Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Unexpected, Huh? I’ve Got a Cheat

Pei Ze and Jiang Weifang emerged from the forest before nightfall.

As dusk settled, the two arrived beneath a cliff and prepared to make camp for the night.

The spot was backed by the cliff face and surrounded by stone, making it relatively safe.

Jiang Weifang volunteered to stand watch for the night so that Pei Ze could get some proper rest.

Pei Ze shook his head, summoned Wuyu, and pointed at the little creature. "It can stand watch."

"A Crow Magic Pet!" Jiang Weifang said, taken aback.

Among the various spell-like abilities, the Crow Magic Pet’s Summon Crow Swarm was considered one of the most useless. Why would Pei Ze form a contract with such a good-for-nothing Crow Magic Pet?

’With his talent, he could have chosen something much better.’

Jiang Weifang was puzzled but didn’t press the matter.

Once the tent was set up, Pei Ze took out his cooking gear.

He had spent years cooking for himself at home, honing his culinary skills. Combined with the well-stocked ingredients from his dimensional bag, he quickly whipped up a pot of an Otherworld-style stew.

"It’s a shame I’m short on a few types of ingredients, or I could have made even more delicacies."

Pei Ze took a sip of the savory broth, his eyes narrowing slightly in enjoyment.

’The common cuisine of the Wizard World is nowhere near as rich as it was in my previous life.’

’Of course, it’s not that Wizards don’t appreciate fine dining.’

’On the contrary, the Wizards at the apex of the ruling class spare no expense when it comes to such pleasures.’

’It’s just that the delicacies they seek are rare and exotic items like Beauty Shells, Life Tree Juice, and Soul Blue Fruits—things that possess both exquisite flavors and miraculous properties.’

’Ordinary folk cuisine holds no appeal for them whatsoever.’

"This is delicious!" Jiang Weifang’s eyes lit up after one bite. "Pei Ze, I never knew you were such a good cook!"

Pei Ze glanced at the girl’s pristine gray robe and shook his head. "I’m still a long way off."

Jiang Weifang didn’t catch the reference and said with a grin, "Being overly humble is just false modesty, you know."

Pei Ze just smiled without a word and focused on his meal.

After the meal, Pei Ze used Energy Particles to instantly clean the cookware, which he then stored in his dimensional bag. He stood up and walked away from the campsite.

Jiang Weifang asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Scouting the area," Pei Ze replied without turning back. "And seeing if I can find any rare plants while I’m at it."

Realization dawned on Jiang Weifang.

She knew that Pei Ze had taken on a long-term task tending a medicine garden in the Garden District. He must be able to identify many rare plants.

When it came to identifying rare plants, probably no other first-year student was more knowledgeable than him.

At this thought, Jiang Weifang couldn’t help but marvel to herself.

’Only someone as powerful and knowledgeable as Pei Ze has the luxury and the capability to gather materials from the island in the midst of a trial.’

’That was something no one else could ever hope to imitate.’

Seeing Pei Ze busy, Jiang Weifang felt awkward just sitting there, so she got up and started to walk around too.

She was no good at identifying rare plants, but she could at least help patrol the area.

As she walked, a flash of brilliant red in her peripheral vision caught her eye. She turned her head and saw a large patch of vibrant flowers growing in a nook at the base of the cliff.

The flowers were a deep crimson, their petals as translucent as rubies. One glance was enough to tell they were no ordinary flora.

"Pei Ze, come over here!" Jiang Weifang called out hurriedly.

Pei Ze walked over at the sound of her voice. His gaze fell upon the patch of crimson flowers, and he let out a soft murmur of surprise.

"Madness-Inducing Flowers!"

"What’s a Madness-Inducing Flower?" Jiang Weifang asked curiously.

"A rare plant," Pei Ze explained. "When its sap evaporates, the scent can attract ferocious beasts from kilometers away and drive them into a frenzy. It’s one of the main ingredients for creating Berserk Beast potions."

