"Woohoo~~"

  "Ah, this is thrilling! Ahhh—"

  Theodore let out an excited scream.

  "Please, shut up!" Hol Felix, who was already afraid of heights, winced as his face twisted in pain from Theodore's sonic assault.

  Luo Wei also found it unbearable. She discreetly stuffed her ears with cloth.

  "The Misty Pins aren’t that scary," Theodore said smugly. "Look at us! We're perfectly fine!"

  Just as he finished speaking, the mist below them suddenly surged upward by several hundred meters, engulfing the three of them in an instant.

  The dense fog blocked out the moonlight, and Luo Wei’s vision went completely dark. She could see nothing at all.

  Only the sound of the wind in her ears reminded her that she was still gliding forward.

  "Theodore, you jinx!" Luo Wei gritted her teeth. Tonight’s fog was at least ten times denser than the previous encounter!

  "It’s not my fault! Ahhh—"

  "What are you screaming about?" Luo Wei, with her ears stuffed, couldn’t hear him clearly.

  "My ears itch! It feels like the mist is crawling into my ears!" Theodore shouted.

  Hol frowned. "I feel it too."

  A thought struck Luo Wei immediately. "This isn’t good. It’s the Worm Mirage!"

  "Quickly, close your eyes and cover your ears! Don’t let the mist get inside!"

  The moist fog brushed against her face, and Luo Wei suddenly felt an itch in her eyes. It seemed like the worm mist was invading her eyes.

  Thankfully, they were wearing masks that covered their noses and mouths.

  "What kind of creepy stuff is this Worm Mirage? Why didn’t we encounter it st time?" Theodore yelled.

  Hol replied, "The fog wasn’t as dense st time, and J?rmungandr was breathing nearby. The strong winds probably suppressed the mist to some extent."

  Luo Wei nodded in agreement with her eyes closed. "That’s very likely."

  "Miss Luo Wei, what exactly is the Worm Mirage?" Hol asked curiously.

  "It’s a legend from my hometown. They say there’s a type of magical worm at sea called the Worm Mirage. It’s tiny and can emit illusion-inducing mist, but I can’t confirm if this fog is really that."

  "I think I’ve heard of it before!" Theodore suddenly recalled. "When I was little, my ancestor told me about encountering worm-like fog. These worms would slowly eat away at a person’s skin, devouring them entirely. The victim wouldn’t even feel any pain."

  Luo Wei shuddered at the thought. Could the fog her ancestor encountered have been the same as this?

  "So how did your ancestor escape?"

  "Oh, he just inhaled the worm mist in one gulp and ate it."

  Luo Wei: …

  Hol, who had been listening intently: …

  The two fell silent simultaneously.

  After a few seconds, Luo Wei broke the silence. "Theodore, can’t you learn from your ancestor and inhale all this mist?"

  Theodore hesitated. "I can’t! I’m too small, and my tender skin can’t withstand their bites. Besides, there’s way too much for me to eat."

  Luo Wei took a deep breath. "Fine, fine. Since your demon cn has thick skin and won’t die, I’ll just wait to be gnawed into a skeleton."

  Despite her pessimistic words, her wings kept fpping as she tried to steer the glider higher, hoping to escape the worm mist.

  "Wait, wait! I’ve got an idea!"

  Theodore quickly shouted, "Worms are afraid of fire. Why don’t we try burning them?"

  "Where are we supposed to find fire? Our magic doesn’t work here," Luo Wei doused his enthusiasm. "And you’re down to just two grass skirts. Are you sure you want to use them as fuel?"

  Theodore hung his head in disappointment.

  Hol pondered for a moment and said, "I have a theory. I’m not sure if it’s correct, but I’d like to test it. I still have five stalks of Purple Dew Grass."

  "What’s your idea?"

  "Hol, you thief! You hid my Purple Dew Grass and lied that it was all used up!" Theodore accused.

  Unfazed by Theodore’s outburst, Hol calmly expined, "Last time, after Miss Luo Wei used the Purple Dew Grass, she didn’t experience any hallucinations. I’m wondering if it counteracts the effects of the worm mist."

  "Should we give it a try?" Luo Wei immediately suggested. "Let’s apply the Purple Dew Grass juice to our faces and see if the mist still gets in."

  Hol followed through, dividing the five stalks among them. He gave three to Luo Wei and kept one each for himself and Theodore.

  Unfortunately, applying the juice to their faces had no effect.

  Theodore suggested, "Maybe it’s not enough. Do we need to drink it instead?"

  "Or perhaps I was wrong," Hol admitted. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out some round objects. "No worries. I still have Chirping Melons."

  "Chirping Melons? Why on earth did you collect those?!" Theodore excimed.

  "What are Chirping Melons?" Luo Wei asked, puzzled. She didn’t recall learning about them in her alchemy csses.

  "Chirping Melons are a type of magical pnt with excellent insect-repelling properties. Many animals are afraid of them."

  Hol handed a Chirping Melon to Luo Wei and demonstrated its use.

  "Just squeeze it, and it’ll make a chirping sound. If you crush it, the powder inside, which looks like dried cow dung, will disperse and drive away nearby insects."

  "Drive away? More like knock them out with the stench!" Theodore compined. "This thing reeks. It can knock someone out cold."

  Instead of being deterred, Luo Wei felt a glimmer of hope. "The stinkier, the better! I’m wearing a gas mask, so I’m not afraid."

  She immediately crushed the Chirping Melon. A puff of yellowish-brown smoke burst out, and the surrounding mist retreated three meters, creating a clear circle around her.

  Luo Wei felt the itch on her skin subside. When she opened her eyes, she could faintly see Hol and Theodore’s faces through the thinning mist.

  "It works!"

  Just as she was about to tell them to crush their own Chirping Melons, a nauseating stench suddenly filled her nostrils. It smelled like fermented excrement mixed with the ammonia stench of an uncleaned toilet, combined with rotten eggs, decayed vegetables, and spoiled fish—every foul odor Luo Wei could imagine.

  "Ugh—" She couldn’t hold back and vomited.

  Theodore and Hol also leaned over the glider’s frame, retching uncontrolbly.

  The stench of the Chirping Melon spread far and wide, causing the worm mist to retreat in a frenzy. Moonlight pierced through the cleared area.

  Luo Wei, after vomiting, looked down and immediately sounded the arm.

  "Stop puking! We’re about to crash into the sea!"

  With a loud spsh, the trio, along with their glider, plunged into the water, sending waves three meters high.

  ...

  Four hours ter, the three finally swam out of the misty area.

  Luo Wei y expressionless on Hol, who had reverted to his original form. Theodore clung to one of Hol’s legs, lying beside her. Wherever they went, fish and shrimp floated belly-up in their wake.

  Dead fish drifted on the water’s surface, and seabirds, thinking they had found a feast, dove down to snatch them up.

  Within three seconds, another spsh sounded as the seabirds plummeted into the water.

  Luo Wei, her sense of smell completely numbed, stared bnkly at Hol. "You didn’t mention that the Chirping Melon’s stench would st this long."

  Hol gazed at the sky with a vacant expression. "I didn’t know. I’ve never tested it before."

  "You’ve never tested it, yet you dared to suggest we use it!" Theodore, too weak from the stench, wanted to sh out with his tentacles but was too drained to do so.

  "Look on the bright side. At least we’re safe now," Hol tried to comfort them. "See? Not a single sea monster has approached us this whole time."

  "Of course not. We’ve polluted the water. Even the sea monsters don’t dare come near us," Theodore retorted sarcastically.

  "Chirp—"

  Suddenly, a sharp eagle cry echoed from above.

  """

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