Zhao Xiong and the rock-type ability user were both very strong. The two of them, one in front and one behind, easily lifted the entire tree.

"Alright! Let's go."

After Zhao Xiong finished speaking, he and the rock-type ability user carried the tree trunk and strode down the mountain.

[Quivet LV9: Capacity 100, Reload Speed ​​+9, Stability +25%]

Upgraded...

But Li Yu didn't react. Instead, she stared blankly at Xiao Hei, who was still smacking his lips, with a helpless expression.

When Ma Yuanbai and the others saw Li Yu's appearance, they couldn't help but chuckle to themselves.

"Let's go," Ma Yuanbai ordered.

Soon, the group followed the original route and came down from Xirong Mountain.

This time they had quite a haul; they even brought back the entire tree.

The group escorted the last tree on Xirong Mountain toward the refuge.

After some time, the group arrived at the outer perimeter of the shelter.

"Look, what's that?" Someone spotted Li Yu and the others not far away.

What are they holding up?

"It looks like a tree!"

"It's a black tree!"

Several refugees immediately put down what they were doing and looked over in surprise.

"It can't be fake, can it? I've lived this long and never seen a tree before."

"Judging from their appearance, they came down from the Xirong Mountain, which is full of strange beasts. It's possible that it's true."

Along the way, people kept raising their hands, making friendly gestures as scavengers approached slowly.

After obtaining Ma Yuanbai's consent, they couldn't wait to go forward and take a closer look.

"It really is a tree."

"This touch is truly amazing."

"So this is what leaves are, they're pointy."

"Yes, the leaves are prickly!"

Many refugees even stepped forward and carefully touched the tree's needles before daring to confirm that it was a real tree.

"Why is half of it missing bark?" a refugee asked curiously.

"What a pity, it looks like it was eaten quite a bit by some strange beasts."

"Made by a strange beast? I think it was chewed by a dog," another refugee retorted.

Xiao Hei was extremely dissatisfied after hearing this, grumbling and trying to rush up and kick the man to death, but Li Yu quickly grabbed him and held him down.

After hearing this, Ma Yuanbai and the others suppressed their laughter and continued walking forward, not daring to look back at Li Yu and Xiao Hei behind them, for fear that they would burst out laughing.

As the group drew closer to the shelter, many people in the nearby safe zone also noticed the tree.

"What's that?"

"Tree!"

"Impossible, right?"

"It really is a tree, absolutely, I just touched it myself." A person who had just touched the tree came back, looking excited.

"Really?" People in the safe zone also rushed out.

Even those who are well-traveled and knowledgeable put aside their usual airs and stepped forward to take a closer look.

After all, a person may never see a complete tree in their entire life.

Finally, because there were so many people watching and touching the tree, Ma Yuanbai and his group were completely surrounded by people around the shelter, making it difficult for them to move.

Having no other choice, Ma Yuanbai stepped forward and spread his arms to block the throng of people.

"Attention! Attention!"

Ma Yuanbai shouted loudly while pointing to the trees that the two people behind him were carrying on their shoulders.

"This is a tree! It's very rare, so we can't just touch it for free."

"From now on, anyone who wants to touch the tree must pay a coin."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers immediately took a step back.

"What? You need a coin to touch a tree?"

"This is absolutely outrageous."

Ma Yuanbai's tactic proved quite effective; upon hearing that money was required, many people backed down and made way for him.

Ma Yuanbai, somewhat smug, whispered to Li Yu:

"Look, there are far fewer people asking for silver coins now."

The number of people around who wanted to come up and touch the tree for free immediately decreased by more than half, and Li Yu and his group were finally able to move faster.

"Here you go." A hurried voice came.

Immediately afterwards, a coin flew quickly into Ma Yuanbai's hand.

A young man rushed up impatiently, stroking the tree with both hands and occasionally letting out a chuckle.

"It's a tree, it really is a tree." The young man couldn't help but kiss the tree trunk.

“Friend, it’s just a tree. You can touch it, but don’t damage it…” Ma Yuanbai kindly advised from the side.

"Okay, okay." The young man continued to touch things with his hands, a look of utter satisfaction on his face.

This bizarre scene stunned even the well-informed Ma Yuanbai, who pondered to himself:

"What kind of bizarre hobby is this?"

Ma Yuanbai subtly increased the distance between himself and the young man.

The group continued on their way, and the number of onlookers increased considerably along the way.

However, because the requirement of needing coins was added, far fewer people came up to touch the tree, and most people just followed along from the side.

"Wow, this is a rare find! I want to touch it too!" a passerby shouted and eagerly stepped forward.

"That's right, you can always get a new coin, but you might never be able to touch this tree again." Someone nearby deliberately chimed in loudly.

Only after the passerby actually handed Ma Yuanbai the coin did the onlookers smile and whisper among themselves:

"What an idiot!"

However, along the way, quite a few people were still willing to take out a coin and go up to touch the big tree up close.

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