Trainee's Dagger

"What's going on?" Fang Heng unscrewed the cap of his water bag and poured some water out, cupping his hands to splash it on his face to sober himself up. He shook his wet hair before asking, "Did you see anyone coming, Tata?"

The two continued walking. Fang Heng stepped through the rough forest terrain, sometimes ducking under gnarled tree roots covered in maidenhair ferns and coriander. A cluster of moon-pale asters hung down, and he casually picked some and stuffed them into a pouch in his robe.

Tata, perched on his shoulder, gently shook its head.

"No?"

"Then what was it?"

Centaurs believed dried asters possessed magical properties. Later, alchemists discovered that aster powder was an excellent material for magic catalysts, which in turn could be used to prepare magic solutions.

By soaking the core crystal in the magic solution for over eight hours, the crystal could fully absorb the free-floating aetheric magic. Fang Heng had lost his Magic Furnace and could only resort to such primitive methods to energize the core crystal—fortunately, his fundamental alchemy training in Kapuka was solid, and he remembered these emergency measures.

Aethelria was rich in resources, and the entire world was filled with aetheric magic, with all sorts of strange raw materials found everywhere. Fang Heng looked up, seeing crystals floating all around the forest. These were raw crystals, one of the reasons for the floating continents.

There should have been a natural raw crystal mining area here, but it wasn't valuable. Only raw crystals of high quality were worth processing into core crystals. Most high-quality raw crystals were buried deep underground. This exposed raw crystal deposit, already discovered long ago, was nothing more than a scenic view.

The ground here sloped slightly southward. The sound of rushing water came from ahead. The two pushed through the bushes and saw a shallow, pale purple stream rushing down from beneath a patch of sharp white rocks.

The pale purple was a reflection of the dim forest and the light from the crystals.

Tata looked across the stream and then said, "I saw someone setting up camp over there."

"Across the stream?"

The fairy nodded gently.

"Let's go take a look." Fang Heng was eager to encounter travelers so he could ask how far it was to Elpaxin and the best route.

However, he first went down to the stream to refill his water bag and bent over to take a few sips. The mountain spring water was sweet and clear. Beautiful bioluminescent plants grew by the stream, and white fish darted beneath the water like streaks of silver light.

He had the Walker raise its bladed leg and plunge it into the water, splashing, but it caught nothing.

The fish sensed the disturbance in the water and scattered.

"Silver Trout," Fang Heng sighed, shaking his head. "What a shame, the meat of this fish is excellent."

He patted his stomach, which rumbled.

Tata nodded. "Indeed, in Ausch, Silver Trout is a typical dish on the tables of nobles."

"Is that so?" Fang Heng asked, turning back.

"Because Silver Trout are not naturally found in Ausch's many rivers; they are transported to Ausch via the Istania-Fasha shipping route. To ensure their survival, the ships are equipped with water tanks and cumbersome oxygenation equipment. A live wild Silver Trout can fetch an exorbitant price in Ausch. Some nobles even deploy warships—hence the name 'Silver Trout Route'," Tata replied matter-of-factly.

Fang Heng listened with longing. "It would be great if we could run that route sometime."

"Transporting Silver Trout requires a special commercial permit," Tata said, dashing his dream with a single sentence.

However, Fang Heng knew how the locals in Kaolin prepared Silver Trout.

One method involved brushing the trout fillets with oil mixed with celery and anise leaves, then grilling them until golden brown, served with lemon and salt and pepper. The exterior was crispy, while the flesh inside was soft and tender, with a rich, layered flavor.

Just thinking about it made Fang Heng's mouth water uncontrollably. He was, in fact, a foodie. But daydreaming only made his hunger more apparent. Fang Heng rubbed his stomach and stood up, scanning the surroundings and finding a shallow spot to wade across the stream.

The 'Sword Plover' Walker walked ahead of them in alert mode.

In this mode, the Walker was largely managed by the system, and Fang Heng didn't even need to operate it. However, in this mode, it only had a single marching mode—of course, if it had a reconnaissance module installed, the system would occasionally stop to scan the surroundings.

Only in areas with slightly more complex terrain, where the system was incapable, would Fang Heng take over. The Walker flew left and right in his hands, even darting between rocks. He didn't rely on the system at all—because Fang Heng found that doing so could help him practice his operational proficiency.

