Chapter Eighteen: Shepherd’s Valley

Melina only got up when the aroma of roasted veal wafted into her room.

She had spent a simple, unadorned hour training out on the grass, using that time to fiercely brainstorm her future path. First and foremost, close combat was absolutely out of the question. Even basic close-combat gear—fourteen pieces of starter equipment—was no small expense.

More importantly, close-combat gear upgraded quickly and smoothly. Almost every level of explorer had clear upgrade paths, so choosing close combat was a definitive no.

Melina was truly afraid she might drive herself mad chasing money.

Though, to be honest, she was already close.

Her path had to be ranged combat, and it had to be the kind of ranged combat where equipment upgrades came slowly; otherwise, she'd be forced to take out loans from Senior Sister Suo.

Every beautiful girl who takes out loans can be said to have already marked herself with the price of never being able to repay...

The veal was delicious—tender and fresh.

In this world, roasted veal was exceptionally tender, likely because the magic factors in the air had enhanced the biological structure and physiological makeup of living creatures, making the meat juicier, softer, and more flavorful.

Seeing Melina’s worried expression, Sonia smiled brightly and said, “Xiao Mei, don’t worry about the money yet. I told you, I’ll buy your starter gear. The help you’ve given me is absolutely priceless. How about this: until your equipment reaches level three, I’ll cover the upgrade costs. After all, I was the one who ‘led you into this pit.’”

This was undeniably a huge gift.

Although Melina was also helping her solve a monster crisis, considering the personal economic loss caused by such crises might only be equivalent to a property on the Bund, while upgrades to level three equipment could easily cost as much as a high-end apartment in Tang City. This was indeed a generous offering.

After all, the initial deal was only “helping you become an explorer.”

Fortunately, Senior Sister was not the type to gloat or quibble over trivialities. When it came to generosity, this woman was exceedingly magnanimous.

Maria raised her hand jokingly, “I’ll take thirty percent of the shares. If the three of us team up, Ame will definitely be the iron pillar. Buying gear for the big guy has always been a tradition.”

Such a tradition indeed.

Sonia nodded, “Exactly, Hou Mi. Our team’s strength lies in authenticity. We don’t do that neon-style ‘the strongest teammate gets bullied’ nonsense. We focus on being the best loyal right-hand. I’ve already prepared a large stash of various ranged ammunition to make sure Xiao Mei shoots happily and comfortably.”

The concern from the two sisters was truly heartwarming.

“…Then I shall not shirk my duty,” Melina swiftly shifted her mindset from “Is this something the cat should see?” to “This is precisely for the cat to see!” and continued testing her weapons with peace of mind.

Maria and Sonia munched heartily on the veal while exchanging insights about their starter gear.

Indeed—all starter gear.

---

Though Senior Sister spoke with great confidence, she was essentially a novice explorer. Maria was much the same, mostly interested in geology and ecology, without dwelling much on her own combat prowess. That was understandable; before the crises appeared, this world had been relatively peaceful.

The relationships between nations were not like those between countries.

They were more like neighbors on the next street or neighbors on the same street.

The culture emphasized harmonious relations, even to the point of freely exchanging dark humor and regional jokes. Of course, places like the Weeping Peninsula—a desolate, remote land—were sensitive about their status, though they self-deprecate, few outsiders dared to openly call it a forsaken place except themselves.

Thus, travelers in this world chose their paths based on personal preference rather than sheer power.

However, if what Senior Sister said was true, this world’s future could indeed be described as fraught with calamities.

Melina pondered these thoughts while testing her weapons.

…

The musket was difficult to control. Though Melina’s first shot was highly skilled, the weapon was fixed midair, and since magic factors provided continuous force rather than a fixed hold, there was inevitably some recoil at the moment of firing—an unavoidable shake.

Single-handed pistols posed a major reload issue. Reloading was the pistol’s main charm and primary method of sustained output. While magic factors could control the reload, rapidly and skillfully shooting while reloading to form a barrage was difficult.

The heavy machine gun, a strange creation in this world, sacrificed firepower to gain formidable knockback, making it a defensive-type ranged weapon.

…

Melina tested all sorts of crossbows, guns, and kunai darts. Overall, recoil was hard to manage, and continuous fire caused aim to drift. Yet even so, her accuracy far surpassed Maria and Sonia—especially Senior Sonia, whose accuracy was as pitiable as her chest.

At noon, when the heat was greatest,

Sonia changed into her travel gear and joined them outside.

