Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 281 Searching for a Gathering Place

"Well done, Ellie." Rowling looked at her and said seriously, "Your performance today is good enough to qualify you as a qualified wilderness survivor."

Ellie was a little embarrassed by the praise, but a real sense of accomplishment welled up inside her.

She truly felt that she was completely different from when she had just left Blackrock Town.

After resting for a while, Ellie began to tidy up the tree hollow.

She swept the withered branches and fallen leaves into a corner and laid out the simple sleeping blanket she carried with her.

They inspected the opening again and used some broken branches and vines to make simple coverings and reinforcements, leaving only a gap for observation and ventilation.

Luo Lin leaned against the cave wall, took out the milky white pebble from his pocket, and held it in his palm.

After entering the swamp, the pebble remained quiet. However, in the relatively enclosed and safe environment, Rolin could feel more clearly that the stable rhythm inside the pebble and its resonance with the [Quiet Dust Star] seemed to have strengthened slightly, which also had a slight promoting effect on the recovery of his injuries.

This is definitely a rare treasure.

Night was falling.

The swamp was indeed more noisy at night. Strange sounds came from the mist: sharp insect chirps, deep animal roars, splashes of objects cutting through the water, and whispering winds.

Occasionally, a few eerie green or pale lights would appear in the distance, flashing by in an instant, like will-o'-the-wisps.

The tree hollow became an insignificant yet warm and solid little island in this strange world.

Ellie was in charge of keeping watch for the first half of the night.

She sat by the crack in the cave entrance, hugging her knees, her ears perked up, carefully listening to every sound outside.

Having experienced the dangers of the day, vigilance had become instinctive.

Rowling then entered into a deeper level of meditation.

Besides recovering from his injuries, he is also processing his near-death experience over the past two days, as well as the insights he gained from observing the swamp environment.

The understanding and application of the power of [Quiet Dust Star] seems to have deepened a bit.

In the latter half of the night, Rowling relieved Ellie from keeping watch. Ellie quickly fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

The tree hollow fell silent, save for the even breathing and the tireless whispers of the swamp outside.

Rowling peered through the crack into the thick darkness and fog outside.

The Forgotten Swamp — Will it become a temporary haven, or another, more dangerous prison?

Will those adjudicators really give up the pursuit?

What exactly is the Observer civilization recycling?

Why were Yue Yinhua and herself targeted?

Are the deeper secrets about this world mentioned in Master Veranica's notes hidden within these ancient ruins, out-of-control creations, and entangled legacies?

Too many questions, too few answers.

But at least for now, they are still alive and moving forward.

Luo Lin gripped the milky-white pebble in his hand, feeling its warm and stable texture, and his heart gradually calmed down.

No matter what lies ahead, only by becoming stronger can we be qualified to explore and cope with it.

The nights inside the tree hollow were long and quiet, a stark contrast to the eerie clamor of the swamp outside.

As the first faint rays of sunlight struggled through the thick fog and leaves to shine into the tree hollow, Rolin ended his meditation.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling a little better than yesterday.

The internal injuries have stabilized considerably under the dual nourishment of [Quiet Dust Star] and milky white pebbles. Although a full recovery is still far off, at least the slightest movement no longer causes excruciating pain throughout the body, unlike yesterday.

A small portion of the star power within his body recovered; although it was still depleted, it began to slowly circulate again.

The most serious external injury, the deep wound on the right arm that exposed the bone, has begun to grow tender new flesh around the edges thanks to the effective ointment and the body's natural healing ability. The healing speed is far exceeding expectations.

This is probably also due to his extraordinary physique and the nourishment his body received from the star power.

He tried to move his right hand fingers gently; they were still a little stiff and sore, but he was already able to perform simple actions such as grasping.

I also felt a dull ache in my lower back and calves, but I was no longer completely unable to exert any force as I had yesterday.

"Ellie," Rowling called softly.

Ellie, who was curled up on her blanket, woke up immediately and sat up abruptly. She was still sleepy, but her eyes instantly became alert.

"Mr. Rowling? How are you feeling? Does your wound hurt?"

"Much better." Rowling gestured for her to relax. "Help me sit up."

Ellie quickly came over and carefully helped Rowling sit up against the cave wall.

