Chapter 2154: Way Back
Althea pursed her lips, trying to control her laughter, as she teasingly rolled over Truffle-poop on her palm. It had no idea she was insulting it, just happily rolling around as if she were showing affection.
The other two were not to accept defeat.
More and more, she came to understand that these plants truly understood much more than she could’ve imagined. This wasn’t pseudo-sentience anymore.
With this determination, she became more certain that they would go with her. As for the effects on them and their needs, she’d figure it out. Alterra was filled with talented people; there would be a way somewhere.
Althea and Garan didn’t dawdle too long, and they headed back with speed and style. I.e., on the Sunflower-Snake.
Sol was really agile and could flexibly travel above the canopies. A proper sunflower embodying what it meant to be ’the sun above the trees’.
One had to know that the density of the plants and the sizes of the protruding roots were some of the causes of delays here.
They passed by the Rocky Tribe first. They had already seen Sol, so they were not so surprised, but they happily surrounded it. Then she showed Truffles, and the digger orcs loved him so much they wanted to take a bite.
As for Lily, it was a water plant and would not separate from her, the water user, so it remained an accessory in her hair.
Gus and Baa, who had been grounded before, had only ever seen wild roots trying to eat them, let alone a legendary monster root, so they were particularly fascinated with them.
Even when they were not allowed to touch the plants (or they might be attacked), going around it at arm’s length without getting whipped or strangled by it was already amazing.
Grandma Damba and the others were curious about the tamed Monster Plants as always, but they were more concerned about Althea. They also saw her husband, who was as hairless as she was, and thought they were really a great match. Those who hadn’t met Garan before also thought so.
"You’ve gotten stronger!" they said, realizing that there were many differences in the two humans.
Orcs had a more sensitive ability in determining power and threats. Garan and Althea had long been used to being low-key and lowering their aura, but this time the others still saw that they really got stronger. Of course, how strong they were exactly, they might not be so clear.
"You are the one who can make frozen water?" Baa asked Garan. Since he was grounded when Garan first visited when they brought the old turtle, Baa had only ever heard of him. He could not imagine how his ability worked at all.
Garan nodded, wordlessly creating a little platform made of ice.
"WOWW!"
"WHOOAAA!"
"So cold!"
There were the wolf-types and bear-types there who were particularly fond of the ice platform, practically hugging it. It was quite silly.
Garan, despite his reticent nature, became very popular like this.
Althea and the others smiled at the side, with the old elephant, the old tortoise, and many other leading orcs going around her to ask about her plans.
Some youngsters’ eyes twitched, and some of them scooted over. "You are heading to your hometown now?"
"Yes."
"Can I come?"
It was always the youngsters who were unafraid.
That said, even the old orcs were curious. They simply did not have that many reservations as humans did since they did not overthink. They would literally only learn to fear something when they encountered it themselves and were harmed in some way or form.
For example, Gus and Baa (and the group they made a bet with). They dared go out because they hadn’t encountered life-and-death situations yet at the time. They had gone out with the adults since they were young, but because they had plenty of companions and protectors, the danger index was never too high.
When the giant rocky monster appeared behind them, they could’ve chosen to run sideways instead of going forward. While this was risky and they could be run over, had they really feared the Hollow Forest, they might have preferred getting hit than entering the place.
The plus side was that although orcs were simple-minded, they would never forget about their lessons. Once learned, it really was learned, which was why the half-orc Baku’s grudge against Gill took so long to dissipate.
Althea and Garan looked at each other. "It’s not that you can’t...but it’s really a different life there."
The original plan was just to take in a few outlier tribes from Quo Town. At the very least, they already had contact with humans and knew how to handle them.
The completely new orcs who did not even know Althea and Garan were a completely different race, and an unfamiliar one to them, might not react the same.
They were also afraid to take in a few because they would feel responsible for them, and many problems could arise from the large gap between cultures.
The couple looked at each other, entering deep thought.
