"Ah…"
Seeing the Grand Flores ahead engulfed in flames, Fang Mo realized that things had gotten out of hand.
He looked up at the others and saw that both Pungjin and Grubeck Goblinde were completely stunned, staring in shock at the burning forest. Even the little mage from little mage realm had his face covered, unable to bear the sight.
Fortunately, Pungjin, as a combat instructor, reacted quickly. He turned to Fang Mo, who was not far away: "Adventurer, you..."
"It must be Binoche who did this!" Before Pungjin could finish his sentence, Fang Mo suddenly shouted angrily, "That vicious woman! She wants to extend the flames of Grakqarak to the entire Grand Flores!"
"We may be weak, but we're not blind..." Upon hearing Fang Mo's excuse, the little mage couldn't hold back, "This fire was clearly started by you, wasn't it?"
"Tsk, I should have brought GSD on this adventure," Fang Mo muttered in annoyance.
"What?" The little mage asked instinctively, "Who is that?"
"A blind man," Fang Mo replied dismissively.
"Uh, he's the skill instructor for swordsmen," Grubeck Goblinde explained. "To better sense the waves, he voluntarily sacrificed his sight. But Master GSD is incredibly powerful. He not only mastered the waves but is also skilled in swordsmanship and summoning spirits."
"Yes, that's about right," Fang Mo nodded in agreement, then added with a grin, "With me around, he might even unlock the Berserker's Blood Rage."
"Can you be serious?" Pungjin couldn't help but sigh, "Adventurer, now is not the time for jokes. The fire you started will destroy the entire Grand Flores. We must think of a way to extinguish the flames first."
"Nonsense! I didn't start this fire!" Fang Mo retorted, visibly displeased.
"That's right, the adventurer didn't start this fire!" Grubeck Goblinde suddenly shouted, "Pungjin, don't say such things..."
"What?" Pungjin opened his eyes wide in confusion.
"I'm a goblin and more familiar with Grand Flores than you humans. I know that a pair of mage sisters did visit here, and the elder sister Binoche is very skilled in fire magic," Grubeck Goblinde said, turning to Fang Mo, "So this fire must have been started by Binoche, right... Adventurer?"
"Yes, yes," Fang Mo nodded with a smile.
"Then... could we ask the adventurer to help put out the fire?" Grubeck Goblinde said politely, "This disaster threatens not only the Principality of Bel Myre but the entire continent. But to an adventurer like you, dealing with Binoche should be a simple task, right?"
"You sure know how to talk," Fang Mo said, clearly impressed by Grubeck Goblinde.
Actually, he never intended to burn the forest. As a modern person, he had grown up hearing slogans like "arson leads to a lifetime in prison."
Fang Mo slowly raised his hand towards the sky. The Evertide Amulet activated, and a blue orb shot straight up into the air.
Soon, the entire sky turned dark, thick clouds gathered, and heavy rain began to pour down.
But even amid the torrential rain, Fang Mo did not stop. Instead, he clasped his hands together and slammed them down.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees."
As soon as he spoke, the scorched earth in front of him began to tremble, and countless green grasses and trees started to grow wildly. In the blink of an eye, a lush forest had replaced the burnt land, even more verdant than before.
"Alright, job done."
Easily repairing the damaged terrain, Fang Mo turned around and looked at the few people who were completely stunned: "Let's go, it's time to return."
"You…"
Hearing Fang Mo's words, the little mage beside him raised her head in disbelief and glanced at him. To her, such a miracle that seemed akin to the powers of a creator should normally consume a lot of energy, yet Fang Mo's expression remained unchanged.
Even when passing by the goblin merchant, he patted him on the shoulder.
"You owe me a favor," Fang Mo said with a smile to Grubeck Goblinde. "I don't care what you want, just when we get back to Hendon Myre, you have to take a photo with me."
"What is that?" Grubeck Goblinde asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's like drawing," Fang Mo said, waving his hand dismissively. "Alright, why are you all still standing here? Let's go."
With Fang Mo's urging, the group left Thunderland in a daze.
When they returned to Hendon Myre, Pungjin and Grubeck Goblinde each went their separate ways, as one had to run a dojo and the other had to manage a shop, both quite busy with their daily lives.
However, before Grubeck Goblinde left, Fang Mo dragged him to the backstreet of Hendon Myre. Under Grubeck Goblinde's bewildered gaze, Fang Mo conjured a set of silver armor, a small round shield on his left arm, and a short sword in his right hand. He put his arm around Grubeck Goblinde's shoulder and grabbed a random villager to press the shutter button on his phone.
Thus, a photo titled "Goblin Slayer and the Goblin" was taken.
After this, Fang Mo finally let Grubeck Goblinde go, and as evening approached, with the sun sinking behind the distant mountains, Hendon Myre was once again shrouded in darkness.
Fang Mo began to ponder where to stay for the night. He initially intended to go to the Pure White World, even taking out the dimensional gate to affix it to the wall, but in the next moment, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Adventurer?"
"Hmm?"
Fang Mo turned around and immediately saw the silver-haired girl in the distance. It was none other than Seria from Elvenguard.
"Seria?"
Fang Mo was somewhat surprised, as this was reality and not a game; there couldn't be a Seria in every area. So he casually asked, "How did you track me to Hendon Myre to cheat me out of money… I mean, how did you come to Hendon Myre?"
"I followed the adventurer," Seria chuckled and walked over. "To repay the adventurer for saving my life, I plan to assist you."
"In what way?" Fang Mo asked curiously.
