"I promised you that I'll take you on a flight aboard an airplane, right?"
I smiled as I led Myria to the domestic airport in Xia Hai. With Spectral Forest being located far away in a distant province, it was faster to take a plane there rather than train. More comfortable too, and perhaps a bit cheaper when taking everything into account.
Naturally, Myria was excited because this would be her first time riding in an airplane. She rubbed her hands excitedly as she paced about the airport, moving to the massive glass windows to peer at the rows of parked aircrafts.
"They don't look like anything I've imagined. I mean, I've seen pictures of them, but they don't look like birds on the surface or any marine creature under the sea. The closest I can think of are manta rays, but their wings are too small."
"Yeah, well…"
Being an Atlantean, Myria had a different perspective from us regarding how she perceived the world. She had lived underwater almost her entire life.
"So…Spectral Forest, huh? That sounds exciting. I've been to a forest or two during my time on the surface, so I wonder what's different about it. The spirit beasts living there?"
"Yeah, I suppose. I heard that there are ghost and wood type spirit beasts living there, like my Phantom Stumps and Tree Revenants. They should be able to help us. I just need to capture a Crescent Mushroom or a Moon Mushroom, and then look for the seed of the World Tree."
"Hmm, that shouldn't be too difficult."
"Hopefully."
When I informed Myria of my new mission, she had wanted to come along. She thought it would be fun, and since we would have the rewards (in both normal currency and spirit stones) split between us, it wasn't as if she had no benefits. I wasn't sure how much she received as a stipend from the royal family in Atlantis, but surely earning side cash from these missions were better than nothing.
"You'll need help in exploring the Spectral Forest and fighting off spirit beasts," she had insisted, and since I didn't have any reason to reject her, I agreed to let her come along.
Less than an hour later, we were aboard the airplane, strapped safely into our seats and airborne. Myria wanted the window seat, so I indulged her. Pressing her face to the window, she stared down at the ground below.
"Whoa, everything looks so small from up here! Almost like toys!"
"Mhm."
"All these white fluffy stuff around us…these must be clouds!"
"That's right. They're actually condensation of water moisture high up in the air."
"Why are they able to float in the skies? Wouldn't gravity pull them back down? Like the sea?"
"Uh, I don't know. But yeah, if they get too heavy, then they will fall back down in the form of rain. You've seen rain. That's what happens when clouds get too heavy and sink back to earth because of gravity." I scratched my head. "If I'm not mistaken, the water and ice particles in the clouds are simply too small to be affected by gravity, so they can float in the sky. I think it also has something to do with rising air currents that keep them aloft. The air below the water and ice particles in the clouds is denser, and so the clouds can float on top of them."
"Heh…that's amazing." Myria marveled as she poked the window, almost as if wanting to touch the clouds with her fingers, but failing to do so. She leaned back in her seat, disappointed, but her head was still turned toward the beautiful view outside. "They look so lovely."
"Yeah."
I closed my eyes and silently dozed off, leaving Myria to enjoy the celestial scenery. The next thing I knew, I jolted awake when the plane descended for landing. Myria looked a little dismayed at the trip being so short.
"We're already here?"
"Seems like it." I nodded and stifled a yawn. "You might want to swallow or yawn to lessen the pressure in your ears. It isn't so bad because it's a short flight and we didn't go very high, but on longer journeys, your ears will hurt a lot."
"Hmm…I see."
After the landing, we got off and collected our luggage before heading to the bus stop. I had already booked a room in a nearby hotel, which we would stay for the night before we headed to the Spectral Forest. Myria followed me, trusting me as usual, despite her bodyguards no longer following us. Normally, when in the city, she would be kept in secret surveillance by the military to ensure she didn't get accidentally assassinated, which would cause an international problem, but that surveillance was exempted in missions.
In other words, we were on our own.
"Let's have a good rest before we begin the mission proper tomorrow," I told her. Myria nodded with a smile.
The next morning, after checking out of the hotel, I prepared to lead Myria to the nearby Spectral Forest. It was a few hours away on foot, which was the only method of getting there. Apparently, the Spectral Forest was so dangerous that there were no buses or trains providing service there. And I didn't blame the drivers.
Before we left, though, Myria stopped by a souvenir shop. Pausing by the window, she giggled and grabbed my arm.
"Do you mind if I check that out for a moment?"
"Um, sure. Go ahead."
We entered the store and Myria looked around excitedly. I honestly didn't see what was so interesting in the shop, but I had lived on the surface my entire life. Myria, on the other hand, came from underwater Atlantis, so maybe everything on the surface was novel to her. As it was, she had approached a small shelf with accessories.
"This looks fun!" She took a hairband with cat ears and tried it on. I tried not to snicker when I saw her turn into a cat girl. Her eyes were glowing somewhat as she spun around and looked at herself in the mirror. Then she turned to me a grin and held a hand out. "What do you think?"
"It suits you. You look cute." I was being sincere. The color was a little mismatched because the cat ears were auburn, almost pinkish, and the hairband itself was red. The colors contrasted sharply against her blue hair and I wondered if there were blue cat ears. That would fit her more. "But we'll need to find a more suitable color."
"I can just dye my hair," Myria said dismissively. She then grinned and raised the hem of her skirt to do a curtsy. "Shall I change my name to Kanade?"
"What? Why Kanade?"
