The logging work during the day was carried out in an orderly manner. It went smoothly without any hindrance. It was as if they were doing it in their own backyard, not in a forest where magical beasts lurked everywhere.
The fact that the work was carried out so smoothly was largely due to the contributions of the guards of the Turtledove Alliance. The most dazzling of them all was the dark elf Myrtle and the strange weapon in her hands.
Originally, Uzov Gantia had gone against the majority and had the dark elf lead a small team to clean up the surroundings. Most people were still puzzled. But when Myrtle led a few youths and brought back one harvest after another, the original disagreement was resolved. When adventuring outside, strength was respected. Everyone was quite pragmatic.
Of course, Uzov had also given them a little push in the middle. First, the people he had assigned to Myrtle were all youths who were more receptive to new things. And these people were also the ones who had fawned over the dark elf last night, or had expressed their goodwill. With the dark elf's methods, these people should be easier to control.
And for Uzov, apart from trust, this was also a bit of a test. He wanted to see if Myrtle could make use of these advantages to achieve some results. If not, he would keep her by his side and use her as an 'eye'.
Uzov wasn't the only one who was sophisticated. Myrtle was the same. She had guessed this man's thoughts and used the advantage of the rifle and her own charm to manage the people assigned to her well. Most importantly, she didn't have the intention of keeping the rifle on her back a secret. Instead, she openly displayed the advantages of this long-range weapon and killed any magical beasts that might disturb them from a hundred steps away.
The youths following Myrtle were only relatively young compared to the middle-aged members of the alliance. Perhaps they weren't that experienced, but that didn't mean they were inexperienced. These people knew that long-range weapons suitable for use in the forest were quite rare. Most people would use a short bow because it was easier to move and more accurate. But the range couldn't compare to a longbow used in an open area.
But the strange weapon in the dark elf's hands broke their old understanding. A distance of a hundred paces, if the archer was not specially trained, he would not be able to shoot that far, let alone hit the target. And to shoot a hundred steps in the forest, it was simply impossible to see through the treetops. Therefore, in order to hunt in the forest, one had to get close enough that the prey could quickly attack.
But the rifle broke all the old knowledge and conventions. It allowed hunters to easily kill their prey from a safe distance, and its power was astonishing. At this stage, he had yet to see any beast, whether it was a wild beast or a magical beast, that could survive a single shot. If it was an ordinary hunting short bow, it would be very common for larger prey to be able to fight for their lives with more than a dozen arrows stuck in their bodies.
However, the cost of each shot also made this group of young people speechless, dispelling their thoughts of getting a rifle. It could only be said that he was indeed worthy of being a mage. The things he took were not something that ordinary adventurers could afford. After a few rounds, a magazine worth a Red Glory magic stone would be wasted. Shooting randomly with magic arrows didn't cost as much as using a rifle.
Later on, the young men all requested that they just take care of some small and less dangerous prey so that they wouldn't waste the rifle's resources. They had heard from the Dark Elves that when Malcolm ran out of bullets, the rifles could only be used as wooden sticks. Taking risks outside and effectively using limited resources was also a rather important lesson.
But even if they didn't use the rifle to shoot anymore, Malcolm's command made the hunting of the young men quite easy. So gradually, they no longer considered whether it was wrong to listen to a female Dark Elf's instructions. That commander could even notice many details that they didn't, and these were all guarantees of their lives.
It could be said that Malcolm used the power of the rifle to give everyone a show of strength. Then, with the help of the detection magic attached to the rifle, he successfully established prestige in this small team. Then, he used the number of prey to convince the others. For the Dark Elves, these were just convenient things to do. Most of her thoughts were still on monitoring that suspicious person.
But after observing for an entire morning, she didn't see any improper actions from the other party. Even the other party, as an apprentice craftsman, did everything that he should do without hesitation. Naturally, she couldn't find any evidence to accuse the other party.
Looks like we've entered the stage of a competition of patience. The Dark Elf thought so.
The cutting of the Silver Camphor and the preliminary processing of the wood were successfully completed in the morning. But the group didn't plan to bring these large pieces of wood with them on the road. Instead, they found a place to set them down and would take them with them on the return journey.
But as a magical material, the most precious part of the Silver Camphor, the core, was still taken down and carried with them. Firstly, the core was not big; secondly, if it was left where it was, it could easily attract other magical beasts and even be destroyed by them; thirdly, the core of the Silver Camphor had the strongest smell, so the insect repellent effect was naturally the best. It could reduce a lot of worries in the forest, such as diseases like malaria.
