Firefly Journey

Chapter 184 Seeing Mountains as Not Mountains (1)

A week after the qualifying rounds ended, the request that Wind Chime had made arrived as scheduled.

Just like his last trip to the Northern Territory, Lin Yuanran carefully packed his luggage, bringing a whole bunch of random things. But now, he had developed the storage function of the "Fantasy Ledger," allowing him to bring much more items.

The book wasn't large, but it was still difficult to carry, so Lin Yuanran put it in his backpack.

After everything was ready, Lin Yuanran walked out of the academy gate. At the parking lot, a girl sat with her arms crossed in the driver's seat of a beast-drawn carriage, looking languid.

Lin Yuanran walked over.

The girl's long legs dangled in the air, like withered vines in autumn, swaying back and forth, yet showing no sign of desolation, but bursting with vitality.

"Making a girl wait for you is not gentlemanly behavior."

“I am not a gentleman, I am a peasant from the countryside.”

Faced with Feng Ling's challenge, Lin Yuanran easily refuted it, handling it with great ease.

In the past, he certainly wouldn't have been able to answer so fluently, but after spending more time with Fengling, responding to her became easier.

“Come on up,” Wind Chime said.

Lin Yuanran jumped up, put his backpack into the carriage, and then crawled out and said, "Just the two of us?"

"if not?"

Lin Yuanran said, "I thought you would entrust many people with this."

Feng Ling chuckled: "Those magical beasts aren't very powerful; I can handle them on my own. However, there are many of them, and they're very cunning, preferring to use guerrilla warfare."

"Originally, I could have handled it with some of my family's guards. But, since you're free anyway, I asked you to come along. As for payment, that depends on my mood! I might not pay you anything."

Lin Yuanran had mixed feelings.

What's the difference between this and just giving me money directly?

Is it to protect my pride that you're using a more tactful approach? Absolutely not. I have no pride whatsoever. Please, just send me the money!

Of course, while he was internally complaining, Lin Yuanran wasn't really the kind of person who liked to get something for nothing; he was just overthinking things.

Lin Yuanran then asked, "Why haven't I seen any of your guards?"

“I let them go on their own.” Wind Chime frowned. “I told you, I like quiet.”

She did say that, she mentioned it when they first met and she was looking for a place to rent.

but……

Am I very quiet?

Wind Chime seemed to sense his thoughts and added, "It's too quiet and boring, so I asked you to join me. Honestly, you don't seem too keen."

Isn't that what makes friends useful?

Lin Yuanran smiled and said, "I didn't say I was unwilling. I've said it before, don't hesitate to ask if you need me, and I'll agree as long as it doesn't violate my principles."

If this brings you pleasure, then I am honored.

"Can you drive?" Wind Chime asked.

Lin Yuanran replied, "I learned a little in the Northern Territory. I'm not very proficient, but it's enough."

"That's good." Fengling handed the whip to him. "The price of enjoying peace and quiet is doing everything yourself, but luckily I still have you. Now I need to rest. Good luck to you. Oh, and here's the map."

Fengling handed Lin Yuanran another piece of paper, patted him on the shoulder, and went to rest in the carriage.

Lin Yuanran took the two items, and the warm feeling in his heart suddenly stopped. Sure enough... she came to me not because she liked me, but because she thought I was more useful than others!

Lin Yuanran believed he had found the reason, sighed softly, cracked his whip, and the beast-drawn carriage started moving towards the bustling street.

……

……

The Fengling family's crystal mine is located in the Norwegian province, which is quite far from Yicheng. Even though the Xu family's beast-drawn carriage was very fast, it still took them nearly a week to reach it.

Actually, if we had gone at full speed, we could have arrived in just two or three days. However, Fengling was too playful and rushed through the sights, which caused the delay.

Lin Yuanran accompanied him the whole way, and couldn't help but complain to himself, "You've probably forgotten about the important matter."

On the seventh day, the two arrived at the Ambabuma Mountains.

The mining of crystal is not like that of ordinary minerals, where it is hauled away in large truckloads.

It is true that the entire Amarama mountain range contains abundant crystal minerals, but they do not appear in large areas; rather, they are scattered here and there, requiring a discerning eye to discover them.

There are also strict requirements on the amount mined. Scarcity drives up prices; if too much is shipped out at once and circulates widely in the market, the price will drop. A steady, long-term approach is the best strategy.

Originally, the mountain range, stretching for nearly a hundred miles, was inhabited only by some low-level magical beasts, who usually coexisted peacefully with the Xu family's mining personnel.

But just a few months ago, whether due to migration or some other reason, all sorts of ferocious monsters suddenly appeared. They not only plundered the mines, but also liked to attack people suddenly.

The high price of crystal is due not only to its rarity and suitability for luxurious decoration, but also to its believed magical properties. It is an extraordinary material.

