78: Chapter 78 No need to roll anymore when traveling
"Forget about how those rich people mess around." Teacher An Nuolan put away the map.
"This lake water has a nourishing effect on our Soul Power. If you have a storage soul guidance device, it's best to collect some to take back for your own use."
Lu Mengmeng's eyes lit up: "Right, right, right! I need to collect some to take back for a bath too!"
"We'll see when the time comes." Lin Mo flicked her on the forehead.
"100 jin of Wisteria Orchid flowers, 50 Ox-Python skins, and this damn lake water... It doesn't look like we'll finish in less than three days."
"Pretty much. The main thing is that traveling also takes a considerable amount of time!" Teacher An Nuolan nodded.
Currently, apart from fixed routes, there are basically no good roads, so they can only rely on their own two legs to travel.
"What do you mean? It's just traveling; my boss is an expert at this."
This immediately reminded the others.
"Right! How could I forget that you kid can fly!" Teacher An Nuolan looked at Lin Mo with pleasant surprise.
"How about it? Is carrying six people a problem?"
The latter patted his chest in assurance: "Hehe, leave it to me. A hundred kilometers or so is simple."
Since Lin Mo mastered his two innate Soul Skills, carrying six people while flying put him under absolutely no pressure.
It's just that his mental power strength is a bit lacking, so his speed won't be very fast—at most, it won't exceed 150 yards!
Not long after.
A golden-red Pill Furnace zoomed into the sky with a whoosh, then flew straight toward the north like a shooting star.
"Holy crap! Look, a shooting star!"
People in this area saw that long tail flame streaking across the sky and all looked up in exclamation.
They thought it was a real shooting star.
On the way.
Six heads poked out from the Pill Furnace.
Facing the wind, they looked at the scenery outside.
"In all the years I've led teams, this is the first time I've traveled by flying." Teacher An Nuolan wore a comfortable smile on her face.
"Mm-hmm, flying is definitely better than rolling; it saves a lot of motion sickness medicine."
Lu Mengmeng's face was also full of excitement.
Previously, she and her boss always traveled by rolling.
She even secretly gave Lin Mo's Soul Skill an apt name: "Washing Machine Drum."
Now it's good; the boss can finally take them flying.
As they flew further and further away, distancing themselves from the town, the terrain below underwent massive changes.
The trees became increasingly dense and primitive.
Several dozen minutes later.
With a "thud."
The alchemy furnace landed steadily on a slope.
The surrounding trees were very dense and primitive.
Sunlight was filtered by layers of branches and leaves into fine, dappled spots of light.
The air was filled with the smell of damp, rotting leaves.
The six people walked out of the alchemy furnace.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, they felt the thick layer of leaves.
"Watch your step."
"There's spider silk here."
As soon as Teacher An Nuolan landed, she caught sight of some thick spider silk to the side.
Lin Mo had sent the six of them directly to the first mission point.
Everyone looked down and sure enough, saw fine white silk threads tangled among the grass. They were very tough, and some fine animal fur was stuck to them.
"This is where the Iron-Backed Spider is active."
Teacher An Nuolan signaled everyone to spread out and stay alert.
"This kind of spider is Tier 2. Its poison isn't strong, but it's skilled at weaving webs. Getting tangled up is a big hassle."
Teacher An Nuolan summoned her Fire Kirin Blade and stood at the front.
She scanned her surroundings and finally locked onto a direction.
"The slope not far ahead is our mission point."
After speaking, Teacher An Nuolan started walking forward.
The six of them walked forward for over 100 meters, and their noses caught whiffs of a light, elegant floral fragrance.
"That's right, it's the fragrance of the Wisteria Orchid flowers. Everyone, keep an eye on your surroundings."
Teacher An Nuolan had been here before; she knew that the closer you got to those Wisteria Orchid flowers, the more likely you were to encounter those Iron-Backed Spiders.
