Wang Qiuâer naturally stayed with him. She followed him beside his all-terrain self-driving fort and said, âAre you going to use this toy to barge through the miasma? Thatâs entirely impossible! The toxic fog inside is too dense, and you canât even determine the right direction to go. Even if you can do so, youâll still need to breathe when you go inside! There wonât be much for us to breathe in the depths of the miasma, so what are you going to do? When that happens, will you even be able to escape? Furthermore, I am confident that certain toxic miasmas are extremely corrosive, so metal will gradually become dysfunctional, and could even melt. You think this thing of yours can fend off all the miasma? Stop dreaming!â
Huo Yuhao made no reply as he continued working on his all-terrain self-driving fort. It was just as Wang Qiuâer had said, he was attempting to make the self-driving fort more airtight.
Huo Yuhao was very familiar with this soul tool. The Starlight Sapphire ringâs immense space meant he could bring along a lot of materials, so he took less than an hour to complete the adjustments to make the all-terrain self-driving fort more airtight.
Huo Yuhao went inside to try it out, using Spiritual Detection to scan every single detail and component. He made sure that the internal regions were completely airtight before he came out, and began to work on something else on the outside. From Wang Qiuâerâs perspective, Huo Yuhao was incessantly stripping things off the self-driving fort before he added something else in their place in a manner that seemed overly complicated.
Another two hours passed before he finished refining his all-terrain self-driving fort, and the sky was started to turn dark.
He began to retrieve soul tool after soul tool from his Starlight Sapphire storage ring, and laid them all out neatly on the ground.
He took out sixteen Milk Bottles, and some stationary soul cannon shells. These shells were marked with various patterns and markings, forty-six of them altogether. Huo Yuhao picked out nine shells that had red markings and put the other shells away before he took out another normal storage-type ring and put it on his right handâs middle finger. He placed those nine shells inside this ring.
It was clear that he was sorting his inventory and his equipment. He checked his sixteen Milk Bottles and discovered that some of them werenât stored to the brim with soul power, so he immediately began to infuse soul power into these half-full Milk Bottles eventually completely filling every single one. Every single Milk Bottle would be imperative to the subsequent operation, and every single Class 6 Milk Bottle could completely restore his soul power over a period of time.
Wang Qiuâer looked on as Huo Yuhao completed his tasks seriously, and her expression changed continuously.
There was only one thought in her mind. She was still throwing around the statement that Huo Yuhao had just said to her before this.
âIâve thought about losing her and what would become of me, and I realized that my entire world would turn gray, and I would no longer have any vitality. Perhaps, I might even lose the will to live. That was when I realized to my surprise that her life has become more important than my own.â
She was so important in his heart, and he would risk his own life to break through this miasmic world for her. A person could actually give so much for another person. Why? How is that possible?
She silently watched Huo Yuhao finish everything he was doing as she immersed herself within these complicated emotions. The sky had already turned dark when he finished up with his Milk Bottles.
Huo Yuhao only made some time to rest at this moment. He raised his head and glanced at Wang Qiuâer before he heaved a faint sigh and said, âWhy havenât you left?â
Wang Qiuâer grunted coldly and replied, âWhy should I leave? I want to see how a fool is going to kill himself.â
Huo Yuhao smiled when he heard âfoolâ, as the images of Wang Dongâer and himself on the Sea Godâs Lake surfaced in his mind.
âIâm not a fool. I should be an idiot,â Huo Yuhao chuckled in reply.
Wang Qiuâer was taken aback. âIs there something wrong with your brain?â
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, âShe was the one that said that. She told me before that Iâm an idiot, and Iâm her idiot. No matter what, this idiot has to be idiotic one more time. The sky is getting dark, you should leave at first light tomorrow. If you wish, you can wait for me outside the Setting Sun Forest, and you can go back without me if Iâm not out within three days. However, please donât tell anyone about what happened to me. Just let them believe that Iâve disappeared.â
Wang Qiuâerâs emotions erupted once more, and she began to shout at Huo Yuhao. âIdiot! You truly are an idiot, and thereâs nothing that can save you from your idiocy. Is it worth it? Is it really worth it?â
Huo Yuhao didnât mince words as he replied decisively, âYes, itâs worth it. I have to try, no matter how much danger and peril I have to put myself through, so that Dongâer may continue to live. At the very least, I have to figure out the true mysteries contained within this place, and I will not give up even if there is but one sliver of hope. How can I look on with open eyes as Dongâer passes into the void from her hidden wound? How can I look on as my entire world turns gray? I canât let that happen.â
Wang Qiuâer bit down on her lower lip. âIdiot, idiot! Idiot!â
Huo Yuhao didnât bother with her any longer, and he collected some relatively drier branches from around him and began to make a campfire.
