DipNovel Chapter 578 Gray Fog City
Chapter 578 Gray Fog City
Xu Si stood at the edge of the flowerbed, watching the silver-haired, animal-eared girl carefully hold the plant spirit in her palm, her fingertips gently stroking its drooping back.
The little creature trembled, its fleshy wings flapped twice, and after feeling the warm life force in her palm, it slowly unfurled its curled-up body and made a soft "coo" sound, like a bubble bursting.
It seemed much more comfortable in the girl's hands than in his.
"It seems to like you very much," the shop owner said at the right moment, his voice carrying a hint of a smile.
Ilya looked up at Xu Si, her pale purple eyes reflecting the scattered light that seemed to come from nowhere in the garden, like two handfuls of melting crystals.
"Where did you find it?" she asked.
"It's in the valley outside the city, about half a day's walk to the east." Xu Si repeated what he had said to the shopkeeper earlier, his tone flat, without any flaws, and the address he gave was also true.
Ilya frowned slightly, and her fawn antlers twitched as if in some subconscious emotional expression.
"Thank you, but since you saved it, why did you think of selling it?" She looked down at the little creature in her palm again, gently rubbing its round belly with her fingertips.
This question surprised not only Xu Si, but also the shop owner.
"I want to visit cities further afield, so I need some travel money," Xu Si replied, which wasn't entirely wrong.
"Besides, it's not suitable for plant spirits to follow me." Xu Si didn't have time to take care of the little guy either.
"So where are you planning to go?" Ilya blinked, as if the answer was more interesting than she had expected, and she continued to ask like a curious child.
"It's not certain yet," Xu Si said.
The more he said, the more flaws he revealed, so his answer was somewhat ambiguous.
But Ilya didn't seem to find it strange. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked towards the pavilion. Her steps were light, and her long skirt trailed among the flowers, leaving a soft rustling sound.
She stopped in front of the stone table in the pavilion, took out a palm-sized brocade pouch from the drawer, walked back and handed it to Xu Si.
"There are 350 high-grade red crystals here. 300 are for this little guy, and the remaining 50 are my donation. But if you ever return from your travels, I hope you'll tell me about your experiences along the way!"
Xu Si took it, weighed it in his hand, and without opening it to check in public, simply nodded slightly: "Definitely."
The shop owner coughed lightly beside him, as if reminding him not to forget his share.
"Manager Qing Shi, I'll have someone deliver your portion to the store later," Ilya said, seemingly understanding the shop owner's intention.
Looking at the plant spirit in her palm, who had completely relaxed, the little creature was curled up in her warm palm, making soft, snoring sounds like it was sleeping soundly, its round belly rising and falling gently with its breath. Ilya was overjoyed.
"Thank you, young lady." The shopkeeper bowed slightly, a soft halo appearing on the crystallized facets, as if he were smiling with his eyes narrowed.
Xu Si glanced at him, thinking that this guy knew how to do favors. Originally, it was agreed that he would take 10%, but Ilya bypassed him and paid the full amount, and then paid the reward herself. This saved Xu Si the embarrassment of splitting the bill on the spot, and also made him seem respectable and considerate.
"May I ask when you plan to set off?" Ilya gently placed the plant spirit into the inner pocket of the soft robe in her arms. The little creature slid in smoothly, with only its emerald green dome showing.
"As soon as possible," Xu Si said.
Logically, they should have said goodbye, but Ilya seemed to have been piqued to continue the conversation.
His senses had already covered the outline of the garden during the brief pause in the conversation, and he had not detected any aura fluctuations exceeding Sequence Five.
The only one with a relatively high level of life was the vine hanging at the entrance.
However, it's only around level four.
This place is called a back garden, but in Xu Si's eyes it's more like a place of confinement.
Perhaps Xu Si misunderstood.
After settling the plant spirit, she reached under the stone table and pulled out a palm-sized wooden box. Opening the lid, she found a dozen or so leaves of various colors neatly arranged inside, each shimmering with a faint glow, as if they had just been picked from the morning dew.
"Since this is your first time traveling so far, these things might come in handy." She pushed the wooden box in front of Xu Si and lightly tapped the edge of the box with her fingertip.
"What is this?" Xu Si asked.
"Dried Breath Leaf. Holding it in your mouth can help you control your breath and avoid some...unfriendly eyes and ears." The "unfriendly" she was referring to was clearly unfriendly.
Judging from this, she is not an innocent girl.
"What about this one?"
"This is a breath-holding herb. Eating it allows you to hold your breath for a long time. Oh, it seems you don't need it!" The Crystal Clan does not need to breathe.
"This is a spirit-repelling herb; it can help you evade the pursuit of the Tigrex!"
"This is..." The girl introduced all the grass leaves in the box in one breath.
Xu Si's expression was strange; this was a girl who was always thinking about escaping!
Could he have gotten involved in the runaway princess's plan?
After all, who would collect these things when they have nothing better to do, especially since there are quite a few of these plants growing in the yard.
It's clear that preparations have been made for something.
But is it really okay to expose it so easily?
The shop owner, who hadn't left yet, seemed oblivious, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Thank you." Since the girl was so polite, Xu Si had no choice but to accept it.
"You're welcome." Ilya picked up the plant spirit again, rubbing its emerald green dome with her fingertips. The little creature squinted and nestled closer into her palm.
"By the way, you mentioned you were going to a more distant city, so... have you heard of Graymist City?"
"No." Xu Si shook his head; he didn't even know the name of the city he was standing on.
"Gray Mist City is located on the easternmost cliff of this continent. It is said to be the oldest city on the entire continent, and it holds many... secrets that many people do not know." Ilya's eyes were full of longing as she spoke.
Who would have thought that such an adorable orc girl harbors a heart set on becoming an adventurer?
"Gray Fog City?" Xu Si repeated the name, the two dark indentations on the crystallized facet slightly closing, as if this were also a good place.
Xu Si doesn't have a destination yet on this trip.
However, he still needs to confirm the orientation!