With a plan in place, the team immediately began preparations according to Li Fan's strategy.
The items to be prepared were not hunting tools, but bone fragments of sufficient strength.
The bone piles scattered throughout the upper region made the collection work quick. Afterward, the selection of the deployment area began.
Below a high slope, the team cut bone fragments and embedded them into the ground to build.
Before long, a bone ramp platform was completed.
"Is this to intercept the Radobaan?" Eudora asked uncertainly, looking at the small slope on the tire tracks.
"No, this is to help the Radobaan fly higher when it charges and leaps," Li Fan informed them.
"That doesn't seem to have any purpose, does it?" Eudora asked, puzzled.
Li Fan pointed to the other side of the winding path and said, "There are two more ramps to set up. You'll understand when we're done."
With the team's cooperation, the remaining two small ramps were laid out at considerable intervals.
"I see, this is a curve, and there's no road ahead," Eudora realized with a sudden understanding.
"This is the lower level of the瘴气之谷 (Miasma Valley)!" Dilu exclaimed, peering down from the edge of the winding path, only seeing dense, yellowish miasma.
"If it doesn't encounter any powerful monsters, it should be able to return to the upper level. But by then, we'll have already completed our exploration," Li Fan said.
Afterward, the team returned to the high ground and began a long period of observation and waiting.
About an hour later, a rumbling sound approached from afar.
The Radobaan, its body coiled into a disc shape, appeared in their sight, rolling and crushing its way forward.
The black, tar-like substance on its body, known as the Radobaan's black oil shell, could firmly adhere to anything it touched, solidifying it on the shell's surface. In the upper region of the Miasma Valley, with its diverse forms, sufficiently strong skeletons naturally became the preferred material for the Radobaan to arm itself.
"Good driving skills..." Li Fan observed for a moment and found that the Radobaan was quite steady in handling the curves and leaping over the ramps. It was clearly an experienced driver who had traversed the upper region for years, making him slightly worried about his plan.
"Here it comes, meow!" Dilu said nervously.
Rumble~ Rumble~
The ground vibrated.
Whoosh~
The Radobaan leaped high from the existing ramp.
Bang! It landed with a crash, scattering bone fragments, and continued rolling without slowing down.
Whoosh~
At the first small ramp, the Radobaan leaped again.
The three humans and one cat looked up, following its trajectory.
As if sensing that this section of the path previously lacked a leaping ramp, the puzzled Radobaan slightly extended its body in mid-air. The rolling disc quickly became oval.
Bang~ It landed with a crash, and the Radobaan slowed down slightly amidst the bumps.
"This is not good. Its familiarity with this mountain path far exceeds our imagination," Li Fan sensed that his plan might have been seen through.
Fortunately, the Radobaan didn't stop and accelerated again.
Whoosh~ The second leap arrived. Perhaps the previous leap had given the Radobaan confidence, as it didn't choose to slow down this time.
Bang~ It landed, and the third leaping ramp was right in front of it.
Whoosh~
"It's going up!" Eudora exclaimed excitedly, signifying the plan's success. At this moment, the Radobaan also realized that it seemed to have rushed out of its familiar track. Its disc-shaped body immediately tilted sideways in the air, quickly turning horizontal, and its leaping direction shifted.
Clatter~ Clatter~
The protruding bone spikes scraped against the upper ramp of the winding path. The Radobaan began to roll sideways on the narrow upper path.
"It can do that..." Apo said incredulously.
"There's still a chance. This kind of sideways rolling won't last long. It will definitely return to the ground. Ahead are continuous winding ramps. If it doesn't slow down enough upon landing, it will also rush off the track," Li Fan reasoned.
Just as Li Fan predicted, the narrow sides of the path caused the Radobaan's rolling body to shift downwards. Just as it could no longer maintain its balance, the Radobaan actively chose to disengage. It didn't retreat from the U-shaped bend it would face upon landing. Completing its directional shift in mid-air, the Radobaan landed at an angle, creating an arc on the ground with its high-speed rotation, drifting into the U-shaped bend.
