Book 5: Chapter 22: Bone Shield

“Qin Lun, Qin Lun…” Just as the party had set out with Grand Druid Vima leading the way, Michelle came running up from behind, panting heavily.

“Michelle?” Qin Lun felt slightly surprised. Had the centaur girl changed her mind again, deciding she didn’t want to be Hollke’s apprentice after all?

“This… Archmage Hollke asked me to give this to you!” Michelle’s face was flushed as she shoved a spell scroll with gold-inlaid runes into Qin Lun’s hand. Then she turned and ran off, her ponytail swishing behind her.

“How is this acceptable!” Several members of the party stared in wide-eyed shock.

“This clearly goes against the principle of equivalent exchange!” Hansen said expressionlessly. “Pretty boys sure have it easy. Next world, I’m getting myself a new face too!”

“Enough, stop being jealous. With your monkey bloodline, even a new face wouldn’t give you the grace of an elf!” Hill ruthlessly mocked him.

“Heh, Qin Lun, should I have a word with Hollke and let you stay behind?” Vima, who was also an elf, smiled and asked.

“No, that’s not necessary!” Qin Lun watched Michelle’s retreating figure, his gaze flickering slightly, as he tucked the scroll into his robe.

…

“Everyone, rest here tonight. We’ll continue our journey tomorrow!” The Druid jumped off the “carriage” and smiled at everyone.

The “carriage” they rode was a box cart pulled by forest reindeer. Compared to the Nars Outer World, the Inner World lacked modern transportation and daily life was much simpler.

Qin Lun looked up at the wooden cabin before them. It was a waypoint station set up by major factions for trade and communication. In the Inner World, each faction was essentially a living area. Besides the native flora and fauna, the number of intelligent lifeforms wasn’t very high.

Any settlement with a thousand people was considered a major power. This was mainly because there hadn’t been any major wars in the Inner World for nearly a century. The Inner World was rich in Magic Element. Most creatures, even non-sentient ones, possessed strong vitality. Even the lowest creatures like horned rabbits and hamsters had some magical abilities.

Life in the Inner World could be quite dangerous without the ability to protect oneself. Therefore, newborns in the Inner World were often sent to the Outer World to be raised by specialized institutions. If their parents were still alive when they grew up, they might be brought back to the Inner World, or simply left to live independently in the main world.

“Welcome to the Unicorn Inn!” As soon as the group reached the station’s door, it swung open automatically. The previously dim interior lit up with orange-yellow light, and everyone immediately saw a strange creature standing behind the door.

This creature’s body consisted of a head and tentacles, somewhat resembling the legendary evil eye monster. Its head was like a giant lightbulb, with a huge eyeball in the center. Below it hung eight thick, flexible tentacles. Four of them supported its body, while the other four held items like a rag and a broom, which was quite surprising.

“This is Finkes, a Plains Magic Eye, hired by the Sanctuary Camp to manage this station!” Vima introduced him to the group with a smile. “Finkes is very capable. Just tell him whatever you need!”

“Master Vima, are these the Outer World visitors you are hosting this time?” Finkes spoke from the mouth below his giant eyeball. It opened, revealing a maw full of jagged teeth as he looked at the group.

“Hello, Finkes!” Everyone felt a bit creeped out by his stare. They shuffled sideways into the station and sat quietly around the large round table in the center of the hall.

Apart from Finkes, there were no other guests at the station. The Inner World was sparsely populated. If such a station received visitors even once a month, it was considered quite busy.

“Finkes, I’m going upstairs to rest for a while. You take care of them!” Vima yawned lazily and headed for the stairs.

“Folks, what would you like to eat?” Finkes came out from behind the bar, carrying a wooden board which he placed on the table. It was densely covered with names of food and drinks.

Everyone felt a headache coming on as they looked at these unfamiliar food names.

“Mr. Finkes… do you have any good suggestions?” Sas asked cautiously. This time he decided to ask first before eating, to avoid ending up with something strange again.

“Heeheehee, if you ask me, the Plains giant mite meat is good, tender and juicy. Fried green-winged locusts are also fine. And then, pair it with a cup of fluorescent bat urine…” Finkes tilted his giant head, grinning to reveal his full, jagged maw as he looked at the group with a smirk.

“Hey, Finkes, don’t bully the newcomers. Give them the Outer World menu!” Vima peeked her head out from the stairway, laughing as she warned him.

“Yes, Master Vima!” Finkes rolled his big eye exaggeratedly, showing a bored expression. He lazily retrieved the menu and went back behind the bar.

When he returned, he placed several large wooden platters on the table. The food on these was very familiar to everyone: mashed potatoes, several roast chickens, a large plate of beef, some pastries, and a small keg of dark beer.

“Alright, gentlemen, this is all the Outer World food I have prepared. Make do with it!”

“I knew it! Those prairie sprites at Hollke’s place must have tricked us!” After Finkes turned away, Hansen’s face suddenly changed, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

The Nars Outer World and Inner World communicated frequently, and Archmage Hollke was originally human. Even if he often ate magical and exotic foods, he wouldn’t have completely cut off all human fare. Those prairie sprites who hosted them had obviously used foods like harpy eggs to mess with them on purpose.