Should they or should they not?
...
For now, they did not take anyone from the Rocky Tribe. They were one of the safest orcs in this region and were probably the ones closest to becoming a fully sedentary civilization.
For orcs who were already comfortable and living the life, they didn’t want to take them yet lest the risk would not be worth it.
As they headed to the granite mountain, they also passed by the Feyun Tribe and said the same thing. The orcs here were even more curious about humans, so they had to leave a lot more words.
It was their first time many of them had seen a Monster Plant, though. The orcs looked like they were in a zoo.
The Monster Plants didn’t like others touching them, so they also kept their distance; otherwise they’d be riding above Sol or Truffles by now.
Althea did wonder if other wood users would get special treatment from these plants. She was curious to see how it would be later. She was certain those wood users would be glad to be experimented on as well.
Even Bable, who was always inseparable from her, was looking at Sol with a vehement gaze. He raised his arms as if asking it to carry him, but Sol unsurprisingly just ignored him.
Bable was brave, as all young orcs were, and he even wanted to touch Sol. This earned him a slap of the vine, causing him to fly several meters away, ending up hanging on one of the trees several meters away. Fortunately, orcs were naturally hardy; otherwise he’d have been hurt.
She had to tell Apis and the others to reiterate the dangers of Monster Plants. She was afraid these fearless young orcs would go to the Hollow Forest looking for them, no longer afraid because the ones they encountered were friendly.
"This is amazing..." Ohara said at the side, handing some strawberry snacks to Althea. "So this is a Monster Plant."
"I never thought I’d see one in my life."
"I never thought they could look so beautiful..."
By this time, Apis and a number of others already surrounded Althea and Garan. Most of them were chewing something as they chatted, whether it was smoked meat, a tomato, or a strawberry.
They found smoked meat super delicious, especially when added with tomato juices and tomato paste, the formula of which was taught by Althea.
They observed Althea and how much she had changed in the less than a month she had been away. They could not quantify it, but she had definitely grown much stronger. It was not limited to her level either, but more at the quality of her aura. Even if she tried to hide it, creatures with extra sensitivity could get a glimpse.
As for Garan, they had never met him, so they couldn’t make a comparison. He also looked really good though, and he seemed very amazing.
"You must’ve gained a lot of things and learned a lot there..." Ohara commented, looking at Althea.
She nodded. "Yes, but it is dangerous," she said. She remembered the orc legend of becoming stronger there, and judging by a few curious looks in her direction, there were quite a few orcs curious about this.
Orcs might not have much ambition, but they still wanted to be stronger.
"It is very dangerous there, and we reached this stage at the risk of our lives," she said. "When we got there, we saw many, many skeletons.
"If anyone wants to take risks, we cannot stop them, and some areas are indeed very good for training."
The thorn field trained the physique, so it was practically orc essence that would improve there. However, the area of the Urfrukt was too dangerous and had a filtering mechanism, so they should only limit themselves within the thorn forest.
Only those with elf blood would’ve been able to safely approach the Urfrukt. She did not know what would happen if others attempted it, but she didn’t want them to experience it.
She reiterated this knowledge (of them keeping themselves within the thorn forest, ideally only at the peripheries), but what they’d do after this was up to them.
"But, yes, the quality of my power has indeed spiked up." This was also reflected in the quality or effectiveness of her abilities.
On their way back, she had used a few of her abilities and noticed quantitative changes. For example, the [Woodland Camouflage] skill duration was much longer and could now affect a small area around her.
She curiously used the [Eye] skill, which had long been useful beyond the wood element. Ohara was next to her, so the orc accidentally entered her line of sight.
Unexpectedly, something really popped up.
[STATS:
Name: Ohara
Race: Full-blood Orc
Age: 26
Level: 17 (11920/160000)
Life: 8460/8500
[...]
Althea’s eyes glazed over as she looked at the status panel that was definitely not hers.
"Hmmm??"