Chapter 249

Chapter 249: Night in the Forest

  Speeding up the refinement process and enhancing her own strength were her primary tasks at present.

  The Supranatural Core she had condensed required minimal effort to manipulate and refine magic power automatically every moment of every day due to its exceptional properties.

  However, even with this automatic refinement, the speed was still somewhat slow. Over the past six months, Lolan Hill had made up for lost time by studying alchemy after the Mercury Dynasty, learning many new methods for concocting potions.

  While most alchemical recipes could be found in the library, actually producing them was another matter altogether.

  It was like looking at a very beautiful famous painting in front of you; you can see all the details and colors, but reproducing it yourself is not guaranteed.

  Cooking was similar; recipes were everywhere, but few could truly master them. Alchemy was no different.

  Unlike other potion masters, Lolan Hill lacked materials rather than skill. Her mythic talent allowed her to easily grasp the characteristics of materials and measure them precisely down to the smallest detail, as well as perceive temperature and changes, but now she just happened to lack suitable raw materials.

  She could cultivate excellent Supranatural crops, but this required time to grow. Even if she catalyzed them with her own magic power, the higher the grade, the less effective they became. The pearl-grade seven-color grapes behind her house had already consumed much of her energy, and it was unrealistic to cultivate other crops during a short holiday.

  It seemed she would have to venture out on an adventure.

  The silver-haired young lady sat at the top of a red maple tree hundreds of meters high, gazing at the distant blue-green mountain ranges, and thought to herself.

  The Tisilam Mountains were just a small branch of the Sighing Mountains, which divided the continent in two. Vast and expansive, most places were untouched by human hands. Among the towering mountains and ridges, there were also many Supranatural Demonic Beasts hidden. Although dangerous, there were also many naturally grown treasures hidden within.

  Her fair legs swung gently in the air, her pure white dress fluttering. Lolan Hill leaned against the trunk of the tree, considering which direction to head towards.

  Ah, I almost forgot—wasn’t there someone who knew about the local area?

  She gently tapped the tree trunk beneath her, closed her eyes, and slowly perceived the consciousness within the tree.

  A slightly excited message came from the great tree, seemingly thanking her for her help. But it had been eight years since then, hadn’t it? The emotions and thoughts of the tree were indeed different from those of humans.

  Lolan Hill asked where she could find others like this tree. The red maple tree seemed to think and recall for a while before emitting a

The shallow ripples spread out in all directions.

Following the light arcs spreading out, Lolan Hill roughly knew two directions: one in the distant North and another towards the Southeast, both within the Sighing Mountains.

The one in the Northern region felt cold and seemed to be in some pain recently. The one in the Southern region felt warm and seemed to have been sleeping for a long time. This was Maple Red Tree’s response.

They had never met each other, only able to sense each other’s presence through the vague information in nature. According to Maple Red Tree’s perception, the one in the North was similar to it, probably a Sequence 7 Coral-level existence. The one in the Southeast should be a Sequence 8 Crystal-level existence, but it appeared quite lazy and had no strong desire to attack.

Is that so? Lolan Hill thought. If these were such high-level and intelligent supernatural plants, she should be able to communicate with them. It shouldn’t be too difficult to exchange some fruits with them then.

After making up her mind, she lightly jumped down from the tree, letting the wind flow over her body as she freely fell, then holding her skirt, slowly landing on the grass of the courtyard.

She walked back into the small house and prepared some things, such as clothes, food, and some travel supplies. After putting them into the storage ring, Lolan Hill thought for a moment and changed into a pure white witch dress. This would make moving in the forest much more comfortable.

A regular dress would expose the shoulders and collarbone to the air, easily getting caught on thick branches. But the cloak of a witch’s dress would provide better protection, and the hem was longer without lace edges, preventing it from getting snagged. Additionally, the large brim could shield her from water droplets dripping from the trees.

After changing clothes, she thought for a moment and then jumped onto a high tree trunk, breaking off a branch about a meter long to use as a walking stick.

Indeed, a witch should hold something in her hand to look proper.

Sitting sideways on the broken branch, Lolan Hill flew towards the dense and distant mountain ranges.

According to Maple Red Tree’s information, the existence in the North was about a thousand miles away from where she lived. She would first fly nearby, then descend to search.

—

Layer upon layer of forest covered the mountains and wildlands. The lush green canopies retreated beneath her feet as she traveled through the gaps between the hills and forests. Occasionally, she saw clearings in the forest where puddles formed after rain, reflecting the blue sky like mirrors.

Small animals cautiously drank water at these puddles—foxes, wolves, antelopes, and others. However, there were also some rough ones. Occasionally, a few wild boars would charge into the puddles, splashing water everywhere, then roll around, covering their hard bristles with mud.

Lolan Hill held down her hat brim to prevent it from being blown away by the wind as she looked down.

The verdant scenery occasionally accompanied by a few birds, these curious little creatures could be held in the palm of her hand, examined closely, and then released anew.

Since she did not set out in the morning, by the time the sun was about to set, she had only covered half the distance. The fiery dusk illuminated the entire horizon with crimson hues. A few egrets called out in the forest, and the young lady gradually slowed down, preparing to find a place to rest for the night before setting off again the next day.

After circling around, Lolan Hill found a spot on a semi-mountain slope where pine trees grew. This place was relatively safe as there were no demonic beasts nearby, and she would not be disturbed.

The forest floor was covered with layers of light yellow and withered leaves, with not many shrubs. Numerous fallen pine cones could be seen among the leaves.

Her boots stepped onto a stone on the ground, and her pure white dress slowly descended. A gentle breeze blew a few fallen leaves beside her feet. She lightly waved her wooden staff, drawing a circular arc in the air. Then, the airflow rotated, lifting up layers of leaves, pine cones, and a small amount of twigs and other debris, revealing the black soil beneath.

After clearing a circular space around her, Lolan Hill took out a larger tent from a ring and placed it on the ground.

First, she laid down a waterproof mat on the ground, then placed the tent on top of it, assembled the frame, tied up the tent, secured the corners with stakes, and made some minor adjustments. The tent was now set up.

She gathered some dry branches from the surroundings, piled them together, and lit a small campfire. Sitting on a rock beside the fire, Lolan Hill took out several green fruits and placed them by the fire to roast.

Holding a wooden stick, the young lady gently stirred the burning firewood. With occasional popping sounds of pine cones and sparks, a faint aroma of wood smoke and pine drifted through the air.

After a while, the white-dressed girl peeled the steaming fruit skin, taking small bites of the sweet and sour flesh, occasionally feeling a bit of heat and sticking out her tongue.

After finishing the fruits, she took out the notes she had recorded at school, examining which potion formulas were effective and suitable. She pondered slightly on methods to improve them.

In the tranquil night, the quill pen scratched across the paper. The focused expression of the young lady and the pages of the book reflected the warm glow of the firelight. Her long shadow swayed slightly under the flames.

The star-filled sky, the quiet forest, and the occasional chirping of insects from the grasslands all around.

Thank you, Luo Yu MK, Ashes, Xiao Mofei, Illusionary Starry Dreams, Dance of Snowflakes, Lazy Otaku, O Golden Melody O, Fish Spear 2743, Sakura Yurisa, Daid Zhongyuwei, to the ten readers who have generously supported this work.

Thank you, Luo Yu MK, and Ashes for your support. Thank you.

End of Chapter