Chapter 359 - 358: A Long Way Off

Chapter 359: Chapter 358: A Long Way Off

’I was so focused on the Engraving Scroll that I forgot I could increase my attribute points.’

Seraphina Sinclair took the three Random Attribute Potions out of her Silver Moon Earrings, along with the Mist Beacon.

Since she had decided to stay in the Wind-carved Fissure, she couldn’t let today go to waste.

Placing the Mist Beacon to the side, Seraphina opened a Random Attribute Potion and tilted her head back to drink it.

The taste was the same as always. This was the only kind of "beverage" Seraphina had drunk since entering The Black Mist World.

After finishing all three, she had gained a total of two points in Strength and one in Constitution.

Closing the notification pop-up, Seraphina opened her personal panel instead.

[Name]: Seraphina Sinclair

[Zone]: Drakonia 666

[Intelligence]: 32

[Strength]: 32

[Constitution]: 28

[Speed]: 29

[Evaluation]: Your blade has cut through the mist, making you a rising star, a Legendary figure in The Black Mist World who cannot be ignored.

Her recent meditation had increased her Intelligence by three points.

As for Constitution...

Just as the waiter had said, the effect of food on her body was in a steep decline. This became even more obvious after eating the Moonlight Pudding.

But this extra point in Constitution was also thanks to the nourishing effects of the Moonlight Pudding on her body.

Seraphina sighed. The thought that she couldn’t even move the cabin now made her sigh again.

She stood up and, with a sense of having no other choice, inserted the Wind-carved Fissure card into the Mist Beacon.

The query panel popped up again:

[Use?]

Without hesitation, Seraphina tapped "Yes."

The cabin didn’t start moving. Instead, mist began to swirl inside it, and soon, another panel appeared.

[Dear survivor, you have reached this week’s decision point! Please make your choice!]

[Two paths seem to have appeared before you...]

’Decision point?’

Seraphina blinked. So much had happened this morning that she had forgotten she needed to choose a path today.

She was just about to use her old trick, Insight, on the two paths when a sudden thought made her face turn pale.

’Thank goodness using the Mist Beacon can also trigger the path selection.’

’Otherwise... I would have followed in Julian Lowell’s footsteps.’

But even with this stroke of luck, the color didn’t return to Seraphina’s face.

Today was Sunday. The next Sunday, and thus the next path selection, was a week away.

This meant she had to either solve the Sunflower’s problem within a week and get it to produce sunshine again, or use another Mist Beacon!

But this was the last Mist Beacon Seraphina had. The item was extremely rare; even she had only ever obtained two, and neither had been easy to get. Aside from the people in the Chrona chat group, the chances of buying one from anywhere else were slim.

Besides, after this path selection, the mobile cabin would be stopped in the Wind-carved Fissure. At that point, if she used the Wind-carved Fissure’s Navigation Card while already in the Wind-carved Fissure...

’Never mind whether it would be a waste of a Mist Beacon, the important thing is whether it would even work.’

’If it doesn’t work, I’ll definitely miss the path selection.’

’What awaits me then...’

Seraphina took a deep breath and turned her thoughts to the other possible solution: fixing the Sunflower’s problem.

She had barely started thinking about it before she stopped, wanting to cry but having no tears to shed.

The difficulty of that task was painfully obvious and seemed even more impossibly far-off!

She had previously thought the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head was the Gloom Hatchling, but it turned out to be the picky, post-evolution Sunflower.

Seraphina’s resentful gaze fell upon the Sunflower.

She had originally been prepared to stay in the Wind-carved Fissure for a week, two weeks, or even a month.

Although she was anxious, she was also trying her best to convince herself not to waste time.

But now, that one-month plan had been brutally cut short by reality.

One week. She only had one week.

If she couldn’t find a solution within that week, a dead end awaited her.

Seraphina took another deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

’Panicking won’t solve any problems; it’ll just waste time.’

She turned her gaze back to the path options on the panel to deal with the matter at hand first.

Two paths. The first was:

[Shadefen]

[Danger Level: C-level]

[Description: A massive swamp shrouded in darkness and a thick, toxic miasma. Beneath the mire lies bottomless sludge that will slowly swallow anyone who falls in. The ever-present toxic miasma carries intense Spiritual Pollution, capable of penetrating the insulation of most Protective Clothing. The first rule of survival here is: stay conscious, and never trust any road that suddenly appears in the darkness!]

The other was:

[Boiling Mycelium]

[Danger Level: C-level]

[Description: A boundless, slowly squirming, living surface composed of countless thermophilic fungal symbionts. The mycelium constantly emits deadly high temperatures and toxic clouds; breathing without protection may lead to irreversible consequences. The mycelium itself writhes, periodically erupting with high-pressure steam and corrosive liquids, and can abruptly alter the local terrain. If your luck is bad...]

Two paths, and both of them were C-level!

And judging by the descriptions, neither seemed like a pleasant place.

Seraphina was conflicted for a moment. But it was still early, she was completely free, and she had more time on her hands than ever before.

At this thought, her tightly furrowed brow relaxed.

She propped herself up with her hands, slowly sat on the floor, and then, as if all her strength had left her, she let herself relax onto the bedding she had laid out for the Sunflower.

Before, Seraphina would have worried that taking the Sunflower’s spot like this would displease it.

But now... hmph.

The Sunflower was in the middle of a "hunger strike." Did it have the energy to care about a small thing like this?

Seraphina lay there comfortably for a while before sitting up to seriously consider which path to choose.

’Judging by the descriptions...’

Shadefen was all about Spiritual Pollution and traps, while the Boiling Mycelium was a pure environmental hazard.

’Comparing the two...’

Seraphina fell silent for a moment.

’It’s better to face the Erosion of Spiritual Pollution than to endure extreme heat that I have no way of dealing with.’

She had Protective Clothing, she could use meditation, and she had the [Water Stopping] effect from her Silver Moon Earrings.

No matter how she looked at it, Shadefen was the better choice.

Having made her decision, Seraphina didn’t hesitate any longer. After she selected the path, the mobile cabin finally began to move.

She lay back down, staring boredly at the ceiling.

She had been constantly busy since entering The Black Mist World. Suddenly having so much free time felt a bit strange, and after lying down for only a moment, she sat up again.

Crossing her legs, Seraphina tried to enter meditation.

A moment later, she opened her eyes again.

’My mind is a mess. I can’t concentrate at all.’

Seraphina sighed and, out of sheer boredom, opened the Zone channel.

It was filled with discussions about the path selection, with people saying all sorts of things: