Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 238 The Gods Sleeping in the Flaming Mountain

The stars twinkled, and the Milky Way shone brightly.

Chen Yuan and the others found a suitable leeward slope to set up camp, lit a campfire, and the bright flames crackled and popped as everyone quietly ate their dinner.

The wilderness is not like home; conditions are limited, so everything must be kept simple. Since there is no high-tech backpack with unlimited capacity yet, everyone can only carry portable food.

Fortunately, the Crimson Flame Ox helped carry some of the supplies, so everyone's dinner was barely acceptable. At least they didn't have to suffer like that instant noodle captain, who had to eat instant noodles for every meal.

As Chen Yuan ate his dinner, Spark was eating her pet food beside him. The twin Flower Concubine, who had been sleeping soundly all day, also poked her little head out of the pocket. In her night form, she took the food that Chen Yuan offered and took small bites.

"Ow~"

Cola didn't eat. It stayed not far away, repeatedly whipping up fierce winds and wrapping its entire body in wind energy, trying to fly into the sky like the boss.

Unfortunately, each attempt ended in failure.

Fortunately, the effort paid off, and Cola was able to lift off the ground by a foot by fully activating the wind energy.

A foot is certainly not enough to fly; it can only be considered hovering. But this small progress made Cola extremely excited, and it was happy to keep falling to the ground.

flight!

It must be able to fly!

As Cola's beast tamer, Chen Yuan naturally kept a close eye on its every move, and at the same time, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought: "What factors prevent Cola from flying?"

Is there not enough wind energy in your body?
No, no, the Cloud Wind Leopard that Liu Jinglan mentioned is only at the second level, far inferior to Cola, and their wind-elemental energy is vastly different.

Are their physical characteristics different?
That's not right either. Although they are different species, their physical characteristics are very similar, and they are pets of the same attribute, so there is not much difference between them.

Liu Jingyi was also racking her brains. She remembered what the Cloud Wind Leopard looked like, and after staring at the cola for a long time, her eyes suddenly lit up and she excitedly raised her hand: "Brother Chen Yuan, I know!"

Liu Jinglan turned her head and glared at her: "Can't you see that your brother Chen Yuan is thinking seriously?"

Chen Yuan waved his hand and smiled slightly: "It's nothing. Do you have any thoughts?"

Ignoring her older brother, Liu Jingyi looked at Chen Yuan and said her thoughts: "I just discovered the difference between the Cloud Wind Leopard and Cola."

"Hmm? What is it?" Chen Yuan asked.

Liu Jingyi pointed to Cola, a confident smile spreading across her face: "Cola is bigger and heavier than the Cloud Wind Leopard."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jinglan slapped his thigh and burst into laughter: "How could it be such a simple reason?"

He laughed and pointed at the stone on the ground, saying, "If that's the case, I'll just swallow this stone whole."

Chen Yuan rested his chin on his hand, his eyes flickering slightly: "Hmm..."

The Cloudwind Leopard is not large, about the same size as the elite-quality Wind-Gathering Hound.

But after advancing to the next level, Cola's size increased significantly, and its weight grew rapidly.

Could this be a factor affecting flight?
"Possibly," Chen Yuan quickly concluded.

The heavier the body, the more wind energy is required.

In other words, if Cola wants to lift his current body into the sky, he needs more wind energy and greater strength.

"And there's another possibility."

Liu Jingyi's thoughts flowed like a flood, opening the floodgates of his mind. His eyes flashed as he recalled another possibility: "Cola's subtle control over wind energy is inadequate."

Admittedly, Cola's skill level is high, but it always relies on overwhelming force, gathering all the wind blades at once and then throwing them out all at once, with almost no attention to detail.

As long as we can defeat the opponent, why do we need to pay attention to details?
Different types of bodies can be enveloped by wind energy. Each part of the body needs to be perfectly controlled with every bit of energy, leaving nothing out, in order to improve the success rate of flight.

"Let's try these two approaches first," Chen Yuan quickly decided.

Liu Jingyi put her hands on her hips and looked at Liu Jinglan with a big smile: "Brother, it's time to eat some stones."

"..." Liu Jinglan remained silent for a long time, then stubbornly shook her head, "It hasn't been confirmed whether it's due to my body shape, why should I eat it?"

"You're cheating!"

"Produce the evidence!"

