Chapter 168 Painful Climbing
“Ah—I can’t take it anymore!”
Budno lay down on the rock, sticking out his tongue and panting like a pug.
So tired, so tired, so tired...
Tired of one word, endless loop.
My legs felt like they were not my own, and my whole body was soaked in sweat. These clothes made of ordinary fabrics were completely incomparable to the fairy clothes. After absorbing the sweat, they became heavier and heavier, increasing the difficulty of climbing.
Woo woo woo~~~
The fairy was used to flying around with his wings and neglected leg exercises. After climbing the mountain for half a day, he had reached his limit.
Disceo, Angel, and Amanda also sat down on the ground, their backs aching from exhaustion, their breathing so rapid that they couldn't speak.
Shuli and Kumandi were in better condition than them. Although they were tired, they still had some strength left.
He had climbed the mountain twice with Ilio and knew how difficult the process was. He started practicing physical skills at the age of ten and had made great progress in eight years. Crossing the entire mountain range was no problem for him.
Kumandi is ten years older than them and has learned physical skills for a few more years. Since he decided to go to the mainland for training in advance, he has deliberately strengthened his leg training. His condition is the best in the team.
"Hold on," he said gravely. "Sitting down now will only lead to inertia and all your efforts will be wasted."
Shu Li wiped the sweat off his face, looked at the sun overhead, and said, "We must reach the top of the mountain by noon, then eat some food and drink some water to replenish our energy."
On his first mountain climb, he, like his friends, collapsed halfway through, refusing to move, wanting to rest for half an hour. However, the usually smiling Ilio transformed into a demon, ruthlessly rejecting his request and even mocking him, provoking his anger.
In order not to be looked down upon by the hateful Ilio, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Why do we have to reach the top of the mountain at noon?
Because noon is the time of the day when the temperature is the highest, it can offset the coldness on the top of the mountain. Otherwise, once the sun sets and the temperature drops, it will increase the difficulty of climbing.
Encouraged by Shu Li, the children stood up one by one and continued to move forward.
Although the speed was much slower, they successfully reached the top of the mountain at noon with their unremitting efforts.
Shu Li took them to a sheltered cave with familiarity. After entering, he used fire magic to light a pile of firewood picked up along the way.
With the fire, the temperature in the cave rose by several degrees, and the frozen limbs finally regained consciousness.
Shu Li took out a kettle from the storage ring, condensed the water element, poured water into the kettle, then hung it on the tree branch rack and placed it over the fire to boil water.
Drinking hot water not only warms up the body but also quenches thirst quickly.
“When I listened to Sperian’s stories before, I never imagined that climbing a mountain would be so difficult,” Desio said with emotion.
At the forum, Sperian only talked about the key points, and basically glossed over small things like climbing the mountain. When they listened to the story, they only listened to the interesting parts and completely ignored these details.
Now, they left the Fairy Forest with great excitement, ready to venture out into the outside world, but they were first stumped by climbing the mountain.
Budno pulled his hooded cloak tighter around him, sat by the fire, and warmed his hands. He agreed, "When we return to the forest for a symposium, I'll definitely emphasize the hardships of climbing the mountain."
Angel brought out a plate of Kuku fruit for everyone to share. "It's because we haven't cultivated enough that Sperian and Kumandi haven't complained."
Dizio took a fruit, put it in his mouth, and said vaguely: "Angel is right! We must improve our strength as soon as possible and never fall behind."
"Let's eat quickly! It's better to hit the road after eating." Budno took out the dry food he brought with him and shared it with everyone.
When Shu Li heard the word "hit the road", a few black lines slid down his forehead.
Kumandi said solemnly, "Climbing the mountain is the beginning of our training. There will be more difficulties waiting for us in the future, and we must overcome them one by one."
Budno raised his hand and swore, "I will never complain of being tired again."
Disceo and Angel both raised their hands in assurance.
In the corner, Amanda, who was silently gnawing on raw meat with her back to them, turned around and said, "Me too!"
Shu Li high-fived them in turn, praising them, "You're all brave little fairies... and little dragons!"
"Hehehe——" the little friends laughed happily.
The goblins had a simple meal with warm water and oatmeal cakes. Amanda nibbled on two foot-long sea fish and was still not satisfied.
After packing up, they continued on their journey.
After crossing the top of the mountain, it was much easier to go down the mountain, and the speed doubled. When the sun moved westward and set on the other side of the mountain, Team Light finally reached the foot of the mountain.
"Wow! We did it!"
The teenagers cheered with sweat on their foreheads.
Shu Li turned his head to look at the towering mountains, and couldn't help but think of eight years ago, when he was exhausted and fell asleep on Ilio's back, sleeping so soundly that he didn't even realize he had boarded the chorus' carriage.
Today, relying on his own strength, he and the guys climbed over the mountain.
Kumandi pulled out a map to see where they were and where they were going next.
They had chosen a spot at the foot of a mountain where there were no villages, to avoid encountering humans as they descended. The nearest town was at least a hundred kilometers away, and they would definitely not be able to reach it before dark.
There is no village nearby, only dense woods and wastelands. It looks like we have to camp outdoors tonight.
"Sperian, it's time for us to set off." Kumandi put away the map and reminded the cheering teenagers.
