Chapter 183: Deserted Island Survival 7
The water was salty.
Although the taste was very faint, there was no denying it wasn’t fresh water.
Moira Lynch guessed that the stream’s source was likely the ocean, and it had only become like this after passing through multiple layers of natural filtration.
While most of the salt from the seawater had been filtered out, a small amount still remained.
After resting by the water source for a while, Moira Lynch looked thoughtfully in the direction the mountain stream was flowing from.
After a few seconds of simple deliberation, she decided to head upstream.
’If the source of this stream is likely the ocean, then following it back might lead me to the edge of the deserted island.’
’Even if I can’t find it, places eroded by flowing water are very likely to form caves.’
After walking for some time, Moira Lynch’s eyes lit up. She had found one!
In a patch overgrown with Arden, Moira Lynch discovered a rock cave.
It was probably because of the Arden that she didn’t find any traces of animals living here.
After collecting all the Arden, she instead found quite a few anesthetized prey.
As usual, she collected the prey that was still alive and found a place to bury those that had died and begun to decompose.
Just then, a slight breeze blew past, scattering the foul smell in the air.
Moira Lynch sniffed the air. ’Still a bit of a smell.’ After a moment of thought, she simply took out the intensely fragrant King Flower.
In just over ten seconds, the surrounding area was filled with a rich, overpowering fragrance.
Suddenly, Moira Lynch noticed faint rustling sounds coming from the surrounding grass and the ground.
Immediately after, she saw countless flying insects fleeing in a swarm. Many unknown beetles also burrowed out of the dirt, all scrambling away into the distance without a backward glance.
Moira Lynch glanced at the King Flower in her hand and couldn’t stop herself from gagging.
"Don’t restore my sense of smell for now."
[Yes.]
After putting the King Flower away, Moira Lynch finally began to inspect the cave she had found.
The cave was very large. Moira Lynch estimated it was big enough to fit her RV.
It was a bit damp and messy inside, probably because it had been hidden by the Arden and used as a storeroom, but that wasn’t important.
After checking that there were no flammable materials nearby, Moira Lynch tossed in a fast-igniting Black Fire Stone to dry out the moisture inside.
All that was left was to wait.
She didn’t stay idle while waiting. Since it wasn’t dark yet, she prepared to explore the surrounding area.
’I should see if there are any other hidden dangers. If there are, I should eliminate them early.’
Besides, although she hadn’t encountered any more snakes along the way, that didn’t mean there weren’t any.
’An island this big, a rainforest this vast... how could there only be two snakes?’
These snakes excelled at hiding and launching sneak attacks. Even with her spiritual power, she would have to be careful from now on.
Just like with The Jade Serpent before, she hadn’t noticed it precisely because her attention was focused on something else.
After making a full circle and confirming there were no immediate dangers, Moira Lynch used her utility gloves to conjure a hoe and cleared away the overgrown weeds in the vicinity.
The cave’s location was perfect, and she wanted to live here long-term. The weeds would not only restrict her range of movement but also attract all sorts of small insects.
When night fell, Moira Lynch collected the Black Fire Stone from the cave, which hadn’t finished burning.
By now, the damp cave had become very dry and comfortable.
She brought her RV out of her storage space. Tonight’s dinner was venison.
After her meal, she took out two wild fruits she had picked to cleanse her palate.
The moment she took the first bite, Moira Lynch’s face scrunched up. "So sour."
After a long while, the sourness in her mouth gradually faded, and Moira Lynch’s scrunched-up features finally relaxed.
Looking at the half-eaten wild pear in her hand, driven by the noble virtue of not being wasteful, Moira Lynch put on a pained expression and finished it.
Looking at the other wild pear she had taken out to eat, Moira Lynch decisively put it back into her storage space.
’I’ll just wait until I get back, then add some sugar and cook it into jam.’
Moira Lynch thought to herself.
After returning to the RV, Moira Lynch prepared to meditate and cultivate.
For some reason, as night fell, especially in the latter half of the night, her spiritual power became unusually excited and active.
It was as if her spiritual power had a mind of its own, all of it trying to head in a specific direction, making it impossible for Moira Lynch to quiet her mind.
When the sun rose the next day, Moira Lynch groggily opened her eyes, feeling completely listless, as if her life force had been drained.
Her spiritual power had been acting up all night, and then she had lost three-quarters of it first thing in the morning. Moira Lynch felt a splitting headache.
She shook her head, trying to clear it.
Fortunately, her condition improved once the Repair Device started working.
She went to the water source and splashed her face with the cool stream water, instantly feeling more awake.
’I don’t have much of an appetite today. I’ll skip the heavy, meaty food.’
She took out the mushrooms she had gathered earlier to roast them, then made a cold salad with some wild vegetables for a simple, makeshift meal.
She cleaned up the campsite, put the RV back in her storage space, and, remembering the disturbance in her spiritual power last night, decided to investigate.
Before leaving, she applied some simple camouflage to the cave.
She blocked the entrance with branches and then spread Arden all around the area.
Last night, after its period of unrest, her spiritual power had continuously stretched out in a certain direction.
She checked her equipment, confirmed the direction, and set off.
Compared to the place she had stayed on the first day, this part of the rainforest had a lot more food, but also a great deal more danger.
After walking for about half an hour, she had harvested a good amount of edible fungi, but they were all ordinary food items with no special effects after being eaten.
Other than that, Moira Lynch had no other gains, nor had she found the cause of her spiritual power’s rampage from the previous night.
However, she didn’t give up. She continued to wander through the forest while having Patience map out the deserted island in the system so she wouldn’t get lost.
As she walked, she suddenly felt a stir in her spiritual power.
The familiar sensation instantly put Moira Lynch on alert.
Following the guidance of her spiritual power, she walked for about ten minutes and finally found the reason for its restlessness.
"What is this thing?"
Moira Lynch looked at the long, white, translucent object in front of her, which had clear scale imprints on it. A shocking guess suddenly formed in her mind.
’This thing... it couldn’t be a Snake Shedding, could it?!’
Moira Lynch looked at the object before her. It was taller than she was, and its length stretched out of sight. The resemblance was becoming undeniable.
’If this thing really is a Snake Shedding, then just how big must the snake be?!’