It takes more than twenty years of listening experience to play this song.
Cyril didn't even have time to protest with the system before he noticed that the scene in front of him was different from when he first arrived.
In the fluorescent grassland, there were many creatures, including the most common gray rabbits, long-horned roe deer, and some small birds resembling sparrows.
However, these creatures seemed to be asleep, motionless.
The white fluffy balls on the fluorescent grass were now shimmering with a silvery-blue light.
In the next moment, those white fluffy balls scattered like dandelion seeds, drifting onto the bodies of those creatures.
Cyril witnessed the following scene, his pupils dilated, and a chill ran down his spine.
It felt like ice sliding into his stomach.
The white fluffy balls were rapidly devouring the immobile creatures, feasting on their flesh and blood.
The bright red blood slowly flowed to the ground from the small animals and was quickly absorbed by the roots of the fluorescent grass, leaving nothing behind but a pile of white bones, which soon turned into fine powder and disappeared.
Cyril stared blankly at the seemingly harmless fluorescent grass as it efficiently disposed of a batch of food and sprouted cute white fluffy balls again.
Under the serene night sky, it was as if nothing had happened.
What a skilled job of erasing all traces.
So terrifying.
Cyril's expression stiffened.
"Calm down! Calm down! They can only consume creatures that have lost consciousness. After all, they're just level 10 danger plants," the system's voice sounded very calm.
"The elemental concentration here is very high, which naturally attracts small creatures. However, if they stay here for too long, their consciousness will involuntarily dissipate, eventually becoming food for the fluorescent grass," the system explained in detail.
"But for you, there's no issue! I'll wake you up right before the critical point!"
Cyril: Smiling with joy.jpg
"By the way, do you feel more mentally stable and energetic?" the system continued without paying attention to his vivid expression.
Cyril nodded.
After a period of meditation, he did feel that his mind was more relaxed, and he felt as if he had had a good rest, dispelling the fatigue from the day's journey.
"That's great! Once your mental strength reaches 10, you can try absorbing elements!"
Cyril spent three days and three nights in the Misty Moon Forest. Except for eating and sleeping outside the fluorescent grassland, every time he was on the verge of losing consciousness, the system's overwhelming melody would pull him back, and he listened to various strange songs in the system's playlists.
One instrumental piece played on a suona almost sent him away.
So, even now, as he walked back on the road to the small town, he still felt a lingering fear.
After spending all his silver coins on food and entering the Misty Moon Forest again, he successfully raised his mental strength to "9" but had become a penniless poor guy again.
"Don't worry! The Misty Moon Forest is a treasure trove. You can look for various plants, and I can identify their uses to see if they can be used to make potions. If they can, the potion shop will definitely buy them!" The system was confident.
"Can't you directly locate useful plants?" Cyril asked with some doubt.
"I'm just a newbie system on my first assignment! How can you make such demands of me? You, you're so bad!"
"Speak in plain language!"
"Well, to be honest, I can only obtain very little energy, so I can't activate that feature yet."
The system wasn't very helpful, and Cyril sighed.
He had to stop at each strange-looking plant, waiting for the system to identify it before carefully collecting it as instructed.
Cyril tried hard to memorize the appearance of these peculiar plants. Of course, he was cautious and didn't touch anything until the system provided information.
It turned out to be the right approach, sparing him from harm.
For example, he encountered a plant called the "Devil's White Lotus." It was a white lotus that grew on land, with lush green leaves and large, beautiful, snow-white petals that were irresistibly charming.
However—
"Name: Devil's White Lotus
Danger Level: 16
Remarks: An ill-tempered little girl with no sense of fair play, and mouse tail juice."
Cyril didn't quite understand, but he had an intuitive sense of danger and quickly retreated a few steps.
Then he watched in horror as the originally beautiful and melancholic flower suddenly revealed a ferocious face.
Its stem suddenly became thick and elongated, up to a meter long, as if a person was angrily yelling with a wide-open mouth.
Even its smooth and gentle petals grew sharp teeth. If Cyril had stayed in place, he would have been bitten all over by this "bad-tempered" Devil's White Lotus, covered in blood.
Too scary.
What a vicious white lotus...
Cyril memorized its appearance and decided to keep his distance in the future.
The plant he collected the most was called the "Golden Trust." Its roots were pure white, the flowers were full and colorful, and they had a shining golden color.
According to the system's identification, the petals of this plant could be used to make a soothing tea, which was a favorite among nobles.
