Chapter 154: Halftime Intermission

Having eliminated the flesh mountain Byrne and collected various rewards, Liu Zong and his companions finally did not need to travel further that day.

On one hand, facing two bosses in a single day had drained a vast amount of their energy; on the other hand, the battle with Byrne had truly consumed an immense amount of time.

By this point, night had already fallen. The Tin Man was largely unaffected since he could work day and night without rest, but Liu Zong and Bai Qi could not afford such luxury; they needed to sleep.

Moreover, they needed to plan their next move. According to the Tin Man's introduction, upon passing through this candy forest, the path ahead split into two distinct routes. One was a yellow brick road paved with waffles, cookies, and shortbread.

This yellow brick road led straight to the core region of the invasion, the Roaring Bear Colosseum. Countless gummy bears sprinted along this road every day toward the colosseum.

The other route led in the direction of the Eggshell Lion. However, to reach the Creamy Ridges, one had to take a specific alternate path, otherwise the mountains were far too slick and steep for anyone to climb.

Regardless of which destination they chose, a round trip would consume a full day's time, and if the battle with a boss was factored in, it might take at least half a day more.

Therefore, the Tin Man could not tell Liu Zong and the others which direction to take first, and could only lay out the situation for them to decide.

The Tin Man did explain further that along the yellow brick road resided a boss known as the Ringleader Bear. He was the first candy ever transformed into a gummy bear, and he spent every day shouting surrender terms into a megaphone aimed at the miniature world. It was precisely these voices that caused the underground candies to mutate into gummy bears and rush to the Roaring Bear Colosseum.

The Tin Man suspected that if they delayed too long, new bosses might appear by the time they finally reached the Roaring Bear Colosseum, which would make their battles considerably more troublesome.

After listening to all this, Liu Zong began to weigh the crucial factors involved, knowing he had to make a choice.

Bai Qi, on the other hand, did not care in the least. He was merely here to protect Liu Zong. Judging by the first two bosses, the journey had been quite effortless. If the upcoming battles remained this easy, he would be able to obtain the map he desired in just a few days. For now, he simply regarded the past few days as leisure time.

With these thoughts in mind, Bai Qi began searching for food within the candy forest. There was an overabundance of sweets here; if one did not mind feeling sick, they could even scoop up the dirt from the ground and eat it.

Furthermore, with the Tin Man acting as a local guide, Bai Qi directly asked him what was edible and what tasted the best. The Tin Man readily pointed Bai Qi in the right direction to forage.

After wandering through the forest for about ten minutes, Bai Qi returned carrying a large haul of pastries. Most of these were thumb-sized candies that looked like they were made of chocolate; they tasted bitter when put into the mouth, yet they provided a sufficient boost of stamina.

The remaining portion resembled crystal rock candy. For those with strong teeth who could bite straight into them, a thick, rich syrup would burst from the center.

Finally, Bai Qi also pulled up two branches. In his own words, chewing on these branches felt like eating sugarcane, except the juice inside carried a faint hint of alcohol.

This suited Bai Qi's palate perfectly, as he had not touched a single drop of alcohol all day, and his mouth had begun to feel utterly bland.

By the time Bai Qi returned, Liu Zong had largely finished pondering his decision. He took the food from Bai Qi's hands and immediately popped a piece into his mouth.

As he ate, Liu Zong said, "Tomorrow, we will go find the Eggshell Lion. I've thought about it—no matter what we choose, enhancing our own combat power is the most important priority. Besides, look at the red clockwork doll behind me; she can only fight once per day. If we take the yellow brick road and happen to encounter two bosses in a single day, what should we do?

"Should we fight them or not? Therefore, I choose to seek out the Eggshell Lion and acquire another undead minion first."

Hearing this, Bai Qi simply grunted an acknowledgment and continued eating his food. Although his face was hidden behind a mask making his expression unreadable, his attitude clearly conveyed: whatever you say goes; I'm just here to protect you, and your choices are your own concern.

Liu Zong was well aware of Bai Qi's attitude, but as long as someone was there to protect him, that was enough. Voicing his reasoning was merely a formality for anyone willing to listen.

Having settled the matter, Liu Zong also began searching for food in the forest. His dietary choices differed somewhat from Bai Qi's. Having experienced countless battlefields and possessing immense strength, Bai Qi's choices were simple and straightforward: if something could boost his attributes, that was best; if not, replenishing basic nutrition was next best.

Liu Zong had not yet reached that level. Over the past year, he had learned a fair amount of culinary knowledge through school precisely so that he could forage for food under any circumstances to enhance his attributes and strength.

However, he had never imagined he would encounter such an extreme place, where even living creatures tasted like candy.

Liu Zong tested a few pieces of candy, confirming that they could be cooked without issue and would still provide attribute bonuses, but the resulting diet would force a choice between sweet and overwhelmingly sweet.

Liu Zong had even questioned the red clockwork doll regarding food preparation, but to his utter disappointment, this mechanical puppet designed to be a maid had no idea how to cook.

Or rather, any food she prepared yielded no attributes and no special effects; she was only capable of doing preparatory chores and tending the fire.

This made Liu Zong abandon the idea of using the red clockwork doll as a maid in that regard. He understood that the system would never allow such an obvious loophole—if any ordinary undead minion possessed mastery over various auxiliary skills, what need would there be for players? Anyone could casually find a minion and have it handle everything.

Harboring these thoughts, Liu Zong continued to forage in the forest while snacking on his recently gathered provisions.

By the time he had eaten his fill and returned to their initial resting spot, he found that Bai Qi had already begun his daily training.

Compared to Liu Zong's usual routines, Bai Qi's practice appeared much more casual. Wielding his trident, he repeatedly thrust and retracted it at random angles. It seemed he was not practicing the professional skills he had mastered, but rather the most fundamental art of the trident.

This kind of training was similar to what Liu Zong had practiced before entering the academy, exemplified by his foundational fist techniques. However, Liu Zong noticed that Bai Qi did not incorporate visualization or breathing techniques into his movements; instead, he used his natural respiration to subtly guide each thrust of the trident.

It was evident that Bai Qi was contemplating his future progression. Once he discovered the breathing and visualization methods that suited him best, his trident mastery would undoubtedly ascend to a higher level.

Glancing briefly at Bai Qi, Liu Zong commenced his own training for the day. He intended to practice until the completion rate of the first form of his secret martial art exceeded fifty percent, after which he would attempt to visualize the inception of the second form.