Chapter 273 – First Steps into the Greengrass Plains

After finishing a pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms, Mo Lan, Sylph, and Vasida officially set out, heading toward the Hedge Wall.

Vasida, entering the Inner Region for the first time outside of class, volunteered to take the lead:

“I can take the most hits, so I’ll clear the path! If any beast is dumb enough to charge at us, we’ll butcher it and throw it in the pot!”

“Steamed or braised?” Mo Lan teased her with a grin.

“Both!” Vasida said greedily. “But could they hold off for a bit? I just stuffed myself with a mountain of Breadfruit and wolfed down several bowls of rice. I really can’t eat another bite right now.”

“Pfft~” Sylph burst out laughing, and Mo Lan laughed even harder. “Hahaha!”

As they neared the exit of the Hedge Wall, Vasida turned around with a serious expression to remind Mo Lan and Sylph:

“We’re about to head out. Everyone put up your protective magic first! It’s a bit cold outside—stick on two fire-thorn leaves!”

As she spoke, she cast Stone Skin on herself. Aside from Culinary Magic, planting magic, and Plant Magic, earth-element magic was what she’d studied best.

Sylph also cast Bark Skin on herself.

As for Mo Lan, it was the same as always—three layers of protective magic. She even supplemented Vasida with Bark Skin and Metal Armor spell, and gave Sylph Stone Skin and Metal Armor spell.

Vasida squeezed her own arm, testing her defenses:

“No wonder Lady Amisha strongly recommended we learn this method of layering multi-element protective magic from you. The effect really is impressive!”

“Of course! As long as the effects of different elemental schools don’t conflict, casting them repeatedly stacks the results. If other schools had similar sustained protective spells, I could stack even more layers!” Mo Lan said.

“Looks like we need to put more effort into learning other types of magic too.”

Sylph was no longer anything like her former self, when she’d thought specializing solely in wood-element magic and the planting, Plant, and potion-brewing magic that aligned with her Manifested Gift was enough.

Only after truly finding herself in dangerous environments did she realize how many detours learning a broader range of magic could help you avoid.

“Wow! Is this the Greengrass Plains you were talking about, Moira?”

With her magic prepared and fire-thorn leaves applied, Vasida was the first to step through the Hedge Wall. The magnificent grassland sprawling before her drew out an exclamation of wonder.

“Mhm!” Mo Lan pointed to the left. “See those stone mountains in the distance? That’s Lone Peak Forest.”

“Goodness! It looks so strange—I’ve never seen so many steep rock pillars standing together in one place! Is this really a natural formation?” Sylph asked in surprise.

“It is. This kind of stone forest terrain exists on the Continent of Valen as well, mostly in the northwest, near the Dwarven Kingdom.”

Mo Lan continued, “Stone forest terrain like this is rich in underground minerals. Yesterday I only walked along the edges, but I already found quite a few white crystal deposits. The only thing is, the better-quality ones had already been mined.”

“Really? So we could come here for Alchemy materials later?” Vasida’s gaze toward the stone forest grew increasingly fervent.

Living comfortably in the wilderness was impossible without Alchemy Magic.

Unfortunately, if you wanted to use magical items to furnish a wilderness dwelling, you had to find the materials and craft them yourself. The supplies in the storehouse were only for practice—finished products couldn’t be taken out.

Mo Lan nodded. “But the deeper parts of the stone forest are probably hard to enter. A lot of large flying beasts live in there.”

“Are they venomous?” Vasida asked.

Ever since being paralyzed by the giant ant swarm’s venom, she’d become extremely cautious around anything poisonous.

“No. They’re mainly giant eagles, known for their flying ability,” Mo Lan said.

“Then I’m not afraid. As long as I bring enough food and make sure to protect my eyes, I won’t fear them swarming me! When I get tired of fighting, I’ll just cast Earth Wall and hide inside,” Vasida said confidently.

As long as there was no poison, she had nothing to fear. When the time came, it was anyone’s guess who’d be hunting whom!

“Then you can go try it yourself later,” Mo Lan said. “For Sylph and me, we’d need to raise our magic levels a bit more before we’d dare to charge in head-on.”

After all, not every young witch had Vasida’s extraordinary resilience.

Even if they used Dietary Fortification Cards constantly, their physical capabilities still fell far short of actual wild beasts.

In a one-against-many situation, letting enemies get close was extremely dangerous for them.

The three walked together deeper into the Greengrass Plains.

When they reached a relatively high grassy slope, Sylph gazed into the distance ahead:

“Moira, what about the snow mountains and snow pine forests you mentioned deep in the Greengrass Plains? I can’t see them anywhere.”

“The weather isn’t as clear as yesterday, so we can’t see that far,” Mo Lan said. “Let’s keep going. Judging by the distance I saw yesterday, it shouldn’t be too far.”

“I don’t see any flying beasts around here. How about we fly for a stretch?” Vasida suggested.

The three exchanged glances, reached into their satchels, and pulled out their broomsticks.

“Nobody fly too high. Stay at low altitude for now, keep the speed moderate, and have your Wands ready so we can react to anything unexpected!” Mo Lan said.

Vasida took the center position, with Mo Lan and Sylph flanking her slightly behind. Each controlled their broomstick’s direction with one hand while gripping their Wand in the other.

Maintaining this formation, the three flew deeper into the Greengrass Plains.

After half an hour of flying, all they saw were rolling grasslands and herbivores—herds of sheep, cattle, wild rabbits, and the like. These creatures were a bit faster, a bit more vigilant, and a bit better at dodging than usual, making them somewhat troublesome to catch, but otherwise entirely unremarkable.

Even the giant beasts posed no threat whatsoever to Mo Lan and her companions flying overhead. Some had formed groups, but it made no difference.

“This is way too easy,” Vasida said with a hint of disappointment. “I was all geared up for a big fight, and this is it?”

Sylph even speculated, “Could the Greengrass Plains be a safe corridor the Academy deliberately left for us to quickly reach deeper into the Inner Region?”

“If only that were the case,” Mo Lan said. “Look—the moo-moo cattle are stampeding. There must be a predator nearby!”

“Let’s fly higher!” Vasida said.

Together they gained altitude and watched the hunt unfold from above.

“It’s a lion pride!” Sylph said.

“Tiger-striped lions—they have the build, bite force, and attack power of tigers, combined with the pack-hunting ability of lions. Their fur is soft and makes for fairly high-quality sewing material,” Mo Lan added.

“Is the meat any good? Should we take one down for a taste?” Vasida turned to ask.

“The meat’s mediocre—not as good as the moo-moo cattle they’re hunting,” Mo Lan said.

“Never mind then. Let’s keep moving. Moo-moo beef is available at the Ingredient Collection Station anyway. We’ve had it plenty of times,” Vasida said.

Conversations like this had already occurred many times along the way.

Without anyone noticing, this vast grassland had gradually transformed in their eyes from an unknown and dangerous frontier into a pasture full of helpless prey waiting to be taken.

They’d drawn their Wands fewer times than they’d critiqued the food.