Chapter 83: Conclusion of Crino Prairie
On the opposite side of the lake, numerous animals were drinking water, including the Stag-Horses they were familiar with.
Of course, Moira and the others’ target wasn’t these animals that had come to drink.
"See that over there?" Moira pointed to a nearby reed marsh where things that looked like candles were growing. "That’s our target."
They looked very similar to the cattails of Caelus, but here they were called fragrant spikes, also known by another name: Natural Insect Repellent.
The three of them carefully entered the reeds, and they were soon swallowed up by the dense growth.
The fragrant spikes varied greatly in size. The large ones were over a meter long and as thick as a bucket, while the small ones were about the size of ordinary cattails.
The trio’s target was the smaller fragrant spikes, as the space inside their Space Buttons was limited.
However, as Moira searched, she also chopped down the giant fragrant spikes she came across.
The fragrant spikes fell into the water and were then collected into her space.
"Boss, Moira, do you guys feel like the water level is dropping?" Kai York, who was gathering fragrant spikes, suddenly said, his tone tinged with panic.
"Could there be some huge beast living in this water, and it just left?"
Hearing this, Moira silently added in her head, ’There’s nothing in the water. The level is dropping because I’ve been collecting all of it into my space.’
Shane Rhodes didn’t answer, turning instead to look at Moira.
Moira immediately took the hint. "The space is almost full."
Then she glanced at the badge on her chest. "We still have an hour left. Let’s go collect Water Storage Mushrooms. I saw a bunch of them nearby just now."
’Besides, I can still collect water even after we’re on shore, so it’s not a big deal.’
And so, the three of them reached the shore. Their clothes were soaked, but they paid it no mind and began gathering Water Storage Mushrooms with urgency.
Based on their previous experience in the Chimefin Forest, Moira went to the muddy riverbank and started feeling around in the silt.
A moment later, her hands touched something round and soft.
Moira didn’t say anything. ’After all, in her current situation, even if she really did find such a huge Water Storage Mushroom, she wouldn’t be able to take it back with them unless she was willing to empty out the contents of the Space Button.’
’So, she’d just have to take this giant Water Storage Mushroom for herself.’
She spread out her spiritual power, meticulously exploring the riverbank inch by inch, determined not to miss a single Water Storage Mushroom.
Several dozen minutes later, Moira had finished scouting the entire lake, and the game came to an end.
At the last second, Shane Rhodes and Kai York shoved the Water Storage Mushrooms they’d found into Moira’s arms, and Moira subconsciously stored the items in her space.
Immediately after, the game system’s voice echoed in every player’s ears.
[Time’s up. All players who failed to collect the smileys will be eliminated, stripped of their game qualifications and player status. In three seconds, everyone will be teleported out of the game instance.]
[Three, two, one.]
Moira’s vision went black.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back home. She checked the time—only five minutes had passed. The rice and stir-fried dishes on the table were still warm.
But Moira was in no mood to eat right now.
After getting used to the cool weather of the Crino Prairie, returning so suddenly felt a bit jarring.
Moreover, not only was she soaked from head to toe, but she also reeked of rotting silt.
She got up and headed for the second-floor bathroom, taking out the shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner she had collected earlier. She gave herself a thorough wash, not stopping until she was sure she was free of any strange odors.
After her shower, she changed into a set of clean clothes and tossed the dirty ones into the washing machine.
When she went back downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring. She didn’t even have to guess who it was.
Opening the door, she saw Shane Rhodes and Kai York standing outside under the scorching sun.
Seeing that Moira’s house was using an air conditioner, Kai York couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you have any Water-cooling Stones at home?"
Moira immediately understood what he meant. She spread her hands and said, "Not everyone can recognize a Water-cooling Stone at a glance."
"That’s true," Kai York nodded.
"In the Mocha Forest instance, everyone was busy gathering food. Who would have had nothing better to do than collect rocks for fun?"
Moira—the one who’d apparently had nothing better to do—thought to herself, ’Fine, fine, if that’s how you want to put it. From now on, anything you buy from me comes with a fifty percent markup.’
She took everything out of the Space Button in front of the two of them. "There’s a lot of stuff. You’ll probably have to make a few trips."
Moira’s Space Button was only about twenty square meters, but the combined pile of goods was definitely larger than that.
The two men didn’t start moving the items immediately. Instead, they looked at Moira.
’Judging by their expressions, they either have a guilty conscience or something serious to discuss.’
’Considering they just got out of the game, it’s unlikely they did anything to feel guilty about, so...’
"Something on your minds?"
The two hesitated for a moment before Shane Rhodes finally spoke up. "We’re planning to keep some of these things for ourselves and sell a portion to the military. We wanted to ask if you’d be willing to join us."
"If you’re willing, we’ll do it together. I can definitely negotiate a fair price. If you’re not, that’s okay too. Kai York and I will conceal your involvement, so you don’t have to worry about being exposed."
Shane Rhodes spoke with sincerity, and Moira began to consider it seriously.
Now, the existence of these items was officially known.
After spending the last few days together, she knew Shane Rhodes and Kai York weren’t ambitious people. Otherwise, with their strength, they could have easily established their own faction or joined the military.
If word about these items got out, their entire residential community would probably never have a quiet day again.
After a long moment, Moira nodded. "Alright, but I have some conditions."
"Name them," Shane Rhodes said.
"First, I won’t have any contact with those people. Second, don’t even think about targeting my Space Button. Third, don’t try to guilt-trip me. I don’t fall for that."
’Especially that third point. Though her heart was like stone, she found that sort of thing utterly disgusting. It wasn’t that she wasn’t patriotic, but she just wasn’t ready to sacrifice her own interests for the sake of the collective good.’
"If you don’t want to be harassed, wouldn’t it be better to just hide the existence of your Space Button?" Kai York asked.
Moira pursed her lips. "It’s better to just tell them directly than to have them guessing blindly and investigating everyone around you."
’What if they got desperate to uncover the secret and started monitoring them like lunatics?’
’Although Moira was confident that no matter how they spied, they couldn’t escape the detection of her spiritual power, it would still be a hassle.’
Her spiritual power was now strong enough to envelop the entire residential community. After every game, her spiritual power would see a significant improvement.
She didn’t know if this was because of the game itself, or because she frequently used her space and spiritual power within it.
’Perhaps it was a bit of both.’