Because Iron-Backed Spiders are accustomed to waiting for prey beneath the Wisteria Orchid flowers.
"Holy crap, this single flower must weigh one or two jin, right?"
The six of them walked into a forest full of purple vines. The vines were covered in purple flowers the size of basketballs.
"Su Xiaoxiao, Mu Liuli, and Lin Mo, you three start harvesting. Lu Mengmeng, Da Chun, and I will be responsible for keeping watch."
"Be careful not to scatter the petals." Teacher An Nuolan took out a special preservation bag.
"These flowers are delicate. Without a barrier, they will wither within two hours of leaving the soil."
Su Xiaoxiao stepped forward and carefully cut the flowers along with their stems.
Her movements were as gentle as if she were protecting a fragile treasure.
Lin Mo and Mu Liuli also followed suit, harvesting earnestly.
Only Teacher An Nuolan and Lu Mengmeng vigilantly observed their surroundings, guarding against any potential strange beasts.
Just as Su Xiaoxiao's fingertips touched a Wisteria Orchid flower, the rotting leaves under her feet suddenly began to rustle.
She was startled and was about to retreat.
A black spider the size of an adult suddenly lunged out from the pile of leaves.
Its pitch-black carapace gleamed with a metallic luster, and its eight hooked legs lunged toward her.
"Su Xiaoxiao, watch out!" Lu Mengmeng was quick-witted and fast.
The Devil Vine "whooshed" and wrapped around the spider's abdomen, then violently flung it against a tree trunk.
The spider made a crisp "click" sound, its carapace cracked with fine lines, and it twitched a few times.
Several Devil Vines pierced directly into its body, pinning it firmly to the tree.
It let out: "Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
Green blood splattered.
"So gross." Lu Mengmeng stuck out her tongue.
Then, she used the vine to violently twist it.
The Iron-Backed Spider was instantly torn into pieces, dead as a doornail.
"Thanks, Mengmeng!" Su Xiaoxiao patted her chest, her face pale.
"This spider was hiding deep." Lin Mo frowned and looked at the thick layer of rotting leaves under his feet. "Everyone, don't just look at the surroundings; watch your feet too."
He casually picked up a tree branch and poked it into a nearby pile of leaves; sure enough, he flushed out two more Iron-Backed Spiders.
Teacher An Nuolan held her Fire Kirin Blade, her gaze like a torch: "These spiders are gregarious, but if you're careful, there's no real danger. Speed up the harvesting; once we have fifty jin, we'll evacuate immediately."
Everyone sped up their movements.
Teacher An Nuolan would also help pick some from time to time.
The purple flowers piled higher and higher in the preservation bags.
The floral scent in the air became increasingly rich, yet it carried a hint of dangerous sweetness.
"Something's not right."
Teacher An Nuolan suddenly gave a low shout, and orange-red flames ignited on the Fire Kirin Blade.
"What's wrong?" Everyone curiously looked at her.
"It's too quiet."
"So what if it's quiet? What's the big deal?" Lu Mengmeng was somewhat dismissive and continued to search for spiders on her own.
These are Tier 2 strange beasts; if they were lucky, they could even dig out Tier 2 soul crystals.
But Teacher An Nuolan's brows remained tightly locked.
"No, it's not right. Such silence can only mean that there might be a King-level strange beast here."
Teacher An Nuolan was, after all, an instructor who had led teams for many years and possessed rich experience.
"A King-level strange beast? We can't be that unlucky, right?" Everyone's movements paused.
"Boom—!"
Before they could continue asking.
The layer of rotting leaves suddenly bulged into a large hump, and immediately after, a giant spider web sprang up from the ground, covering the six of them with sticky silk threads!
"It's the Iron-Backed Spider King!"
Teacher An Nuolan roared and swung her blade at the spider web. The moment the flames cut through the silk threads...
A figure with dark red patterns covering its carapace and a body as large as an elephant appeared before them.
It was none other than the Tier 4 mutated Iron-Backed Spider King!