Jiang Weifang jumped in fright, immediately snatching back the hand she had been reaching out to touch a petal.

’Good grief, it can attract ferocious beasts from kilometers away?’

’If someone accidentally tore a petal and the sap leaked out, this whole area would turn into a playground for frenzied beasts in no time.’

Jiang Weifang instinctively took a few steps back and gulped.

There were plenty of ferocious beasts on the island, including terrifying ones at the Grand Knight level. She had no desire to be surrounded by them.

Pei Ze, however, remained perfectly calm as he squatted down and began to expertly harvest the flowers.

Medicine Garden No. 8 also grew Madness-Inducing Flowers, and he had harvested them many times, so the process was second nature to him.

As a primary ingredient for a Tier-1 potion, the Madness-Inducing Flower was quite valuable.

Just 100 milliliters of its sap could sell for 1,200 Gold Coins.

There were at least thirty-odd flowers here, enough to extract seven or eight hundred milliliters of sap. All told, their total value was close to ten thousand Gold Coins.

He had really struck it rich this time.

The corners of Pei Ze’s lips curled up slightly. As he harvested the flowers, he habitually scanned them with his Eye of Omniscience to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

However, as his gaze fell upon one particular Madness-Inducing Flower, the feedback he received made him pause.

[Madness-Inducing Flower (Transformed from a Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy)]

Pei Ze: "..."

’Goes to show, when your luck is in, nothing can stop it.’

’He’d just been worrying about how to find a Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy, and now his target had delivered itself right to his doorstep.’

’Given the Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy’s mischievous nature, it must have taken this form to play a prank on them.’

’But it could never have guessed that Pei Ze had a way of seeing through Illusion Techniques.’

’Didn’t see that one coming, did you? I’ve got a cheat!’

Though a dozen thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, Pei Ze’s expression remained impassive as he continued to harvest the other Madness-Inducing Flowers. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’I need to collect all the real Madness-Inducing Flowers before I make a move.’

’Otherwise, if one of them gets damaged, we won’t be able to stay in this spot we worked so hard to find.’

Before long, only a single Madness-Inducing Flower remained in the nook.

A gentle breeze blew past, and the solitary Madness-Inducing Flower swayed lightly, as if puzzled.

With a calm expression, Pei Ze reached out and grabbed the Madness-Inducing Flower. An instant later, his lips parted, and he uttered a string of syllables.

At this, the ’Madness-Inducing Flower’ finally realized something was wrong and began to struggle violently.

Jiang Weifang, standing beside him, jumped in surprise. She stared wide-eyed at the Madness-Inducing Flower in Pei Ze’s palm, which was struggling violently as if it had gained a mind of its own. "Wh-what’s happening?" she stammered.

Pei Ze had no time to answer. His Magic was already prepared, and he cast it without a moment’s hesitation.

In an instant, Pei Ze’s right hand turned a vivid red, looking as though it had been flayed, leaving only muscle. It was an extremely bizarre sight.

_Touch of Fatigue!_

The spell infused a target with negative energy on contact, plunging it into a state of fatigue.

As the Magic took effect, the ’Madness-Inducing Flower’s’ struggles weakened considerably.

But a second later, its body erupted in a dazzling emerald-green light, instantly dispelling the effect of the _Touch of Fatigue_.

Within the green light, the ’Madness-Inducing Flower’ gradually transformed into a tiny, palm-sized humanoid.

She was dressed in a gauzy, emerald-green skirt that left her bare torso faintly visible. Her pale-gold hair cascaded to her waist, and her skin was as white and clear as crystal. She was a perfect, miniature version of a peerless beauty.

Even more astonishingly, a pair of translucent butterfly wings sprouted from the miniature beauty’s back.

They had the texture of a cicada’s wings but the shape of a butterfly’s, and they were far larger than her body.

At a casual glance, one might have mistaken her for a large butterfly with translucent wings.

Jiang Weifang instantly recognized the creature and cried out in astonishment.

"A Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy!"