Firefly Journey

Early in the morning, with only a faint glimmer of light in the sky, Lin Yuanran set off towards the Yedeen Mountains under the still lingering darkness.

Back on Earth, he would never have gotten up unless the alarm clock woke him up three or four times. But now he had no choice; he had to try to get home because staying in another world was too dangerous.

People become exceptionally hardworking when they are in adversity, and this is exactly the case with Lin Yuanran now.

Torreg is the closest town to the Jedrön Mountains, about ten miles away. Located at the foot of the Jedrön Mountains, it's not exactly a forbidden area; townspeople often go there to find good timber to build houses, and nothing has ever happened. Otherwise, Olek wouldn't have dared to invite Wendy.

The dangerous legends of the Yedeen Mountains have been passed down from generation to generation. No one knows what lies within them. According to the legends, all sorts of magical beasts live there, and anyone who dares to set foot in their territory will be immediately swallowed up as food.

If a child misbehaves, the adults in the family will say, "If you keep doing this, the monsters in the mountains will come and take you away!" Of course, this is just a way to deter children. Lin Yuanran has integrated the original owner's memories from the past fifteen years, during which time no monsters have ever harmed anyone.

Lin Yuanran, who had received nine years of compulsory education and was admitted to a good university, believed in science. Even though there were extraordinary powers and various races on the Pan-Ancient Continent, folk legends were similar in some ways.

To put it bluntly, he didn't really believe in any of that feudal dross; he believed in science... alchemy!

A brave visitor from another world, carrying a homemade, ugly basket, arrived at the foot of Mount Yedeen.

Here, he saw countless Kazeharu flowers, white flowers that were like spring fairies, dancing gracefully in the wind, their beauty beyond compare.

Lin Yuanran wasn't Wendy. He liked her, but he didn't care that much. He only had one thought in his mind: I want to make money. I want to make enough money and then find a way home.

No one dared to enter the Yedeen Mountains, so there were no roads. After observing the area, Lin Yuanran had no choice but to follow the methods of his predecessors on Earth: clearing paths through mountains and building bridges over rivers, climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands, sparing no expense.

The axe, honed to a gleaming shine by Lin Yuanran, was now incredibly sharp. With such a divine weapon in hand, chopping trees and cutting through grass was a piece of cake.

As he moved forward, Lin Yuanran made marks along the way. He didn't want to get lost in the mountains. It would be one thing if he couldn't get back to Earth, but if he couldn't even get back to Torreg and was eaten by the monsters in the mountains without even knowing it, there would be no reason for him to complain.

After walking for half a day, Lin Yuanran had not found a single useful medicinal herb. He told himself that he had not gone deep into the mountains and was still on the outer edge of the mountain range, so it was normal not to have any harvest yet.

As the sun grew heavier and it became morning, Lin Yuanran, having exhausted himself, found a shady spot to rest and eat.

Lin Yuanran took out a piece of black bread he had brought, swallowed it with water he had drawn from the Lodz River, and pondered how to improve work efficiency.

After finishing a piece of bread, Lin Yuanran felt a wave of fullness and sighed. This stuff could only fill his stomach; it was far from delicious. At times like this, he missed the days before he transmigrated. Even a bag of spicy strips would have tasted better than this…

"No, I need to work faster."

Lin Yuanran stood up, full of energy, and continued to advance into the deep mountains.

Along the way, he encountered many animals, all small in size and posing no threat to humans. However, Lin Yuanran did not let his guard down. He knew that although he did not think much of the legends about the Yedeen Mountains, if some giant magical beast were to appear, it would be extremely dangerous for him given his current physical condition.

The deeper they went, the more difficult it became, and Lin Yuanran's pace slowed considerably. During this time, he found several medicinal herbs, which he took out along with the soil around their roots, hoping they would live longer if he brought them back.

Piero, a traveling merchant, didn't come to Torreg at fixed times, so he had to consider storage if he wanted to sell his wares for a good price.

After some calculation, he realized that if the herbs weren't undervalued due to their quality, he would earn nearly 1 silver coin, which was much more than he would earn working in the bakery. He instantly felt that switching careers to become a herb gatherer was an incredibly wise decision.

Lin Yuanran continued walking and observing, and when he realized it was almost time, he followed the marks he had left behind and decided to return to Torreg Town.

"Sure enough, adults make up stories to deceive children. Luckily, I'm not a naive fifteen-year-old."

With a heart full of joy at the harvest, Lin Yuanran walked down the mountain with light steps, already planning how to live a happy life in the future.

Piero had two exquisite jugs, one for water and one for wine, while Lin Yuanran could only use a bamboo tube, something he had always envied. "When I get rich," he thought, "I'll definitely get three—not only for water and wine, but also one as a decoration!"

Moo!

The sudden roar of the beast pulled Lin Yuanran back to reality from his reverie. Startled, he stumbled and almost fell.

"There really are magical beasts..."

Let alone this fifteen-year-old body, even if it were an Earthling, it wouldn't have the slightest advantage. Lin Yuanran was well aware of the difference between humans and magical beasts.

Previously, a traveling merchant came to Torreg to do business, and his carriage was pulled by a Triceratops monster. Lin Yuanran saw with his own eyes that the Triceratops did not eat grass, but rather delicious chunks of meat. If its exposed fangs were to bite a human, it would probably kill them on the spot.

According to the merchant, he spent half of his fortune to buy the Triceratops from a beast tamer. It's not safe to be out alone, and even though the Triceratops isn't considered the strongest among magical beasts, it can still easily deal with ordinary bandits and robbers.

Being both a laborer and a bodyguard—this is a worthwhile deal.

Take a detour!

The thought immediately popped into Lin Yuanran's mind: If I can't afford to mess with you, I'll avoid you; I definitely won't fight you to the death.

Lin Yuanran looked closely and frowned again, because the source of the beast's growl was right on the path he had cleared to get there. This meant that if he wanted to avoid the roaring beast, he would have to take a huge detour and carve out a new path down the mountain.

He did the math in his head. Going down the mountain in a circular path wouldn't be fast enough. Traveling at night, especially in this deep forest, was too unsafe. He might encounter other magical beasts. After all, there were quite a few magical beasts that only came out to hunt at night.

"Never mind, I'll go check it out first!"

After some thought, Lin Yuanran decided not to do the long and arduous thing. He mustered his courage, lowered his pace, and carefully walked toward the sound of the roar.

Parting the bushes, Lin Yuanran only revealed one eye. After seeing the true form of the monster that had made the cry, his heart finally settled down.

"That's it?"