Sucrose mainly wanted someone to handle any monsters they might encounter, so she wouldn't have to fight and could focus on finding the materials she needed.
"Of course, no problem."
Considering Fischl was still at home and he had promised to take care of her for the next two days, Nolan couldn't take on a commission that required traveling too far.
At the very least, He needed to be back by nightfall to prepare dinner.
Since Sucrose said it was near Whispering Woods, the distance was perfect—not too far away.
Thus, Nolan readily agreed.
"Actually, I was planning to wait a few more days until I was better prepared before searching for the Philanemo Mushroom. But we can go now, thanks to you," Sucrose said, her hands behind her back, looking at the ground.
[Sucrose Has Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (230/300)]
Seeing the affection notification on his character panel, Nolan smiled. He wondered what ability would be given when Sucrose's affection towards him was at max level.
He was a bit excited. After all, Fischl's "Golden Eye of Judgment" had proven incredibly useful.
The ability to clearly see an enemy's strength had greatly helped him avoid inadvertently provoking powerful foes and getting killed.
However, with Sucrose's affection only at level three, it would take some time to reach the maximum.
It seems like he still needed to find more opportunities to spend time with the girls.
"Heh heh, looks like you've sorted it out. There's no time to lose; if you leave now, you can be back earlier," said Kaeya, the cavalry captain, spreading his hands with a slightly resigned expression. "I thought I could slack off today, but Albedo needs my help with some ice element experiments. Just when I was about to head to the tavern for a drink."
"As fellow knights, we should help each other out, shouldn't we?"
Albedo said calmly, his expression gentle but rarely smiling.
"Alright, let's head out," Sucrose nodded, starting toward the city gates, with Nolan following behind.
*Whispering Woods.*
Branches intertwined, forming a dense canopy. Brilliant sunlight filtered through, creating round beams of light.
These beams softly caressed Sucrose's pale knee-high stockings, flickering as her legs moved.
"Ah Mr. Adventurer look over there—a vine climbing up that tree! Let's go check it out," Sucrose exclaimed, a look of excitement on her pale face.
The Philanemo Mushroom, according to Sucrose, was a type of fungus that grew on large green vines, typically appearing ten to twenty days after rain.
In its early stages, the Philanemo Mushroom has a green, round cap indistinguishable from a regular mushroom. As it grows, the top gradually splits open like a cross.
When fully mature, the vine flower mushroom appears to be turned inside out.
Its opened cap resembles a pale yellow flower, which is why it's called the "Vine Flower Mushroom or Philanemo Mushroom."
"We finally found the vine. Let's hope we find something useful," Nolan said. He had been wandering through Whispering Woods with Sucrose for quite some time.
They hadn't found anything substantial so far.
It hadn't rained in over ten days, so the mushrooms were scarce. Additionally, they served as effective hemostatic agents even without processing.
People passing by would typically collect them upon sight.
The two of them approached the vine. The shade provided by the trees made the breeze feel refreshingly cool.
"This vine is too large to pull down. Sucrose, wait here a moment; I'll climb up and take a look."
Nolan eyed the green vine hanging from a tree at least five or six meters high.
"Umm..֫. Alright, be careful."
Sucrose clasped her hands together, her face flushed with a shy blush as she spoke to him.
Finding the vine quite sturdy, Nolan grabbed it, leaned his body, and placed his feet against the tree trunk, slowly walking his way up.
In just over ten seconds, Nolan was standing steadily on the broad branch of the tree. The vine extended a bit higher, but it didn't matter.
He had already spotted the mushrooms described by Sucrose, just within reach above his head.
"Heh, finally found you," Nolan chuckled softly.
He stood on tiptoe, reaching up to pluck the mushroom when suddenly a wind chime-like sound echoed through the quiet forest.
It was like throwing a stone into a calm lake, causing ripples to spread out.
Nolan sensed the wind around him suddenly becoming chaotic, as if something had dispersed it, forcing it to flee to both sides.
A wave of intense danger surged in his mind, prompting Nolan to abandon his attempt to pick the Philanemo Mushroom immediately.
As Nolan pulled back his hand, he leaned back slightly, his foot slipping off the branch, allowing him to jump down to the ground.
At that moment.
Nolan saw a massive green wind blade strike the spot where he had been standing.
The branch, as thick as his arm, was sliced cleanly, like a block of tofu, revealing smooth surfaces with faint tree rings.
Nolan landed steadily on the leaf-covered ground and cast a serious gaze in the direction from which the wind blade had come.
On the crown of a neighboring tree stood a large green bird, about the size of an adult duck, with a long, hairless tail resembling that of a rat.
Its green tail ended with a wind chime, which must have produced the "ding-ling" sound when it moved.
"What the hell is this?"
Nolan's eyes turned golden as he activated the Eye of Judgment, revealing the creature's level and weaknesses.
*[Level: 50]*
"That's a Wind Chime Bird, a periodically migrating monster across the continent!"
Sucrose, an expert in bio-alchemy, recognized many of Teyvat's creatures and identified the strange bird immediately.
"A monster? That means it's dangerous."
Even in the game, Nolan had never encountered such a monster, and with a level of fifty, it was certainly powerful, and couldn't be underestimated.
"I... I think so... This kinds of monsters likes to eat fungus, it might also have its eyes on that trailing flower mushroom and become hostile to us who want to pick it."
"It must have perceived us as threats trying to take its food," Sucrose explained, adjusting her round, half-frame glasses on her pale nose.
"Perhaps we should leave the mushroom. We don't know where this Wind Chime Bird came from, but it must be very strong if it survived migration to grow this large."
"Alright, let's retreat for now."
Being ten levels below the Wind Chime Bird and with it having aerial advantage, engaging it at such close quarters wasn't wise.
But I won't forget this attack!
Later, once he had put some distance between themselves and the bird, he would show it what a real ambush looked like!
(End of Chapter)
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