"I'm going back and telling my parents that you bullied me!"

"It's no use, I'm the boss of the family now."

The two siblings bickered for a while, and before they knew it, they had finished dinner. The temperature dropped even lower, so everyone put on more clothes and gathered around the campfire to chat and discuss.

Liu Jinglan beckoned to the Crimson Flame Bull, which slowly walked over, tucked its limbs in, and lay down on the ground. Its crimson fur, set against the bright flames, looked even more vibrant.

"Comfortable."

Liu Jinglan leaned against the Crimson Flame Ox, the back of his head enveloped in its fluffy fur, warm and comfortable.

"Screech, scream, scream~"

Liu Jingyi was playing with the Flaming Eagle. She held a fragrant and delicious pet snack between her fingers, sometimes moving it up and sometimes down. The Flaming Eagle flapped its wings and chased after the snack in response to her movements.

The water turtle opened its mouth and spat out a thin stream, which Chang Yuhuan used to wet a towel to wipe the water turtle's shell, which was covered in dust.

For personal use, water-type pets are indeed far more effective than pets of other attributes in certain environments.

"Ow"

Cola lay on the ground, her bright blue eyes reflecting the starry sky, yet revealing a thoughtful glint in them.

Chen Yuan rubbed Cola's fluffy head and laughed, "Since you can't think of an answer for the time being, then don't bother thinking about it. It's too much trouble."

"Once we get back to the farm, we'll practice the method I told you."

"Don't waste your energy these next two days; maintain your condition to deal with any danger."

"Ow"

Upon hearing its owner's words, Cola nodded sullenly, but it soon saw Chen Yuan mouth two words—Cola.

Yay! It's Coke, my favorite Coke!
Cola immediately put the unpleasantness of the moment behind it and abandoned its desire to learn to fly, focusing instead on enjoying the quiet night with its owner.

Suddenly,
Liu Jinglan's voice broke the silence of the night: "I feel that something is getting increasingly wrong with Flaming Mountain."

Chen Yuan looked up: "Why do I have this feeling?"

Liu Jinglan held his head in his hands, gazing at the Flaming Mountain peak shrouded in night in the distance. Dark clouds gathered high in the sky, and the burning mountain fire was clearly visible: "I just have this inexplicable intuition that too many strange things have happened at the Flaming Mountain."

He sat up straight and said in a low voice, "Think about it, it's already unreasonable for wildfires to be raging on the mountain every moment, and now this wildfire eruption has made this area very unsettled."

"What are these wandering fire spirits and spirit plants from the mountain fire? It's too strange to put all these things together."

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment and then said, "Now we are in an era of spiritual energy revival, and we cannot view everything that is happening with the old perspective."

"Irrationality is rationality."

“I know,” Liu Jinglan said with a wry smile, her usual playful demeanor gone, “but I just have a vague feeling that something bad is going to happen at Flaming Mountain.”

"In the very near future."

Liu Jingyi raised her right hand and exclaimed excitedly, "I know, I know! The monster hiding beneath the Flaming Mountain is about to appear!"

"Just like in the cartoon, a monster that has been dormant for many years is revealed and tries to destroy the world, but is defeated by the heroic protagonist!"

Liu Jinglan sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "My dear sister, this is the real world, not the cartoons you watch. What kind of creature can live that long?"

"Even extraordinary creatures would have suffocated at the foot of the mountain long ago."

At the same moment, Chen Yuan and Chang Yuhuan exchanged a glance and remained silent.

Perhaps Liu Jingyi's guess was not wrong.

The jade pendant hints that a deity slumbers in this area, and based on the various clues currently known, it is highly likely to be the giant monster that is the local legend of Huozhou.

Chen Yuan pondered to himself, "The eruption of the wildfire may be a sign that this deity is about to awaken."

"It seems we need to hurry, lest things get complicated."

"Furthermore, after leaving, we must report any unusual occurrences here to our superiors so that the local association can make preparations in advance."

October 12, Wednesday.

Early in the morning, while the temperature wasn't too high, Chen Yuan and his group continued their journey, venturing deeper into the Flaming Mountains.

The closer to the heart of the wildfire, the larger the area ravaged. A single wildfire can often spread for tens or even hundreds of meters, with flames burning fiercely, creating a spectacular scene.

