Chapter 252: We’re Going! Prepare At Once
Faye Yardley’s heart raced at the thought of the red sap. It could be used to draw talismans and might even have other uses—and that wasn’t even mentioning the meat imbued with Divinity.
So she called her immediately.
"Ms. Chandler, I’m in! Please make sure to invite me to the team when you set off. Mr. Zephyr Sterling will definitely want to go too. Besides you and Kyle, do you have anyone else on your end?"
"It’s great that you can come. I don’t have anyone else on my end. If you want to bring someone along, you can only add one more person. The team is capped at five."
"That’s perfect. It’s Mr. Zephyr Sterling’s master, an old Daoist with real skills. Master Veridian."
"Alright, contact them on your end then. I still need to make some more preparations. In any case, it’s too late today. We definitely can’t set out now."
"Okay, okay. Thanks for thinking of me when something good came up, Ms. Chandler. Here, treat yourself and Kyle to some strawberries. Don’t be shy." As Faye Yardley spoke, she sent over a Red Envelope.
"Strawberries are a rare treat these days. Thanks, I won’t turn you down then."
The Red Envelope was accepted instantly.
After hanging up, Faye Yardley was so excited she wanted to hum a little tune.
"Sister, you’re not planning on taking me again. I’m really strong, you know."
Faye Yardley looked at Cole Kensington’s small, resentful face and burst out laughing. "Oh, come on, it’s not that dangerous. We’ve been there once before."
Bramble extended a thorny branch to touch Faye Yardley’s arm.
"Huh? Little Bramble, you don’t want to go too, do you?"
A small flower instantly bloomed on the branch. It swayed twice, and as the petals fell away, a small red fruit began to form.
The fruit then grew and grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, stopping when it reached the size of a small grape. The thorny branch reached toward Faye Yardley’s hand, and the fruit dropped into her palm. Afterward, the entire Bramble plant looked as if it had been severely drained of its Energy.
[Thorn Essence Red Fruit: Has unexpected effects when consumed. Can also be carried on your person, causing Demonic Creatures to automatically avoid you.]
"Thank you, little Bramble. It’s a fruit that repels Demonic Creatures."
Faye Yardley looked up. All the leaves and flowers of the Bramble vine wrapped around the wooden fence looked like they were about to wither.
Clearly, creating such a fruit had taken a serious toll on its Energy.
And that was even with Bramble constantly absorbing energy from the Black Sea Water.
The Bramble leaves swayed in succession, as if urging her to eat the fruit quickly.
After a moment of contemplation, Faye Yardley swallowed the small fruit in one gulp.
[Congratulations, player! You have gained Demon Resistance +1. You will now be more clear-headed than others and better able to resist the temptations of Demons.]
Faye Yardley felt a cool sensation jolt her mind.
She stroked the thorny branches, her heart pounding with excitement.
The Bramble that grew from a single Magic Seed had already given her two surprises in one day.
"MEOW~"
The little black cat leaped onto Faye Yardley’s shoulder. It tilted its head to look at her, nuzzled her, and then jumped into the Bramble thicket.
"Sister, do you think I could go with you if I hide in your shadow?"
Seeing him bring it up again, Faye Yardley said, "Well, why don’t you give it a try tomorrow?"
Cole Kensington immediately nodded in excitement. "Thank you, Sister."
She contacted Zephyr Sterling and Master Veridian. Both confirmed they wanted to go and would prepare more Exorcism Talismans.
Stepping onto that island felt like carrying two of yourself. They had added weight training to their routine after returning last time, but they still didn’t know how effective it had been.
This trip would be a perfect opportunity to test the results of that training.
’I wonder how the Human Race on that cursed island is faring,’ she thought.
"Eamon! Eamon!"
A moment later, a short-legged green creature appeared in the grass hut. "Sister, did you call for me?"
"Have you cultivated any vegetables that are particularly easy to plant and can grow stubbornly even in harsh environments?"
"Yes, I have some napa cabbage and potatoes with improved texture."
"What about sweet potatoes? That way, we can eat the leaves too."
Eamon shook his head. "Only the ordinary kind, then."
"That’s fine too. Prepare a wide variety of vegetable and fruit seeds."
"Okay."
After giving her instructions, Faye Yardley went into the house and up to the second-floor workshop to craft some Blood Replenishing Potions. While she was at it, she figured she’d make a couple of Arrow Towers. The people on the island would surely be willing to trade for them.
Since she knew that the meat from prey hunted there would be imbued with Divinity when brought back, it could definitely be used as a trade good.
Besides, even though they’d traded last time, she was sure the islanders were still holding back a lot of good stuff.
She also needed to prepare plenty of food, including some pastries and candies that children would like.
’Tsk, I suddenly have so much to prepare,’ she thought.
The next day at 7:00 a.m. sharp, she received Leah Chandler’s invitation. Cole Kensington merged into her shadow, and the black cat leaped onto her shoulder to go with her.
Zephyr Sterling and Silas arrived one after the other.
"Time to go ashore."
It was the same familiar, clean, and tidy dock. But the moment Faye Yardley set foot on it, Cole Kensington was violently expelled from her shadow, and Blackwood instantly turned into a rigid Bronze Cat Statue.
"Cole Kensington, take Blackwood and stay on Ms. Chandler’s raft."
But what surprised Faye Yardley even more was that the moment Zephyr Sterling stepped onto the dock, his legs gave out and he couldn’t move.
"Sorry about this, Mr. Zephyr Sterling."
With that, Faye Yardley lifted Zephyr Sterling and tossed him toward the raft. Cole Kensington naturally caught him and helped him sit up.
"Wh-what happened?" Kyle Lewis asked, completely baffled. Silas didn’t understand either.
’Didn’t they say my eldest disciple had been here before? Even if there’s some kind of pressure, it shouldn’t be enough to completely incapacitate him, should it?!’
"Looks like it’ll just be the four of us again," Faye said. "I’ll explain Mr. Zephyr Sterling’s condition after we get back."
’Looks like you really can’t just casually eat meat imbued with Divinity,’ she thought.
Leah Chandler, who hadn’t yet stepped onto the dock, asked, "Since Zephyr Sterling can’t join us, do you mind if I call one more person? You’ve probably all heard of him. It’s Logan Langdon, one of the top ten on the leaderboards."
Faye Yardley and Master Veridian exchanged a look, then she said, "That’s your call, Ms. Chandler."
Kyle Lewis tugged on Faye Yardley’s sleeve. "This Logan Langdon guy is smooth-tongued and really persuasive. He’s trying to get my mom to join his guild, and I think she’s actually considering it."
"Ms. Chandler must have something good on her hands."
Kyle Lewis shot her a look that said, "I knew you’d get it."
Then he leaned closer to Faye Yardley, glanced toward the raft, and whispered, "My mom got an Island Master Qualification Card. My guess is Logan Langdon wants to get his hands on it to become an Island Master himself."
’Oh?’
’Isn’t that similar to her Legendary Island Order?’
’But mine requires finding an unclaimed island first before the Island Master quest will even activate.’
’This is a direct Island Master Card. Is it a higher level than mine?’
’Probably not,’ she reasoned. ’This sounds more like multiple people competing for a single qualification. Otherwise, Leah Chandler would have just used it herself. Wouldn’t she love to be an Island Master?’