Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Goldie smacked its own bum and ran quickly towards Dumby. It even took the two oranges that it had picked from Nan Ju’s head and warmed them in its hands.
Dumby jumped down from the head of the Black Flame Stone Python. The blooming Bone Lotus was spreading everywhere in the air. Dumby gently picked up Xiao Hua from Goldie’s back and took the oranges. It carefully peeled the oranges and gave them to its daughter.
Goldie lingered around behind Dumby. After thinking, it said in a low voice, “Brother Dumby, what you did just now was amazing! I really want to learn.”
Dumby nonchalantly smiled and said, “All right. Just come to me whenever you want to learn.”
“Get over it, Baldie. You won’t be able to learn that,” Flamy said scornfully. They had known Dumby for a long time, which was why they talked so freely.
Goldie shook its head, its expression full of determination. “With hard work, a determined duck shall prevail. If I work hard enough, I will definitely learn it. Even if I fail to accomplish 100 percent of what Brother Dumby is capable of, 70 to 80 percent of it will be enough for me to survive in the Black Fog World.”
Flamy rolled its eyes after hearing its words. Talk is cheap. You’re just talking like a punk. I wonder what kind of fool would fall in love with a bald goon like you.
Gao Peng went back to the Desolate Labyrinth to tell his insider about slaying the Emperor-tier monster so that he could tell it to Gao Peng’s grandfather. That way, the Southern Sky Group would gain an enormous advantage during the development of the business route.
Gao Peng brought along almost every single one of his familiars when he left the labyrinth. He even brought along Stripey, which was slow because of its large size.
That was the first time that Stripey came to the Black Fog World. Stripey wasn’t used to the scenery there, but it was very happy. “So, this is the Black Fog World that Master often visits.”
“Master, which way should we go? To the north? Or to the south?” Desolion asked.
Gao Peng was thinking. To the north was the Black Phoenix Mountain Range, where there was an Emperor-tier monster. There was no use for them to go to the Black Phoenix Mountain Range if they couldn’t defeat that Emperor-tier monster.
Dumby had leveled up to the Emperor tier. Unlike when it was still at the King tier, it was one tier away from the Overlord tier now. Similar to how a tiger had its own territory and would only allow prey like rabbits and chickens to live in it, there wouldn’t be any room for fierce beasts like bears and wolves in its area.
To the west was the Lukasa base city, while even further from the west was fully covered by the black fog. Gao Peng didn’t intend to challenge the mysteries of this world.
To the east was the ocean, where many islands sat. Gao Peng had no familiars that could effectively fight in the water, so he was out of options.
After careful consideration, Gao Peng decided to head south. He had also heard that there were many labyrinths in the south, and most of the strong monsters in the southern region were in those labyrinths.
After putting the Black Flame Stone Python carcass into Dumby’s space, Gao Peng began his long journey on Stripey’s back. Gao Peng didn’t know how long that journey would take. Hence, he had made enough preparations and stored an enormous amount of seasonings and daily necessities. He hadn’t brought any food, as the python would be enough to fill them up for quite some time.
The Desolate Frost Lion could deposit the air’s water vapor into ice, then Flamy could melt the ice into water. They could make naturally distilled water.
In their six mile walk towards the south, the flatland along the way was extremely barren. There was rarely any sign of monster activities in the barren land. The malnourished yellowish green grass was rooted in the soil stubbornly. Goldie was bored and had tried to pick up a few of the weeds on the way.
Three-feet-high plants like Sword Grass had their roots in the soil for almost 26 feet. Their roots were as thick as a thumb and had tiny pores all over them, which indicated their extreme thirst for water.
After continuing their walk towards the south for over 18 miles, Gao Peng finally encountered some monsters. They were red monsters that had human-like bodies and the heads of animals. With their backs hunched like bows, they looked a little bit like Jackal Wolfmen. Their red hair was long, and their dark green eyes kept scanning around.
One of the Jackal Wolfmen seemed to be hungry. It crouched, seemingly searching for something on the ground. Then it pulled up the grass on the ground along with its roots, rolling it all together to put it into its mouth. The mud on them didn’t seem to taste too good, as the Jackal’s face scrunched together.
Just as Gao Peng noticed them, they also immediately discovered Gao Peng and his crew on the empty plains. With no hesitation, the Jackal Wolfmen instantly started to swiftly spread in different directions.
Over thirty Jackal Wolfmen fled as they separated in dozens of groups. Gao Peng stopped Goldie, who was trying to chase them with a loud shout. They were just Excellent-grade garbage. They didn’t deserve any attention.
Along the way, Gao Peng also encountered monsters like Grassland Gray Cloud Wolves, Withered Golden Eagles, and Bloodthirsty Minotaurs. These monsters mostly lived in groups. Gao Peng could seldom find monsters who were by themselves, since basically all of them lived in social groups.
And most of the monsters who were low-level… ate grass. Gao Peng had witnessed a wolf eating grass, and he had also witnessed a lion-like monster eating grass. He had even seen an eagle monster with the head of a lion fly down from the sky to put turf into its mouth.
In order to survive, they had all evolved into omnivores. Perhaps it was because they ate grass, but Gao Peng was surprised to discover that their meat tasted quite good.
“Gao Peng, we’ve already walked for more than 1,200 miles.” Desolion licked its paw.
“Be patient. We should see something soon. The Black Lightning Eagle Skeleton has been scouting in front of us for days now. We’ll know where the nearby labyrinths are when it comes back,” Gao Peng tried to comfort Desolion.
At night, the sky of the Black Fog World was blue. The blue dark sky was gloomy with two clear moons hung high in the sky. The two light yellow moons hovered in the sky of the entire Black Fog World, like two bright eyes dangling in the sky.
A black figure flying in the sky continued to approach Gao Peng. Finally, it landed in front of Gao Peng. With his head slightly slanted, he reported to Dumby.
After a short while, Dumby turned its head and said to Gao Peng, “Master, there are three labyrinths in front of us. Two of them were made of stone. Another one is a red labyrinth with a shining wall.”
“A special labyrinth—?” Gao Peng was a little interested.
“I don’t recommend us going to the special labyrinth right now. The monsters within the special labyrinth are very strong,” the Desolate Frost Lion interrupted them.
“To be honest, why would you suggest we come to the southern labyrinths?” Gao Peng looked at the Desolate Frost Lion curiously. Although the Desolate Frost Lion hadn’t said it out loud as it explained the situation in the Black Fog World that day, between the lines, Desolion had been suggesting Gao Peng and the rest head south.
The Desolate Frost Lion smiled scornfully. “Are you implying something?”
“You know it deep down in your heart. And I’m very curious why so many of these monsters like to fight for these labyrinths. Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m not out of my mind. I wouldn’t do anything that has no benefit for me. The main reason is that our growth rates are sped up in the labyrinth. For example, if I need 100 years to become an adult lion, it’ll only take 50 years if I stay in the labyrinth.
“Also, some of these labyrinths naturally generate substances that aid our growth. It would be extremely advantageous for the awakening and purifying of our bloodlines,” continued the Desolate Frost Lion.
