Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Sleet-Storm Sanctum (2)
Nanzhi moved swiftly, narrowly avoiding the icicles. She didn’t flinch and continued to avoid them.

It felt like hours before she reached the edge of the forest.

The path ahead narrowed into a fragile bridge of pure ice, spanning a dark, frozen chasm.

The bridge was barely wide enough for her to walk, the wind howled through the cavern, threatening to shove her off balance.

She crouched low, gripping her walking stick tightly.

Don’t look down.

She murmured in her mind.

She inched forward, her steps painstakingly slow. The ice creaked beneath her weight, and her heart thumped every time it groaned. Halfway across, the wind picked up, howling like a beast.

She flattened herself against the ice, clinging to it.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the bridge. She stayed still until the ice beneath her began to the crack too.

Using her wooden staff for balance, she pushed herself up and covered the remaining length of the bridge. Her boots skidded on the slick surface, but didn’t stop. The ice gave way behind her just as she leapt onto the solid ground, landing hard and rolling.

She lay there for a moment, chest heaving, staring back at the broken bridge, sighing at herself.

The things that I do for EXP…

The final stage of this dungeon was the cavern carved into the mountainside.

Inside the air was heavy with cold, and the soft glow of the wintergreen mushroom illuminated the space.

The mushroom was clustered in the center and the walls.

But the terrain was treacherous like the forest and the bridge.

She approached the cavern carefully, her wooden staff skimming the ground as she tested the traction on each surface.

The first tap was solid, but the second strike further along caused a hairline crack to spread. There was no other path forward and below was a chasm.

Glancing around, her eyes landed on a series of frost-covered rocks sticking out on the walls of the cavern.

It was a risk, but they might provide alternative route.

She tied the lamp on the edge of her wooden staff, before securing the staff in her back.

Tightening her gloves, she hoisted herself up onto the nearest rock, testing its stability before shifting her weight.

The climb was slow and hard, her muscles ached with the effort. Ice drenched her gloves. Several times she slipped, her boots skidding on the frost, but she managed to catch herself each time.

Finally, she reached the other side of the chasm, her breath visible in the frigid air.

As soon as she reached the solid ground, the system chimed.

[Congratulations! This week’s Mini Dungeon: Dark Sleet-Storm Sanctum is cleared.]

[You’ve earned 500 EXP.]

[Additional Reward is issued.]

There is another reward?

A golden hue shone in the cavern. After the glow dimmed a bit, she saw a small chest nestled among the glowing mushroom.

Oh! The chest!

She didn’t approach it right away. Instead, she crouched, stretched her wooden staff, running it along the ice crusted chest, tapping the lid and the spot underneath it, making sure there were no traps.

Only when she was certain did she reached for the latch.

The chest opened with a small creak, revealing its contents.

She brought the lamp closer, her eyes flicked over the items.

In the game, the chest only gave her a brand new cloak and boots.

But inside this chest, were a furnace and a parchment of paper.

Her gloved hands lifted the furnace, her gaze narrowing as she inspected. It was smaller than a cooking pot, made of strange metal that shimmered faintly in the dim light.

Item Appraisal.

[2-star: Frostforge Furnace. Highly efficient portable furnace for concocting serum]

Concocting serum?

Nanzhi’s mind raced. The system had said that she will be able to brew medicine in the future.

Is what the system was talking about?

Sadly, she had to wait to step out of the portal before she can ask.

She turned the furnace over, noting how compact it was.

Lightweight yet sturdy, it seemed perfect for her needs.

There’s a small chamber underneath reserved for a fuel slot.

Does it run on firewood?

Setting the furnace aide, she turned her attention on the parchment.

She broke the wax seal and unrolled it carefully. The edges were tattered, but the writing was clear and precise.

At first, Nanzhi saw an unfamiliar language.

The same thing happened to the words when the system talks about flexibility. They moved into the language she knew.

[1-star: Frostbane Serum]

[Effects: Strengthens cold resistance, prevent frostbite, and improves physical endurance in low-temperature environments.]

[Ingredients: Wintergreen mushroom spores, lemon peel, ground cinnamon or ginger, honey]

Nanzhi’s eyes become wide.

In the game she used the mushroom as light bulbs and torches to provide light in her base.

She folded the parchment carefully, tucking it in her satchel.

The glowing mushroom in her eyes turned to beautiful jades in her eyes.

Come here, Mushy Mushy!

Mushy Mushy, come to me!

The entire cave was bald in no time under her hands.

As for those growing clusters in the walls and ceiling, Nanzhi didn’t plan to let them off. She retrieved a coil of rope from her satchel, securing it around a rock formation near the chest.

With her other hand, she tried the loop for her foot and began climbing, her movements were slow and careful.

When she reached the cluster, she looped the rope around herself for stability. Using the same delicate dagger, she began harvesting the ceiling mushroom into the makeshift bag she made from the cloak.

Her arms ached from holding steady, and the cold bit at her fingers through the gloves. She continued with determination until a single mushroom remained.

This one was larger, its glow faintly tinged with blue.

The stem looked more fragile than the others, and she frowned slightly. If she miscalculated, it would shatter instantly.

Carefully, she slid the knife under the stalk, angling it slightly to the thinner base. The cap trembled but held as she lifted it, her other hand, steadying the stem.

It finally broke free and joined the other mushrooms in her cloak bag.

Back inside the small cottage, she inspected her harvest. After clearing the dungeon, she could teleport to the safe zone. Clearing the dungeon means she doesn’t have to undergo the same challenges again, she could directly teleport to the cavern.

Setting that aside, she can make these mushroom into a serum, they would sell well and helped Lin Weihao.

The shimmering portal appeared nearby casting ripples in the cottage. Nanzhi sent all the dungeon resources to her inventory.

Without hesitation, she stepped through the portal, leaving the dungeon behind, reappearing in her bedroom.