Chapter 99: Moss Tea

Karl looked at how the moss grew, down the top of the logs, and the one side, but not the bottom or the other side. If he wanted it to keep growing, he had to leave enough in the right spots that it didn't ruin the moss bed too badly.

So, he cut diagonal stripes across the log, removing thin strips amounting to half of the moss on each log, while leaving the rest securely attached. That should grow back over, he assumed, and then it could be harvested again.

"Where did you learn that?" Dana asked as Karl cut the careful strips from the moss.

"I'm actually just guessing here by the way that it grows. But I'm only taking half, and leaving the other half in the way that looks like it will grow back the fastest. Moss spreads from the edges, you see, and only grows well on the sunny side. So, if I only take half and leave as many good edges as possible, then it looks like this.

That should be the fastest pattern to grow back, and by my guess, I've cut nearly twenty kilos of wet weight moss from this one tree. I haven't even touched the other ones yet, and we've got enough to fill all the warriors and the witches requests. I just need to grab a little for Thor here, and we can be on our way to the next spot." He explained.

"I don't suppose we could spare a bit more... There is an awful lot of it growing here." One of the warriors suggested.

The witch closest to Karl nodded in agreement. "The Academy expects you to provide for your own when it's not a standard part of the growth plan, and it's not like they accept these items as a trade in, at least not from the first years who are supposed to be looking out for themselves first, but normally, we would never see so much of an Awakened Rank resource in one spot.

If this was up on the market, we would be rich. Well, until we all got arrested for trafficking controlled substances to the masses, but you get my point. We could earn plenty of favours from the other students in class if we had a bit to trade them, you know?"

"Alright, I will harvest another log." Karl agreed with a smile.

He cut the same stripe pattern on one log, and then had Thor quietly move the log hidden behind where he was working into the beast space. A beast his size would need a lot of the moss to equal out to a cup of tea a day, and a bit added to his usual diet every morning would help him grow big and strong.

But even the Lightning Cerro realized that the herb should be rationed. He ate a lot of higher rank plants as his general diet, but this one was special, and the effects were limited, so it was more of a treat than a basic staple of the diet.

The second batch was spread the same as the first and stuffed into backpacks, while Karl looked at the map to see what was up next. They were going to go around the battle from earlier, and that would bring them to one of two spots. Either a spot that might have another strengthening herb, or one that was known to grow crystals that helped focus and increase the mana pool growth rate.

Karl decided to lead them to the crystals first, in the interest of fairness. If anything went wrong later, at least they should all have gained something from the trip that way. It would also help the clerics that they had rescued, so they wouldn't go home empty-handed.

The signs of monsters got more prominent the further that they went, and Karl began to question whether the intel was wrong, or if this was actually what they considered a low-risk area in the wilderness.

He knew that there were countless monsters in the wild areas, and that large portions of the land barely held any humans, but he was seeing signs of magical abilities and trees that had been downed by something powerful enough to claw through them.

That was no Common Grade monster, and most of the marks were too far up to have been the giant beetle.

Even Thor was becoming nervous with all the signs and scents of predators, but he had a large pack with him now, and he wasn't as concerned as he would have been if he were alone. He trusted Hawk to find anything really dangerous, and the bird was currently circling their destination, making sure that nothing was hiding around the cave.

He hadn't checked the inside, but the surroundings were clear of any large animals, and a few more of the small ones as well, as Hawk was feeling a bit hungry after all that flying.

"The crystal cave is just ahead. Remember, we haven't checked the interior yet, so I can't say if the crystals are there, as the report said there would be, but I can say that Hawk found the cave right where they said it was." Karl reported.

The mages shared an excited smile, while the warriors prepared their minds for the charge into an unexplored cavern system. If they found the crystals near the entrance, they wouldn't have to go far in, but if not, they would need to explore, and that brought a whole new realm of danger with it.

"Hold up." Dana warned them as they approached the clearing outside the cave entrance.

"I saw some unique plants in the clearing. They're not on the list, but I recognize them from the botany books that I had to read." She informed the team.

Karl looked carefully, and began to smile. One of the plants was a Winter Berry bush. Not powerful, but he would have to pick some for Hawk, who loved the flavour.

[I already got some.] The smug bird informed him. Karl checked the mental space and found that there was an entire bush there, planted in the ground as if it would keep growing.

Maybe it would. Karl didn't really understand how the spaces worked, but he was feeding them magical energy, so it wasn't impossible that a magical plant might survive in there, although the majority of the ground was just a mental image.

Dana addressed the group. "There are plants with narrow spiny leaves. Collect the leaves without letting them touch you or your clothing. We will want as many as possible. I need four warrior volunteers."

Four hands went up, and Dana sent them out, then she pointed to another plant. "These are tiger leaf weeds. They're exceptional for fire magic training. All the mages should gather at least a few of them. They are eaten one at a time just before you try to learn fire magic, so dry them and save them."

The mages began to move out, so Karl gathered the rest of the warriors. "We are on guard duty, but as you move, keep your eyes open for these purple and white berries. They're delicious. Not much of a magical effect other than slightly refreshing, but they're a great seasoning for oatmeal."

That made the warriors smile. Oatmeal was not only a staple of the breakfast menu at home, but it was also in the breakfast pack of all their travel rations. Being able to flavour it with some fresh berries would make their first morning in the wilderness much more enjoyable.