Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 265 Steel-hyena Boar, Orc

According to Mog, the Stoneclaw tribe is a medium-sized orc tribe in the northwest of this wasteland. They worship some kind of rock totem and are not particularly brutal, but they are very xenophobic and will not hesitate to capture or drive away any outsiders who trespass on their territory.

Their patrol area begins about thirty miles northwest of the camp.

Night Shadow Wolves, on the other hand, are nocturnal, pack-dwelling, demonized wolves the size of calves, with jet-black fur. They are skilled in stealth and ambush, and often roam and hunt in the wasteland.

They are extremely sensitive to the smell of firelight and fresh flesh.

"Also, if you go further west, just before you reach the foot of the Sighing Mountains, there is a depression shrouded in gray fog."

Mog swallowed the last bite of jerky, licked the salt off his fingers, and lowered his voice mysteriously.

"It's best not to go near there."

"The gray fog is poisonous. Anyone who goes in, whether they are goblins, orcs, or even you humans, rarely comes out."

"Some say it's cursed, others say it's the laboratory of a dead great wizard—anyway, it's eerie!"

The information provided by Mog largely matched what Rowling had learned from notes and rumors, and also added some details.

"Are there any safe, stable water sources nearby, besides this seepage point we found?" Rowling asked.

"About ten miles to the northeast, there is a small pool formed by an underground spring, and the water is very clean."

"But—" Mog hesitated for a moment, "Sometimes steel-maned boars come there to drink water. Those guys have bad tempers, are strong, and have skin as thick as stone. They're not to be trifled with."

The Steel-maned Boar is a large, mutated beast of about the third ring level. It is solitary, territorial, and indeed a troublesome creature.

However, a stable source of spring water is highly valuable in the wilderness.

Rowling noted down this information and handed the salt and sugar to Mogg.

"Transaction complete, you can leave now."

Mog happily took the items, stuffed them into his leather bag, glanced at the incubator one last time with lingering reluctance, and then, leaning on his cane, limped away into the darkness in the direction of the riverbed.

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief when the glow of the fluorite completely disappeared, feeling that her back was a little damp.

"Mr. Rowling, is what that goblin said believable?" she asked in a low voice.

"You can't completely trust goblins, but you can't completely disregard them either." Rowling walked back to the fire and sat down, playing with the firestone in his hand. "They are greedy and cunning, but usually they value their lives."

"Unless they are absolutely certain that they will gain a greater benefit or that their own safety will be threatened, the transaction information they provide is often 70-80% true."

"Especially regarding intelligence about danger, they generally don't lie about these things, because it doesn't directly benefit them to trick us into going in to our deaths."

He handed the Firestone to Ellie.

"Feel the energy inside."

Ellie carefully took the stone, which was warm to the touch. She tried to channel a tiny bit of natural energy into it and immediately felt a steady, gentle flow of heat circulating slowly within the stone.

"How peculiar—it feels like—warm sunlight trapped inside a rock?"

"Well described." Rowling nodded. "A stable state of fire elemental energy."

"This ore has many uses; you might come across it when you study alchemy or energy channeling later. Keep it safe."

Ellie carefully placed the Fire Emblem into her small cloth bag.

"I'll keep watch for the rest of the night, you can continue to rest," Rowling said to Ellie. "The appearance of goblins means this area isn't entirely peaceful."

"Tomorrow we need to adjust our route to avoid the Stoneclaw tribe's patrol area and also try to bypass that gray fog depression."

Ellie lay down again, still nervous, but more at ease than before.

She closed her eyes, her mind replaying the goblin's appearance and Rolin's composure in dealing with it, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Luo Lin sat at his watchman's post, his gaze fixed on the northwest.

Stoneclaw Tribe, Steelmane Boar, Gray Mist Depression — This is only the first day we've entered the wilderness, and we've already encountered so many potential troubles.

The road ahead will certainly not be smooth.

He gently stroked the faded mark on his right wrist.

I don't know when or how that so-called recycling process will come.

We must improve our strength as soon as possible, at least to have the ability to protect ourselves and deal with emergencies.

The progress of the second-circle wizard has only reached 31%, which is still too slow.

As dawn broke, Ellie woke up.

Luo Lin had already packed most of his luggage and turned off and put away the alchemy furnace.

"Have something to eat, then we'll get ready to go."

Rowling handed Ellie a hot baked flatbread and some leftover broth from last night.

After a quick breakfast, Rowling replanned the route based on the information provided by Mog, as well as the celestial phenomena and terrain.

"We'll head due west, slightly north," Rolin said, drawing a simple route map on the ground with a twig. "This way we can avoid the Stoneclaw tribe's main patrol area."

"Let's try to reach the spring or pool that Mog mentioned before noon to take a look around. If the situation allows, we'll replenish our water supply."

"If the Steelmane Boar is around, we'll take a detour."

"What about the gray fog depression?" Ellie asked.

"Keep your distance and go around to the south. There's more than one path at the foot of the Sighing Mountains." Roland stood up, stomping away the footprints on the ground. "Let's go. It's a long journey today."

A new journey begins.

The temperature in the wilderness is very low in the early morning; your breath turns to frost.

But after walking for a while, my body gradually warmed up.

As they walked, Rowling began to explain some basic wilderness identification skills to Ellie: how to judge weather changes by looking at clouds and wind direction, how to identify the footprints and droppings of different animals to determine the possible creatures nearby, and which wild grasses or tree roots can be eaten or used for healing in an emergency.

Ellie listened attentively, asking questions from time to time.

She discovered that Mr. Rowling knew far more than she had imagined, and that his explanations were logically clear and easy to understand.

After walking for about two hours, the terrain ahead began to undulate, the weeds became sparse, and more bare rocks were exposed.

The sound of flowing water could be faintly heard in the air.

"We're almost at the pool." Rowling gestured for Ellie to walk quietly, and the two hid behind a huge weathered rock, cautiously peering out.

About 100 meters ahead, an irregularly shaped pool of water, about 20 meters in diameter, lies quietly nestled among several giant rocks.

The water in the pool is so clear that you can see the pebbles at the bottom.

On one side of the pool, there are obvious traces of spring water gushing out on the rock wall.

But at this moment, the pool was not peaceful.

A colossal beast, its shoulders almost reaching Rolin's chest and its body covered in steel-needle-like dark brown mane, was leisurely drinking water at the edge of a pool.

On that enormous head, two curved, thick tusks reflected a yellowish-white luster in the morning light; it was indeed the Steel-Bristled Wild Boar.

Its drinking posture seemed relaxed, but its small eyes constantly scanned its surroundings warily, and its ears twitched slightly, clearly maintaining considerable alertness.

"That's the Steelmane Boar—" Ellie whispered, her voice tinged with a mixture of amazement and fear.

This wild boar was far larger and more imposing than the ordinary wild boars near Black Rock Town.

"The three-ringed demonic creatures are thick-skinned, incredibly strong, and charge like miniature tanks."

"A direct confrontation would be troublesome." Rolin observed the wild boar's condition. "It's drinking water and won't leave anytime soon."

"We'll take a detour."

The two were preparing to quietly retreat and bypass the pool area from the other side.

Just then, a noisy, angry roar suddenly came from the hillside opposite the pool!

Immediately afterwards, five tall, strong figures with grayish-green skin, wearing simple leather armor and wielding stone axes or wooden clubs rushed down the hillside and pounced straight at the steel-maned wild boar by the pool!

They're orcs!

A patrol from the Stoneclaw tribe?!

Rowling's eyes narrowed, and he immediately pressed down on Ellie's shoulder. The two of them lowered their bodies and held their breath.

Trouble has come knocking on our door.