"I don't know. It just feels like I want to cosplay a cat girl named Kanade." She shrugged before taking the hairband off. That made no sense to me, and noticing my bewilderment, Myria giggled again. "Don't worry about it. Just think of it as a random reference."
"I know the reference. I just watched the anime a couple of months ago."
"Hey, if you aren't buying anything from my store, then can you couple stop flirting and get out?" The store owner fumed. Myria and I exchanged a glance before leaving. There was no need to show off and waste our time or money on such a person. Maybe, if this was a son-in-law story, I would flex by buying the store and firing the manager who just snapped at us, but c'mon…in reality, it was highly impractical and a complete waste of money. What was I supposed to do with the store after I bought it? I live in another province.
Also, I didn't have that much money, and I would rather spend it on something more useful and practical instead of flexing and showing off to slap people's faces. If anything, the store owner was the one who lost business because Myria and I were just convinced not to buy any souvenirs from this particular shop.
"Honestly, this isn't unique to the surface," Myria said with a shake of her head. "Remember the mall I brought you to? We do have arrogant store owners like that there too. Not a lot, but a handful. More than enough to elicit complaints online."
"Yeah." I brought up my smartphone and smirked. "I posted a photo of the shop online and briefly summed up what happened there. In just a few minutes, there are a lot of comments. I wouldn't be surprised if people start boycotting that store."
Well, whatever happened to that souvenir shop was none of my business now that we had left it, and we proceeded toward the Spectral Forest. It took a couple of hours, but we finally reached the border. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the woods, pushing apart a couple of huge ferns and placing my foot on the grass proper.
Myria followed close behind, making sure not to lose me in the dense foliage. The both of us advanced a few more steps, bashing apart shrubs, vines and branches, and finally locating a narrow dirt trail to walk in. As we steadied ourselves on the trail, I looked around and saw that we had just entered a whole new world. Craning my head, I studied the enormous, towering trees that stood sentinel over the dark, gloomy forest, their ancient ages almost an atmosphere in themselves.
Myriad flowers bloomed, their luminescent petals glowing ghostly in the dark, and pollen dispersing from within them like wisps of ectoplasms. Bugs, such as bees, and even hummingbirds flitted about to drink in nectar from the flowers and help spread the pollen further, guided to their destinations by the luminous petals.
The tall grass, never trimmed by human hands, rustled as all manner of spirit beasts lurked within them. They didn't seem hostile for now, and would keep their distance as long as we didn't intrude into their territory.
Vines unfurled, dangling like verdant curtains from gnarled branches that twisted into claws. Thick trunks resembled pillars in an aged and forgotten temple, their bases transforming into curled roots reminiscent of talons. Here and there, I could see a Tree Revenant, accompanied by Phantom Stumps. Myria tensed, but I summoned my own Phantom Stumps and Tree Revenants.
One of my summoned spirit beasts – a Tree Revenant – turned to me, his head bowed. I nodded before whispering to Myria, "It's fine. They will offer us safe passage as long as we don't bother them."
Even so, both Myria and I couldn't shake off the unease at the sight of the ghostly procession in Spectral Forest. The ominous burning lights that blazed as eyes for the floating Phantom Stumps parodied rows of drifting candles in a funeral. The haunted woods only reinforced that eerie sensation, particularly when the Tree Revenant's glowing giant eyes struck a demonic visage. Almost like a grim reaper leading his subordinates in a march to collect the souls of the dead.
Yeah, the legends of the Phantom Stumps tended to speak of how they were decaying tree stumps that were possessed by the spirits of children who died when they were lost in the forest. Watching the ghostly lights, which also reminded me of will-o'-wisps, I could believe that superstition.
It wasn't just them, though. I kept an eye out for other inhabitants in Spectral Forest. In addition to the various shapes and sizes of bugs scuttling or flying in the shadows, there were other creatures. Not just animal types, but also plants. A colony of mushrooms that spread across the base of several trees, releasing spores into the air, but they weren't the Crescent Mushrooms or Moon Mushrooms I was looking for. Luminous moss that expanded like a carpet across fallen logs, which were in turn home to various bugs, scorpions and spiders. Webs dangling from branches as spiders spun and wove an intricate pattern to ensnare many of the insects that were flying about in the forest.
Not all of them were normal creatures, and a good many of them were organisms that had evolved into spirit beasts after years of being exposed to spiritual qi. None of them caught my eye, though. I might not have any spirit contracts at the moment, but I was still looking out for any spirit beasts that might be a great addition to my dungeon and summoning repertoire. Just in case I received spirit contacts as a reward for completing the system's mission.
Not just that, but I stiffened every time I caught sight of mushrooms. They came in many different colors, sizes and shapes, and in some cases I almost mistook flowers for mushrooms, but I made sure to be alert for the quarry I had come here for.
Crescent Mushrooms were tiny, but they had the signature crescent eked into their dome-shaped heads, plus a distinct yellow-white and red color. They also had eyes and a mouth, and were able to move around, which was why they were considered spirit beasts rather than fungus.
"There's too many spirit beasts in here," Myria whispered in awe as she looked around. "I don't even know where to begin to look."
"Don't worry, we'll find them," I assured her. No sooner were the words out of my mouth when a blur of a movement at the side of my eye drew my attention. Spinning around, I caught sight of something jumping into the shadows. A blur of red and yellow-white, as well as a glimpse of a crescent. Pushing my glasses up, I cautiously advanced in that direction. Tapping Myria's hand, I gestured. "I think I might have found one."