Cyril collected a bunch of plants, packed them in a sack he had found at home, and then left the Misty Moon Forest.
Early the next morning, Cyril found the traveling merchant who made daily trips between the nearby larger town of Philadelphia.
"Can you afford the carriage fee, Mr. Lawrence?"
Donald, the chubby merchant, didn't mind having one more skinny boy on the carriage, as long as this seemingly poor kid could afford the fee.
Cyril was penniless now.
"I promise, sir! Once I sell these materials in Philadelphia, I will pay you for the carriage fee on the way back!"
He gave Donald a gentle and innocent smile.
Perhaps his recent diet had improved a bit (from black bread to ordinary white bread), and although he still looked thin and pale, he no longer appeared as if he could be blown away by the wind.
His smile was also quite disarming.
With large almond-shaped eyes that were black and white, clean and clear, and a delicate beauty mark at the corner of his left eye, it looked as if he had been kissed by the goddess of light. His previously messy black hair was now tied back, making him appear much more spirited.
Cyril slightly opened a corner of the sack to show Donald the goods inside.
Donald cleared his throat and took out a pocket watch from his coat pocket.
The surface of the pocket watch was smooth and shiny from frequent handling, with a gold chain naturally hanging from it.
His chubby fingers lightly pressed it, and a crisp "click" sound echoed in the small space of the carriage.
The cover of the pocket watch opened, revealing a white dial and black hands inside.
It must be said that at this moment, he carried himself like an arrogant gentleman.
"We'll return at four o'clock in the afternoon," Donald glanced at the watch. It was currently 10:20 in the morning.
They had left at 6:08 in the morning, and it took them more than four hours to reach Philadelphia.
Cyril nodded calmly. Seeing the exquisite pocket watch, he didn't show any envy or longing. Instead, he made Donald's display seem futile.
To conceal his embarrassment, the merchant pretended to tidy up the goods.
By now, the carriage had entered the streets of Philadelphia. The streets were clean and lined with rows of shops.
Suddenly, Cyril's attention was drawn to a carriage that was overtaking them from the side.
If it could still be called a "carriage."
The horses of the carriage had been replaced by brass mechanisms, and the carriage's base was also made of brass. Gears, springs, bearings, and other components were exposed, allowing people to intuitively feel the rhythm and power of the machinery in operation.
He curiously leaned on the carriage window to look at the now-distant carriage, and white steam continued to emanate from the bottom of the carriage.
Cyril estimated that the modified carriage was at least twice as fast as a regular one.
"It's rumored to be a creation of the scholars from the 'Tower of Truth,' passed down from the capital," Donald explained, seizing another opportunity to showcase his wealth of knowledge. "Several years ago, the nobles in Philadelphia began using these, and it's a symbol of status."
Compared to regular carriages, it was indeed suitable for showing off.
However, Cyril noticed the term 'Tower of Truth' and asked about it.
Donald's expression instantly turned serious, and he spoke earnestly, "The 'Tower of Truth' is the most outstanding scholarly organization on the continent. It's said that there are even a few wizards serving as honorary elders in the 'Tower of Truth.'"
As he chewed on the word 'wizard,' Cyril contemplated.
In his original memories, he knew of the existence of wizards. It seemed that over a hundred years ago, there was a great war in this world, and the wizards and the Holy Knights together defended against an invasion from external enemies. Afterward, both sides became known to the public.
The Holy Knights entered the public eye, claiming to be servants of the Goddess of Light. They usually belonged to the Holy Knights Order and had a good relationship with the Church that worshipped the Goddess of Light.
There was also the famous Holy Knights Academy in the capital.
As for the wizards, they were followers of the legendary wizard Merlin. However, after the war, they chose to hide themselves and rarely operated on the continent where ordinary people lived.
The legend said that the wizards lived on a distant and mysterious Wizard Continent.
Cyril had briefly read about this history when he was twelve years old at the Church school, but it was intentionally or unintentionally skimmed over in the textbooks.
Thinking back to this, Cyril furrowed his brow slightly.
Donald thought he was afraid of the power of the wizards and kindly reassured him, "But I remember that the laws of the continent state that wizards are not allowed to harm unarmed civilians."
"However, the wizards, of course, deserve our respect. After all, they possess extraordinary power..." Donald continued with emotion.
Cyril contemplated.
"Alright, we've arrived at New Moon Street," the merchant felt the carriage come to a stop as the coachman manipulated it. He looked at the winding streets outside and loudly announced.