Chapter 118: The Little Deer in Action (Fourth Update)
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“It should be time. Delaying any longer might not be good for Little Deer either.”
After a night of careful consideration, Ji Yu finally decided that it was time to let Little Deer come into contact with the hundred-person team sent by Ryan.
Although Ji Yu could not truly put himself in the place of those facing the dangers of the Northern Territories, nor did he know the exact situation there, he could tell from the territorial blockade measures currently being implemented by the Ryan Federation that matters had clearly taken a turn for the worse.
So that morning, after calling his parents in the countryside to exchange greetings and ask whether anything unusual had happened, Ji Yu finally made his decision.
Everything was peaceful in the village where his parents lived, and most places within Ryan should have been the same.
How could a nation remain so stable if not for its soldiers throwing themselves into the line of fire and shedding their blood on the front lines?
As someone born in such a country, Ji Yu felt that, at least now, he ought to shoulder some responsibility.
Without compromising the interests of either his avatar or himself, all he wanted was to be able to face his conscience without shame.
With that thought in mind, Ji Yu devised a cautious plan and began establishing a connection with Little Deer’s soul.
At that very moment, however, Little Deer was rejoicing over suddenly gaining a younger brother or sister.
The olm.
After advancing to become a second-level life-form, it had successfully achieved a mental resonance with the Oak and Little Deer.
Since the previous night, Little Deer and Adam the Oak had been continually communicating with the olm.
Although the olm’s intelligence was as simple and clumsy as Little Deer’s had once been, under the back-and-forth “instruction” of Adam and Little Deer, it gradually learned to transmit its image to them through its thoughts.
“So long! It’s so big!”
The moment Little Deer received a clear image of the olm, her curiosity reached its peak.
After all, as a land-dwelling species and a life-form that had only recently gained sentience, she still knew very little about the diversity of life in the world.
“It’s white and long, and it can even fly?”
“So beautiful—just as beautiful as me!”
“Little Dragon? That’s what the human girl it likes calls it. Then I’ll call it Little Dragon from now on, too!”
“Hee-hee, Little Dragon, I have a little brother now. That’s wonderful.”
Since she had no way of telling whether the olm was male or female, Little Deer naturally assumed that it was a little brother.
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The thought of suddenly having a little brother made Little Deer so happy that she could hardly contain herself.
Standing in the forest, she even paced back and forth, sometimes trotting and sometimes leaping into the air.
Her movements naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding herd.
The deer widened their eyes and stared at Little Deer, a hint of intelligent confusion in their gazes. Yet before long, they lowered their heads and resumed grazing.
Only the little fairy perched on Little Deer continued staring at her in bewilderment.
As for the two infants riding on Little Deer, they understood nothing at all. They merely laughed innocently, apparently delighted by the bouncing motion.
But in the midst of her excitement, Little Deer suddenly froze.
During that time, confusion appeared in her divine eyes, followed by understanding.
This continued for more than ten minutes before she finally recovered.
Little Deer gazed toward the distant forest, then began communicating with the little fairy.
Their exchange lasted only a short while before Little Deer left the Ring Forest and headed toward the woodland on the other side of the mountains.
She did not return to the Ring Park until nearly noon.
By then, her entire body was once again enveloped in the radiance of countless vital essences.
Swirling lights covered her from head to hoof, making her resemble a moving creature made entirely of light.
In that state, Little Deer began walking step by step toward the hundred-person human encampment.
———
Around noon, everyone in the hundred-person camp had already gathered there once again.
Two official logistics soldiers were cooking nearby, while a group of people gathered in the broad center of the camp and discussed what they had found that morning.
“Professor Qin, take a look at this!”
“Hm? Isn’t that mistletoe? Did you climb up a tree to pick it?”
Professor Qin glanced indifferently at the object in the hands of Deng Wenhong, a professor of biology.
“Heh—you can’t accuse me of that. I wouldn’t dare do such a thing in this forest. Who knows whether the ‘Spirit Beast’ you keep talking about would take offense?”
Deng Wenhong, who was over fifty, laughed before adding proudly, “I didn’t pick it from a tree. We obtained it in exchange from a remarkable little sika deer.”
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“Although my team still hasn’t managed to establish a close relationship with any herd of deer, luck happened to be on my side today.”
“One of my students was greedily eating potato chips when she happened to attract the curiosity—and appetite—of a little deer. During their exchange, she somehow managed to trade for this sprig of mistletoe.”
“Isn’t that amazing?”
When he spoke of the trade his student had made with the little deer, the professor’s face was filled with undisguised delight and pride.
Seeing his expression, Professor Qin was rendered almost speechless.
He then shook his head with a smile.
“Look at you, so pleased with yourself. You’d better hurry back to your tent and analyze the composition of that mistletoe. We can’t risk anything going wrong because it dehydrates.”
“If I remember correctly, the mistletoe produced by the oaks in the Western Pact is said to possess anticancer properties. The trees in the Spirit Beast’s forest may not be comparable to those oaks, but this specimen still has tremendous research value.”
“Indeed.”
At the mention of the Western Pact’s mistletoe, Deng Wenhong’s expression changed. A moment later, he looked even more excited.
“Professor Qin, you really do think of everything. This is a rare specimen. No, I must do exactly as you suggested and analyze its medicinal properties at once.”
“All right, enough talk. You stay here and wait for the meal. I’m heading in.”
Without waiting for Professor Qin to reply, Deng Wenhong immediately strode toward a tent on the left side of the camp.
Every necessary instrument could be found inside. In short, the members of this hundred-person team assigned to scientific research had brought along nearly all the equipment they might need.
Some of the larger machines had even been airlifted in by military helicopters.
Naturally, the camp was also equipped with generators.
Watching Deng Wenhong rush impatiently into the tent, Professor Qin could not help smiling.
He then intended to continue analyzing the deer-hair specimens they had brought back that day.
But at that moment, an urgent shout suddenly rang out from outside the camp.
“Quick! Everyone, put on your blindfolds! The Spirit Beast is coming!”
“...”
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