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Bookmark this for wonderful reading.

Hearing Fang Senyan's words, Ronnie instantly realized the trap hidden within them, letting out a cold snort: "Why bring that up? Potions are potions, and equipment is equipment.

Can those two things even be equated?" Fang Senyan ignored him, retorting sarcastically: "With your level of intelligence, I find communication difficult.

However, you might want to consider: do you think the raw materials for a potion providing such a massive enhancement are supplied for free? I have been providing group enhancement potions to the team without charge, and by now, I'm already down tens of thousands of general points.

If I were to distribute them one bottle at a time, I'd genuinely go bankrupt." Upon hearing Fang Senyan's explanation, regardless of whether they accepted his reasoning, the group could only nod in agreement outwardly.

At this juncture, however, Ronnie approached Fang Senyan, clearly suppressing the anger churning within him, and frowned: "Then I will cover the material costs for you; you can certainly still help me make them, right?" Fang Senyan immediately broke into a smile: "Welcome, friend.

That is absolutely no problem." Ronnie's facial muscles twitched several times, a clear sign of his reluctance to part with his possessions, but he tossed the recently extracted Blazing Crystal to Fang Senyan: "Surely five bottles of potion are a fair exchange for this, aren't they?" Fang Senyan’s potion materials were actually refined from the real world.

Although the process was complex, the most arduous step involved capturing the necessary animals.

Now, with the full support of Zi and Jiao Shi, Fang Senyan could completely bypass that initial stage, needing only to toil away in the laboratory—the actual cost, excluding labor, was practically zero.

That this fellow Ronnie would offer a refined Blazing Crystal in trade was truly unexpected.

Fang Senyan then pulled three of his finest enhancement potions from his person and tossed them to Ronnie, shrugging: "These are the only finished bottles I have right now.

The priority is tracking down those pursuers.

Once we find a stable base of operations, I can start mixing more batches." Ronnie, not worried about Fang Senyan reneging on the debt, snorted dismissively, then surprisingly tossed one bottle to Hedikuri and another to Aziza.

Observing his actions, something stirred in Fang Senyan's mind.

He realized that despite Ronnie's sharp tongue and prickly demeanor, the man possessed the inherent, subservient trait common to some Japanese—once a superior's strength is acknowledged, they become remarkably compliant.

If an opportunity arose, this trait might actually be useful.

The group swiftly followed Mr.

Daniel's staggered footprints, tracking backward through the wetland.

After covering about seven or eight hundred meters, a shimmering vista suddenly appeared before them: a wide expanse of water resembling a lake, burning crimson under the setting sun.

Coupled with the purple-plumed reeds swaying slightly in the wind, the emerald green water bamboo, and the water lilies floating on the surface, the scene was magnificent.

Of course, calling it merely a lake was slightly inaccurate, as the deepest parts probably didn't exceed one meter.

Precisely because of this, numerous small islands formed by tall aquatic plants stood scattered throughout the 'lake,' lush and green, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Not far from the lakeside, groups of special water birds swam about.

These birds somewhat resembled Earth's flamingos, their entire bodies covered in fiery red plumage, but with two distinct white stripes trailing along their streamlined wings, making them appear exceptionally striking and unique.

Perhaps the arrival of Fang Senyan and his group disturbed these birds, as several closer ones took flight, flapping their wings high into the air.

The vivid white markings against the red feathers were dazzling beneath the blue sky and white clouds, like a massive splash of red paint across the heavens—truly spectacular. "Those water birds seem to be their intended prey," Hedikuri murmured gravely. "It looks like this area shouldn't pose much danger." Ronnie, scouting ahead while searching for suspicious signs, suddenly called out loudly: "Here!" Everyone immediately gathered around and saw a high ground, densely encircled by purple-plumed reeds.

However, they could clearly discern an area spanning several dozen square meters where the ground was utterly devastated, the reeds completely flattened.

It was highly probable that the three individuals had set up an ambush here to capture birds, but were unknowingly targeted by another creature, resulting in the hunter becoming the hunted, neatly wiped out in one go.

Upon closer inspection, the footprints left in the marsh were peculiar and messy, appearing to be the size of an infant's foot.