Melina walked alongside the two clad in shining silver armor, seemingly the weakest member of the team. Yet in reality, even without weapons, she could easily thrash Maria and Sonia, especially Senior Sister Suo.

“It’s so hot to go out for an investigation?” Melina popped open her parasol, resting it on her shoulder. The increasingly potent magic factors made her almost superhuman; she could even use the parasol as a gliding tool for swift movement.

“Most dragons leave the Weeping Forest at midday to forage,” Sonia explained with experience, already sweating profusely.

“The Weeping Peninsula sits at a high altitude above sea level, with extreme variations in temperature and wind. Midday is a rest period for many dragons in various regions, but for native dragons, it’s prime feeding time. Many animals rely on the midday heat to access ample salt water near the salt lakes—these animals are the prey of flying and terrestrial dragons.”

Maria was in better shape, likely due to some melee training, breathing evenly.

“Indeed,” she said. “If Suo is looking for sea erosion dragons—blue dragons—this is a good opportunity. Most flying and terrestrial dragons have gone to feed; those remaining are mostly marine dragons, the blue dragon species.”

As they chatted casually, Maria occasionally stopped to collect local soil samples and jotted notes in her notebook.

Moving steadily, they came across a fertile mushroom field.

It was a basin growing abundant edible shiitake mushrooms, protected by a unique dark blue tree barrier, beneath which grew dense thorns.

“Oh, a special symbiotic ecology! The mushrooms release nutrient spores that the ‘dragon trees’ absorb for nourishment. In return, the trees provide shade and thorns for protection. Amazing!” The mushroom patch almost captivated Sonia’s attention.

Many gatherers were busy harvesting within the mushroom field.

They dared not approach the core area, but the peripheral meat mushrooms and shiitake were already impressive—some giant mushrooms weighed dozens of kilograms, enough to be eaten like meat of equal weight. That was exactly what the gatherers sought.

Following the road near the mushroom forest, they soon reached the cliff’s edge.

Maria, the hiking expert, was equipped with various tools for such rugged terrain, including a marvelous jet-propelled soft ladder. It resembled an oil lamp; after two sparks at the spout, a gaseous soft ladder extended underground. Maria only needed to hang it at her waist to avoid accidental activation.

“Oh, Aladdin, Aladdin, may I be your princess?” Sonia teased coquettishly as she took the lead down the ladder.

Maria followed, then Melina leapt down, legs together in a side-sitting posture, parasol opened, descending steadily. Magic factors could to some extent rewrite physical conditions.

“Cut it out, princess,” Maria snapped, glaring at Sonia’s arm guard with her foot.

Sonia gasped, then smiled, “You know, Aladdin is actually a kind of common-sense modification…”

“Shut up, Suo.”

They reached a valley called Shepherd’s Creek. Maria knelt eagerly by the water, as if discovering some earth-shaking secret within the river’s polished pebbles. The swirling sands held ancient geological truths.

Then Sonia pulled out a telescope to survey the valley, murmuring, “Where’s that cave that’s supposed to bring adventures when you fall into it?”

Her brashness roused the displeasure of animals downstream.

A wolf howl echoed—

A massive wolf appeared, its body protected by strange bony armor, roughly the size of a mature bull, surrounded by magic factors symbolizing wind.

Melina muttered, “If this wolf can use wind blades and explode magic cores, it’d be a perfect replica…”

Before she finished, the wolf howled again, swung its body, and slashed a transparent, razor-sharp air blade into the ground toward Melina.

She dodged sideways but quickly reacted, blocking the blade with a single hand suffused with magic factors. With a firm squeeze, she crushed it.

“Don’t block my line of fire!” Sonia shouted, swiftly drawing her crossbow and unleashing a volley of bolts like splashing water.

Maria leapt high, drew her handgun, and took aim.

If this were a basketball game, the blue rim would have been warped by these two ironworkers’ shots. After three or four dozen ranged attacks, the giant wolf dodged left and right, suffering only grazes, and charged right at them.

“Cover me,” Sonia commanded, stepping back to reload. Maria readied a flashbang from her waist.

Their clumsy performance made Melina chuckle in amusement.

She closed her parasol and charged forward to draw the wolf’s attention. As it lunged at her, she used magic factors to enhance her grip, nimbly flipping onto the wolf’s back and sitting sideways, then raised her fists and delivered two solid punches to its head.

The wolf’s eyes bled, its jaws opened, tongue lolling red and limp as it collapsed to the ground.

Dead.