Chapter 66: Crino Prairie 10
After eating the Energy Bar, Moira Lynch was instantly back to full health.
However, to avoid another low blood sugar episode like the one she just had, Moira had Patience set an alarm to remind her to eat when the time came.
Energy Bars were convenient, but Moira still preferred proper meals.
After a short rest, Moira got back on her electric scooter. As a type of fish, Chimefins would naturally live in a place with plenty of water.
Noticing the ground growing wetter and a rare patch of woods not far away, Moira put her scooter away and approached the forest.
In the damp environment, Moira discovered quite a few Water Storage Mushrooms.
It seemed Water Storage Mushrooms, like regular mushrooms, preferred to grow in dark, damp places with plenty of moisture.
Moira extended her spiritual power, collecting all the Water Storage Mushrooms she saw along the way.
She noticed some moss growing alongside the Water Storage Mushrooms. No, it was purple moss. "Patience, does this purple moss have any special properties?"
[Purifying moss. Purifies air and water. Likes to grow near Chimefin Beastfolk.]
’A companion plant?’
’Doesn’t that mean I can’t grow it in my space?’
Then again, Moira thought, what if it was just a coincidence? Perhaps the purifying moss just happened to like the same environment as the Chimefin Beastfolk.
Besides, this purifying moss could purify water. For that reason alone, Moira wasn’t going to pass it up.
She took a shovel from her space and scraped it gently against the nearby trees, peeling off a large sheet of purifying moss.
Seeing that the Water Storage Mushrooms grew especially lush where the purifying moss was present, Moira decided to plant them together in her space.
Moira continued walking and scraping, immersed in the joy of her harvest, when a clamor suddenly erupted from up ahead.
Moira frowned, looking ahead. She had no desire to get involved. Wasting time with these people was far less practical than collecting more Water Storage Mushrooms and purifying moss.
Just then, seven or eight men and women appeared in the distance, running toward her with terrified expressions.
The two people at the front saw Moira nearby and shouted at her, "Run!"
Hearing this, Moira looked behind them. A dozen two-meter-tall creatures covered in blue scales, looking very much like Avatars, were chasing them with furious expressions.
[Chimefin. One of the last of the Aquatic Race on the Crino Prairie. Warlike by nature, but clear about grudges and gratitude.]
Hearing the phrase "clear about grudges and gratitude," Moira froze in her tracks, abandoning her initial impulse to flee.
If they were clear about their grievances, then this had nothing to do with her.
Moira even kindly stepped aside to let them pass, then turned in a different direction to continue collecting Water Storage Mushrooms and purifying moss.
She had no idea what those people had done to provoke the Chimefin Beastfolk.
According to what the Crocodile Beastfolk said yesterday, the Chimefin Beastfolk were only warlike toward enemies who tried to harm them.
Normally, the Chimefin were quite friendly, and their favorite pastime was tending to their vegetable gardens.
It was said that every Chimefin had their own vegetable garden, and they would only eat what they grew themselves.
’Only eating things they grow themselves... what a strange habit.’
’If someone like me—cursed with a black thumb—suddenly appeared among the Chimefin Beastfolk, wouldn’t they starve to death?’
With this thought in mind, Moira finally arrived in the territory of the Chimefin Beastfolk. The first thing she saw was a vast expanse of tidy fields, filled with all sorts of vegetables she had never seen before.
’But there are a lot of weeds in here. They need to be pulled.’
As Moira marveled at the sheer size of the fields, she suddenly spotted a Chimefin Beastfolk working in a plot not far away.
Seeing this, Moira quickly ran over and introduced herself. "Hello, I’m here looking for work."
At her words, the hunched-over Chimefin Beastfolk straightened up. Only then did Moira realize just how tall this Chimefin Beastfolk was.
He stood in the field while she was on the ridge, and she still only came up to his waist.
The Chimefin Beastfolk glanced at the badge on Moira’s chest and said in a deep voice, "I’m the village chief here. You say you’re looking for work. What can you do?"
’I get to choose my own job?’
’Is this for real?’
"I’m good at collecting trash."
Hearing this, the Chimefin village chief glanced at Moira’s small frame, seemingly unconvinced. He pointed to the side and said, "In that case, take away that pile of weeds over there."
Moira followed his finger and her eyes widened.
’This pile of weeds looks so familiar.’
After picking up a leaf and taking a bite, she was certain. Wasn’t this just lettuce?
’These are weeds?’
So what she thought were weeds were actually the vegetables the Chimefin Beastfolk cultivated, and what she thought were vegetables were all just weeds.
"Patience, is this lettuce poisonous?"
[No. Not only is it non-poisonous, but it’s also rich in vitamins. Eating more is good for your health.]
Once she had her answer, Moira waved her hand, and the mountain-like pile of lettuce in front of her vanished into her space.
The Chimefin village chief hadn’t expected the weed pile behind him to disappear in the blink of an eye. He couldn’t help but look at Moira in a new light.
"I didn’t realize your work ability was so strong. I underestimated you."
He originally thought that one pile of weeds would be enough to keep Moira busy for a long time. He never expected her to clean up the trash so quickly.
Moira gave a shy smile and proceeded to collect several other mountains of lettuce into her space.
This lettuce grew even bigger than the vegetables in her own space. She wondered how the Chimefin did it and if she could learn from them.
"By the way, I saw a group of people running away before I got here. Did they do something to anger you?" Moira asked, recalling the people she’d seen being chased.
At her question, an angry expression appeared on the Chimefin village chief’s face. "Those people also came looking for work. We kindly assigned them jobs, but they ended up destroying our vegetable fields."
From just a few sentences, Moira had already pieced together what had happened.
Those players came here to do a task, but they ended up pulling out all the vegetables from the fields, leaving only the weeds.
Then again, you couldn’t really blame them. After all, who would have thought that the vegetables and weeds here were reversed?
Soon, Moira had cleared out all the "weeds" in the village, and the Chimefin Beastfolk were extremely grateful.
She learned from them that if these weeds were left for too long without being dealt with, they would spawn little green worms that looked absolutely disgusting.
The Chimefin loathed these worms, so to them, Moira was practically an Angel sent from the heavens to save them.
She had a strong work ability, yet she was humble. Even after doing so much work, she didn’t complain at all—a night-and-day difference from the other Recyclers they had hired before.