However, if it is used in medicine, a certain amount is required.

The magical power contained in the ore is naturally beyond the ability of low-level magical beasts to extract, which is why the magical beasts in the Amarama Mountains are not strong.

High-level magical beasts are different; their bodily functions allow them to absorb the magical power inside crystal ore and use it for their own purposes.

Fengling led Lin Yuanran to the Xu family's inn at the foot of the mountain and parked the carriage. The rest of the way was mountain road, impassable for beast-drawn carriages.

Even the most rugged mountain roads are a piece of cake for Warcraft. If the carriage is not carrying a heavy load, it can still move swiftly.

The wind chime chose to walk.

Lin Yuanran did not ask why.

What else could it be for someone to spend twice as much time on the road? Sightseeing and enjoying the scenery along the way, dealing with the invading monsters seems like a side effect.

Fengling was carefree, with nothing but the tinkling bells around her waist, and her steps were light and quick.

Lin Yuanran, however, was different.

Although all her luggage was stored in the "Fantasy Ledger," the "Fantasy Ledger" itself needed a place to be stored. Lin Yuanran carried a travel bag, which wasn't heavy, but after trekking through mountains and rivers, her physical strength was inevitably declining.

Feng Ling seemed unconcerned about such things, walking ahead of Lin Yuanran, who could barely keep up.

"Hurry up!" she urged.

"How far is it?"

The narrow path they were walking on had obvious signs of being artificially created, likely by the miners hired by the Xu family.

"Who am I asking you to ask me?"

Lin Yuanran was taken aback. "Isn't this your family's mine? Don't you know the way?"

Fengling said, "Back then, my family registered the mine in my name. All I had to do was collect the money every month, and I didn't have to do anything myself."

"If it weren't for the monsters causing trouble, I wouldn't have come. In fact, this is my first time here too."

Lin Yuanran's expression was incredibly interesting.

“But it’s alright.” Wind Chime looked relaxed. “I have a map, and if I just follow the paths they’ve cleared, I’ll eventually reach the end.”

Lin Yuanran glanced at the sky, then said with a forced smile, "I don't think we'll make it to the mine today."

Wind Chime nodded in agreement, "Then let's just find a riverside campsite."

Her tone carried a hint of excitement, as if camping in the wilderness was exactly what she wanted.

Finally, as darkness fell, the two of them did not reach their destination.

Beside a stream, there happened to be a clearing paved with pebbles. The two of them decided that they didn't need to go any further and would stay there for the night.

Lin Yuanran was rather embarrassed. He had no idea he would have to spend the night in the middle of nowhere. He was completely unprepared and hadn't brought anything with him.

The wind chimes were like a magic bag; they pulled out two tents from them, one of which they gave to Lin Yuanran.

Lin Yuanran set up the tent, while Fengling sat by the stream, having taken off her shoes and socks, her long, fair legs splashing in the water, seemingly finding it very fun.

Lin Yuanran silently finished setting up her roof as well.

"There's a fish!" the wind chime suddenly cried out, as if it had discovered a new continent.

Lin Yuanran had just finished setting up his equipment, so he went over to take a look.

In the crystal-clear stream, several small fish and shrimp were surprisingly unafraid, swimming around near the wind chime's legs.

"No, are they really not afraid of death?" Lin Yuanran smiled.

"What do you mean?" Fengling raised an eyebrow.

Lin Yuanran realized she had misunderstood and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "It is a bit small, but it would be delicious if grilled."

Fengling was in high spirits: "Then you go catch it."

"Why don't you go..."

"I'll be in charge of attracting their attention!"

"No, can't you just use the 'Water Mage' ability to pull it up?"

"No, that's no fun at all."

Although Lin Yuanran had no choice, he did as he was told. He rolled up his trousers and slowly walked into the water.

The water wasn't deep, just up to his knees.

He understood what Feng Ling meant; catching fish with supernatural powers was easy, but it lacked a certain fun. So Lin Yuanran decided against using his magic and instead tried to catch a few with his bare hands.

Whether those fish and shrimp were stupid or had some serious illness, they were really slow. Lin Yuanran easily caught some and threw them all ashore.

Suddenly, a large fish appeared in the water, and Fengling saw it too, very close to her.

The girl gestured for Lin Yuanran to be quiet so as not to scare it away. Lin Yuanran nodded, slowed his pace, and approached step by step without disturbing a ripple in the water.

Seeing that the distance was about right, Lin Yuanran made his move instantly.

Pfft!

The big fish was incredibly agile, and Lin Yuanran missed his target.

That's not the worst part. The real problem is that Lin Yuanran lost his balance and fell into the water.

That's not the worst part. The problem is that the fish was very close to the wind chime, and Lin Yuanran's attack was also very close.

The girl, completely unaware of the danger, was also affected.

Both of them fell into the water.