Chapter 236: Saving the Oasis 8

Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch were just about to eat lunch when they turned and saw the Black Wolf running toward them from a distance, carrying something in its mouth.

A closer look revealed a dead scorpion, about the same size as the wolf itself.

Unlike the Gilded Emperor Scorpion, this scorpion’s entire body was a translucent golden yellow, almost like jelly, and it didn’t have a giant flower on its back.

The Black Wolf carried the scorpion over to Moira Lynch and yelped.

"Awoo."

Its tail was wagging furiously behind it.

Seeing this, Hugh Finch asked curiously, "What’s it trying to say?"

"It says it wants to eat this scorpion today," Moira Lynch translated.

[Fructoscorp: A species of herbivorous scorpion that feeds on plants. It will go to any length to eat ripe fruit. Its meat is sweet and delicious.]

"This scorpion isn’t poisonous, is it?" Hugh Finch asked worriedly.

Moira Lynch shook her head. "Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous."

With that, Moira Lynch went forward to prepare the Fructoscorp.

The most primitive way to eat this kind of scorpion was, of course, to roast it. But since they didn’t have a pot large enough, Moira Lynch thought for a moment and decided to use what was available.

She spread ignited Black Fire Stones across the ground and then placed the Fructoscorp on top. Seeing this, Hugh Finch came over to help.

Just as the two were busy with lunch, the sound of the system suddenly rang in their ears.

[Warning: Someone has attempted to destroy the trees in the oasis and damage the fruits of other players’ labor. Player "Little Fairy" will now be punished: player status revoked, talent nullified, and immediate expulsion from the game.

System Advisory: All players are advised to complete their tasks diligently. Do not entertain any crooked ideas.]

Hearing the system’s voice, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch glanced at each other, then continued with what they were doing. They didn’t pay it much mind, since it had nothing to do with them.

This Fructoscorp was so large that the seasoning had to be sprinkled on pound by pound.

Suddenly, the backs of their right hands flashed. Immediately after, the system’s voice rang in their ears once more.

[Congratulations, players, you have completed the mission: plant five hundred trees, all of which have survived. Do you choose to stay, or to leave with the other players in three days?]

Was there even a choice? Of course, they would stay.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Moira Lynch chose to stay. Hugh Finch didn’t leave either.

Meanwhile, after hearing about Little Fairy’s punishment, some of the other players couldn’t help but feel a guilty conscience.

And those who had been thinking about sabotaging others immediately abandoned the idea.

After all, Little Fairy’s punishment wasn’t just losing her eligibility to play the game; her talent was nullified as well.

Even after losing their eligibility to play, some players still managed to live successful lives on Caelus thanks to their talents.

But if their talents were to disappear along with it, that would be a completely different story.

Half an hour later, the Fructoscorp was roasted.

The two of them were each gnawing on one of the Fructoscorp’s claws.

After being roasted, even the Fructoscorp’s shell was crispy. The meat inside had the distinct, fresh fragrance of fruit and was incredibly delicious.

Moira Lynch took two bottles of cola from her storage space, then lightly tapped them with her Ice Finger. Instantly, two ice-cold colas were born.

She handed one bottle to Hugh Finch and opened the other for herself, taking a sip.

In a sweltering desert like this, a bottle of ice-cold cola could be summed up in one word: "Awesome!"

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Hugh Finch asked, "We still have a day and a half left. How do you plan to spend it?"

If he were alone, he would use divination to decide what to do next, but Moira Lynch was here.

’She clearly understands the situation on Kharis better than I do. I just need to follow her lead.’

Hearing this, Moira Lynch thought for a moment and said, "I want to explore the entire oasis first, to see if there’s anything we can take with us."

Hugh Finch nodded. "Okay, we’ll do as you say."

Having completed their mission, the two of them felt a great sense of relief. After resting, they began to wander around the oasis.

Moira Lynch didn’t put the Black Wolf back into her storage space. It followed behind them like a bodyguard, causing some players who wanted to stir up trouble to back off.

After walking for some time, Moira Lynch suddenly stopped and looked toward another area.

A large number of Kessari seemed to be gathered there, looking busy with something.

"Come on, let’s go take a look." Moira Lynch started walking in that direction.

They found the place where the Kessari were.

As soon as they arrived, the two of them saw a large group of Kessari busy harvesting something.

It was a naturally curved plant, similar to a fiddlehead fern, but its entire body was purplish-red and it was countless times taller. It was visually estimated to be three to four meters high and was covered in golden-yellow fruits that looked like little golden globes under the sun.

The Kessari were currently busy harvesting these plants.

[Shasha Grass: A plant that grows in the desert. It is rich in nutrients and has a slightly bitter taste. Its Life Energy is tenacious and it is extremely aggressive; it will absorb all surrounding water and nutrients, causing all other nearby plants to die. Land deprived of water and nutrients will quickly turn into desert.

PS: The Kessari loathe Shasha Grass. If discovered, it is immediately eradicated.

Shasha Grass Seeds will immediately take root and sprout upon encountering a suitable environment.]

[Shasha Grass Seeds: After being crushed, the user will be shrouded in a layer of golden sand, allowing you to blend in with the surrounding environment for one hour. In the desert, this duration can be extended to two hours.]

After listening to Patience’s introduction, Moira Lynch’s eyes lit up. ’What great stuff.’

’Both the Shasha Grass and the Shasha Grass Seeds are good things.’

’Especially the seeds. They’re practically a camouflage tool.’

’And looking at the amount of Shasha Grass here, and the golden seeds on them... there must be at least a thousand.’

Seeing that the Kessari were about to haul away and discard all the Shasha Grass and its seeds, Moira Lynch quickly called out.

"Wait a minute."

The Kessari who heard her turned and saw it was Moira Lynch. One of them immediately walked over. "Have you run into some kind of trouble?"

Moira Lynch recognized the person before her as one of the two Kessari who had received her and Hugh Finch earlier.

A gentle smile appeared on Moira Lynch’s face as she said, "Where are you planning to take all this Shasha Grass?"

"To find a place to bury it, of course," the Kessari said. "This plant only sprouts in oases. It can’t sprout in the desert."

Hearing him say this, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but show a heartbroken expression.

’What a waste.’

Then she said, "Even if you bury them in the desert, they won’t just disappear. And they might even affect the oasis’s expansion."