bullyxtreme Chapter 236 Entering the City
Chapter 236 Entering the City
The next morning, Mu Feng and a drowsy Lai Yila bid farewell to Vimo Manor and headed towards Sumeru City.
Once aboard the carriage prepared for them by the Mendir family, Laila, who was still sleepy, began to nod her head again. Before long, she leaned against the carriage and slowly fell asleep.
After passing Vimalakirti Village, we were not far from Sumeru City. Along the way, the unchanging trees outside the window rushed past, and the wind lifted the curtains by the carriage window, letting in a few rays of sunlight.
Everything is as usual, except... aren't the monsters we've encountered along the way a bit too dense?
Mu Feng sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery outside the window, but his brows gradually furrowed deeper and deeper.
There were at least a dozen groups of elemental fungi, including floating aquatic fungi, flexible wind fungi, and winged herbaceous fungi.
Come to think of it, this place is quite close to the main city of Sumeru. The thirty-person group and the disciplinary officer often patrol and clean up the area, so there shouldn't be such a dense cluster of monsters here.
Mu Feng closed his eyes, carefully sensing the flow of elements around him, and his heart gradually calmed down.
The elemental pathways are very chaotic; at least the flow of the three elements he can control—wind, water, and grass—is extremely disordered.
The elemental forces, which should have flowed smoothly like water, were now like knotted ropes, forming chaotic and disorderly intersections at the narrow points of the elemental veins.
And right at these encircling nodes, there exists a power beyond the seven elements, like... forbidden knowledge?
Mu Feng's expression darkened further. Perhaps... this was the reason for the unusual gathering of those demons.
However, the energy from unknown sources does not seem to possess the corrupting power of "forbidden knowledge." If one had to describe it, it would be more like "the dregs of forbidden knowledge."
Fortunately, the gathered monsters ignored the passing caravans and showed no intention of attacking.
It seems there will be even more information to gather once we enter Sumeru City, and as for the sources of that information...
A crisp clatter interrupted Mu Feng's thoughts, followed by the driver's tense reprimand.
"Get out of the way! Monster! Make way, this is not a place for you, or I'll make my move!"
Then came the sound of whips lashing through the air, as if something was scattering and then gathering again.
"Ugh...what's wrong...it's so noisy..."
Laiira was woken up, rubbed her eyes, and looked groggily at Mufeng beside her, asking in a low voice.
She pulled the blanket around her, her pale golden eyes half-open and half-closed, shrinking into a ball in fear.
Could they have run into another robbery by a treasure-hunting gang or a gilded guild... Ugh... Why are they so unlucky...?
"Don't be afraid, I'll go see what's going on outside."
Mu Feng gave her a reassuring look, lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, stopping the driver who was about to crack the whip.
There weren't many monsters blocking the road, just a small floating fungus. Although it was followed by several companions, they merely floated far away by the roadside and didn't approach.
Mu Feng frowned, sensing that strange energy again emanating from the leading water mushroom beast.
However, that energy looked very empty, as if only a shell was supporting its form.
Upon seeing Mu Feng step down from the carriage, the water mushroom suddenly became excited and swung down from the air, waving its short tentacles.
"Hey! Watch out! Get back in the car!"
The driver hurriedly waved his whip to spur it on, but the mushroom seemed oblivious to the impending danger, stubbornly continuing its downward descent.
"Wait, please don't attack them yet. Let me handle them. These monsters can't hurt me."
Mu Feng stopped the driver once again. He had a feeling that the group of mushroom beasts was heading in his direction.
Normally, fungus live in the wild far from human settlements. Even the fiercest monsters will not abandon their territory to attack humans unless provoked by external forces, let alone the relatively gentle fungus.
The behavior of these fungus beasts was too abnormal, and they did not seem to be stimulated by the power of the abyss. Most importantly, based on his perception of elemental power, the water fungus did not seem to be hostile.
The round, floating aquatic mushroom beast stopped not far from Mu Feng and hopped around in mid-air.
However, its movements were weak and listless, as if it were injured, and it looked much weaker than ordinary fungus.
Wait a minute... this scene seems somewhat familiar.
Mu Feng's expression suddenly turned somewhat grim. He manipulated the elemental authority to examine the water mushroom, and the result was as expected.
Elemental life forms are not individuals that develop from spores; they also have cavities eroded by unknown internal forces that obstruct the flow of elemental energy.
It is not a fungus, but a member of the grass dragon Apep's retinue.
When the dark calamity descended five hundred years ago, Apep was also infected. The elemental life forms living within him sensed the impending doom and fled.
Most elemental life forms choose to sleep to fight the infection, but most of them never wake up again.
When forbidden knowledge was removed, the surviving elemental life slowly awakened and began their journey home.
However, due to the lack of elemental energy replenishment, most of them were very weak and could not remember the way home. In the story, only a small number of them returned to the oasis with Nasita and the others.
If he wasn't mistaken, Nasita should have also discovered this group of weakened elemental beings by now, meaning she might already be on her way to find Apep.
This is bad... Yingmei is probably still fishing in Mondstadt right now. If the Flame breaks again, it will be a real problem.
"Hey! Hurry up, let's set off for Sumeru City right now, without stopping, as fast as possible!"
Mu Feng picked up the elemental water mushroom beast, replenishing its weakened water elemental power as he quickly walked onto the carriage and urgently ordered the coachman who was standing there dumbfounded.
"Oh...oh! Okay! Please sit down!"
The driver suddenly realized what was happening and quickly sat back in his seat, cracking his whip to speed up the journey.
The surrounding floating aquatic fungus seemed to receive a command, and they all dispersed, making way for the passage.
Then, the carriage sped away, and the outline of Sumeru City gradually came into view in the distance.
Silence returned to the roadside once more, and the gathered fungus beasts slowly dispersed, until…
"Hmm? According to my senses, the last place should be here... Hmm... Where did your companion go?"
The floating wind mushroom beast shook its hat; the elemental senses that had been so clear just moments before suddenly seemed very distant.
"I don't know either, King of Grass. Let's go to the desert first. They can find their way home on their own."
……