Chapter 264: Setting Off Towards Pangpang
Tu Ran slid down from the tree trunk and landed on the soft ground, marveling at how cold it was here, all because of that intangible alien.
Thinking about the alien, Tu Ran recalled the inner core she had picked up before going to sleep.
Where had she put it?
Tu Ran searched her entire body and finally found the inner core in the corner of her space, next to her flashlight.
She wiped it off quickly and fed it into her mouth.
The inner core transformed into a wisp of smoke and an introduction panel appeared before her.
[Sense of Direction]
[Description: The owner possesses an absolute sense of direction to their intended destination, allowing them to reach any place they wish without needing a map.
Level: Advanced
Note: At an advanced level, you have an absolutely correct sense of direction, eliminating the need to discern truth from falsehood; just follow your instincts.]
Her ability level had changed from primary to advanced, and the notes had shifted from repeatedly emphasizing “be cautious in distinguishing” to now stating “no need to judge truth from falsehood.”
Tu Ran realized that as soon as she had seen the brown bear’s ability, [Ability Identification] had already determined that the inner core was fake and had alerted her.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t paid any attention at the time and had instead found it to be quite verbose.
After thanking [Ability Identification] in her mind, Tu Ran got herself ready and headed towards the direction she wanted to go.
She was going to find Pangpang.
Pangpang was still waiting for her at the mountain god’s peak.
Following her instincts for a day and a night, Tu Ran finally saw the dark ocean she had arrived from.
To find Pangpang, she needed to cross this sea.
Standing on the glowing stones and gazing at the vast ocean, with waves rolling across the surface, Tu Ran felt a bit troubled.
How was she supposed to get across?
Should she stuff a boat into her space?
No, a boat might not fit; if she wanted to forge ahead, she needed to find an inner core that could fly.
She remembered the flying horses she had seen when she was with Pangpang. If those creatures could fly, their inner cores must be related to flying as well.
But that was something to think about later; her immediate challenge was figuring out how to cross this sea.
After pondering for a while, she decided that getting a ride would be more reliable.
That swimming dog would be a good option.
However, looking around, the entire sea surface was dark and she couldn’t see any trace of the dog.
After so many days, it had probably left long ago.
But it liked eating apples, so its kind should be somewhat similar.
Tu Ran took two apples out of her space, tied them together with a rope, and picked up a branch from the ground, tying the other end of the rope to it.
With everything prepared, Tu Ran climbed onto a larger stone and tossed the apples into the sea.
She leaned against the stone, propping her head up with one hand, fishing—oh no, she was fishing for a dog.
The inky waves washed against the white, glowing stones, over and over again.
Tu Ran comfortably enjoyed the sea breeze, her eyelids growing heavier.
Until suddenly, the fishing line began to shake.
Tu Ran straightened up and yanked on the line.
She pulled out half an apple, followed closely by a dog’s head leaping out of the water.
The dog opened its mouth wide and gulped down the apple in one bite, licking its lips in disappointment while eyeing the other red apple in Tu Ran’s hand.
Tu Ran stared back at it, unsure if this dog-fish was the same one she had previously used the hallucinogenic mushroom on.
“Have we met somewhere before?” Tu Ran tentatively asked.
The dog-fish playfully stuck out its tongue, while the eight tentacles near its tail poked out of the water, pointing at its back. “Ride… ride…”
It was indeed the same one from before.
Tu Ran tossed the apple she held into the water.
The dog-fish opened its mouth wide, accurately catching it and swallowing it whole, then began wagging its silver tail furiously at Tu Ran. “Take me with you! I want to cross this sea. Can you do it?”
“Woof… Sure…”
The dog-fish eagerly exposed its back to Tu Ran, waiting for her to climb on.
Tu Ran first took off her combat suit, leaving only the helmet, and stored the rest in her space. Just as she was about to jump onto the dog-fish’s back, she spotted several glowing stones on the shore. She turned back, picked one up, and stored it in her space.
She couldn’t come all this way without a keepsake.
Jumping onto the dog-fish’s back, Tu Ran grasped the skin at its neck. “Run—oh, I mean, swim.”
Upon hearing the command, the dog-fish swiftly swayed its body and swam in the direction Tu Ran pointed.
Tu Ran held onto its neck tightly, afraid to let go. This creature was so fast it was like riding a speedboat; if she loosened her grip, she might just fall off.
After more than an hour of swimming, when Tu Ran looked back again, she could no longer see the only white spot in the blackness. She turned her gaze forward toward the approaching destination.
She had no idea how much longer it would take to reach the shore.
The [Sense of Direction] only took care of the direction, not the distance. As long as she kept heading in this direction, she would eventually reach her destination. As for how to get there and whether there were any obstacles in the way, she couldn’t sense any of that.
“Are you tired?” Tu Ran asked, noticing the dog-fish had been swimming for over three hours.
The dog-fish pointed at its mouth with a tentacle. “Eat… not tired. Not eat… tired.”
Tu Ran: “…”
She took out three apples from her space and stuffed them into the dog-fish’s tentacles.
The dog-fish happily devoured them one by one, its ears perked up and swaying joyfully.
Tu Ran felt as if she were looking at Pangpang.
Pangpang reacted similarly when getting tasty food, except that he didn’t have ears; he wagged the feathers on his head instead.
“What’s your name?”
“Cha… Cha…”
“Cha?”
“Mm…”
Cha spoke slowly, its voice both clumsy and endearing.
“That’s a nice name,” Tu Ran said, sounding like an unfeeling machine that praised names. “What do you usually eat?”
“Fish… all kinds of fish…” Cha replied, having finished the last apple and licking its lips, still craving more.
It wanted more.
It turned its head to look at Tu Ran.
Having had experiences with Pangpang, Tu Ran recognized its intention at a glance. “The apples are your fare. Once you take me to land in that direction, I’ll give you ten apples.”
“Okay…”
Cha turned its head and quickly activated its speed mode.
Tu Ran leaned back suddenly, almost being thrown off, but luckily she reacted in time and grabbed onto its neck.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she gently patted its head. “Good job! At this speed, you’ll get to eat those ten apples in no time.”
The apples were Cha’s motivation to keep moving forward.
Three hours later, Tu Ran finally spotted the coastline.
“Keep it up! You’ll be able to eat the apples soon!”
Cha accelerated once again.
Tu Ran had to lean down on its back to reduce wind resistance without affecting its speed.
Finally, they reached the coastline. Tu Ran jumped off Cha’s back and patted its head. “You did great.” Then she took out ten apples from her space and placed them one by one on its tentacles.
In that instant, the fatigue of having swum for nearly eight hours vanished. Cha rubbed against Tu Ran’s hand, relishing the delicious reward it had earned through hard work.