“Tsk, Outer World food is barren and lacks nutrition. What’s so good about it? Since you’ve entered the Inner World, you should learn to get used to the food here!” Finkes, who apparently hadn’t had his dinner yet, was eating a large plate of something at another table.

They looked over and, seeing what he was eating, their faces turned pale. It was a plate of large, wriggling beetles, each the size of a fist, with a fearsome shape. Yet Finkes was eating with great relish, skillfully using his tentacles to pry off the beetles’ shells and suck them into his jagged maw. Green juice dripped slowly from the corners of his mouth.

“Ugh!” Cora turned pale, retched, pushed her plate away, and completely lost her appetite. After all, even if Apostles didn’t eat for a few days, they would only lose some Health Points; it wouldn’t kill them.

After having some food, Qin Lun went upstairs alone to rest. This station wasn’t very large, with only rooms for two people each. However, the room was clean and tidy, with neat furnishings, which put his mind at ease.

Qin Lun took out the scroll Michelle had given him before leaving. He discovered it was a defensive consumable spell called “Bone Shield”. This scroll could be activated by willpower, producing three bone shields that rotated around the body, offering good Protection against both physical and magical attacks.

Hollke wouldn’t show Qin Lun any special favor; this was clearly something Michelle had specifically asked for him as a protective item.

The night passed without incident. The next day, as soon as Vima got up, she urged everyone to continue their journey.

The reindeer carriage wasn’t actually slower than cars in the Outer World. On the vast, open plains, its speed was no less than 100 km/h. Moreover, the carriage’s surface had a protective layer activated by magic crystals, which provided both Protection and a cushioning, shock-absorbing effect. The people inside hardly felt any significant bumps.

After two full days of travel, on the evening of the second day, they saw from the horizon a seemingly endless, wave-like line of a huge forest. The Silent Forest had finally arrived!

“Finally home!” Vima’s voice was full of joy.

“Master Vima, approximately how much longer will it take from the forest’s edge to the camp?” Qin Lun moved closer to Vima and asked quietly.

Along the way, because Qin Lun possessed an Elf Bloodline, the Grand Druid’s attitude towards him was the warmest; she basically answered all his questions. The others in the team were happy to let him handle it. As Hansen put it, that was the pretty boy’s duty.

“Heh, the Silent Forest is huge, covering forty percent of the southern hills. If we walked, it would take over a week to reach the forest center. However, there’s a small Teleportation Array on the forest outskirts that will let us go directly into the camp. It won’t take long!” Vima answered with a light laugh.

About half an hour later, the group arrived at a clearing in the forest. The grove was empty. In the center stood a bluestone altar inscribed with a giant Teleportation Array. Around the altar were some empty tents and broken logs, along with a long-extinct mud-and-stone campfire pit.

The Grand Druid looked up at the sky and said to everyone, “At this hour, the camp has restricted teleportation. We’ll have to stay here overnight and teleport into the camp tomorrow morning.”

They retrieved sleeping bags and food from the carriage, tidied up the campsite, gathered some dry branches and firewood from nearby, and lit a campfire.

The warm flames dispelled the chill from their bodies. Vima took out a small pouch from her robe and tossed some dried mushrooms into the large pot. The pot also contained mutton and vegetables they had brought from the station. For this evening’s meal, they could only share the pot.

“Master Vima, what are you putting in there?” Seeing Vima sprinkle some red and green powders into the pot, Cora quickly asked, still wary.

“Heh, don’t worry. These are seasonings I made myself, mostly ground from plant roots and fruits.” Vima tossed the remaining small pouch to Cora. “You can have the rest. You’ve just arrived at the camp, and things like food and shelter might be inconvenient at first. Adapt to the camp’s daily life as soon as possible.”

“Master Vima, do we need to take turns keeping watch tonight?” Hill asked cautiously.

“No need. This is the forest outskirts; there are no large beasts. Besides, there are warning Magical Arrays around. Animals are unlikely to cross the boundary.” Vima shook her head, unconcerned. “You should rest early. Tomorrow…”

“ROAR!” Before Vima could finish her sentence, a nearly four-meter-tall giant bear suddenly rose from the grass ahead of the campsite, raising its paws and roaring at the group. This giant bear looked quite similar to bears they knew, except its body hair was very long, and the mane on its head hung down like a mop.

“That’s…” Everyone stood up nervously.

“Sit down, sit down. That’s a long-haired bear, attracted by the smell of food. Don’t scare it!” Vima took out a large wooden platter, scooped several ladles of mutton from the pot, and walked towards the long-haired bear, which was several times her size.

“She’s telling us not to scare it!” Sas looked at the Grand Druid’s back and gave a bitter smile.

“She said there are no large beasts on the forest outskirts!” Hansen said expressionlessly.

“Maybe in Master Vima’s view, this guy doesn’t even count as a large animal!” Qin Lun twitched his cheek. “I think once we enter the camp, we’d better find a copy of the Silent Forest biological guidebook first…”