Detailed examination revealed they belonged to a multi-legged creature, not very large, yet capable of moving with surprising speed through the thick mud, seemingly unhindered by the adverse terrain.

It was beyond doubt that they used potent venom as a weapon.

Furthermore, the broken wooden spears found at the scene indicated that these things might also possess considerably tough armor, strong enough to resist penetration by the wooden shafts.

No bodies or bloodstains were left at the site—even a licked-clean trace would not escape Ramtas's nose—which actually suggested a result the group found favorable.

The remaining two unfortunates likely had been captured alive and taken back to be kept as domesticated poultry, to be consumed during times of famine.

However, at this moment, Fang Senyan’s eyes flashed, as if a realization had struck him, but he kept the thought locked away.

Although his expression remained normal, a profound sense of caution sharpened his gaze.

Ronnie spent about fifteen minutes confirming there were no other disturbances nearby.

Based on the tracks, the two unfortunate men had left no footprints leading outward; this meant they were either carried away through the air or transported by those monsters.

With all these clues pieced together, the team conferred briefly and decided to venture out immediately to rescue them, as there was a strong possibility the two were still alive.

Moreover, the high-purity ore Ronnie had found earlier burned with the allure of wealth in everyone’s eyes.

This time, the entire team was going, using calculated force against unprepared foes; almost everyone believed it would be an easy victory.

Splash, splash.

The wetland after nightfall was neither charming nor beautiful.

The icy water seeped through their boots, soaking their feet like the cold, desiccated fingers of the dead touching the skin.

Flattened purple reeds floated in the murky water.

What looked like solid ground proved to be a trap; stepping on it meant the mud instantly swallowed their legs up to the calf, requiring double the effort to pull free.

Hedikuri could be heard muttering curses in annoyance, then coughed up phlegm that landed in the water some distance away, causing the surface—reflecting the light of the Eplos Meteorite Belt—to ripple, taking a long time to settle.

Fang Senyan felt a growing unease.

His memory was usually quite reliable, so although he only glanced at the crude map drawn by the hunter with feigned disinterest, the image was already etched into his mind.

After traveling this far, anyone with a weak sense of direction would already be lost, but Fang Senyan’s internal compass was perfectly clear, and a sense of danger was faintly creeping in.

Because if he could spread out the map drawn by the hunter right now and mark their current route, he would realize they had already passed the area labeled "Food/Birds" and had entered the zone marked with a red skull!! Fang Senyan didn't know what kind of monster awaited them ahead, but he knew it might be far trickier than the Sludge Toad Clan...

at least, that was the assessment of the hunter who drew the map, and Fang Senyan chose to trust that judgment.

The ground beneath their feet gradually began to dry out; the muddy water receding from knee-deep to ankle-deep.

Yet, Fang Senyan's ominous feeling intensified.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly spoke loudly: "Can everyone pause for a moment? I have something to say?" Fang Senyan's action immediately caused everyone to halt, looking at him with puzzled expressions.

Fang Senyan gave a wry smile and shrugged: "Though I know what I'm about to say might be useless, I still want to remind everyone: isn't rushing in like this rather rash? Completely unfamiliar enemies, completely unfamiliar terrain, a completely unknown planet...

Fighting in an environment where we know nothing is never a good idea.

We should prioritize our own safety, not the safety of those two captives, even if they might possess intelligence about the ore vein." Aziza and some members of the team hesitated after hearing Fang Senyan's words, clearly finding some merit in his argument.

She faltered: "Perhaps we should split into two groups? Aziza and I can each lead one team and provide mutual support." But Hedikuri vehemently opposed this.

The reason was simple: in the battle against the Mushroom Rocks and the Unicorne Flying Ants, he had suffered greatly from insufficient manpower, leading to a humiliating retreat and a subsequent collapse of his prestige within the team.

How could he possibly allow a repeat of that failure now? He desperately needed a major victory to solidify his standing, and this situation presented the perfect opportunity! Most of the others supported the MT’s view, advocating for concentrated force, so Fang Senyan’s suggestion was selectively ignored.

.RT