"I discussed with Uncle Linus and plan to open an inn," Seria said. "Actually, this is an idea I had long ago, but your presence made me determined to make it a reality. I want to help kind adventurers."
"Oh, I see."
Fang Mo nodded in response. If he remembered correctly, the game's setting was that Seria ran an inn for adventurers to rest. He didn't expect this setting to be applied in reality as well.
"Actually, I arrived this morning," Seria said with a smile. "I've been busy all day handling the inn's affairs, but now it's ready to open."
"Alright," Fang Mo didn't hesitate, nodding in satisfaction. "In that case, I'll stay at your... inn tonight."
"…Okay."
Seria blinked in confusion but turned to lead the way. "Please follow me."
After walking for a short while on the street, they arrived at an exceptionally thick tree with a hollowed-out space, looking quite familiar, similar to the treehouse at Elvenguard, but much larger.
Under Seria's guidance, Fang Mo and little mages followed her inside. Surprisingly, the treehouse seemed more spacious inside than it appeared from the outside. It had a counter, a few tables, and a staircase leading to the second floor.
Indeed, this treehouse had more than one level.
Upon reaching the second floor, this area was divided into several rooms, seemingly for rest. Fang Mo casually chose one and walked in.
"Wait."
As soon as they entered the room.
The little mage next to Fang Mo couldn't help but speak up, "Are we staying in the same room?"
"?
Fang Mo gave her a strange look, "Otherwise?"
"But I'm a girl!" little mage, dressed in a snowman suit, immediately protested, "Don't you have any sense of boundaries? How can men and women sleep in the same room in broad daylight? Go get me another room! I don't want to stay with you!"
"Do you think I'm that guy who got drunk and disgraced himself, who likes snowmen?"
Fang Mo almost laughed out of anger and then magically pulled a clay flower pot from behind him, "Fine, I'll give you a single room..."
"I'm not a plant!"
little mage shouted.
"Look, there's the word 'vegetable' in 'loser,' which means you're a plant," Fang Mo urged, "Sit on it quickly. I've been holding it in all day, just waiting to feed you a warm drink tonight..."
"You..."
little mage turned green with anger and after holding it in for a while, finally managed to say, "Stop insulting me! I'm not a loser!"
"You got caught by goblins."
"I just used too much magic while traveling!"
"You got caught by goblins."
"I... I just haven't found a mentor yet and only know a few spells!"
"You got caught by goblins."
"Oh, shut up!" The little wizard finally exploded in anger, "Isn't it just because my equipment is too poor? My staff is no better than a fire stick. If only I had..."
"Oh, here you go."
Before she could finish, Fang Mo pulled out a magnificent staff and handed it over.
"…Huh?"
This sudden gesture stunned the little wizard.
"An ancient legacy staff," Fang Mo casually explained, "I got it from an earth monster today. You can make do with it for now."
"Isn't this too precious?"
Feeling the power emanating from the staff, the little wizard seemed a bit at a loss.
She clearly understood how valuable this item was, imagining that it must have taken a lot of effort to obtain. Feeling touched, she looked at Fang Mo. Despite often teasing her, it turned out he was secretly collecting equipment for her?
"Just take it. Why so much fuss?"
Fang Mo, unaware of her thoughts, shoved the staff into her hands and added, "You can use it at night if you don't want to use it during the day."
"?
The little wizard was taken aback, "…What did you say?"
"Heh, idiot." Just then, the Ma Yu Ling splitting knife on the table chimed in, "Don't snowmen always have a stick in them?"
"You're asking for it! Are you crazy?"
The little mage's face turned red in an instant, and then he slammed the door and left.
"..."
The room fell into a brief silence.
"I'm starting to have some doubts," Fang Mo rubbed his forehead with a bit of a headache after a moment of silence. "Should I get you some companions...?"
"Brother, I beg you, please get me some companions. Just one! One companion is enough! I won't get angry with you anymore, brother, I beg you, I'll be obedient," Manyullyn wailed in tears, "I won't cause trouble anymore. I feel so itchy inside... it's unbearable, brother, I really beg you! Please get me a companion!"
"Can't you do something normal for once?" Fang Mo spread his hands, somewhat speechless.
"Master, I don't have a yang attribute... how can I do normal things?" Manyullyn said aggrievedly. "Those I killed all went to the underworld, didn't they?"
"You..."
Fang Mo had just started speaking when suddenly a message popped into his mind.
[xiaoyao: Open your backpack, I've already prepared those weapons for you. Just materialize them.]
"What... how efficient is this woman?"
Seeing this message, Fang Mo couldn't help but feel surprised. It's only been a few hours, and she has already realized his ideas, using materials he had never even heard of, like bloodstone, gravitonium, and tricolor alloy. How on earth did she manage it?
He knew that updating his equipment wasn't just about remaking a set of weapons.
Although remaking a set and throwing the old ones into the void was the easiest way, Fang Mo was concerned it might affect the life enchantment.
For instance, if he threw away Laevatein and remade it, would the new Laevatein, after being endowed with life, still remember the past?
Previously, while on the road, Fang Mo discussed this with Xiao Yao, who said she would run some tests first. And now she was done with the tests?
Though he had his doubts, Fang Mo immediately summoned Steve.
He had been teasing Manyullyn about not getting him any companions, but in truth, Fang Mo liked this feeling, and since his partner had prepared everything, of course, it needed to be materialized.
So, Fang Mo controlled Steve to take out the weapons and touched each one.
In the next moment, chaos ensued.
~~~
I'm still feeling this World of DFO. If there's an inconsistency, it's probably because I don't know. Haha