The number of Wandering Flame Spirits is increasing, and they often move in groups of dozens. There are quite a few second-tier Wandering Flame Spirits.

When the sun was high in the sky and the scorching heat baked the earth, Chen Yuan and the others found a shady spot to rest.

Liu Jingyi took the machine down, glanced at the screen, and exclaimed excitedly, "We're in fourth place!" Liu Jinglan frowned, "So low?"

With Chen Yuan leading the team, they almost completely crushed the wandering fire spirits, defeating them quickly each time, and the process of drawing fire from the forest was also very smooth.

Liu Jinglan thought, "They should have been in the top three, how could they only be fourth?"

But Liu Jinglan quickly came up with an explanation.

Although the process of absorbing the forest fire went smoothly, Liu Jingyi's Fiery Eagle had only recently broken through to the second tier, and its strength was far inferior to that of Spark and Crimson Flame Bull, so the absorption speed was slow.

This back-and-forth took up a lot of time.

A thought flashed through Liu Jinglan's mind, and he muttered to himself, "My little sister really is a burden."

"Who are the top three?" Chen Yuan suddenly asked.

Liu Jingyi replied, "The first place is the Wild Wolf Roaring Team, the second place is the I Have No Words Team, and the third place is the team you mentioned."

Liu Jinglan's eyes flashed: "They really did rank first."

The team has a champion, a powerful beast tamer from out of town, and two other skilled beast tamers who are just there to make up the numbers. Together, they create a wonderful chemical reaction, and almost no other team can compete with them.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "No rush, there's still one day left until the end of the competition."

The current points gap is not significant, and there is a real possibility of overtaking.

After a short rest, just as everyone was about to set off, they suddenly saw four male beast tamers with miserable appearances walking towards them from not far away.

Their clothes and trousers had obvious burn marks, as did the pets beside them, whose bodies were covered in scorch marks.

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "It was burned?"

"I recognize these people. I'll go ask them." Liu Jinglan strode forward, greeting the four beast tamers with a warm wave. "What's going on?"

Chen Yuan glanced at Liu Jinglan, then turned his gaze to Liu Jingyi, and said softly, "I have a feeling that your brother knows all the beast tamers in Huozhou."

Since yesterday's dinner, Chen Yuan has noticed that Liu Jinglan is very well-known in Huozhou and has a lot of friends. It seems that he can chat with anyone he meets.

This is different from Chen Yuan's situation.

Although Chen Yuan was more well-known in Baokun City, and almost everyone knew him, he only knew a very small number of people.

Liu Jinglan, however, was different; his understanding was mutual, not one-sided.

Liu Jingyi explained, "My brother is like this. He has always loved making friends since he was a child and has always been a leader among children. As he grew up, he became even more so, and he has countless friends."

Chen Yuan did not correct the incorrect usage of "变本加厉" (biàn běn jiā lì), but instead nodded in approval: "That's great, you'll have friends wherever you go."

after awhile,

Liu Jinglan waved goodbye to the four and returned to Chen Yuan's side: "There's a bit of a situation ahead."

Chen Yuan watched the four people, looking miserable, gradually leave, and then asked, "What happened?"

"They were attacked by a group of Wandering Fire Spirits and were slightly injured. They're looking for a place to rest." Liu Jinglan's eyes flashed, and she suddenly looked up at the scorching heat ahead, chuckling, "They said there are many, many Wandering Fire Spirits ahead, and they told us to be careful."

"How many?" Chen Yuan pressed.

"Hmm," Liu Jinglan said, his playful expression turning serious. "I don't know the exact number, but the area ahead is the core of Flame Mountain, where the number of wandering fire spirits has increased exponentially, and they are even more irritable."

"Even if you don't get close to the wildfires, you will still be attacked as long as they spot you from a distance."

"Moreover, many places are patrolled by wandering ember spirits."

At this point, Liu Jinglan paused slightly, his eyes showing deep thought: "According to their accounts, the survival mode of the Wandering Fire Ember Spirits ahead seems to have changed."

Meeting the curious gazes of the three, Liu Jinglan patiently explained: "The wandering ember spirits in the border areas usually move in groups of a few or dozens, but the wandering ember spirits in front are different; they move in groups of multiple groups."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yuan carefully spoke: "In other words, a single ethnic group can be understood as a tribe, while what lies ahead is an alliance of multiple tribes."

