106. The Mountains (I)

Zachary and Heather’s gang continued eastward. Sleep, eat, travel, rest… four days straight, they cut their way through the jungle. They even crossed two large rivers while fighting off a small flock of seagulls.

Voodoo managed to wound one of the seagulls but the giant bird flew far away before it succumbed so it couldn’t be captured. Even if they did capture one, it wasn’t that useful at the moment as the beast was too large to fly beneath the thick jungle foliage. Above the trees, it would simply become food for its kind.

Similarly, they weren’t able to capture any other wild Ensouled. Weaker runs ran for cover while they had to avoid the stronger packs and nests. They also didn’t want to waste time setting traps or preparing a hunting ground. Their target was the quintessence mine. It would provide far more benefits than even a few adept rank Ensouled.

On the fifth day after leaving Roan Oak Village, the terrain changed drastically. There were still plenty of trees everywhere but large, barren hills started to appear around them. One after another, they peeked above the green foliage like giant black blisters. The surface of each hill was dotted with circular pits, each one a nest for the giant seagulls.

Flights of two to four seagulls would often pass overhead, making the group duck for cover. These overgrown chickens were either heading out to hunt or coming back with fresh prey. Zachary briefly wondered how seagull eggs would taste but he quickly gave up on the idea. Even the navy captain's expert rank armored eagle was torn to pieces by these ferocious beasts.

“Are we there yet?” Zachary asked.

“Not yet, almost. Past the first few mountains, then we’ll be close.” Heather said.

“You know, when you said mountains, I thought it was the mountain range we saw from the ocean. These are more like hills, really strange hills.” He said.

“No, it's not those mountains. Those are too far away. These ones, I suppose you can call them hills. But what if I told you they are actually mountains of seagull poop?”

“Eh? Bird poop?”

“Yup, the professor confirmed it when I brought him here once. He says these are giant mounds of bird poop created after countless generations and millenniums of giant seagulls residing in this area. Supposedly, it's quite a precious resource in special agriculture and the growing of plant-based Ensouled. At least, that’s what the professor says.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He laughed, “Wow... actual mountains… of shit.”

The group shared a laugh and continued on their way. They didn’t have far to go. After passing by four mountains of bird poop, they were finally there, the quintessence spring.

“We have arrived,” Heather said.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like much. It was just an ordinary patch of jungle. The trees looked the same. The bushes and vines were the same.

However, things were clearly different. There was an attractive fragrance in the air. It smelled like dirt, but pristine dirt filled with the richness of pure Eternum. It was clean and fresh. It was hard to describe the smell of dirt like this but there was no other way.

When Zachary looked down at his feet, he realized that the ground was of a different color. It was a vibrant reddish-brown, a far more intense hue than the ordinary brown elsewhere throughout the jungle. Then there was the energy all around him, there was so much of it. He felt like he was bathing in a thick ooze of earthy power. He took a deep breath and his whole body was filled with strength. The earth path of his soul sea opened wide, letting it all flow in without end. It was strange, it was wonderful, like nothing he had experienced before.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Carlos asked, stubbing his toes into the soft earth, “There’s nothing here.”

Shuhua scoffed, “Don’t be dense. Even a novice could tell that there’s something extraordinary here. We just can’t see it.”

Zachary knelt on one knee and grabbed a handful. He brought it up to his nose and took a whiff. The smell was far more intense but the concentration of Eternum didn’t change. He got up and patted his hands clean. He looked around for anything interesting before summoning Doro.

“Rahh!” Doro roared as he appeared, swinging his considerably large fists around in the air, ready for a fight, “Big Brother Zach, what is your command?”

Doro didn’t quite understand the concept of names yet but Wander had convinced it to call him Big Brother Zach. It also called Wander big brother since the turtle had seniority.

“Go into the ground and get a sense of the area. Tell me if there is anything interesting.”

“Yes.” It replied in a deep voice and sank into the ground.

After a short while, it reemerged and pointed further east, “There are things over there.”

“What is it? Do you recognize it?” Zachary asked.

“I don’t. But lots of earth. Lots of Eternum. And energy!” It replied slowly.

Heather walked up beside Zachary, her arms crossed smugly, “Aren’t you glad you accepted the trade? An untapped earth element quintessence spring. Think about how precious this is, how much untapped potential is beneath our feet.”

“Right, and you wouldn’t have told me about it if you could mine it yourself. So, what kind of monster is guarding this place?” He asked.

“Come,” She beckoned to him and started climbing the biggest tree nearby with the help of her mantis.

He summoned Archer and followed, grabbing one of its leafy legs for an extra boost. Together, they stood on a branch halfway up the trunk and peered eastward.

“See that?” She pointed to a dark spot between the trees a short distance away, “It’s an opening to a cave. There should be earth quintessences within. However, this is about as close as we can get because that place is the lair of a scorpion dragon.”