Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1038 - 153 Miladaia

Chapter 1038: Chapter 153 Miladaia

After the rain, the Lost Forest appeared especially beautiful in the early morning, washed clean by the rainfall, which made the blue sky appear even more transparent and left every layer of vegetation dazzlingly green. In the heat of the forest, the accumulated water on the ground turned into wisps of white fog under the searing heat, indistinctly rising with the airflow and making the view within the much more blurred than in the past days. However, the small animals had already adapted to this environment. The fog provided the perfect cover for the weaker creatures, and under its protection, the inhabitants of the shrubs and undergrowth frolicked in their own world, gathering food for the days until the next heavy rain. Among the sheltering branches, birds called loudly from the trees, their crisp chirping adding a burst of life to the humid forest.

This place was at the foot of the Mountain of Misdirection, part of the Okain Mountain Range, and also marked the boundary between the Lost Forest and the Forest of Death. The towering Okain Mountain Range stretched across the forest, forcibly dividing it in half, making it difficult for the magical beasts of each forest to cross over, thus creating what seemed like two different worlds despite being part of the same forest.

In this forest, one could see a peculiar tree that resembled the World Tree with its wide canopy, dense aerial roots, and sturdy trunk, though it was much shorter, with the tallest standing only twenty to thirty meters high. These trees had large canopies covering extensive areas, and under each tree’s canopy, there were spaces of several dozen or even hundreds of square meters. The hanging aerial roots looked like pillars supporting the heavy canopy. This unique plant of the Forest of Death was called Miladaia by the Elves, which in Ancient Elvish roughly translates to something akin to safety or shelter. The most distinctive feature of Miladaia was that they were never infested with insects, as their sap was toxic to insects. No insect from the Forest of Death would come within a hundred meters of a Miladaia, making each tree a perfect shelter for Elves. As long as they were within the range covered by Miladaia, from the ground to the treetops, they had the best habitat.

However, the current Miladaia looked a bit odd. Elves’ favored vines had grown intertwined around the outermost aerial roots, weaving into a net with gaps only as big as a fist, connecting up to the canopy, and rooting deep into the ground like an outer wall, encompassing the large space under the canopy into a semi-artificial house. Professionals who often adventured in the Lost Forest knew that this was the Elves making full use of Miladaia, usually only a few aerial roots were needed to create a simple net for smaller groups, but for large groups like now, they utilized the entire canopy.

Normally, inside Vine House, the ground would have been covered with dry leaves piled up to make beds equal in number to the people, with Katatak beast skins spread on top to create a stretch of comfortable beds. The characteristics of Miladaia allowed its area of protection to be the only place in the Forest of Death where one could dare to use ground leaves, making life in the forest as comfortable as being at home. But this Vine House lacked any leaf-filled beds; even the leaves on the ground seemed barely touched, not at all resembling a place where people lived. However, between the aerial roots, hung about a dozen large green cocoons, each shaped like a narrow-bottomed cone, which upon close inspection were just single-person tents hanging from the canopy.

"Rip," a green cocoon was pulled open from the side, revealing the delicate face of Her Majesty the Elf Queen emerging from the tent. The freshly awakened queen’s green hair was tousled, her robe slightly disheveled, and her half-asleep gaze seemed fuzzy and hazy, with several light lines pressed into her cheek, adding a unique charm to her appearance.

"Everyone should wake up now," Flare jumped to the ground, her voice as lazy as if still murmering in a dream, "We should officially start the adventure phase today. Let’s get ready early."

Several tearing sounds followed, as a few more tents hanging in the air were ripped open, and the young girls of the adventure team successively leapt out. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the outer parts of these tents were actually connected by leaves, with an interior seemingly made from a special material which kept the tents from deforming. Once finished with them, they simply tore off the leaves and dismantled the framework, making them extremely convenient for use in the forest.

"What happened to you?" Catherine turned around to stabilize the unsteady Lina who had just jumped out of her tent. The priestess had almost fallen from a height of just a few meters. "Did you sleep with numb legs, or did you not sleep well last night? You’re wobbling so badly, are you going to be able to keep going today?"

"Actually, it’s nothing serious, I just need a moment to recover," Lina pressed her forehead, speaking troubledly, "You know my weakness, I’m a bit prone to seasickness."

"Uh, I get it." Recalling last night in the suspended tent, where any slight movement made the tent sway gently like a boat riding the waves on water, the knight Lina gently rubbed Lina’s bald head, now sprouting some stubble, and giggled, "That’s pitiful. Why don’t you close your eyes and rest for a bit?"

"I know, just feeling very dizzy." Lina staggered over to a tree stump and sat down, resting her head on her legs, and muttered, "Where’s Pannis? Why hasn’t he come out yet?"

"Pannis, time to get up," Catherine also noticed this issue and called out loudly, "Everyone else is up; you’re the only one left."

"I’m healing," Pannis stayed inside the tent, his voice full of resentment, "My whole body hurts, I can’t get up."

"Pfft." Catherine couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, coaxing him, "Come on down, sorry, that’s what you get for being so annoying yesterday. Alright, alright, quit sulking, we’ll be gentler next time."

"Hmph, still thinking about next time." Pannis grumbled as he jumped to the ground. Although he sounded pitiful, he actually had no injuries or discomfort.

"This is the border. Five hundred meters forward and we officially enter the range of the Mountain of Misdirection, and also the Forest of Death," Flare solemnly said, "So everyone had better check again, today won’t be as leisurely as before. Also, mother, please take the King’s Court guard back and leave twenty people here at this Miladaia to wait for our return."

"I understand." When it came to serious matters, although still a bit dazed, Ika was at least not deliberately causing trouble, "Is twenty people enough?"

"That’s enough," Flare nodded, "Alright, everyone get moving. We depart in one hour, destination, the Mountain of Misdirection."