Chen Yuan hesitated, then said, "But..."

What caused multiple tribes to form an alliance?
Without external factors, how could these fiery elves possibly coexist with other races, given their volatile tempers?

“Wait, there’s a possibility.” Chen Yuan’s eyes suddenly lit up as he murmured, “That is, a particularly powerful Wandering Fire Spirit has forcibly taken over this area and controls multiple races at the same time.”

With his thoughts wandering, Chen Yuan pondered to himself, "Then this Wandering Flame Spirit must be at the third tier of strength."

However, a mere third-tier strength is still insufficient against Spark and Cola.

After getting a brief overview of the situation ahead, Cola led the way, and the group continued forward.

Not long after,

Chen Yuan and his group encountered a patrol team composed of several Wandering Fire Spirits, with one Tier 2 as the leader and several Tier 1 as members, continuously patrolling a fixed area.

Looking past this patrol team, you can see vast stretches of wildfire ahead, with flames surging upwards.

"Should we take a detour?" Chang Yuhuan suggested when she saw the group of wandering fire spirits in the distance.

While dealing with these wandering ember spirits is not difficult, it is inevitable that it will alert them, allowing the remaining wandering ember spirits to discover and attack them.

As a seasoned beast tamer, one should try to avoid falling into such an awkward situation.

Liu Jinglan shook his head, rejecting the idea: "We came here specifically for the wildfire and the wandering ember spirit. If we take a detour, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

"And even if we take a detour to avoid these wandering ember spirits, aren't there patrols in other places?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought: "However, being surrounded is certainly not a wise move. Can we think of a way to quietly take care of this patrol team?"

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

"Yinyin".

Suddenly, the twin concubines peeked their little heads out of Chen Yuan's pocket, smiling broadly.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up, and he gently tapped the twin concubines' heads: "Oh right, and you too."

When it comes to how to eliminate an opponent silently, the Twin Flower Concubines definitely have something to say.

The little guy's sweet scent perfectly meets this requirement, but these wandering ember spirits are a bit far away, and the mist can't easily drift over, so a little external force is needed.

Chen Yuan looked at Cola and smiled slightly: "Cola, it's your turn to make a move."

With the twin flower concubines perched on his shoulders, the little fellow waved his hands, and a fragrant, pale pink mist appeared, spreading through the air.

"Cola, make your move," Chen Yuan said, looking at Cola and giving her a heads-up.

"Ow!"

The cola made a sound, followed by a gentle breeze that carefully stirred the mist.

This time, Coca-Cola was very cautious; if it used too much force, it would blow away the fog.

However, if the force is too light, it will be impossible to accurately blow the mist to the group of wandering fire spirits, thus greatly testing Cola's subtle control over wind energy.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "This is a good opportunity to practice your fine motor skills."

Cola was busy controlling the breeze and had no time to pay attention to anything else. She didn't have time to respond to her owner and stared intently at the mist, her mind completely focused on it.

Fortunately, Cola didn't pursue speed; the mist drifted slowly and steadily forward with the airflow, unknowingly approaching the patrolling ember spirits.

next moment,
The mist drifted downwards, silently enveloping the group of wandering ember spirits.

Before long, the group of wandering fire spirits fell asleep and collapsed to the ground.

"Wow, amazing!" Liu Jingyi's eyes lit up as she cheered and applauded the two little ones' perfect teamwork.

Liu Jinglan clicked her tongue slightly: "Indeed impressive. This teamwork is unexpected and impossible to defend against."

The sweet aroma has a wide range of influence, but it is difficult to move. The Windhound, which can stir up a breeze, can perfectly solve this problem.

When the two work together, even wild beasts and beast tamers would have a hard time reacting, let alone wild pets.

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Fortunately, there's no 2v2 in regular matches, so we don't have to face such disgusting skill combinations."

"Thank you." Chen Yuan gently tapped the twin concubines' heads, then looked ahead. "Let's keep going and get to the foot of Flaming Mountain as soon as possible."

"okay."

Liu Jinglan agreed and took the initiative to lead the way with the Crimson Flame Ox.

However, they hadn't walked far when they came into view of vast and continuous wildfires, and more and more wandering embers also entered their field of vision.

Chen Yuan quickly noticed a strange phenomenon: "These wandering ember spirits seem to be moving in the same direction?"

(End of this chapter)