After passing through Blue Rock Pass, the valley opened up again. This was the end of the Canyon. The Overlord Spider moved forward at full speed, and more than three hours later, the three of them finally crossed the end of the Canyon.
Before them lay a vast Forest. They had heard that the Poison Spiders of the Canyon originated from here, so the three dared not venture deeper. They headed north along the edge of the Forest and arrived at a patch of black earth before dusk.
Nightmoon, who had been scouting ahead, rushed back, jumped onto the spider's back, and warned, "The Swamp is just ahead."
Unas pointed to the ground and asked, "Why not here? The soil here is black too."
Nightmoon replied, "There are many Three-Headed Lizards and giant crocodiles in the Swamp, which are prey for the Giant Spiders. This area is the boundary between the Forest and the Swamp, and spiders frequently come and go, making it too unsafe. Moreover, the quality of the Black Soil is not high. There are better places in the Swamp."
Having come all this way, of course we must have the best Black Soil. Unas nodded, signaling Nightmoon to continue leading the way.
The stench of decay and fish assaulted their nostrils, and the ground gradually became muddy and treacherous, with puddles of varying sizes everywhere. Underneath the low-lying plants lay potentially deadly swamps, making it difficult to ride a horse. Yet, the two riding on the Overlord Spiders had no such worries and continued to advance steadily.
Before nightfall, Nightmoon finally stopped beside a large tree. Unas looked around; this area was relatively dry and seemed like a good place to dig.
Nightmoon walked to a patch of green grass, grabbed a handful of damp soil, and said, "My lord, the Black Soil here is perfectly suited to Master Oakleaf's needs."
"Let's get started! We need to fill up my Spatial Bag tonight so we can go home tomorrow!"
The other two didn't seem too keen on going home, and simply nodded silently in obedience. Nightmoon turned to keep watch around, while the Troll and Unas stayed behind to dig.
Unas took out a shovel and a hoe, and threw dozens of bags to the Troll. He immediately began to work. His strength and stamina were now far beyond that of ordinary people. Soon, all the weeds were cleared away, and the fertile, fragrant black soil was exposed.
Unas used both hands to fill a Black Soil at a rate of one bag every twenty seconds. He glanced at the Troll while taking a break. Compared to him, the troll was incredibly slow, probably not even able to fill a bag in a minute. Unas didn't want to force the middle-aged man to do hard labor, so he simply ordered him to take the Overlord Spiders to keep watch.
The Troll, as if granted a pardon, dropped his hoe and ran off without a word of politeness. Watching his figure, which was several times more agile than usual, Unas could only curse him inwardly as a bastard who didn't understand that labor is the most glorious thing.
After filling more than eighty bags at full speed, Unas had to take a break. Now he looked like a coal miner who had been trapped underground for dozens of days, covered in black mud, and his original appearance was completely unrecognizable.
Exhausted and feeling unwell, he had a sudden inspiration. He cast a Cleanse spell on himself. After a few circles of white and gold light around him, all the black grime on his body was washed away, and he looked completely refreshed. This spell wasn't very effective at detoxification, but it was great for removing dirt. He could take a bath and wash his clothes in one go.
The higher one's physical condition, the faster one's physical strength recovers. After resting for a while, Unas felt his strength return and started working again. Unexpectedly, after only two strokes of the hoe, mud and water began to gush out from the bottom of the pit. He had no choice but to climb out of the pit he had dug and signal the guards to come back.
When the Night Elf returned to his side, the pit was already half-filled with mud and water, and it wouldn't be long before it became another puddle in the Swamp.
Unas admitted his mistake first, saying, "My mistake was that I dug too deep due to inertia; I should have started digging to the side."
Nightmoon said gently, "It's not your fault. I didn't expect there to be a hidden water vein underground in this place. Let's go somewhere else."
At this moment, Haikesi returned riding Overlord Spider, with an Overlord Spider crocodile at least four meters long dragging along its hind legs.
Unas smiled and said, "Let's eat something first. Looks like we'll have crocodile meat for dinner tonight."
If you ask what crocodile meat tastes like, Unas can only answer that it tastes like chicken and is crunchy. Bear Grylls doesn't lie; even without any seasoning, it's incredibly delicious just boiled.
The three packed up the remaining crocodile meat and immediately set off to find the next suitable spot to dig.
Nightmoon was probably looking for a place that would provide a permanent solution, so she didn't stop at any of the seemingly nice locations in Unas along the way.
The three ventured deeper into the night. Although they were protected by the Overlord Spider, Unas gradually began to worry, as it was already evening.
After traveling a while longer, the Troll suddenly slowed down the Overlord Spider's speed. At the same time, a feeling of being locked on surged into Unas's heart. He exchanged a glance with the Troll, and both saw the solemnity on each other's faces. It seemed that the Troll had also sensed that unknown hostility.
The two men crouched down, pressing their bodies against the back of the Overlord Spider. Suddenly, a series of snapping sounds came from behind them, and the two men simultaneously commanded the Overlord Spider to turn around.
A colossal black beast was slowly approaching from the direction it had come from. It had a jet-black, oily carapace, eight thick claws, a majestic and imposing body, and an extremely aggressive aura. This was none other than an Overlord Spider!
The Troll beside him began to tremble involuntarily. Unas pressed down on his shoulder, hoping he could remain calm.
The Troll once said that Overlord Spider generally don't attack their own kind unless they feel they've been seriously violated. This Overlord Spider in front of us was probably hunting in the Swamp and was disturbed by Unas and his group's rampage. It shouldn't have been a "serious violation," otherwise it would have attacked directly instead of slowly approaching.
The black behemoth approached close enough that it seemed unaware of Unas and the Trolls. It extended a black, slimy spike from its mouthparts, aimed it at its kin, and let out a roar that echoed through the Swamp.
Surely this doesn't mean he's asking for a French kiss? Unas gripped the Troll's shoulder, urging him to respond quickly; standing there like this wouldn't do.
But the Troll turned around, sweating profusely and looking completely bewildered. He didn't know what to do. If he acted recklessly, he could easily provoke an attack, but not responding would also be unusual. He was truly in a dilemma.
In crucial moments, you still have to rely on yourself. Unas whispered quickly into the Troll's ear, "Respond with the same action."
In his view, the other party's actions and shouting were not a greeting, but rather a provocation and a rebuke. In such a situation, one must not show weakness, otherwise the other party will really think that you are weak and easy to bully, so you must respond forcefully.
The Troll controlled the Giant Spiders beneath it, causing it to extend sharp spikes from its mouth and emit almost identical roars. This kind of precise control was beyond Unas's capabilities and had to be performed by the Troll.
The Troll's imitation was incredibly lifelike; the only difference was that this long-dead puppet couldn't secrete bodily fluids, so its spikes were dry and lifeless.
This was a huge loophole, and the other party immediately noticed the anomaly, retracting its spikes and taking a few steps back, moving left and right as if carefully observing its own kind who seemed somewhat unusual.
Unas cursed inwardly. He immediately took out the Firekiss and pressed it under his body, encouraging himself: So what if it's just a matter of what happens? There's nothing to be afraid of!