Chapter 1202 - 592: Mage and Oranges

"Buzz..."

Magic particles quietly stirred in the air, and the invisible barrier that remained in motion swept through the forest.

It seemed there was a specially designed recognition mechanism. Nearby, a blue-feathered bird perched on a tree branch remained unaffected, just tilting its head in confusion.

But from the bushes and tall grass below, there suddenly came an unusual "rustling" sound.

Various snakes, scorpions, and insects of different sizes and shapes seemed to be driven away by the passing invisible barrier, fleeing in panic, causing the surrounding insect noises to decrease in intensity.

The forest fell silent.

Around ten seconds passed.

"Pat, pat..."

A gentle yet inexplicably urgent footstep sound suddenly came from the direction the barrier had passed.

Buzz—

The emerald magic radiance softly flickered at the top of the gray-white magic wand, inlaid with transparent opal.

As if containing a special power to command plants, the once obstructive thorns in front seemed to develop their own consciousness, twisting and bending warmly apart to form a single-person path.

A deep chestnut-colored lively high ponytail swayed lightly, beige robe covering small leather boots, moving swiftly through the path specially made by the thorns and grass, to the small clearing in the forest.

Her crystal eyes, filled with exhaustion and fatigue, glanced upward at the sky darkening through the dense canopy, making a decision in her heart.

Not wasting even a second, she began setting up her camp.

The wand in her hand gently trembled, and the three-layer magic barrier, already prepared to encompass effects like concealment, scent masking, and beast repulsion, rippled out from the center of the clearing like water, engulfing the entire area.

And that’s not all.

As a frail spellcaster with low tolerance for error, she deeply understood the importance of protection.

Even though during her travels since leaving River Valley Town she had only triggered one or two incidents, the girl in the beige robe still diligently arranged recyclable magic traps around important points outside the barrier against various demon types.

The figure hidden under the robe slim and delicate like a noble lady from the big city, yet her trap-setting movements were exceptionally adept, as if repeated countless times.

In less than ten minutes, she had set up vigilant traps covering every dead angle in the clearing.

Normally, undertaking such a workload all at once, even if one’s stamina was intact, one would at least wipe away sweat or stretch lazily.

But the chestnut-haired high ponytail girl didn’t pause at all.

She had already planned the entire list of tasks needed to be addressed in her mind.

As if an invisible hand was constantly pushing her forward from behind.

Consuming spiritual power, precisely planned in her mind, she shook the wand.

The tent, neatly folded and compacted, unfolded in the air and gently landed on the ground, with the surrounding stakes and windproof ropes automatically connecting and penetrating the ground;

Dead branches and tree fluff scattered everywhere flew through the air, forming a standard woodpile in the center of the clearing, and with a crackling spark, it lit successfully into a small campfire providing precious light and warmth for the night;

A pot with food ready to be cooked slowly descended above the fire, hanging effortlessly between a handy rack, while nearby, a short chair and blanket prepared for brief rests were almost simultaneously arranged as the flame caught.

As a former academy mage with a professional Level as high as "15" in her past life, even though she lost her original spell abilities after reincarnation, the vast magic table remembered tirelessly over countless days and nights still engraved deep in her mind.

Setting up a small temporary camp with a few Zero-Circle Tricks, couldn’t have been easier.

Only then did the mage girl named "Vier" finally acknowledge her first resting moment of the day.

Actually, according to her usual timeline, her rest should have occurred half an hour later.

But only recently had she regained mastery of a specialty called [Efficient Sleep], compressing her sleep time considerably.

Thus, exceeding her daily prescribed travel distance, she gained this extra half hour of free time.

Of course, although it’s so-called "free time," if following habitual practice, she’d only enjoy it for a few days.

Soon she’d be driven by internal pressure and inexplicable guilt to fill the half-hour back with other matters.

Untying the water pouch from her waist, she guzzled down a few gulps recklessly, disregarding her image.

Water droplets lingered at the corner of her mouth, and Vier’s crystal-like amber eyes gazed at the camp before her, suddenly appearing utterly confused.

The exaggerated pressure from her past life upon reincarnation, like a mountain weighing heavily on her shoulders, propelling her to improve her strength as swiftly as possible, with hopes to discover those pivotal points to alter the seemingly apocalyptic future.

She hadn’t rested for a long time.

Thus, when the rare moment of idle time arrived, the taut string in her heart relaxed slightly.

Vier, for a brief period, appeared dazed and unsure, not knowing what she should do.