"Alright!" Shu Li cleared his throat and said seriously to the members of Team Light, "We are about to enter the human world. From now on, follow human habits as much as possible. Remember, don't show off your wealth, don't show off your wealth, and don't reveal your words."
"Yes, Captain!" the teenagers answered in unison, looking bright and energetic.
After discussing it, Shuli and Kumandi decided to camp out in the woods at night. However, they had to leave the mountains first and walk ten kilometers northeast to find a place to camp.
The other team members had no objection, so they reorganized themselves and officially set off.
The woods at the foot of the mountain were dense and overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to walk. Fortunately, the fairies had been living in the forest since they were young, so crossing the forest was not a problem at all.
They jumped on the branches nimbly and moved forward easily. Only Amanda, who was a dragon, was a little clumsy. She missed the branches several times and fell under the tree.
"Hahaha, Amanda, can you do it?" Disio squatted on the branch and looked at the dragon clan that fell upside down on the grass.
Amanda blushed. "Of course I can!"
The dragon race has thick skin and tough flesh, so if they fall, it’s like being tickled, and it doesn’t hurt at all.
He quickly climbed up, leaped up, grabbed the lowest branch, swung hard, and flipped onto a higher branch, trying to keep his balance.
Although there are forests on Dragon Island, they are the hunting grounds of the dragon clan.
There is no need to climb trees for hunting, just transform into your original form and fight the monsters.
Amanda looked at the fairies jumping in front of him, clenched his fists, and a spirit of not giving up rose in his heart. He shouted loudly, exerted force with his legs and feet, jumped up, and tried to catch up.
Shu Li heard his cry and looked back, only to see a young dragon boy with black hair moving quickly between the branches and not falling again.
Not bad, there is progress.
He looked relieved.
Although Harmon said before departure that Amanda was a little spoiled and asked him as the captain to take more responsibility, Shu Li felt that Harmon underestimated his younger brother.
Thirteen years ago, Amanda was still a weak young dragon. She was captured by pirates and trapped in a cage at the bottom of the ship. If she had been more delicate, she would have submitted to the humiliation long ago. However, when they found her, the little dragon was covered in wounds and was wary of everyone.
Shu Li felt that Amanda was a stubborn little dragon. When facing difficulties alone, she would definitely stand up straight and get through it bravely.
Like now, he fell to the ground many times, but he got up and continued without complaint.
Shu Li didn't stop and wait, he believed Amanda would catch up.
As the sun set and darkness fell, the Light Team stopped. They found a big tree, cleared the grass under it, and started camping.
Discio and Budno went to collect dry firewood, Angel and Kumandi set up a tent for rest, Amanda looked for stones for the stove, and Shuli sprinkled insect repellent powder on the camping area.
Half an hour later, they lit a campfire, set up the tent, boiled water, and had dinner.
Dinner was still the fruits and dry food I brought with me. I drank warm water and ate with relish.
We haven't entered a densely populated town yet, and there are no outsiders in the team, so there's no need to hide for the time being.
After dinner, they chatted around the campfire.
"I wonder where Chris is now?" said Discio.
Chris is a prankster who often makes newborn goblin cubs cry. One day, he got into a fight with a Sek'n bird that was stealing fruit, causing trouble for Sperion. He was kicked out of the forest by the adult goblins and sent to the mainland for training.
He left for eighteen years and there was no news of him.
"Yes, he didn't even send us any letter." Budno said, holding his chin.
"It's hard to deliver the letter, isn't it?" Angel shook his head. Other races couldn't enter the Fairy Forest, so if they wanted to deliver the letter, they had to entrust it to a Magic Bird. However, if Magic Birds from outside entered the Fairy Forest, they would be targeted by the local Magic Beasts, and if they weren't strong enough, they would just be food.
"I hope we can meet him on this trip." Shu Li whispered while looking at the flames of the bonfire.
In fact, he felt that Chris left the Fairy Forest with guilt, and he specially placed a gift in front of his door before leaving.
That morning, he opened the door and was surprised to see the bow and arrows lying on the floor. He asked around, but no one knew. Later, when Elsa told the young goblins that Chris had left the Fairy Forest to train on the mainland, he finally understood.
That exquisite and high-end bow and arrow was an apology gift from Chris to him.
"Speaking of which, the Secken bird named Deklet has never returned to the Fairy Forest!" Desio grinned.
"Are you scared, big stupid bird? Hahaha!" Budno chuckled. "If it dares to come back, we'll tear it into pieces."
Angel waved his hands: "As hateful as it is, we can't kill it."
Budno stuck out his tongue and said, "I'm just giving an example!"
Fairies will not kill monsters unless it is absolutely necessary.
Shu Li said, "Maybe he has been taught a lesson by Chris."
Chris had just reached adulthood and was at the age with the most energy, so he liked to play pranks and make trouble everywhere. The big stupid bird had caused him so much harm, and he would definitely not let it go.
Fairies are both a peace-loving race and a vengeful race.
The big silly bird understood this and found that it had accidentally "kidnapped" a fairy cub, so it ran away in fear.
Chris was very angry. After leaving the Fairy Forest, he immediately went to seek revenge on the Big Fool Bird.
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