Chapter 81: Crino Prairie 25
Although the wait had been a bit long, Moira Lynch had managed to scavenge plenty of supplies in the meantime, so she wasn’t unhappy about it.
Besides, gathering supplies was gathering supplies, no matter where she did it. And the resources in this forest were clearly far more abundant than those outside.
Still, seeing the state they were in, Moira Lynch felt compelled to ask out of concern.
"What happened to you two? Did you fail the mission? It’s all right, we still have two days, don’t we?"
Moira Lynch was about to say more, but Kai York suddenly grabbed her hand. "Save the rest for later! Moira, quick, I’m starving! Food! Food!"
Seeing that the two looked as if they were about to faint from hunger, Moira Lynch wordlessly took out two pre-portioned meals she had packed earlier.
The two of them wolfed down the food, finishing everything in under three minutes.
Shane Rhodes rubbed his stomach and sighed, "Finally... I feel alive again."
One meal box clearly wasn’t enough to fill them up, so Moira Lynch brought out several more and let them eat their fill.
"So, can you tell me what happened now?"
Kai York swallowed the food in his mouth. "Don’t even get me started. The boss and I were nearly worked to death."
Shane Rhodes continued, "We found the Chimefin Beastfolk’s territory just like you said, and then they had us pulling weeds for an entire day."
On that note, they had Moira Lynch to thank for teaching them how to distinguish weeds from edible plants. Otherwise, they would have ended up like the poor saps who arrived later, getting chased all over by fierce and powerful Merfolk.
They hadn’t just failed the mission; they were forced to do free labor for the Chimefin Beastfolk as well.
It was only then that Moira Lynch noticed the badges on their chests had turned pure gold, just like hers.
Having all completed the mission, the three of them came to an agreement: they would use the rest of their time to gather as many supplies as possible.
Items from inside the game couldn’t be taken out, but things stored in Moira Lynch’s Space Button could.
"Moira, about how much space do you have left in your Space Button?" Shane Rhodes asked.
Moira Lynch estimated for a moment. "About ten square meters left."
"That can’t be right," Kai York said, surprised. "Back with that beastkin tribe a few stops ago, didn’t you say you couldn’t fit anything else? How do you still have ten square meters of space?"
Even with everything they’d consumed these last few days, it shouldn’t have freed up that much room.
Moira Lynch calmly explained, "I had already set aside these ten square meters for myself. The rest of the space was freed up from what we’ve consumed."
Moira Lynch had collected a lot of food, but the three of them had voracious appetites, so their supplies were dwindling at an alarming rate.
With a plan in place, the trio immediately sprang into action.
While Shane Rhodes and Kai York didn’t recognize the purifying moss, they certainly knew what Water Storage Mushrooms were. The ones here were several sizes larger than any they had ever seen before.
They understood far better than Moira Lynch just how scarce water sources had become on Caelus.
Furthermore, these Water Storage Mushrooms didn’t just store water; they could also produce a continuous supply. The rate was slow, but it was better than nothing.
"Moira, are these mushrooms poisonous?" Kai York asked, holding up a pair of Positive and Negative Mushrooms.
"They’re not poisonous," Moira Lynch replied without looking up, "but they’ll make you get all lovey-dovey with others."
After she explained the effect of the Positive and Negative Mushrooms, Shane Rhodes and Kai York added them to their collection list, right alongside the Water Storage Mushrooms.
However, both men knew that Moira’s storage space was limited, so they didn’t intend to fill it all with just Water Storage Mushrooms and Positive and Negative Mushrooms.
Freed from the pressure of the mission, they slept exceptionally well that night and woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Before setting out, the three of them had breakfast. To free up more space for supplies, Shane Rhodes and Kai York transformed into bottomless pits, wolfing down as much food as they could.
Moira Lynch watched them but didn’t try to stop them.
After breakfast, the trio mounted their Stag-Horses and set off at a leisurely pace.
Useful supplies could be found anywhere, so they had to keep a sharp eye out.
As they traveled, they would periodically dismount their Stag-Horses to gather patches of Dragon Tooth Grass. It was an excellent remedy for heatstroke, so they made sure to collect as much as possible.
About two hours later, Moira Lynch came to a stop before a patch of grass.
Shane Rhodes and Kai York saw this and immediately understood. Every time Moira Lynch stopped, it meant there were supplies to be gathered nearby.
This time, the prize was the patch of straight, green weeds right in front of them.
[Sugar Grass: Contains a high concentration of sugar. Can be processed into sugar or eaten raw. Alleviates hypoglycemia. The flavor is long-lasting and remains unchanged even after being chewed all day.]
Moira Lynch pulled up a stalk, wiped the dirt off, and popped it into her mouth. Instantly, a refreshingly sweet flavor mixed with a hint of grassiness flooded her senses.
Seeing her reaction, Shane Rhodes and Kai York tried some as well and instantly realized these "weeds" were a real treasure.
Armed with sickles, the three of them harvested the Sugar Grass, swing after swing, until the entire patch was cleared. Only then did they reluctantly stop, wishing there was more.
Meanwhile, Moira Lynch took the opportunity to collect a large amount of Sugar Grass seeds.
It was like the old saying goes: give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
The Sugar Grass alone took up a full five square meters of space. Fortunately, Shane Rhodes and Kai York were such big eaters that they had already freed up a considerable amount of room.
From then on, they could only be selective, gathering only the most important supplies and in limited quantities.
Moira Lynch, however, had no such limitations. Anything Shane Rhodes and Kai York passed over, she would secretly collect into her storage space after they had moved on.
Along the way, they ran into other players several times. Some, upon seeing them riding Stag-Horses, even tried to rob them.
It was at times like these that the value of having Shane Rhodes and Kai York as bodyguards became apparent.
With a combination of lightning and cyclones, they defeated their attackers without breaking a sweat.
After a busy day, evening fell. The trio was about to take stock of their haul, but just then, their usually calm Stag-Horses suddenly became agitated.
Seeing this, Moira Lynch immediately recalled what she’d heard from the other Beastkin about the Nomadic Beastmen.
"Let’s go. It’s dangerous here."
Without another word, the three of them mounted their Stag-Horses and took off at a full gallop.
Not long after they had fled, a group of fierce-looking Beastkin, wearing nothing but animal-hide loincloths, arrived at the spot where they had just been.
The leader of the group sniffed the air and said to his companions, "They’re not far. Let’s go after them."
Meanwhile, Moira Lynch knew that Beastkin—especially Nomadic Beastmen—had a keen sense of smell. As they fled, she wracked her brain for a way to conceal their scent.
She looked up at the sky. ’If only it would rain right now,’ she thought.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a bolt of purple lightning flashed across the sky. It was followed by a torrential downpour that soaked the three fugitives to the bone.