. And she has to admit that she gained a reliance on Arthur every single time in a fight. He might be a musclehead, but he is someone who can be relied on when it counts.
"I can tell you are thinking something strange, Ade. Stop that, it make me cringe a bit."
"Ugh, and here I was thinking of praising you, and yet here you are doing that, stupid twin."
"Hahaha, if you call me stupid, then you are also stupid, twin. We were born at the same time, you know," Arthur chuckled.
"As if we are the same person divided into two individuals. Just focus on the road, alright?"
"Alright, alright," Arthur gave up teasing his sister as they continued to dive deeper into the forest.
Although they are not sure if the Corrupted Treant actually exists, according to Miss Yona, the Corrupted Treant does exist deep in the woods. Thanks to the power of the woods, which shifts a lot, its area is also shifting around, making it hard to know where it is located. But there is one thing that they would notice if they were near the Corrupted Treant’s habitat.
Dead Trees.
Dead trees are normal in the forest, and some normally die of old age or a tree disease, but seeing a bunch of them in one go is unnatural, and that is where you will find a corrupted treant. Corrupted Treants are the corrupted variants of the Treants, which are considered guardians of the forest. Corrupted Treants are Treants that died due to absorbing pollution or were consumed by darkness that loomed over some monsters. Although there is no possible solution to fully destroy them for good, it is still said that Corrupted Treants are still necessary, as their bodies still retain parts of a regular Treant. Considering it is a big taboo to kill a regular Treant, dealing with Corrupted Treants and harvesting them for materials is still done despite the fact that it is still a Treant, just the corrupted variant.
The deeper they go, the darker the forest has become. Both Adelaide and Arthur went into quiet mode as they continued deeper. Soon, dead trees are in sight, and there are indeed numerous of them now compared to the regular dead trees they passed by.
"These looked like unnatural deaths. They didn’t die of old age or disease. It’s like their life force have been sucked," Adelaide examined the dead trees nearby.
"Looks like we are on the right track. Get ready, Ade. The Corrupted Treant might just be one of these dead trees, and we aren’t just noticing it yet."
"You too, stay on your guard as well. The mana here is totally distorted. I can’t use detection magic here properly."
Although Miss Yona already gave them a way to know how to meet the Corrupted Treant, they didn’t get a clue from her on how to actually find the Corrupted Treant among the dead trees.
"Arthur, stop for a bit. I am hearing something..." Adelaide gestured to Arthur to stop as she listened on the surroundings.
There are rustles in the surroundings despite the lack of bushes nearby. It is very weird, but Adelaide has a suspicion now about it.
"I hear footsteps all of a sudden." Arthur pulled out his sword, getting ready for whatever was lurking
"Get ready Arthy, it seems the Corrupted Treant is just around the corner."
And just like what they expected, a dried-up vine suddenly grabbed Adelaide on the legs.
"Ah!" Adelaide is caught off guard and is lifted into the air.
Arthur quickly leaped into the air and swiftly cut the vine off Adelaide. Before Adelaide could truly fall to the ground, Arthur landed on the ground, leaped again, and caught her mid-air.
"Thanks!" Adelaide said as she stood up after Arthur put her down.
"You alright, Ade?"
"Yeah. But more importantly, I spotted the enemy now that it attacked me. I think we are not just facing one, Arthy."
"I noticed that as well, Ade. Get your spells ready. I think we are surrounded."
Arthur and Adelaide looked over at their surroundings as the previously dead trees had gone back to life, now as Corrupted Treants.
"Looks like we don’t need to keep searching for them much longer, Ade."
"Indeed. And from the looks of it, they even granted us some spares as well. Would you look at that?" Adelaide smiled as the two put their backs together as the Corrupted Treants are closing in.
"You ready to wreak havoc, twin?" Arthur grinned.
"Heh, way ahead of you, twin."