Chapter 67: Crino Prairie 11
For one reason or another, the Chimefin Beastfolk had grown quite fond of Moira Lynch.
With Moira Lynch’s help, these Chimefin Beastfolk finished the work that would have originally taken several days.
Moira Lynch felt genuinely happy for them as she watched the Chimefin Beastfolk cheer and leap with joy.
"Thank you."
A female Chimefin Beastfolk, about the same height as her, happily hugged her.
"You’re welcome. It was the least I could do," Moira Lynch replied modestly.
"No, no, no, you’ve been a huge help to us. Spring on the Crino Prairie is very short, and if we don’t clear out the weeds in time, they’ll attract all sorts of nasty little bugs in the summer."
"Although those bugs don’t eat our vegetables, they lay their eggs on them. Any vegetables with eggs on them become inedible."
Seeing her look so emotional, with tears welling in her eyes, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but ask, "You said spring on the Crino Prairie is short. How short?"
"About a month or so, and half of that is the rainy season. So you were a huge help."
As someone who had been a great help to the Chimefin Beastfolk, Moira Lynch was allowed to wander around the Chimefin village after receiving a smiley face badge.
"Our village is beautiful, isn’t it?" the female Chimefin from before said cheerfully.
Through their conversation, Moira learned that the woman was the daughter of the Chimefin village chief, and her name was Asha.
Moira Lynch looked around the village, which was decorated everywhere with starfish and conch shells. It looked just like a secluded Little Fishing Village, far from the hustle and bustle of the world.
However, that wasn’t what Moira Lynch was focused on.
She replied to Asha’s comments while scanning her surroundings, as if looking for something.
"What are you looking for?" Asha asked, looking at Moira Lynch. "I noticed a while ago. You’ve been looking around everywhere."
Seeing Asha’s wary expression, Moira Lynch quickly explained, "I’m just looking for the garbage dump."
At her words, Asha was taken aback. "The garbage dump? Why would you be looking for a garbage dump?"
A forlorn expression appeared on Moira Lynch’s face. "Force of habit. I have to make money to support my family."
Upon hearing this, a look of helplessness flashed across Asha’s face. ’What should I do? I was just telling her all about my happy life. Did I upset her? What if she can’t take it and does something rash?’
A deep sense of guilt washed over her.
"W-well, I’ll take you there then."
With Asha leading the way, Moira Lynch easily found the garbage dump—no, wait, it was more of a storeroom.
"The only ’garbage’ we had was those weeds you already collected. The things in here aren’t exactly garbage, but they’re all things we don’t use. It’s just a waste to leave them sitting here, so you should just take it all."
Seeing the storeroom was nearly half-full of blue scales, Moira Lynch’s eyes lit up.
She picked one up and placed it in her palm. The scale was shaped like a crescent moon and was about the size of her palm. The moment it touched her skin, a chill enveloped her entire body, and Moira Lynch couldn’t help but shiver.
Moira Lynch looked at Asha beside her and thought, ’She really is a good fish.’
Besides the scales, the storeroom also contained other things, all neatly stacked in wooden crates.
Because she was in a hurry, Moira Lynch didn’t open the crates to check them one by one. In any case, she could go back and look through them slowly after the game was over.
Several hours had passed by the time she walked out of the storeroom again. When she saw Asha still standing in the same spot waiting for her, Moira Lynch walked over.
"I should get going."
Asha looked up at the sky. "But it’s almost night. It’s dangerous outside."
Moira Lynch shook her head. "It’s okay. I’ll be fine."
’I still need to use the nighttime to gather more Water Storage Mushrooms and purifying moss.’
"Alright, then."
"Oh, right. This is for you."
Moira Lynch took out a large conch shell she had picked up on the small beach inside her personal space and handed it to Asha.
"They say if you put it to your ear, you can hear the sound of the ocean."
"The sound of the ocean!" Asha was overjoyed as she took the conch.
Although the Chimefin Tribe lived on the Crino Prairie, they were, after all, part of the Aquatic Race and held a natural yearning for the ocean.
For some reason, even though the Chimefin Beastfolk weren’t weak in combat and had the ability to travel to the ocean, they just didn’t go.
Asha took the conch, placed it gently against her ear, and began to listen with a look of enchantment.
Moira was just about to say that it was only a legend—because she had tried it and couldn’t hear anything at all—but in the next second, she heard Asha exclaim excitedly, "I can hear it! I can hear the sound of the ocean!"
But soon after, Asha tried to hand the conch back. "You should take it back. This is too precious. I can’t accept it."
Even as she said this, her eyes, full of reluctance and conflict, remained fixed on the conch.
’This conch really isn’t a big deal to me. I can pick up seven or eight of them just by taking a walk on the beach inside my space.’
’Maybe I can strike a deal with Asha.’
Having made up her mind, Moira Lynch smiled and pushed the conch back to Asha. "If you really feel bad about it, how about you do me a favor instead? Consider the conch as payment."
"What kind of favor?" Asha asked, cradling the conch like a treasure. She had already made up her mind. ’As long as it doesn’t harm the Chimefin Tribe, I’ll do it.’
"I don’t just have conch shells, I have starfish too. Could you help me spread the word?"
Hearing Moira Lynch’s words, Asha’s eyes lit up. "Are you serious?"
Moira Lynch nodded emphatically, then took out a few more conch shells and starfish, as well as a fish tank containing a sea anemone and a clownfish.
Asha stared at the brightly colored sea anemone and clownfish in the tank, her eyes practically popping out. ’So beautiful.’
Asha swallowed hard. "Okay. What do you want to trade for them?"
The question stumped Moira Lynch. ’Vegetables?’
’The Chimefins value their vegetables highly; they probably wouldn’t agree to that.’
’Nutrient liquid?’
’That stuff tastes awful. I’d be better off trading for Energy Bars, but those are a specialty of the Rabbitfolk.’
"I’d like to trade for something more practical."
"Practical?" Asha thought for a moment. "I know! Wait here, I’ll go get some people."
Moira Lynch pointed to a spot not far away. "I’ll wait for you over there."
While waiting for Asha, Moira Lynch didn’t waste a moment, continuously gathering purifying moss and Water Storage Mushrooms.
After about ten-odd minutes, she had stripped the surrounding area clean of purifying moss and Water Storage Mushrooms. In the distance, Asha was rushing over with a large group of Chimefin Beastfolk.
Judging by their builds, most of them were female Chimefin Beastfolk, with only a small number of males.