Under the scorching sun, amidst an endless range of mountains, a group of people advanced with caution.
The leader of this cautious expedition was a short man with weaselly features.
"ROAR..."
A tall, skinny underling heard a blood-curdling beast’s roar in the distance. He shuddered in fear, then spoke with a trembling voice to the man at the head of the group.
"Boss, why don’t we turn back? Let’s not go there. If we go any deeper, we could lose our lives!"
Li Mai, the short man with weaselly features, stopped in his tracks upon hearing his underling’s words. The rest of the men stopped as well.
Li Mai turned around, his expression sour, and addressed the tall, skinny underling who wanted to retreat.
"Last time, Young Master Zhao tasked us with finding the nest of a White-Scaled Drilling Rat. We failed because that damned bastard messed things up for us, and Young Master Zhao was very disappointed.
Now, I’ve finally found out that there are Ice Heart Fruits here.
If we can find the Ice Heart Fruits and bring some back, Young Master Zhao will be overjoyed. He’ll entrust us with important responsibilities in the future. That’s why we absolutely cannot back out or give up now."
"..." The underlings exchanged uncertain glances after hearing Li Mai’s words.
"If we can get Young Master Zhao to trust us again and give us important tasks, the rewards will be endless. Money and women will be ours for the taking."
Seeing that some of his wavering men were still undecided, Li Mai fanned the flames and painted a very tempting picture for them.
His words worked. The eyes of the wavering men lit up as they nodded again and again, their faces hardening with determination as they imagined a life of wealth and glory.
At that moment, a short, stout underling, who was slightly calmer than the others, voiced his concerns.
"Boss, if we keep pushing deeper into the mountains, we’ll likely be tracked down by Mutant Beasts with a keen sense of smell.
Many of the Mutant Beasts here are Tier Two. If one of them comes, we might be able to handle it. But if two show up, we’re finished..."
The concern raised by the short, stout underling made the others’ determined expressions falter, and worry once again filled their eyes.
’Damn it, why is this brat spouting such inconvenient truths? When we get back, I’ll find an excuse to make his life difficult.’
Li Mai saw that the morale he had just painstakingly built up was beginning to sink again because of the short, stout underling’s concern. He cursed silently, then addressed all his men with a calm expression.
"I’ve already considered that concern. It’s true that some of the Mutant Beasts in these mountains have a keen sense of smell and could track us. That would be very dangerous for us. Because of that, I’ve already figured out a solution."
As he spoke, Li Mai pulled a small ceramic vial from his pocket.
At that moment, all his underlings’ eyes fixed on the ceramic vial in his hand, their faces full of confusion as they wondered what it could possibly be for.
Li Mai didn’t keep them in suspense for long, explaining with a smile.
"What’s in this bottle is a type of stinky ointment that Mutant Beasts can’t stand.
Once we put it on, any Mutant Beast with a sharp sense of smell will catch its scent. Forget tracking us—the moment they smell it, they’ll steer clear..."
Upon hearing about the effect of the stinky ointment, the underlings all broke into happy smiles, their tension easing.
"If this stinky ointment is so amazing, we should put it on now!" one of the men suggested. "We don’t want those sharp-nosed Mutant Beasts showing up before we have a chance to use it..."
"The stinky ointment’s effect is temporary. You need to reapply a little every hour.
We’ve been deep in the mountains for a while now, so it’s about time to put it on.
Everyone, come over. I’ll give each of you a bit to rub on yourselves," Li Mai said.
He then pulled the wooden stopper from the ceramic vial and scooped out some of the stinky ointment to distribute among his men.
The stinky ointment was white. To humans, it didn’t smell particularly foul, but it was specifically designed for Mutant Beasts with sensitive noses. The scent would make them nauseous.
With a calm expression, Li Mai doled out a bit of the stinky ointment to each of his men.
When it was his turn, he scooped out a tiny dab and applied it to himself.
Watching his men gleefully slather on the stinky ointment—an ointment made for keen-nosed Mutant Beasts that he’d spent a fortune on—made his heart ache...
’Damn it, that’s my money they’re using! No matter what, I have to find those Ice Heart Fruits this time.’
"Alright, the stinky ointment lasts for one hour. We need to hurry and find those Ice Heart Fruits..."
Seeing that his men had all applied the stinky ointment, Li Mai spoke up, then led them deeper into the mountains at a faster pace.
According to the information he’d gathered, the Ice Heart Fruits grew in a certain area deep within the mountains. His informant had been able to point out the general direction, but couldn’t specify the exact location.