Just because they had a good start on the first day, it didn't mean that their luck would be so good for the rest of the journey. In the next few days, the second target tree, the Fragrant Nan, couldn't be found anywhere.
As they went deeper into the forest, although there weren't any casualties, everyone couldn't help but feel impatient. Especially the strong smell of the Silver Camphor. Although it had the miraculous effect of repelling insects, it also became the reason for some people's complaints. After all, not everyone liked that smell, even in this kind of environment, it was very useful.
Fortunately, Uzov Gantia's methods were outstanding, and he was always able to resolve some small disputes without harming the harmony. In addition, they weren't at the end of their rope yet. Compared to finding one of the targets on the first day, such a contrast in results made everyone feel a little frustrated.
Moreover, although no one admitted it, the White Sword Saint, William Greco, was at the back of the group. This was also the reason why everyone was at ease on this journey. Perhaps it would be troublesome to get along with this person, but his strength was the best guarantee in this harsh environment. So even though everyone was a little impatient, they weren't hysterical and hurt each other.
The Silver Camphor itself had a strong smell, so it was easy to find this type of tree by following the direction of the nose. Although the Fragrant Nan was also characterized by its fragrance, its smell wasn't obvious and was easily overlooked. So the group gradually expanded their search area, and when they found a tree that they suspected to be their target, they would stop and appraise it. After confirming that it wasn't the target, they would continue moving forward.
On the sixth day of their journey into the forest, everyone set up camp early and rested. Because if they continued to move forward, they would be faced with a choice. If they went left, they would advance toward the mountains. If they went right, they would need to cross a river. Which direction the Fragrant Nan would find, the guide craftsmen couldn't be sure.
Splitting into two groups seemed the smartest, but it was actually the stupidest. In such a dangerous environment, there was strength in numbers, and it wasn't fun. Splitting up might allow them to expand their search area, but it was also possible that both groups would remain in the forest. So no one proposed such a stupid idea.
So, should they go up the mountain or cross the river? This became a difficult problem.
Uzov didn't act arbitrarily. After dinner, everyone gathered around the campfire to hear everyone's opinions. The result was naturally different, and there were all kinds of opinions. After all, this was a question with no correct answer. Besides, no matter which way they chose, it would be a matter of luck.
During the entire discussion, the Dark Elf, Myr, didn't say a word. A few young people who supported her said, "Myr, although you didn't say anything, it seems like you're thinking about something. Aren't you going to bring up what you're thinking about and let everyone help you think about it? "
Myr, who was called out, couldn't say that she was thinking about how to make the kid who was suspected of being a mole reveal himself.
However, she wasn't completely clueless about what everyone was discussing. So she said, "I'm thinking about whether there are any characteristics of the Fragrant Nan tree's habitual growing environment. Or what kind of place the same species of Phoebe tree likes to grow in. Even if the species is different, as long as it's a tree of the same species, its habits are actually similar. It's just that I've lived in the Underground World most of the time, and I'm not that familiar with things on the surface. Is there anyone present who knows about the characteristics of these trees? "
The Dark Elf's words were reasonable, and it was also the part that the group of burly adventurers and craftsmen who were focused on their skills neglected to think about. Everyone turned to look at the craftsmen who belonged to the Grand Duke. The Fragrant Nan tree was proposed by this person. Since he knew about this kind of wood, then he should more or less have some understanding of other information.
The old craftsman, who hadn't done this kind of wood search for a long time, slapped his thigh in annoyance. He should have thought of these things long ago and reminded everyone. It was just that these few days, he was dizzy from the smell of the silver camphor, so he didn't think of this matter.
He tried hard to recall the knowledge he learned from his masters when he was young. The old craftsman said, "Fragrant Nan, a type of Phoebe tree, a high-level magic material. It likes to grow in warm and moist places. — "
So we should cross the river? Everyone thought so.
"— But most of the places where it's distributed are mountainous. From some low mountains to below the green belt of the high mountains. — "
Then it should be the mountains?
"— Although Fragrant Nan can't grow very thick, it can grow quite tall. However, the so-called 'not so thick' here is to the extent that an adult can barely wrap his arms around it. That's all I know. "
"So, should we go up the mountain or cross the river?" The young man from the scout team asked the question on behalf of everyone else.
Only then did the old craftsman realize that the information he gave seemed to make sense no matter where they went. Although he didn't show it on the surface, he was still a little upset in his heart.
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