Chapter 478 - 468: Redrock Canyon

Moira Lynch had been in high spirits throughout the journey. She’d already spotted over a dozen large pits brimming with Extremely Hot Mushrooms.

These mushrooms were strewn about like garbage, completely ignored. It was a clear sign of just how rampant Extremely Hot Mushrooms had become on Pyralia.

However, what was worthless in the eyes of the Pyralians was a treasure in Moira’s.

After all, with the weather on Caelus frequently dropping to dozens of degrees below zero, Extremely Hot Mushrooms were an absolute godsend.

"Heh heh..."

Moira collected the Extremely Hot Mushrooms from the roadside whenever she thought no one was looking, unable to keep a chuckle from escaping her lips.

As mentioned before, B-rank adventurers held a high social status throughout the galaxy. This meant that aside from the two B-rank adventurers, Eri and Kent, and the A-rank adventurer, Aiden Hayes, no one else present dared to cross Moira.

That being said, not daring to cross her didn’t stop them from giving her odd looks—especially since Moira’s laughter was sounding a little too creepy at the moment.

Just then, a C-rank adventurer sitting next to Hugh Finch whispered in his ear, "Hugh, my friend, is there... something wrong with your sister?"

They didn’t want to think that way, but as the saying goes, there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.

Before the trip, they had been full of admiration and envy for Moira. But ever since they’d set off, she kept letting out those "heh heh" chuckles, giving them the impression that she wasn’t all there.

Hugh Finch had, of course, noticed Moira’s odd behavior and knew exactly why, but he couldn’t very well explain it.

’I can’t just tell them that Moira’s so overjoyed from collecting so many Extremely Hot Mushrooms that she can’t contain herself, can I?’

’Wouldn’t everyone else on the vehicle think we’re nuts?’

’Besides, that would expose Moira’s spiritual power, and that’s our trump card.’

"She’s always wanted to come to Pyralia. Now that her dream has finally come true, she’s just a little overexcited."

The moment the words left Hugh’s mouth, as if to confirm his explanation, Moira’s shoulders began to tremble slightly, followed by another "heh heh" chuckle.

Fortunately, Moira was young and pretty, so the gesture didn’t come across as too creepy.

Hugh gave the person next to him an awkward smile, then gave Moira’s wrist a firm squeeze.

Feeling the pressure on her wrist, Moira finally snapped out of her mushroom-collecting bliss and looked up at Hugh, her expression puzzled.

Her big, shimmering eyes seemed to ask, ’Yeah? What’s up?’

Moira’s eyes were beautiful, especially after she’d awakened her third talent. Even with their original blue color concealed, it was impossible to hide the crystal clarity in her gaze, which shone like a thin sheet of ice.

Hugh was momentarily taken aback. He gestured for her to open the Communication Corridor, then reminded her in a hushed voice, "I know you’re thrilled to finally be on Pyralia, a place you’ve been dreaming of, but you need to tone it down a little. You’re freaking everyone on the vehicle out."

Moira had been so focused on the Extremely Hot Mushrooms that she hadn’t noticed the goings-on in the vehicle, so she was completely unaware of their conversation.

Even so, Moira instinctively played along with Hugh’s act.

"Oh, okay. I’ll try."

With that, Moira simply closed her eyes to rest. That was how it appeared on the surface, but in reality, she was multitasking.

While continuing to collect the roadside Extremely Hot Mushrooms, she used the Communication Corridor to ask, "What was that all about just now?"

"You’re asking me? Do you have any idea what you were just doing?" Hugh retorted, exasperated.

"What could I have been doing? I was just collecting Extremely Hot Mushrooms," Moira said, aggrieved.

Seeing that Moira genuinely had no idea, Hugh was left speechless. He had assumed she was just failing to control herself, but it turned out to be completely subconscious—she hadn’t even noticed.

Hugh then vividly described how she had been keeping her head down and chuckling to herself.

At his words, Moira’s eyes snapped open. She stared at Hugh in utter shock.

Thankfully, she had enough sense not to shout out loud. Her expression remained placid, but inside, she was anything but.

’Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could I do something so stupid?’ Moira screamed internally.

"It doesn’t matter if you deny it. After all, I wasn’t the only one who saw you," Hugh’s casual remark was enough to crush Moira’s spirit.

For the rest of the journey, everyone noticed that Moira had become incredibly silent, as if she’d suffered a heavy blow.

Hugh’s public explanation was that Moira was utterly disappointed by the environment on Pyralia. It was completely different from what she had imagined, which was why she was upset.

Hearing this, the others all looked at her sympathetically. Just another person fooled by pictures on the web, they thought.

Moira, however, was oblivious to their thoughts. Though she’d been sulking the whole way because of the "heh heh" incident, she hadn’t missed a single Extremely Hot Mushroom that came into her range.

And so, after two days of continuous travel, they finally arrived at Redrock Canyon.

Upon arriving, they were finally able to stop traveling—not to rest, but to begin collecting two items: Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass.

Redrock Canyon was vast. Crossing it completely, without any stops or obstacles, would take roughly a day or two.

But they also had a collection mission to complete, so their time here would be extended considerably.

According to the A-rank adventurer Aiden Hayes’s prediction, completing the collection mission would take at least five or six days. If things didn’t go smoothly, it might take even longer.

Fortunately, they weren’t in a rush, as the time allotted for the mission was generous.

The group arrived at Redrock Canyon at night. After bouncing around in the vehicle for two days, even if their butts were made of iron, they’d be sore. So, after getting out, they decided to get a good night’s rest before starting their search for the Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass the next day.

"Moira, can your spiritual power lock directly onto the location of the Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass?" Hugh asked via the Communication Corridor.

"Of course," Moira answered confidently, but her tone quickly shifted. "However, I have no idea what Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass even look like, so I can’t lock onto them."

You couldn’t blame Moira. To find something, you at least need to know what it looks like. How was she supposed to search for things she knew nothing about?

Fire Burning Grass was said to be entirely red and wreathed in flames, which should make it quite conspicuous. However, those flames only appeared at high noon, and for just one minute.

As for its red color—in the whole of Redrock Canyon, even the rocks were red, to say nothing of the grass.