Chapter 348: Forest Diet
"…This should be the place. Let’s check inside, just in case."
Korinna, who had grown accustomed to the environment of the ninety-second layer, pointed toward a massive tree, its shape almost a copy-paste of the ones they’d seen back in the Forest layers. Her face was streaked with mud like a guerrilla fighter in ambush, eyes sharp as she gauged their surroundings. The tree would have been hard to pick out among so many other similar ones, but once she knew what to look for, it became identifiable enough.
The hollow at the base, glowing faintly from within, gaped like an open door. The light came from a colony of luminous mushrooms, the same kind that thrived in the Forest layers’ Safe Zones. A quick inspection of the interior showed no signs of monsters.
As Safe Zones did not actively repel monsters the way the Black Gate did, it was possible to lure them inside if necessary. Fortunately, the little Fenrir, who had already learned to understand a simple degree of human language, responded well to Daryl’s explanations. As he coaxed her inside, she bounded at his heels, playful and eager like a puppy begging for a walk.
Before stepping in, the cub stopped just shy of the threshold and glanced inside, her expression skeptical. She sniffed the air, gave a low rumble, then turned her sharp gaze on Daryl as if to ask, ‘Are you sure this is safe?’ After another low growl, she barked once at the Gnome perched on his shoulder, as if entrusting herself to the earthen Spirit, then trotted over to Korinna’s side with her fluffy white tail swaying behind her.
It seemed Pico’s Safe Zone plan was off to a promising start.
"All right then, little Fenrir," Daryl said with a polite nod, "You’re staying here with me. Things might be a little boring, but for your safety, try to put up with it, all right?"
*Woof!* The Fenrir barked in response and proceeded to playfully nibble at Daryl’s tail.
As Daryl gently scolded the Fenrir cub, Diniel watched the pair, smiling faintly as if glimpsing a scene from an idyllic paradise. Korinna, noticing this, decided to tease her a little.