The movement still aggravated his injury, and Luo Lin frowned slightly, but he refrained from making a sound.

"We'll continue our investigation today," Rowling said. "My injury requires a more stable environment and more medication; hiding in the tree hollow isn't a solution."

"Deep within this swamp, according to the notes, although it is more dangerous, it may also hide some special resource points, and there may even be secret gathering places for humans or humanoid creatures."

"A settlement? Here?" Ellie was somewhat surprised. In her opinion, this rotten and eerie swamp was completely unsuitable for any intelligent creature to live in.

"The more dangerous and chaotic a place is, the more likely it is to breed a gray area," Rowling explained. "Some wanted wizards, fugitives, or people conducting forbidden research like to hide in these dangerous places that are difficult for conventional forces to reach."

"They might establish some clandestine outposts, trade with each other, or maintain some kind of fragile connection with the outside world."

"If we can find such a place, perhaps we can exchange for urgently needed medicines and information."

Ellie understood, and her eyes lit up slightly.

If there were other wizarding gathering places, even just a temporary black market, it would be a godsend for them in their current situation.

The two ate a simple meal.

Ellie re-examined Rowling's wound and changed the dressing.

Then, they began to prepare to leave the tree hole.

Going down is harder than going up.

Although Luo Lin's injuries have improved, he is far from being able to climb on his own.

Ellie carefully tied herself and Rowling together with the rope from yesterday, and then slowly slid down from the tree hole.

Broken Feather and Blue Feather were below to catch them and slow their descent, while Baha kept watch from the side.

After landing safely, Ellie used the trailer to pull Rowling again, and they began another day of trekking through the swamp.

Having learned from yesterday's experience, Ellie handled the situation with greater ease.

With Rowling's guidance, she was able to identify signs of danger more quickly and choose safer routes.

As his injuries healed and his spirits returned, Rolin's senses became more acute and precise.

They avoided several mud pits filled with sweet, alluring fragrances and fluttering red flowers, and bypassed several seemingly calm...

But in the deep waters beneath the surface, where huge shadows could be vaguely seen, a group of pitch-black creatures, like giant bats, flew silently through the mist, far away from the area.

The deeper you go into the swamp, the thinner the fog becomes, but the light remains dim, as if it were forever twilight.

The surrounding plants grew taller and more bizarre, with some tree branches twisted into grotesque human shapes and some vines covered with eye-like markings.

The cloying, rotten smell in the air began to be mixed with a faint, strange odor, like a mixture of sulfur and metal.

Rowling's brows furrowed slightly.

This smell—it doesn't seem to be naturally occurring.

It smelled more like some kind of alchemical experiment, or the odor escaping during an energy conversion process.

"Watch your step and the surrounding rock walls," Rowling warned. "The geology here might have changed."

Sure enough, after walking for about half an hour, the muddy ground under their feet was gradually replaced by more and more exposed, hard rocks that were dark red or bluish-gray.

The fog had almost completely dissipated, revealing a relatively open area of ​​stone forest composed of various craggy rocks.

The stones in the Stone Forest are all strangely shaped, as if they have been twisted by an invisible force.

Some stones have surfaces as smooth as mirrors, reflecting the dim light of the sky;

Some were covered with honeycomb-like holes, constantly emitting a faint, sulfurous heat.

"Geothermal activity zone?" Roland deduced. "It could also be—traces of human intervention."

Just then, Baha, who was scouting ahead, suddenly let out a sharp and alert cry!

Six eyes stared intently into the depths of the stone forest, at an inconspicuous rock crevice half-hidden by several huge black rocks!

Rowling immediately signaled Ellie to stop, and the trailer was hidden behind a boulder.

He focused his mind, and the perception of [Quiet Dust Star] flowed like mercury across the ground, extending towards the crevice in the rock.

The information that came back from his senses made Luo Lin pause for a moment.

The cave deep within the rock crevices is not a natural cave, but rather shows obvious signs of artificial excavation and reinforcement!

More importantly, from that depths, a faint but undeniably present energy fluctuation could be heard.

There was also a faint, almost imperceptible trace of activity belonging to intelligent beings!

It is neither a wild beast nor a monster.

Is it a human? Or a humanoid creature? Could it be that they've really found it?

Rowling and Ellie exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and a hint of anticipation in each other's eyes.