Friends Beyond the Mountain

Roy crawled out of the tent and shivered as the wind blew in his face. The temperature at the Aperture No.3 was almost freezing at night, which explained why the surrounding area was barren, with only bare rocks and Pine Forest.

The campfire in the center of the camp was always being blown by the wind, constantly teetering on the edge of going out.

Roy went outside and sat by the campfire. He scooped out a cup of incredibly sweet fruit tea from the hanging iron pot. He had to admit that after waking up, especially on such a cold night, being able to drink a cup of piping hot fruit tea felt like the chill in his bones was being dispelled.

Roy wrapped the blanket around himself tighter, and the surrounding tents made a rustling sound as the wind blew.

However, apart from the howling wind, there was no other noise at night here...

Here, above the clouds, Roy sat by the campfire, gazing at the starry sky. The starry sky here was completely different from that of Castleton City. Instructor Nora had mentioned that legendary powerhouses who could break through to the Fourth Rank could travel to the Outer Domain and explore new planes.

This made Roy yearn for it; he couldn't quite understand how legendary powerhouses survived in outer space.

After finishing a cup of fruit tea, Roy thought it smelled wonderfully fragrant and rich, having been brewed in the iron pot, so he poured himself another cup...

After drinking two cups of fruit tea in a row, and then being blown by a cold wind, I suddenly felt the urge to urinate.

Roy quickly put down his teacup, observed the downwind side of the woods, untied the blanket draped over his body, and walked to a secluded pine tree.

The cold wind made Roy shiver. He was in a place where the campfire couldn't reach him, Roy face turned towards the pine tree.

In the howling wind, Roy suddenly heard a few short incantations...

'appease'

Roy could only hear the word clearly at the end of the incantation.

He felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and his eyelids kept drooping. Even though he had just woken up, he couldn't help but want to sleep a little longer.

He stumbled forward, quickly reaching out one hand to steady himself against the pine tree, and using the other to barely pull up his trousers.

Just then, Roy suddenly heard voices coming from behind a pine tree beside him. He didn't make any rash moves and stood quietly beside the pine tree...

Instead of going over to investigate, he wanted to hear what they were saying.

"I heard that many Silver Moon Elf live on the other side of the mountain. They are not only beautiful, but also have very fair skin. I don't see how fair he is. And look at his ears, they are not pointed. I don't think he can be an elf."

The young voice reached Roy's ears.

Although it is a very fluent Elven Language, there are still some differences in certain syllables compared to the Elven Language spoken in Castleton City.

"Let's go take a look. Keep your voice down so we don't wake him up. It's a bit cold here. Look how little he's wearing. We can't carry him to the campfire, so let's just take a closer look and wake him up quickly so he doesn't get sick from being exposed to the cold wind for too long."

"I know!" "Kaka, how come they weren't eaten by that big guy when they ran into this forest?"

"Maybe that big guy has eaten his fill."

The conversation beside him grew clearer and clearer... Roy suddenly turned around and saw two young Half-Elf wearing deerskin armor and hats with deer heads on their heads. Not only did they have antlers, but they also had eyes and noses, making them look quite comical.

The two young Half-Elf stared wide-eyed at Roy.

One of the Half-Elf stammered, pointing at Roy, "You... you, how did you wake up?"

The two Half-Elf quickly took two steps back, but stopped when they saw that Roy meant no harm.

"Where did you come from? Or is this your home?" Roy asked the two young Half-Elf with great curiosity.

The two Half-Elf exchanged a glance, but instead of answering Roy's question, they bluntly said, "You haven't answered our question yet!"

"Um, why can't I stay awake?" Roy asked the two young elves.

The two young Half-Elf were somewhat speechless.

One of the elves said, "Because we used a soothing spell on you, you should take a nap!"

"Then your magic probably failed," Roy said casually.

He felt a bit cold from the wind and wanted to sit back down by the campfire and put on a blanket.

"I've brewed some tea over there. It's so cold, would you like to have something hot with us?" Roy asked them.

"No, it's getting late, we should head back."

After saying that, the young Half-Elf turned and ran into the Pine Forest.

