Chapter 452 – The Trial Shop

“We’ve finally found the right direction!” Vasida let out a sigh of relief along with the others.

With that absurd sense of direction, she was afraid Greta might starve to death or be corroded into an actual corpse by the Death Force before the trial task two progress even reached 10% and she could claim the next reward of resource cards.

“There shouldn’t be any more surprises from here on. Let me set up the small tent—you all go inside and work on your own things. I’ll control the flying carpet and follow her,” Mo Lan said.

To follow Greta and monitor her condition, she couldn’t let the flying carpet fly on autopilot—she had to control it personally.

Having all four Sorceresses sitting here watching her would be too much of a waste of time.

“Alright, let me go analyze Greta’s blood first. I’ll swap shifts with you later!” Lilith said.

She was dying to know whether she could extract a talent ability with effects similar to lucky intuition from her blood.

Vasida and Sylph also went into the tent to study the Alchemy Magic for broomstick modifications.

They couldn’t keep letting Mo Lan and Lilith handle all the flying duties. They needed to learn the rune combination for the “broom Transfiguration” function as soon as possible, modify their brooms, and take turns with Mo Lan and Lilith.

Outside the tent, in the space barely large enough for one person to sit, Mo Lan sat controlling the flying carpet as it trailed behind Greta.

But now, aside from traveling, there wasn’t really anything else worth paying attention to with Greta. Mo Lan only needed to make sure she didn’t lose track of her.

So she took out an auto-reading pen she’d made during her previous Alchemy Magic practice sessions, placed it on the Grimoire, and let it read aloud to her.

This was slightly slower than reading on her own, but it was perfectly suited to the current situation—she could do both things without either suffering.

Three days later, Greta’s trial task two progress reached 10%, and she claimed her reward resource cards: one {Magic Card – Purge Death Force}, one {Magic Card – Heal Minor Wounds}, one {Food Card – Black Bread}, and one {Food Card – Drinking Water}.

It was just enough to purge the Death Force that had accumulated in her body over three days and was beginning to affect her mobility, heal the blisters worn into her soles from walking too long, and keep her in a state of not-quite-starving-but-not-quite-full for the next three days.

Every time before receiving rewards at a new milestone, Greta was utterly depleted, teetering on the edge between life and death, always with the feeling that if it had come just a little later, she might truly have died.

As a result, she didn’t dare slack off in the slightest. She didn’t even dare to sleep, relying entirely on meditation to restore her energy. Only when her body was absolutely spent would she sit down, eat a little something, drink some water, and rest briefly.

She looked a hundred times more haggard and exhausted than when they had first rescued her, yet she carried a striking sense of hope as she pressed forward with unwavering determination.

Even Lilith, Vasida, and Sylph couldn’t bear to watch, and found themselves admiring her willpower.

Lilith had finished analyzing Greta’s blood:

“Her bloodline is nothing more than the most ordinary human bloodline. There’s no way to extract any bloodline abilities from it. I truly don’t know how such a weak body and bloodline have held on this long.”

As Greta’s trial task two progress was already at 90% and she would soon be walking out of the Black Forest, Sylph asked curiously during a meal, “What’s trial task three?”

“Still thinking about it,” Mo Lan said.

Vasida looked at her in surprise. “So the ‘Not yet updated’ written on the card is actually because you haven’t decided yet?”

“Mm,” Mo Lan said. “This is our very first target contractor. If it works out, she’ll be the first spark for our Dawn Society on the human side. Shouldn’t we be careful and tailor the trial task specifically for her?”

Sylph and Vasida felt for the first time that Mo Lan was being a little unreliable.

But Mo Lan knew what she was doing.

The first task had been to introduce Greta to the Dawn Society—to let her know it wasn’t some fraudulent cult.

The second task was to guide her out of the Black Forest and free her from her current predicament.

The third task was originally supposed to test her character and values. Only someone with independent judgment who wouldn’t blindly follow the crowd, and who didn’t harbor deep-seated racial prejudice, would be suitable as one of their earliest contractors.

But Mo Lan had read Greta’s memories and knew she fully met these criteria.

So the original trial task plan was no longer needed. Over these past few days, Mo Lan had been mulling over what else to test her on.

By now she already had a rough idea—she just needed to refine the details a bit more, and then use Divination Magic to divine whether her plan was feasible.

Three days later.

The perpetual gray fog before Greta’s eyes vanished, and brilliant sunlight fell upon her. She couldn’t help but squint her eyes in comfort.

“I’m finally out!”

Greta collapsed to the ground, scooping up the yellowed grass and dry earth, tears streaming down her face with overwhelming emotion. “I’ve reached the Mage Empire!”

She hurriedly pulled out the {Dawn Society Trial Card} she’d been keeping hidden on her person, eager to claim her reward so she could gnaw on a few bites of black bread to fill her utterly flattened stomach.

【Trial Task Two: Survive and walk out of the Black Forest】(100%)

【Reward: {Function Card – Trial Shop}】

“Trial Shop?” Greta’s eyes went wide as she took out the card.

{Function Card – Trial Shop}

【Function: Upon use, unlocks the {Trial Card} Trial Shop feature. In the Trial Shop, you may top up Gem Coins to purchase basic supply cards. After becoming an official member, the Trial Shop will upgrade to the Society Mall.】

Greta was desperately short on resources right now—even basic survival supplies were critically scarce.

She used the card immediately, and a shop icon appeared on the {Trial Card}’s surface. Tapping it opened a product purchasing interface.

【Trial Shop】

1. {Food Card – Black Bread}: 2 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 1 Gem Coin/card)

2. {Food Card – Drinking Water}: 1 Gem Coin/card

(Mall price: 0.5 Gem Coins)

3. {Food Card – White Bread}: 4 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 2 Gem Coins/card)

4. {Magic Card – Ask Directions}: 100 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 50 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 3/3]

5. {Magic Card – Heal Minor Wounds}: 20 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 10 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 10/10]

6. {Magic Card – Heal Moderate Wounds}: 50 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 25 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 5/5]

7. {Magic Card – Heal Serious Wounds}: 100 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 50 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 3/3]

8. {Clothing Card – Low-Quality Mage Robe}: 20 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 10 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 3/3]

9. {Equipment Card – Low-Quality Staff}: 100 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 50 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 1/1]

10. {Equipment Card – Low-Quality Dagger}: 30 Gem Coins/card

(Mall price: 15 Gem Coins/card)

[Purchase limit: 1/1]

Ten types of resource cards in total, covering everything from food to equipment. Greta gave them a quick once-over, and a deep sense of satisfaction welled up inside her—she didn’t have to worry about starving to death anymore.