Soon, the two arrived at the place Tata had mentioned.

There were indeed signs of a campsite in the forest.

The dead leaves had been swept aside, revealing the soft humus layer beneath. Someone had used stones to build a makeshift stove on the soft soil, its professionalism far surpassing Fang Heng's, indicating that their skill investment in survival was incomparable.

Traces of tent pegs could be found around the area, about three in total, two small and one large. Fang Heng estimated there should be at least five people. There were no droppings from pack animals in the camp, or they had been disposed of—however, since they hadn't dealt with other more obvious traces, this possibility seemed unlikely.

Fang Heng envisioned an exploration team composed of several members. He had no idea about the composition of the team or their mission; he lacked professional tracking skills and could only draw conclusions through analysis.

Such teams were not uncommon in areas around towns, which was at least a good sign, indicating that he might not be too far from Elpaxin.

Fang Heng checked again and found no other clues. The damp embers in the wind-blown stove indicated that the other party had left some time ago, at least several hours.

"How did you find this place, Tata?" he finally asked, turning back.

"I found it while collecting Stardew."

Fang Heng knew that Stardew was not dew on grass and trees, but nectar from Starlight Flowers.

Starlight Flowers only bloomed at night, releasing pollen and secreting nectar between the rise of the Shining Star and the setting of the moon, just before dawn. The nectar would disappear without a trace before the first ray of morning light appeared, making the best time to collect it just before dawn.

The nectar of the Starlight Flower was the raw material for Fairy Wine, a favorite of the fairies. However, Tata collected them mostly for the magic contained within. Although she was a Dragon Soul, she was still influenced by some fairy memories and experiences.

Incidentally, the Shining Star was also Aethelria's Dawnstar.

"Was anyone here then?" Fang Heng asked again.

Tata shook its head. "But they shouldn't have left long ago. I saw embers in the campfire back then."

"What a pity," Fang Heng said with some annoyance. "If we had come a bit earlier yesterday, we might have seen their campfire."

"But there's no guarantee they were friendly."

Fang Heng scratched his head. He thought about it and realized it was true. Tata's words made him more cautious; he hadn't forgotten his experience at the Elven Ruins.

The other party hadn't deliberately concealed their tracks, and Fang Heng could roughly guess the direction they had left from. This made him feel a bit fortunate, otherwise, with their survival skill level, it would have been easy to shake off a novice like him.

But should he chase after them? Fang Heng hesitated. If he continued south, he would eventually reach the bay near Aixinpal, but he didn't know how long it would take.

Tata also reminded him from the side, "Leaving your original direction might lead to getting lost, Mr. Knight."

"How about this," Fang Heng finally made up his mind. His main concern was Elpaxin's situation—that was the traditional sphere of influence of the Rainbow Alliance. He now had a bit of a shadow cast over him by the Major Guilds and felt it necessary to understand the situation before entering 'enemy' territory.

"We'll follow this direction for an hour. If we don't see anyone within an hour, we'll turn back." He took out his pocket watch and shook it. This was probably the most valuable thing he had left—a gift from a Kapuka artisan apprentice, assembled by his own hands.

Tata nodded.

So, the two of them continued on their way. The terrain ahead gradually lowered, and the last traces of the hilly landscape disappeared. The area between the forests became flat, and this low-lying forest finally revealed its true appearance.

Several streams converged here, forming a dim, shallow swamp. Between the swamps were scattered highlands like islands, and the vegetation was mostly composed of banyan and mangrove species.

The giant banyan trees were no less impressive than the ancient White Oaks he had seen. They grew intertwined, their massive aerial roots descending to the water's surface and growing into thick branches, some resembling walls, lush with foliage.

Fang Heng also saw two Long-tailed Spear Storks. These giant predators, two meters tall, nested on top of the banyan trees. The carcass of a freshwater crocodile hung from a tree trunk, and the storks used their sword-like beaks to tear open the scales and pull out the entrails to feed their chicks in the nest.

He was startled when he saw this and quickly retreated with Tata, holding their breath. The Long-tailed Spear Stork was only a level six creature, but as a flying creature, it was much more troublesome than land predators. Walkers could barely attack flying creatures.