Roy had originally wanted to chat with them a bit more. Although they had just cast a hypnotic spell on him, they seemed to have no ill intentions, so Roy didn't dwell on it.

He planned to learn more about Aperture No.3, especially since it was inhabited by Half-Elf, and the villagers of Bulwark Village knew nothing about it.

Perhaps the Half-Elf villagers of the Bulwark Village knew, but they were just pretending not to...

However, the Aperture No.3 was cold and food was scarce.

During the day, Instructor Eleanor also failed to find the elves' dwelling in the Pine Forest, and where they lived remained a mystery to Roy.

Just as Roy was about to walk back to the camp to report the matter to Instructor Nora, he saw the two Half-Elf running back in a panic.

Seeing that Roy hadn't left yet, they quickly came to Roy. One of the Half-Elf somewhat nervously pulled two mango-like fruits from his pocket and, without giving Roy a chance to refuse, stuffed them directly into Roy hand.

"Here, we're offering you some Tairo Fruit. Please, please don't tell anyone that you've seen us, okay?" the Half-Elf pleaded.

"...Um, you haven't even answered my question yet..." Roy said.

"Alright, he's already seen us. If he wants to tell everyone he saw us, the Silver Moon Elf will probably come looking for us soon. Even if we don't say anything, they'll find out anyway," the young Half-Elf standing in front said to his companion.

He then honestly answered Roy's question.

"We live at the Southern Slope Foothills, and we came from there too!" the Half-Elf honestly told Roy.

"So there's an elven village south of the Griffon Bulwark..."

Roy was a little dumbfounded; this was clearly different from what he had previously heard.

Instructor Nora and guide Majeri had always believed that the vast jungle lay south of the Griffon Bulwark Mountain Range.

To the elves, it was a jungle filled with unknown dangers.

But now, Roy has heard that there are other elven villages at the southern foot of the Griffon Mountain Range. As a result, Instructor Nora's expedition across the Griffon Mountain Range has become largely meaningless.

"It's been there for a long time; we've always lived there," the Half-Elf replied straightforwardly.

"Alright, we've answered all your questions. Just remember not to tell the other elves about seeing us." The two young Half-Elf then hurried away.

Roy couldn't even talk to them any longer.

Perhaps it was a pact between the young friends, or perhaps the two Tairo Fruit had stuck their mouths shut, but Roy did not report the incident to Instructor Nora after returning to camp.

We sat by the campfire until dawn.

After the Adventure Group woke up, they all came out of their tents. As usual, Instructor Eleanor went to explore the area around the Pine Forest.

Instructor Nora sat by the fire and drank a cup of hot fruit tea.

Roy also took the opportunity to ask Instructor Nora:

"Instructor Nora, do you think it's possible... that a group of Half-Elf also live in this jungle south of the Griffon Mountain Range?"

Before Instructor Nora could speak, Guide Majeri, who had been sitting quietly to the side, stood up and said excitedly, "Absolutely impossible, I'm sure of it... Apart from our Adventure Group, no elf has ever arrived here before!"

Roy was a little unconvinced. He pointed to the ruins in the Pine Forest forest clearing and asked, "Then what about these ruins?"

"These ruins weren't left by the elves. Other races must have lived here before leaving for some unknown reason. We were the first Adventure Group to reach the mountain pass, and I was the first guide to successfully lead Adventure Group to the Aperture No.3!"

Guide Majeri immediately offered an explanation.

"We'll be staying at Aperture No.3 for the whole day today. We'll explore the area and then go to the south slope to see if there's a way down the mountain!"

Instructor Nora addressed everyone.

They probably confirmed that the Giant Spider's nest was not dangerous.

Instructor Nora allowed Roy, Sabrina, and Miss Christine to explore the spider's nest during the day.

Exploring this rare monster's lair will enrich the three students' wilderness survival experience and knowledge...

This time, Instructor Gru volunteered to lead the team, and Instructor Nora readily agreed.

Following the directions given by Instructor Eleanor, Instructor Gru led the three students through the Pine Forest to a spot where the mountainside became noticeably steeper.