Huo Yuhao had no qualms about starting a fire here, as there werenât many soul beasts left in this area of the Setting Sun Forest. He was quietly observing how the faint miasma in the air reacted to his campfire at the same time.
Heated rations were still tastier than cold ones. Huo Yuhao didnât dare to cook food from the things around him, as the plants and vegetation around him had been immersed in this miasma for an incredibly long time, and they probably contained all contained toxins to some degree. He made some thick soup from the rations and food that he had brought along with him and began to eat.
Wang Qiuâerâs emotions had exploded for a moment, but she swiftly returned to normal. She came over to his side and began to eat as well.
Night inside the Setting Sun Forest was a lot colder than inside the Great Star Dou Forest. There wasnât much wind, but the environmentâs eerie cold and humidity was still exceedingly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, they had this campfire. The two of them sat around the campfire and sipped on their warm soup, and this helped them dispel the chill.
Gulp⦠Huo Yuhao finished the soup in his bowl and stretched out comfortably. He got to his feet and surveyed the area with Spiritual Detection to make sure there were no dangers or threats around them before sitting back on the ground.
Wang Qiuâer sipped her soup in small mouthfuls. She was very serious in this endeavor, as if she was holding some precious treasure in her hands.
âQiuâer, at which time of day is this miasma the thickest? When is it the thinnest?â
Wang Qiuâer answered coldly, âItâs thickest in the morning, and itâs thinnest at midday.â
Huo Yuhaoâs eyes closed into a squint. âSince thatâs the case, itâs probably because the morning is a lot more humid than the rest of the day. The accumulated moisture throughout the night probably makes it easier for this miasma to travel. Sunlight is strongest at midday, and the moisture within all this miasma will partially evaporate under direct sunlight. It will thin without the help of voluminous water vapor. Is that correct?â
Wang Qiuâer nodded.
âThatâs good, then.â Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and he seemed like he was starting to meditate beside the campfire.
âHey! What are you going on and on about?â Wang Qiuâer sounded a little upset.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once more. He heaved a faint sigh and said, âIâm serious, Qiuâer. You should leave at first light tomorrow.â
Wang Qiuâer grunted coldly and said, âWhat makes you think you can tell me what to do? Do you think you are the only one that is allowed to do idiotic things?â
Huo Yuhao shook his head. âBut thereâs no need for that. Itâs too dangerous, and I am not even ten percent confident in succeeding. Iâll have to rely on guesswork, trial, and error for many things.â
âStop beating around the bush. Say it, whatâs your plan, exactly? Since I have already followed you this far, do you think I can just look on while you venture into danger and peril all by yourself? Who do you think I am?â Wang Qiuâerâs voice was ice-cold. Even though her tone was cold, her words were warmer than even the campfire before him when they fell into his ears.
Helpings hands in oneâs direst moment were usually the most precious things one could ever have.
âThank you.â Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and said, âIf youâre willing to help, then I think our chances of success will be raised to thirty percent. If this toxic miasma is the only threat in this place, then I have an eighty percent chance of escaping with my life at least. The only thing Iâm worried about right now is if there are other dangers besides this toxic miasma.â
Wang Qiuâer was astounded when she heard his words. âAre you being blindly optimistic? Why do you think you have an eighty percent chance of escaping with your life?â
Huo Yuhao answered, âPerhaps Iâm not as familiar with forests inhabited by soul beasts or with miasma as you are, but my judgment and decision-making skills are still quite reliable. The person that imparted this map to me is a senior, and I am positive that he harbors no malicious intent. This is the reason why he added a seal on the map when he gave it to me, so that I would only come here to find the Yearning Heartbroken Grass to save Dongâerâs life when I was strong enough. I opened this seal by chance, and before I have obtained the necessary strength.
However, the records suggest that not every area on the way to my destination is covered by this toxic miasma. Otherwise, I may not even have the confidence of retrieving what Iâm looking for even if I were a Titled Douluo. This miasma greatly hinders my Spiritual Detection, so how else could I find what I need to find? I trust that this task that this senior has given to me isnât that difficult to accomplish.â
Wang Qiuâer grunted and said, âThese are but your conjectures.â
Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, âWe have to hypothesize boldly, but we have to prove it conscientiously and carefully. Furthermore, I have other safeguards. Youâve already said that this miasma is strongest during the early morning, and it will weaken at midday. That means there is no doubt that we should move forward at midday. Furthermore, since the warmth from sunlight impedes the miasma, why donât we create something hot so that we can weaken the miasma around us?â