With the mountains in view, the group continues on, with Auren at the front of their formation. Because the mountains are coming closer and closer, they are now dealing with a major incline, constantly travelling upward.
Much like she did earlier, Leira stops every now and then to collect samples. This time she finds a mushroom field where the mushrooms grow closely together, each one containing a neon bright-yellow sponge that smells unexpectedly sweet.
"Mmmmh," Vanessa says, leaning onto Leira's shoulders and putting an arm around her while staring at the mushroom in her hand. "It smells good... so sweet. A little like honey. Why don't we name it honey mushroom? Let me try a bite."
"You can eat as much as you'd like," Leira replies calmly, "though I can only recommend it if you intend to end your life, as it will most likely kill you within minutes."
"Sometimes I'm not sure if you are actually serious or not, Vanessa," Eren notes, looking embarrassed.
"I am pretty sure she is joking," Auren says, though there's a hint of doubt in his voice. "She is a Hunter. She is smart, and she has enjoyed the best education that money can buy. Surely she wouldn't eat a random, highly suspicious-looking mushroom in a forsaken place where no human has ever set foot on."
"O—of course I wouldn't do that!" Vanessa exclaims.
"This mushroom unleashes a deadly spore when consumed," Leira explains, ignoring the banter. "It slowly erodes and consumes whoever eats it from the inside, melting their flesh and organs. If you look carefully, you can see animal bones next to the mushroom field. Many animals are likely drawn to the smell and end up eating it, surviving briefly and carrying the spores with them." She pauses briefly, Vanessa turning pale, before continuing. "At least, that's what it looks like so far. Oculus shows me numerous similar mushrooms, but I don't have an exact, not even a close match yet. These kinds of finds are truly what I live for. Thank you for this opportunity, Auren."
"Well, this is proof that it works on pigs, cows, and similar animals," Neffi whispers so only Auren can hear it, grinning with glee.
"Don't be mean," Auren replies.
I know they are actually great friends, despite the decade or so age difference. Do they have to constantly tease, insult, and one-up each other?
"Why are we taking these dangerous mushrooms with us then?" Vanessa wonders.
"Research. There are endless potential uses," Leira replies instantly. "I can think of quite a few ones that could lead to quick results. Maybe they can even be prepared in a way that makes them edible. Apart from that, medical uses, potential cultivation for cross-hybridization—really, anything here could be a treasure."
She didn't mention the most obvious use... use it as a bioweapon to kill people. These spores sound dangerous... if they find their way into food and then create more mushrooms by turning whoever ate them into nutrients, they could decimate a village... or a country if a large warehouse with food gets infected. This is beyond scary. Surely these spores lose their potency with time... and the amount required must be significant... right? I guess that's exactly the kind of thing that research will be about.
As they ascend the mountain, Leira continues to gather samples, her large backpack filling up more and more. Apart from a few birds and insects, they don't encounter any animals of note.
Finally, the ground under their feet is no longer soft like it was in the forest, but hard and rocky.
Thanks to their physical abilities, they scale the mountain quickly. Still, even with their superhuman abilities, it takes them a couple of hours to reach the top, and the sun is already disappearing at a quick pace.
"We'll spend the night in the mountains," Auren announces. "Maybe we can seek shelter in a cave or something like that."
"I want to sleep in my bed..." Vanessa complains, already looking terrified.
"..."
"Suck it up," Neffi says, seemingly enjoying Vanessa squirming.
The group, now at the top of the mountain just below the very peak, looks around, enjoying the fantastic view the mountain has to offer.
Auren sees the bay with landing point A in the very distance, noticing a few ships in the harbor.
"The view is incredible," Eren says, clearly enjoying it from up here.
Auren, however, doesn't show much of Eren's appreciation. "I liked it more from the airship. In any case... endless mountains to the west, and a river flowing through a valley, leading further inland." He then looks toward the horizon. "The coast isn't sandy. We can't see Landing Point B from here, but I can guess where it should be. Either way, we have work to do. We don't split up. We'll explore and find a place where we can rest for a bit." He glances at Leira. "Leira, you're looking for more samples, right? Maybe we'll find something unique."
"Indeed. Ore samples would be perfect," Leira explains. "But in reality, most deposits only contain a minuscule amount of ore—most of it isn't even visible. Workers mine a lot of material and then refine it using complicated processes to obtain resources, so it will be unlikely that we will immediately find something truly fascinating. You rarely find something pure on the surface that you can simply harvest."
She taps her backpack lightly, already thinking ahead. "Still, there is always a chance, especially in a territory with no trace of human activity. Animals aren't interested in stones with different colours." She shrugs. "Even if I find nothing obvious, I'll take soil and stone samples. Oculus works better on larger items, but I can still detect trace amounts. I need variety, so we need to cover ground and check different spots. I already detect quite a few known ores like iron and copper, but none of them at a concentration that's worth considering mining."