Conversely, it was much easier for the Long-tailed Spear Storks to kill them.

Fortunately, when food is abundant and they are not provoked or threatened, most wild animals and magical beasts do not attack people proactively.

Fang Heng bypassed that area and walked for another fifteen minutes before finally discovering traces of the people ahead once more. It was a dagger, lying in the grass, gleaming brightly.

However, the trouble was that a Dragon-feather Emu was also nearby. This wingless strange bird, with indigo feathers, a fiery red crest, and a bizarre, huge jaw, also intended to pick up the dagger as a decoration to attract a mate. It discovered the competitor on the other side of the grass and became furious, spreading its magnificent feathers and letting out an angry shriek at Fang Heng.

Fang Heng, of course, could not let the clue he had finally found be taken by it.

He stepped forward, trying to drive the large bird away.

But unexpectedly, this bird, as tall as a person, actually spewed a mouthful of fire at him.

The Kaolin people believed that these wingless birds had dragon bloodlines, and now Fang Heng was starting to believe it. He quickly dodged to the side to avoid the fireball. The flames scattered, but due to his timely evasion, his evasion value only decreased by a little over ten points.

"Sword Plover, go!"

He pointed, and two cold lights flashed as the Walker pounced. But the Dragon-feather Emu reacted quickly, taking a step back, allowing the 'Sword Plover' to slash through empty air, its blade-like feet sinking into the mud.

The Walker lost its balance, but so did the Dragon-feather Emu. A pale blue number appeared in Fang Heng's vision, indicating evasion damage, a whopping one hundred and fifty-seven points.

This damage was enough to affect the Dragon-feather Emu's balance.

As expected, it retreated and stepped into the mud, its body tilting as it tried to regain its balance. But Fang Heng flipped his palm, closing his middle and index fingers like scissors—the Walker suddenly extended two blade-like claws from the mud, slashing forward.

A flash of blades, and the emu's thick claws were severed.

Its bulky, human-sized body lost its balance and toppled forward.

The remaining copper frame on Fang Heng's glove and its flexible tracks spun madly. The Walker's second pair of legs suddenly extended forward, digging into the mud to stabilize its balance. Its entire torso twisted, and both pairs of blade-like claws swung upwards in a bright semicircle.

It was just enough to slice off the strange bird's fiery red head. Due to the destruction of its air sac, flammable liquid came into contact with the air, and a burst of sparks exploded.

The 'Sword Plover' Walker quickly dived down, submerging itself in the water to avoid the flames. Its wooden structure feared fire but not water. However, its gear assembly might need cleaning after getting mud and sand in it.

The entire battle was completed in the blink of an eye. Tata slowly blinked her eyes, then looked up at him.

"This is a level four creature."

Fang Heng wiped his sweat and nodded, "It was a bit close. Fortunately, it was a close-range fight. At this distance, a Walker with high accuracy actually counters it."

"But based on the stats, the 'Sword Plover' couldn't defeat it."

"Luckily, the Walker is much more powerful than a Clockwork Sprite," Fang Heng sighed with some emotion. A level four creature was roughly equivalent to a level three adventurer. This meant his performance just now was at the level expected of a combat professional.

Combat professional—

He couldn't help but look at his hands, slender and long, still the hands of an artisan.

Tata had already flown over. Only then did he snap back to reality, walk over, pull the Walker out of the water, and turn it over to let the water and mud drain out.

At this moment, the fairy lady picked up the dagger.

"Mr. Knight, this doesn't seem to be Battle Gear."

"This dagger..." Fang Heng stared at the dagger, stunned—there was a seven-ring Starlight insignia stamped on the blade.

"Do you recognize it, Mr. Knight?" Tata asked, holding the dagger with both hands.

"This emblem is the mark of Star Gate Port. This is a trainee's dagger."

Fang Heng nodded.

"Star Gate Port? Trainee?"

Fang Heng scratched his head, unsure how to explain the matter of the Chosen to her. But at this moment, the fairy lady seemed to have realized something and asked, "Mr. Knight, is this about the Chosen?"

"Huh? You know?" Fang Heng was taken aback.