This is the mountain peak on the left side of the Aperture No.3. The Pine Forest has not spread outwards, and the mountain wall outside the pass is still bare. At the end of the Pine Forest, you can clearly see a large patch of snow-white spider webs that extend for hundreds of meters, making it look like it has snowed.

As soon as the group of four entered the area covered by spider webs, they discovered various white bones scattered beneath the white spider webs.

Wrapped in white spider webs, almost all the pine trees here have withered and died.

The spider web is not sticky at all, and it's exceptionally tough...

Stepping on it feels like standing on a soft sofa; it's very supple and bouncy, but it's a bit unsteady.

Bones, spider webs, withered trees, and a sour, rotten smell permeated the spider's lair, making it somewhat eerie and terrifying. Instructor Gru carried his Battle Shortbow and walked ahead, but thanks to Instructor Eleanor's two reconnaissance missions, Instructor Gru knew that the lair was not dangerous.

So he walked straight inside without stopping...

The large number of bones and spider webs made Sabrina and Miss Christine feel somewhat uncomfortable, so they covered their mouths and noses as low as possible and followed behind the group.

Roy could tell that many of the skeletons in the spider's nest were those of griffins, and that many of the dead trees had white cocoons hanging from them.

Roy asked Instructor Gru curiously what those white cocoons hanging on the trees were...

Instructor Gru didn't explain, but instead shot an arrow through the white cocoon. The cocoon was filled with a thick, sour liquid that gushed out and spilled all over the ground. This sudden turn of events startled the two women, who retreated in shock. Roy, however, saw the skeleton of a argali sheep in the fallen cocoon. The sheep had dissolved in the liquid, leaving only bones and fascia.

"These should be the food stored by the Giant Spider," Instructor Gru said, pinching his nose as he walked closer to examine them.

They continued walking along the white spider web, and sure enough, the cave was empty except for the spider web and bones.

Clearly, this Giant Spider usually hides in its nest, which isn't very deep and is filled with spider webs. There's a pile of bones deep inside the cave, suggesting that this creature must have a huge appetite.

"This is a Tier 3 magical beast, Black Jaw Spider. It's almost extinct on the Elf Continent. I didn't expect to see its traces here in the Pattington Plane. They can usually defeat most wild beasts in the jungle with their own strength. If you see it in the wild, run as far away as possible. It is a very aggressive magical beast."

Instructor Gru introduced the students to the three students.

Miss Christine listened attentively to Instructor Gru's explanation...

Roy and Sabrina crouched beside the pile of bones, poking at them with a twig, trying to find the magic core that had fallen inside.

The two searched around the pile of bones and actually found a few Magic Crystal Stone.

Gelu squatted to one side, examining several skulls full of fangs, and whispered, "This big guy really does eat griffins..."

Instructor Nora, along with several other instructors, guide Majeri, and Magician Scarlett, spent a day exploring the south slope. Their conclusion was that there was no way down the south Aperture No.3 unless one slid down the long rope.

This news left Instructor Nora somewhat disheartened. She had originally planned to explore the Pattington Plane again, intending to reach the southern jungles of the Griffon Mountain Range from Aperture No.3, but now she simply couldn't find a passable route...

"It's already quite good that we've come this far. We've achieved our mission objective, not bad!" Instructor Nora said to everyone.

The other members of the Adventure Group seemed indifferent; it didn't matter whether they could go to the southern jungle or not.

That evening, Roy again asked Instructor Nora for permission to stay on night duty.

Someone volunteered to take the night shift, Instructor Nora gave Roy a very appreciative look before readily agreeing.

As usual, Roy was woken up in the middle of the night by a yawning Instructor Eleanor, and then wrapped in a blanket and sat by the fire...

Sure enough, it didn't take long. Behind a pine tree, two Half-Elf peeked out and looked this way. The deer head hats on their heads looked really funny.

Roy walked to the pine tree, handed two cups of piping hot fruit tea to the Half-Elf hiding behind it, and said:

"What, it's you again? It's so cold in here, would you like a couple of cups of hot tea?"

A Half-Elf took a cup of fruit tea and then said to Roy:

"Let's gather some spider silk tonight. We can boil it down into glue, which will be useful for making bows and arrows..."

Today's chapter