Free Web NovelChapter 146: Chapter 146: This Is All I Can Do for You
Sure enough, it wasn’t just the docks, the fishing village, and the farmland that had changed. The forest had transformed drastically as well.
Before, it had been dead silent. Stepping into the woods just felt desolate and gloomy.
The trees were still tall and their leaves still lush, with sunlight dappling through them. But now, with the traces of a well-trodden path, the chirping of birds, and the buzzing of insects, everything felt alive.
Wildflowers of all kinds bloomed beside the path. Butterflies and bees danced around them in the mottled sunlight, and unidentified birds chattered from the branches.
It all looked beautiful, but alarm bells were ringing in Faye Yardley’s mind.
’This beauty is just on the surface. There are many unknown dangers hidden within.’
Magically, the path people had walked overlapped perfectly with the route on her system map.
Taking a deep breath, Faye Yardley immediately broke into a sprint, startling many small animals hidden on either side of the path.
SQUEAK SQUEAK~
CHIRP CHIRP~
RUSTLE RUSTLE~
FLAP FLAP~
All sorts of sounds mingled together, making the entire forest seem even more bustling.
Faye Yardley simply followed the route on her map, running for her life as if a ghost were chasing her.
Without stopping for a breath, she burst out of the forest and ran straight to the lakeside.
Slightly out of breath, she checked the system’s island landing countdown. She couldn’t believe she had been running for over half an hour; she felt it had been ten minutes at most.
The lakeside, however, was as quiet as ever. The water was still clear, and likewise, no animals came near the area.
Cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, she gathered her Energy and shouted, "Bella Dillon! Bella Dillon!"
Her voice was so loud it startled the birds in the woods surrounding the lake, but she still received no response from Bella Dillon.
She shouted several more times, but this time, she heard nothing but the wind and the rustling of leaves behind her.
She noticed that the closer she got to the lake, the quieter it became, until eventually, even the sound of the wind vanished. freewёbnoνel.com
The last time she came, the area had been very quiet, as if she were the only living person in the world, so she didn’t feel anything particularly special when she reached this lake.
This time was completely different.
The hustle and bustle of the other areas seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with this place; it remained dead silent.
’But how could a place like this yield Talent Stones and Mysterious Fish?’
Since she was already here, Faye Yardley didn’t bother delving into the deeper reasons. She chose a flat stone to sit on, took out her special fishing rod, and cast her line!
’My luck feels as good as ever today.’
It wasn’t long before she caught a Mysterious Fish.
’Looks like the yield is fine.’
Looking up at the sky, she saw that the time here was indeed different from the time at sea.
It had already been one in the afternoon when she landed, but now the sun was still climbing toward its zenith.
Taking out her bamboo hat and putting it on, she truly began to focus on fishing.
One after another. ’Are the Mysterious Fish in this lake spawning out of control?’
’It’s a shame, though, that I haven’t caught a single Talent Stone yet. It’s not possible that there are none left, right?’
’Since Bella Dillon ran toward the forest, where else could she have gone?’
’Why didn’t she just jump into the sea from the docks?’
’She’s a Merfolk. She can live in the sea for long periods and isn’t afraid of drowning or suffocating.’
’So she must have been heading for this lake. Did she somehow not make it here?’
’Or did she already get what she wanted and escape from the other side?’
Her mind wandered as she fished.
As she was fishing, her hand suddenly felt a heavy tug. ’Whoa, this must be a big one!’
Faye Yardley couldn’t help but get excited. She stood up, gripped the rod with both hands, and struggled to pull it up.
The weight was surprisingly heavy; even with her Strength, she couldn’t pull it up right away. It took her three or four minutes of struggle to slowly reel in the line. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Huh?
The lake’s clear surface allowed her to see a large, silver-white fish at the other end of her line.
Only after she had pulled it onto the shore did she realize it was as big as an adult human.
The system didn’t indicate what species it was, nor did it give an option to dismantle it.
But...
Faye Yardley crouched down and patted the large fish’s head. "Bella Dillon?"
The fish’s eyeball twitched.
"Holy crap! It really is you, Bella Dillon! What do we do now? How did you end up like this? Did you choose the wrong evolution path or something? How did you turn completely into a fish? Where’s your human side?"
Faye Yardley really had no idea what to do with Bella Dillon in the form of a giant fish.
’If she were in human form, it would be easier to carry her on my back.’
’But in fish form, how am I supposed to handle her? Although she doesn’t have a fishy smell, she’s so slippery it’s hard to even get a grip. Where do I even start?’
’And in fish form, will she suffocate if she’s out of the water for too long?’
She had only been out of the lake for a moment, but Bella Dillon was already gasping with her fish mouth.
"You can’t leave here, can you?"
Terrified that Bella Dillon might die on her watch, Faye, who had struggled so hard to drag her ashore, now painstakingly pushed her fish head back into the lake to keep it wet.
Faye Yardley stood beside her, suddenly at a complete loss.
’Are Talent Stones really that important to them?’
’Looking at Bella Dillon, it’s obvious she’s risking her life for this.’
"Forget it. You just stay like this for now. I’m going to fish a little more."
About four hours later, Faye Yardley had to admit that the lake seemed to have truly run out of Talent Stones. It was a sad fact.
"What should I do, Bella? I can’t seem to catch anything but fish. And what about you?"
Faye Yardley felt that her friendship with Bella Dillon wasn’t strong enough to be worth taking a huge risk to get her out.
There were plenty of dangers in the forest surrounding the lake. Traveling alone might be manageable, but bringing Bella Dillon along was a different story.
After some thought, Faye Yardley walked over to Bella Dillon, crouched down, and patted her large fish head. "Bella Dillon, we’re friends, but there’s not much I can do to help. I don’t know what dangers are here, but if I try to take you with me, we might both end up dead. I think you’re like this because your stamina and energy are low. It’s just a guess, but I’ll help you out anyway."
With that, she took out a Physical Potion and an Energy Potion, pried open the fish’s mouth, and poured them in.
After another moment of thought, she also poured a Blood Replenishing Potion down its throat.
’After all, what if it was caused by a lack of blood?’
This was all she had to give, and besides, Bella Dillon didn’t seem to have any obvious external injuries.
After pouring the potions into her, Faye grunted and strained, pushing her back to the center of the lake.
Back on the shore, Faye Yardley looked toward the center of the lake. There was nothing there now but water. Bella Dillon had disappeared again.
She put away her bamboo hat and fishing rod and prepared to head back as well.
She didn’t dare covet any of the mushrooms, black fungus, ferns, or other things in the forest. She just switched to full-on sprint mode, running all the way from the lakeside, following the directions on her map.
Only after she had charged all the way out of the forest did Faye Yardley let out a huge sigh of relief.
Seeing her return, many villagers looked surprised. Who could possibly stay in the forest for five or six hours and come back safely?
But seeing that she was empty-handed, they all seemed to relax.
"Grandma Chief, are the dried fish ready? How many are there?"
"There are 300. Can you take them all?"
Faye Yardley was silent for a moment. The villagers gathered around the chief’s house watched her nervously, perhaps worried that she would think it was too many.
"I can."
She had originally wanted to ask if there were any more, but seeing the expressions on the others’ faces, Faye Yardley decided it was best not to complicate things.
