"Fischl, no need..."
"Thank you for your kindness."
Barbara covered her mouth, looking somewhat helpless. Although being chased by fans was indeed annoying, they didn't deserve to die.
Fischl and Barbara were of similar age, but when interacting with Fischl, Barbara always felt like she was looking after a younger sister.
"Haha, I was just joking! You all didn't take me seriously, did you!"
Fischl laughed like a noble lady in a stage play.
However, the only response she received was the silence of Arkz, Barbara, and even Oz.
"My Lady, forgive my bluntness, but you are not skilled at joking."
Fischl: "..."
The trees in this forest in Wolvendom grew incredibly lush... The deeper they went, the darker the surrounding light became.
"It's getting darker."
"According to the library records, the areas near Wolvendom have abnormally active elements. Nourished by Elemental Power, the trees here grow very tall..."
Arkz drew the traveling sword at his waist and walked at the very front of the group, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
This kind of environment made it easy to be ambushed by monsters, so they had to be careful.
After walking another hundred meters, the sight of Wolfhooks finally appeared before them.
"They really are around here."
Barbara quickly stepped forward and ran to the base of the large tree where the Wolfhooks were growing.
Because Wolfhooks prefer shade over sun, searching for them didn't require enduring the scorching sun; they could be picked in the cool shade.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the dim environment of the Wolvendom forest that Wolfhooks were able to propagate widely in this area.
But these Wolfhooks didn't seem to be the kind Barbara needed...
"Is this... the Wolfhook that has an especially good effect on treating external wounds?"
Arkz squatted down to carefully observe the blue Raspberry with barbs in front of him.
"Mhm..."
This Raspberry was covered in fine barbs that would hook onto wolf fur to travel. Seeing it, one could almost hear the mournful howls of wolves echoing through the forest...
Arkz carefully plucked a Wolfhook and examined its exterior closely. It was said that the first time humans discovered this Raspberry's healing effect was after seeing an injured wolf crush this fruit and apply it to its wound.
Arkz carefully peeled off the barbs on the Wolfhook's skin, put it in his mouth, and chewed. It was both bitter and astringent.
If he hadn't known about the Raspberry's healing properties, Arkz would probably have steered clear of this plant that was hard to remove from clothes and tasted bitter.
"...So this is what Wolfhooks taste like?"
Indeed, if something could be used as medicine, stop bleeding when crushed and applied to a wound, and also tasted delicious, it would likely have gone extinct long ago.
Arkz picked the ripe Wolfhooks. As for the unripe fruits, he would leave them for the next lucky person to discover them.
The three people and one bird continued to explore forward, searching for traces of Wolfhooks.
Fischl pointed toward a patch of grass ahead and exclaimed, "There's a Wolfhook over there!"
The group quickly gathered around happily.
"This Wolfhook seems overripe; let's just leave it here."
The Wolfhook before them, which should have been round and plump, now looked like a shriveled raisin, wrinkled and ready to fall to the ground at any moment, showing no vitality at all.
The ripe fruits had already attached themselves to the fur of wild beasts to begin their spontaneous journey. The Wolfhooks left here had lost their healing effect and were worthless to pick.
"Wolfhooks in the game don't rot or age."
Arkz reached out, picked up the overripe Wolfhook, and brought it to a spot with fertile soil and shade.
"I hope by the time we return, you will have sprouted."
Barbara summoned sweet water using Elemental Power and poured it onto the seed just buried.
"Mr. Arkz, others have tried to domesticate wild Wolfhooks before, but they all failed without exception."
"It's as if these plants, which can survive just by being thrown into the wilderness, actually long for freedom, which is why no one has ever succeeded in cultivating them."
Fischl picked up half-rotted wild fruit from the ground, then dug a pit nearby in fertile soil with plenty of sunlight and buried it, before pulling Barbara over to water it.
"I hope it grows quickly and bears sweet Valberry fruit."
"Then you are probably going to be disappointed."
"Why? Are you worried that my Valberry will grow taller and stronger than the Wolfhook you planted?"
"Because that is a Raspberry seed. It's asking too much of it to bear Valberry fruit."
Fischl's face instantly flushed red, steam rising from her head like a kettle that had just boiled.
"This—I, of course, know that. I was just trying to test you, to see if you noticed."
"I'll go scout ahead first."
Watching Fischl's flustered departure, Arkz and Barbara exchanged a look, a silent understanding curving their lips, and then the two immediately chased after her.
"Fischl, slow down! There might be dangerous monsters lurking around here—like dangerous Black Wolves, cunning Abyss Mages, and terrifying Ruin Guards."
Barbara struggled to keep up with Fischl, who quietly slowed her pace.
"Barbara, I'm not a child. Don't try to scare me..."
"A massive creature like a Ruin Guard wouldn't appear in such a dense forest. With so many tall trees, it would immediately get stuck when walking."
"Besides, even if it were a Ruin Guard, it's not like I haven't dealt with one before."
Fischl turned her head away stubbornly.
As a senior Adventurer from the Adventurers Guild, Fischl had very rich combat experience. Coupled with being a Vision holder, with Oz's assistance and the destructive Electro Elemental Power, dealing with an ordinary Ruin Guard was not difficult.
Otherwise, Fischl wouldn't have the confidence to provoke Arkz, who could transform into a giant bear.
...
The trees inside the forest were dense with foliage. Oz, flying high above, could not observe the ground situation through the layers of leaves. The important task of finding Wolfhooks had to be left to Barbara, who was very familiar with this area.
Under Barbara's guidance, Arkz found many ordinary Wolfhooks, but the red Wolfhooks Barbara needed could not be found anywhere.
"It's not here either."
Barbara looked at the spot where they had previously found red Wolfhooks, which now only had ordinary ones, and said dejectedly to Arkz and Fischl.
She handed the ordinary purple Wolfhooks she had just picked to Arkz and continued searching.
Red Wolfhooks seemed exceptionally rare. Barbara led Arkz and the others searching for a long time. Arkz's Foraging level had already increased to Level 3, yet he still hadn't found any.
When his Foraging level reached Level 2, Arkz had received a notification from the system.
[Foraging Level 2 reached, teleport waypoint. Farm unlocked.]
[teleport waypoint. Farm Recipe: 1 Hardwood, 1 Honey, 20 Fiber.]
With the farm's teleport waypoint, Arkz could finally explore the mines with confidence.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"