Chapter 199: The Choice of the Mist Outpost

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: The Choice of the Mist Outpost

’How strange. Little Dragon hasn’t gone out at all since yesterday, so how did it get bigger?’

’Does it live on air?’

’That would be convenient.’

Seraphina Sinclair stood up and stretched, then walked over to Sunflower and tapped its head lightly, telling it to shut up.

’It was strange. She’d already taken Sunflower into two instances, so why was it still making such a fuss?’

As Seraphina Sinclair thought this, she opened up Sunflower’s Growth Rate to take another look.

[Current Sunflower Growth Rate: 940/1000]

Normally, it should be able to evolve today.

But she had to enter an instance first, and she still didn’t know what kind it would be.

Even though she hadn’t slept, Seraphina Sinclair still went to the bathroom to wash up before preparing for breakfast.

The waiter was a little late, but the moment it appeared, Seraphina Sinclair knew why.

Not only was the creature balancing two plates in its hands, but it also had several packages strapped to its back.

"Is all that for me?"

Seraphina Sinclair stood up to help, but then she saw another arm extend from beneath the creature’s shoulder.

The arm unceremoniously shot out and pressed on Seraphina Sinclair’s shoulder, forcing her to sit back down. The waiter said, "The guest need not move! I will handle everything for you."

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’No need to move, huh?’

’Anyone less mentally prepared would have been scared to death on the spot!’

The waiter methodically arranged all the plates, then undid the packages on its back, laying them out one by one before Seraphina Sinclair.

"This is today’s breakfast. This is the processed meat from those hunts. You can store it in your earring and eat it slowly; it will be of great use to you. And these..."

The waiter suddenly paused. The extra arm swiftly retracted back into its body. It then nonchalantly continued its introduction:

"These are the materials separated from the prey. In total, there are fifteen feathers and ten Bone Spikes. They are all very rare materials that you will surely be able to use in the future, so keep them safe."

Seraphina Sinclair resisted the urge to make a snide comment about the arm and turned her attention to the items on the table.

The breakfast was standard: fried eggs, bacon, a glass of milk, and two slices of toast with butter and jam.

The aroma was enticing, but the items wrapped in leaves beside it were even more appealing to her.

The rock lizard leg meat was deep red with clear texture. It had been made into jerky and looked a lot like pork jerky.

The vulture breast meat was actually green. Seraphina Sinclair was a bit skeptical if it was edible, but judging from the smell alone, it wasn’t bad.

And the actual pork looked more like beef, emitting a rustic aroma.

The food was neatly arranged, as were the materials. Seraphina Sinclair didn’t inspect them one by one, instead storing them directly in her earring.

If she didn’t eat now, she’d have to eat inside the instance.

When the meal was over, the waiter gave her a few more patient instructions on how to consume the food, then left with the dishes.

Seraphina Sinclair was still mulling over the creature’s words.

’What does it mean, "eating too much will give you diarrhea"? Is this stuff even proper food?’

Just as she was pondering this, the system began its announcement.

[Greetings, survivors. A new week is drawing to a close, and you must be eager for a new challenge! This week’s instance is about to begin! Additionally, after this week’s instance concludes, the latest Zone rankings will be announced, and the first Zone ranking rewards will be distributed!]

[This Instance’s Theme: The Choice at Mist Outpost]

[Instance Type: Stronghold Defense (3-person random matchmaking)]

[Difficulty Level: silver]

[Tip: You are soldiers stationed at a border outpost. A thick fog has rolled in, and monsters are stirring. Defend the outpost and survive until dawn or until reinforcements arrive. The outpost is not completely safe. Trust your comrades and make wise use of your environment. Sometimes, sacrifice is unavoidable.]

[Reward: The longer you hold out, the higher your Evaluation, and the richer the rewards.]

’Teamwork again, huh?’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t really care about whether it was teamwork or not; she was more concerned about the difficulty Level.

If she remembered correctly, the last instance was Bronze difficulty. This time, it was silver.

The difficulty of the last instance was indeed low, but the mechanics were disgusting. To put it bluntly, it was a test of human nature, seeing if the last person alive would be willing to resurrect their teammates.

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed slightly.

silver difficulty, plus the "sacrifice is unavoidable" tip... This instance probably wouldn’t be easy.

She opened the regional channel for a look. She’d expected everyone to be discussing the instance, but on closer inspection, they were all making wishes.

"Please! System Mommy! Let me be on the same team as Master Blacktiger! I’m willing to trade ten years of my roommate’s single life for a chance to ride his coattails!"

"The person above me is ruthless! Count me in! I’ll trade my boss’s lifetime of baldness to be on a team with Master Blacktiger!"

"Heh, everyone wants to ride on his coattails. Who wouldn’t? My standards aren’t high; I just hope I don’t get matched with the kind of backstabbing teammate I had last time. F***, I still get angry just thinking about it!"

"Wake up, everyone! This is silver difficulty! You think the system will let you get an easy win? I’d say the chances of getting matched with useless teammates are much higher!"

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Don’t jinx it! I believe there’s still kindness in the world, still true love! Teammates, if we get matched together, we have to help each other out!"

...

Seraphina Sinclair really hadn’t expected the regional channel to be like this, but it seemed nice in a way.

No one had been beaten down by The Black Mist World enough to lose all hope yet.

The system’s notification sounded again. This time there was no fluff, just an important reminder:

[Teleportation will commence in five minutes. All survivors, please prepare. Those who refuse to participate will be penalized with an 80% reduction to All Attributes for one week.]

The severity of the penalty had also increased.

’They’re really forcing us to participate.’

When the countdown ended, Seraphina Sinclair dutifully picked up her Sunflower and stepped into the portal.

But a notification popped up anyway.

[Please bring your pet.]

Seraphina Sinclair looked up, her brow furrowed. She clearly didn’t understand.

’Why do I have to bring my pet?’

As if sensing her confusion, the system actually refreshed the notification before her eyes.

[Tip: Refusing to bring your pet may lead to a decline in its mood and a stagnation of its growth.]

’Stagnation of its growth?’

’Isn’t that exactly what I want?’

The slower Lucky grew, the more time she would have to increase her own strength.

Every day this Little Dragon’s adulthood was delayed was another day’s hope for her own survival.

"Lucky, you stay here and guard the house."

Her tone was calm, without a trace of hesitation.

The Little Dragon seemed to understand. A pathetic whimper escaped its throat, and it repeatedly rubbed its small head against her leg, its red, vertical pupils filled with a pleading and confused look.

Seraphina Sinclair paid it no mind. This was a matter of life and death, and she had no intention of getting herself killed because of a moment of weakness.

Seraphina Sinclair ignored the notification and stood inside the portal.

The system seemed to compromise, as no further notifications appeared.