Chapter 47
In the camp area, Ray was busy processing the animal carcasses that had just been obtained. There was so much to process that Ray hadn't finished processing the meat from when the sky was light until it had turned dark. Despite the fatigue, Ray was still happy. At least he could sell these animal materials and make some money. Who told him to immerse himself so passionately in alchemy?
Not to mention, Ray even wanted to learn rune writing, weapon refining, and even array construction. Each of these pursuits was a money pit, and Ray intended to try them all. If his friends knew what he wanted to do, his ears would probably burn from their scolding. Did he think he was a wealthy heir?
Ray continued his activities well into the night. Exhausted as he was, he didn't miss his scheduled training. Eventually, he fell into a peaceful sleep after a slight delay.
In the middle of the night, while Ray was engrossed in his dreams, a pair of glowing amber eyes silently stared at his tent.
...
Early in the morning, Ray resumed his training before continuing with the processing of the animal carcasses. Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was already noon.
Having completed all his activities, from morning training to processing the carcasses, Ray could finally relax a bit. After a short lunch break, he had some time to explore the mountainous area.
Having witnessed the chaotic battle from the previous day, Ray had a rough idea of the strength possessed by the creatures in this area. They were still low-level beasts, but according to Ray's observations, they were slightly stronger than the ones he had encountered in the forest west of town.
Armed with this knowledge, Ray felt confident that he could handle a small group of monsters without sustaining significant injuries. With this in mind, he ventured further into the mountains.
As Ray ascended, the air grew colder, gradually enveloping him. If he hadn't been equipped with his full set of tactical gear, he would have been shivering from the cold by now.
"What's up there? Why is it so cold?" Ray asked somewhat helplessly. He simply didn't have the proper equipment to explore an unknown mountainous area.
With that, Ray decided to walk in a circular path along the mountainside. During his walk, he didn't encounter any large animals. He couldn't fathom why. As a result, Ray only hunted small wild animals like squirrels and pheasants.
With his increasing proficiency in martial arts, Ray no longer needed to activate his talent to hunt. Pure martial skill was sufficient for him to survive in the forest. This pleased Ray greatly, as his increased strength was evident.
Just as Ray was considering heading home before darkness fell, he caught a familiar scent. The fragrance was somewhat comforting, but it was so faint that he couldn't discern its origin.
Driven by curiosity, Ray activated his passive copy talent without hesitation. Suddenly, a familiar symbol appeared in his sea of knowledge.
"Sniff, sniff..."
Ray started to sniff the air. As the talent was activated, the first breath he took brought him a sense of calm, as if he were being massaged by a professional masseuse worth 1000 units of value.
This scent was incredibly pleasant, so much so that Ray couldn't resist actively seeking it out. He unconsciously followed the scent in the air as he closed his eyes. Gradually, a familiar coolness caressed his skin and seeped into his bones.
Realizing this, Ray couldn't help but snap out of his relaxed state when he opened his eyes. He became wary, fearing that the scent might hypnotize him and lead him into danger.
Slowly but cautiously, Ray remained on high alert as he finally discovered the source of the scent. A wide expanse of greenery greeted his eyes. Inhaling deeply, as if a fish starved of oxygen, Ray filled his lungs with the invigorating air.
"Life... ah..."
"It's incredibly refreshing," Ray said with satisfaction. After moistening his lungs with the comforting air, the ordinary young man took a moment to look around.
To his surprise, the pleasant scent was emanating from a large patch of neatly arranged tea trees. Initially, Ray didn't think much of it. However, when he stepped forward to pluck some tea leaves, he suddenly became astonished.
"Ah, I just realized! Why are these trees so well-maintained? Is this someone's garden?"
Ray approached and examined the area carefully. The sight before him revealed that despite the tea trees being neatly arranged, they were overgrown and messy as if they had never been harvested.
"Is this an abandoned tea plantation?" Ray asked, feeling perplexed. He hadn't expected to stumble upon an abandoned plantation, considering the size of the area. Why would someone leave such a valuable resource behind?
Deciding that it would be fine for him to gather some tea leaves, Ray immediately began plucking them with skill, as if he were a seasoned veteran.
Ray had recently discovered that although his original memories from Earth couldn't be accessed in the soul library, they had unexpectedly become strengthened. This meant that Ray no longer needed them to be stored in the library. Despite this fortunate development, Ray remained cautious and diligently integrated each of his memories into the soul library. He even took the time to transcribe his strengthened memories into several books, ensuring they were included in his collection. He didn't want to waste his precious past knowledge.
With this in mind, Ray's progress in consolidating his main body memories was slightly hindered. He believed that the past of the original owner of his body wasn't particularly significant. Moreover, he lacked a substantial amount of resource energy to carry out the construction of a massive soul library.
After a while, Ray gathered several pounds of tea leaves and placed them carefully in a bamboo container that could preserve their aroma. He paid great attention to storing the leaves in bamboo, as he didn't want them to lose their freshness before being properly processed.
With the tea leaves safely stored, Ray contemplated taking some tea tree stems home to plant. Finally, Ray had completed his tea farming task.
Since he enjoyed the peaceful scent of the tea so much, he decided to take a stroll to further calm his fatigue. As he thought it was time to head home, he faintly sensed that in one area, there were tea trees with slightly different colorations.
I'm not sure if it was just his imagination or if it happened, but the young man couldn't help but check out of curiosity. Once he approached the tea trees, the scent that permeated Ray's nose changed. Previously, the aroma had been serene and peaceful, reminiscent of floral leaves. Now, the scent that reached Ray's nose was sweeter and more refreshing.
"What is this peculiar thing?" Ray asked, filled with doubt. He approached and started picking some leaves to identify them.
Indeed, it turned out that the type of tea in this area was Longjing tea, which was different from the previous tea. The previous tea had been a common Chinese tea often encountered elsewhere. Intrigued, Ray began to explore the surrounding area. After walking for a while, Ray finally discovered something delightful.
There were three varieties of tea available in this place: ordinary Chinese tea, sweet Longjing tea, and slightly bitter Sencha tea. Ray became excited and started plucking leaves from each type of tea. He also made sure to gather some good stems to try growing them at home.
Once he had finished with the tea trees, Ray descended the mountain and walked in a specific direction. As he made his way down, Ray gradually felt warmth returning to his body. He had been so engrossed in collecting tea ingredients that he hadn't noticed how cold he had become. Luckily, his clothes had some useful features to keep him from getting sick.
After a while, Ray arrived at a familiar bamboo forest. This time, in addition to collecting bamboo sticks, he also gathered bamboo saplings. He didn't want to be caught off guard without these items when he needed them the most.
Now, the bamboo stick served as a replacement for the hair as a means of activating his talent. While Ray was occupied with the familiar scorpion and bamboo, a group of flaming eyes started moving toward him in a coordinated manner.