Auren nods, but then stops shortly after and turns towards her. "You... are perhaps the most valuable member of this expedition. However, I want to stress that you are not beholden to anybody—not even me. You are working for me, but also your own interests." He speaks carefully, as if he wants the boundary to be clear. "I'm glad about your help, but you only have to share whatever you want to share. That said... your insights and research would be immensely valuable to Hollow Blade. I'm sure you're aware of that."
"I am fully committed, and I'll share anything I find," Leira replies without hesitation, "as long as you don't order me to withhold my findings." She looks at him plainly. "Also, you are paying me, aren't you? There's no need for this exaggerated kindness. I am willing to sacrifice anything to fulfil my dream, and in this case, I'm not sacrificing anything. I'm simply exchanging knowledge."
"Thank you... go ahead then," Auren replies.
The group walks around, and Leira does exactly what she said she would. She takes sample after sample, checks her compass, and notes down the exact locations as she goes.
As the sun descends, the group stumbles onto a cave, making Auren pause.
"This is... almost comically stereotypical." He exhales once. "Still, there's no reason we shouldn't proceed carefully. Follow after me."
Entering the cave, Auren immediately activates En. At once, he senses hundreds of small Auras clustered near the ceiling.
Behind him, he hears a loud thud—Vanessa inadvertently kicks a small pebble away, sending it skittering into the wall.
Immediately, the bats react. They peel away from the ceiling and surge toward the exit, brushing past them through the open space above.
Auren instantly draws Eternity and slashes into the swarm. Eternity cuts through a couple of bats with ease, and Auren immediately feels it—a sense of power, the edge of Eternity sharper and faster than usual. More importantly, there's a strange feeling of control, Eternity growing more familiar in his hand, becoming closer to the level of his own limbs.
As he cuts, his mind relaxes, feeling complete clarity. As two bats are cut apart, he holds back at the last moment, turning Eternity around and striking a third with the backside of the blade. Even while restraining himself as much as possible, the bat still drops to the ground like a rock.
He can instantly confirm exactly two kills as a tiny amount of Aura enters Eternity.
"Eeeeeeek!" Vanessa screeches, guarding her face with her arms.
"Bats!" Neffi instantly realizes.
However, before the two can properly react, the bats have already escaped, and the cave turns eerily silent.
Eternity... it has grown stronger. That felt... different. Way different. The change is not that massive, but I can clearly feel it.
"I got you a couple more samples," Auren notes, picking up exactly four bat halves and one more unconscious bat that is unharmed. Now, with the situation under control, he notices the bats are almost twice as large as he expected them to be.
"I appreciate it," Leira says, immediately getting to work. She fills a vial with bat-blood, takes some hair, and extracts a few key organs. She even pulls out a tiny foldable cage and puts the unconscious bat inside.
"Close relatives of the common Sahertian cave bat," Leira analyses, "though these are slightly larger than usual, and their fangs are more developed."
"He... hehe. Your... reactions are good," Vanessa says as she walks up to Auren, laughing a little.
"No. I used En," Auren replies. "I noticed them beforehand and was about to warn you, but someone decided to play soccer and scored a goal, causing them to quickly leave the stadium in frustration." His tone stays flat, but the annoyance is obvious.
"Without En, I'm not sure I could have reacted that fast. Anyway, be more careful."
"Forgive me..." she says, sighing, acting as if she just got scolded.
Following Auren, they enter deeper into the cave, the path leading downward. Leira quickly hands them a couple of flashlights. However, to everyone's complete shock, after walking for just a few minutes, they reach a large underground cavern—and a small lake at the very end, making contact with the wall at the very end of the cave.
Aside from that, the cave has nothing more to offer and quickly reveals only bare walls.
"No goblins? No giant cave spiders? No orcs or slimes or rock golems?" Vanessa asks, looking a little disappointed.
"Are you a child?" Auren asks her, seriously confused by her logic. "This isn't a game... a cave is just that. A cave." He gestures at the empty stone around them. "There is no food or magic treasure to be found here, so obviously it shouldn't come as a surprise that all we found were a few bats."
"You are right, Auren, but there is one point I might disagree with," Leira interjects, walking towards the water.
"This water... it's rare to see an underground lake at such high elevation," she says, taking out another vial and collecting a sample. "This can only happen if this lake is connected to other sources of water, usually through underground tunnels."
She is right, that makes sense.
Auren, still using En, changes its form, once again mimicking a cloud.
He then extends his Aura into the water, reaching deep into it.
The water goes deep, with many underground tunnels detected by his En. After a few minutes, he recognizes a complicated network, resembling an ant's nest.
"This... leads deeper than I thought," Auren says immediately.
He then begins to strip, taking off his armour and clothes, leaving only his shorts on.
"You... what are you doing?!" Vanessa asks, irritated.
"Auren... diving into tunnels in an underground lake seems slightly risky," Neffi says, looking worried.
"Indeed, the odds of dying are quite high," Leira adds. "People can get lost and die, and you don't have any gear."
"But he has En," Eren remarks, making the others immediately understand. "I trust you, but please be careful."
"I don't fear water," Auren states with absolute confidence.
"I'll be back... shortly," he announces, taking a few deep breaths before jumping into the water.
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