Find a Troubled Girl after leaving the Guild-Chapter 400 - 223: Frenzied Demon

"What’s wrong?"

After leaving the town, Li Ang asked Zoe, who kept glancing back at the Water Flying Serpents.

"I noticed that the big snakes have little flowers blooming on their heads," the young girl said.

Li Ang thought, just like a beast.

"Very observant, that’s a sign of taming."

He explained that the rarest product on this island was not the shipbuilding giant trees, but a special kind of branch, which seemed to grow out of thin air and didn’t follow biological norms; they could only occasionally be found among the flora.

By picking the buds from these branches before they bloomed and placing them on local demons like the Water Flying Serpents, one could command them to act according to their will.

"So, like the coachmen we encountered, many have their own tamed Water Flying Serpents to earn a living from travelers."

"Producing and selling by oneself, without exploitation, is quite good." Dorothy said.

The half-elf finished speaking and, noticing the others looking at her, felt a bit awkward: "Why are you looking at me with those strange eyes? Do you think the flowers have something to do with me or that I shouldn’t say the word exploitation?"

"You are quite aware of your own situation." Li Ang said.

"Oh my, those flowers definitely aren’t Demon-Born Flowers, and I’m no longer some young lady; I’m just a poor little flower at the mercy of Captain Li Ang."

"Give it a rest."

After leaving the second Lakefront City, the road was soon out of sight. The vegetation on Mengze Island grows rapidly, and without frequent passage, the road quickly disappears into the flora.

The island’s residents travel more often by water.

The young girls were initially fascinated by the exotic flora along the way, but as the road became harder to navigate, their interest waned considerably.

ALulu was clearing the way with shield and sword at the front. No matter how lush the flora was, it couldn’t resist the sweeping of the Blood-Burning Giant Sword. Still, many flexible stems couldn’t be cut down in time and blocked the large shield. She could yank them up with brute force, but as they accumulated, the whole thicket began to sway, making her uncomfortable.

The other three were more troubled by the obstacles and mud underfoot.

"How long till we reach?" Zoe asked.

Andasu eyed the squishing thick grass underfoot: "Even though these are different islands, the wilderness always hinders people."

Among the four party members present, she was the only one Li Ang hadn’t had time to equip with full earth attribute armor in the Flashing Field, making the discomfort more pronounced.

Next to her, Dorothy had initially been holding up the hem of her long robe, but realizing that the water from the grass and puddles wouldn’t wet it, only avoid and run off, she let go and just focused on not tripping.

"That’s about enough, let’s check the signs of demons around,"

Li Ang said, pulling out a small bottle from his bag.

"What is that?" Zoe curiously looked over.

"One of the little tools for adventuring, the Enemy Luring Fragrance."

He grabbed a leaf, used magic power to drive off the moisture from its surface, poured out some powder, and ignited it. The powder immediately produced a large amount of smoke.

"So much smoke!" Dorothy took a step back.

"An alchemist specifically concocted it for this effect. You all back away a bit; despite the name, this ’fragrance’ stinks, specifically to provoke demons out of hiding."

Li Ang directed the swirling smoke away from the retreating young girls, and the irritating smell swiftly carried into the water.

The demons in the semi-swamp by the lakeshore tend to be of lower tier; the truly powerful ones are deeper in the lakes and around the tallest trees, places even the islanders usually avoid.

"When will they come?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Zoe, wearing a Golden Scale Armor, drew her sword and held it in her hand.

"In a few minutes, the effect of the Enemy Luring Fragrance is quite strong."

As Li Ang said this, Andasu put on her Fist Claw and adjusted the position of her Silver Gun, and Dorothy also summoned her Demon Flower, ready to deal with any demon that might suddenly attack.

A few minutes passed with no movement, and the girls’ guard relaxed slightly.

Another ten minutes passed, and from the waterways, only the occasional rustling of plants could be heard; not even a flying bird or snake was in sight.

"Didn’t you say a few minutes?" Zoe adjusted her hair; standing in the humid environment, her face was soon covered in sweat.

"Logically, yes."

Li Ang was a bit puzzled: "I’ve visited Mengze Island several times. Given this territory’s ecology, demons should appear sooner rather than there being no reaction at all."

His words piqued Dorothy’s curiosity: "You’ve been here many times?"

"Yes, as an adventurer taking on tasks to earn money, there are many commissions for escorting people to the island to gather materials or timber,"

Li Ang added, to ensure a little extra profit, he would also take on tasks to eliminate demons, specifically luring them in the marshland.

"I used to always do it this way, but something’s different this time." He shook his head.

"Oh, so even veteran adventurers have mishaps," Dorothy said.

The half-elf spoke provocatively, but Andasu disliked her comment and frowned: "Shall we go deeper to take a look?"

"Deeper in, it will be challenging for us to move; honestly, there’s no point. It won’t verify our true power; such environments are too rare in Nebis."

Even though there are many sky islands, perhaps due to the lack of oceans, the rarest element in the Nebis skies is the Water Element, making places like Mengze Island very uncommon.

And having both water and lush wetlands is even rarer; learning to fight in such conditions would likely be applicable only in one percent of situations.

"If we can’t draw out any demons, let’s head back. We’ll rest for the rest of the day and venture deeper into the island in the morning."