"Hey, we're here!"
Roger and Amanda had not been waiting long in front of the restaurant before a gray pickup truck dashed into the parking lot.
As the door swung open, a tall Caucasian young man stepped out. He looked at Roger with a guarded expression, "Amanda, who is this guy?"
Amanda shot the guy a glance, clearly upset, "Why did you come?"
Just then a curly-haired African American girl got out of the truck. She pulled Amanda aside and whispered, "The place we're going is too far, and Bob happened to have a car. Besides, we all know how he feels about you."
"So..."
As she spoke, she gave Amanda a meaningful look.
"You dare use me for the sake of a car?!" Amanda said angrily.
"If you had a car, I'd have Bob leave right now!"
The African American girl snorted coldly.
"Fine..."
Amanda's face fell, then introduced Roger to everyone. She did not reveal Roger's identity; instead, she merely said he was the son of her mother's friend.
The African American girl was named Betty. Her healthy caramel skin made her simple jeans and white t-shirt look as though worn by a model.
Beyond her, there was also a pale-skinned, curly-haired boy in thick glasses sitting in the truck. His name was Simpson. He seemed shy, only greeting Roger during the introduction.
The last was a dazzling girl named Lucy with golden curls and a crop top. She didn't even spare Roger a glance, preoccupied with her cellphone, seemingly chatting with someone online.
With Amanda included, there were supposed to be exactly five of them, enough to fill one car. Now with Roger joining, Bob, the young man, was clearly reluctant.
However, Amanda certainly wouldn't leave Roger behind and sneak off by herself, so after some negotiation, Simpson volunteered to squeeze into the pickup truck's trunk, while Roger took the front seat, and the three girls crowded into the back.
Then, amidst Bob's discontent, the group set off.
"Didn't we agree to take action next week? Why change the time all of a sudden?"
Amanda asked Betty.
"It was Simpson; he's made new progress in his translation work. He just solved a key issue, and it happens that everyone is free this weekend."
"Are all the things prepared?"
"Don't worry, I've got it covered!"
Betty declared while patting her chest.
Bob's driving was faultless; the pickup glided smoothly on the highway, gradually leaving the town behind. Houses disappeared, and rows upon rows of tall trees began to appear.
"Where are we going?"
Roger asked.
"Creek Valley Forest."
Amanda replied, "Oh, I forgot, you're not from around here. Creek Valley Forest is the largest untouched woodland near Baytown, and if you go south, it even borders Rivervalley Town to the south."
"Are we going camping?"
Roger asked curiously.
"Heh."
Amanda didn't answer directly, "You'll find out when we get there."
After leaving the town, they drove for about fifteen more minutes before Bob stopped the car in an open area.
Everyone got out, grabbed their belongings, hoisted several large backpacks, and started trekking into the mountains.
As a male, Roger inevitably was drafted for heavy lifting, and he and Bob carried backpacks of equal size.
Bob, tall and burly, took the opportunity to show off his physique, casting a significant glance at Roger.
"Hey buddy, you really should participate more in outdoor activities. The shape you're in now, you won't get girls to like you in high school."
"I think I'm just fine the way I am."
Roger replied indifferently.
He might have looked thin, but he was not weak at all. The Nivagard Body Strengthening Technique had subtly altered him. When it came to physical ability, despite Bob being a standout on the football team, he might not necessarily be a match for Roger.
Roger was full of confidence about this.
Bob was choked by Roger's words, his expression one of wanting to explode but unable to do so. His fists clenched and unclenched, and it seemed that if it weren't for wanting to impress the girls, he would have taken a swing at Roger already.
Through the conversations along the way, Roger had also guessed the purpose of this small group's outing.
Apart from Bob, the five of them formed a loose Mysticism group. Everyone was interested in mysterious events and liked to collect related information.
During the holidays, they would gather to exchange information, and this time, it was said that Simpson had obtained an authentic fragment of a Mysticism text, which was why he had assembled everyone to experiment in the wild.
Similarly, they attempted experiments like this almost every two weeks. The outcomes, of course, went without saying—all ended in failure.
However, it appeared that no one minded, as they persevered enthusiastically in their research.
Roger had wanted to take a look at the so-called Mysticism fragment, but was denied access by everyone, citing confidentiality.
According to Simpson, true Mystical knowledge was secretive, and the less people knew about it, the more effective it was.
Roger was baffled.
What kind of bullshit theory was that?
"Ah!"
As they ventured deeper, the trees on either side gradually became taller and denser, obscuring their view with swathes of green. Lucy pulled out her phone with a troubled expression. For a social butterfly like her, not being able to check her social media even for a few minutes was torture.
"No signal on my phone."
"This place is so remote, could there be any dangers?"
She said with a worried look on her face.
"Don't worry."
"Last week, Betty and I had already scouted the area. It's actually not far from the highway. If we walk for another five minutes, we should reach the cave."
Amanda explained.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before they arrived at a secluded valley with a cave about three meters in diameter at the bottom of it.
"We're here, this is the place!"
By this time, the sun had shifted, and it was the hottest part of the afternoon. However, the air in the mountains was fresh, and the lush leaves sheltered them from the sunlight, offering a rare coolness.
"How about it, nice spot, right?"
Amanda walked up beside Roger.
"Betty and Lucy are both top-notch beauties. Have you taken a liking to either of them? Do you want me to share some private information with you?"
"Bust-waist-hip measurements or personal quirks?"
Amanda offered with a look of generous camaraderie.
"Forget it. Relatively speaking, I'm more interested in the Mysticism fragment you just mentioned."
"Why don't you talk to Simpson for me and borrow that document for me to see?"
"Eh?"
Amanda looked at Roger with a puzzled face, "You're not interested in beauties?"
"You're not one of those... are you?"
Roger's face was lined with frustration as he stretched out his hand, "The Mysticism fragment..."
"No problem, I've got it covered."
Although they had come for the so-called Mysticism experiment, everybody was clearly prepared for camping. As they were busy setting up, Amanda quietly approached Simpson. Roger didn't catch what she said, but soon after, she handed a folded piece of paper to him.
Even though Roger knew that transcendental things existed in the world, he did not believe that a few students could produce genuine Mystical materials so easily.
He himself had no research on the subject; he was just curious.
Thinking this, he unfolded the paper Amanda had passed to him.