"It failed, meow," Dilu's cat ears drooped, knowing all hope was lost.
"Uh, the road is rising," Apo reported uncertainly.
Everyone immediately looked, only to discover that a whole section of the Great Jagras skeleton, serving as the roadbed, was being pulled out and slowly rising upwards, right where the Radobaan was about to land.
"What's happening, Li Fan?" Eudora asked curiously.
"Perhaps it's the power of nature..." Li Fan looked at the golden insect silk stretched taut at the four corners of the Great Jagras skeleton, assuming that Shanshan was carrying out modification work. He just hadn't expected it to dig a pit for the Radobaan without any construction signs.
Whoosh~
On the now-vanished track, the Radobaan flew a certain distance before falling in a curve, plunging into the yellowish mist below.
"One, two, three, forty-four?" Bang! Li Fan, who was counting down, only faintly heard the sound of impact after nearly 15 seconds. Even if more Radobans passed by, they would most likely fall down here. With no further concerns, the team continued forward along the winding path.
Apo and Dilu collected traces as they walked. A day passed quickly, and the ecological survey yielded substantial results. Unfortunately, the search for the Zorah Magdaros remained fruitless. That night, near the camp, Li Fan also asked the Great Jagras and Shanshan, but they also had no clues about the Zorah Magdaros's whereabouts. After deliberation, Li Fan decided to return to the research base first to submit the current investigation progress, and then find a way to investigate the lower levels. In the game's plot, the tracking of the Zorah Magdaros also lost its lead at this point. However, Li Fan didn't want to be so passive. Since he also needed to house the Great Jagras and Shanshan and conduct preliminary exploration of the Miasma Valley, he decided to give it a try. He just hadn't anticipated that the tracking difficulty would be much greater than he expected.
The next day, Eudora dragged the two humans and one cat onto the anchor, then repeatedly struck the chain with a hammer. The anchor was quickly retrieved.
"So the anchor didn't serve much of a purpose," sighed Commander Ni Zhen of the Third Expeditionary Force in the research base, after hearing the collected intelligence.
"Yes, the descent height was too short. It seems that future hunter deployment will have to rely on the Glider Mantle. However, the camp has been established, and there are guiding insect markers. Once the scholars complete the map of the explored area, we can try to open it to hunters, but the entry requirements will have to be strict," Li Fan informed her.
"Alright, what are your plans for the next step?" Ni Zhen asked.
"To the lower level of the Miasma Valley. The research base has the descent coordinates provided by Master Haruno, right?"
"That's correct, but Master Haruno mentioned that these coordinates cannot be provided casually unless it's an emergency," Ni Zhen sighed.
"Don't worry, we are well-prepared this time, and there will be no danger," Li Fan assured her.
"Alright, you all get some rest. I'll go change the navigation route," Ni Zhen said with a helpless expression.
A large number of new ecological discoveries kept the research base busy. Among them were two discoveries that baffled the scholars: one was the Great Jagras appearing in both regions, and the other was the strange elevation of the Great Jagras skeleton.
Three days later, they successfully reached the descent point to the lower level, and good news also arrived. Scholars, by studying the skin of the Odogaron and combining it with the description of the miasma's properties and Master Haruno's design blueprints, had created a mask that could isolate the miasma. The drawback was that the research base's craftsmanship was not refined enough, and the quality was not guaranteed. Furthermore, without a testing environment, its actual effectiveness was unknown. Li Fan, operating on the principle of "better than nothing," applied for all 10 handmade masks.
"Why are the colors and shapes all different?" Li Fan asked curiously, looking at the colorful masks.
"Because they were made by multiple scholars, and each scholar had a different approach. But don't worry, the samples have been sent to the Starfall Outpost. If they are feasible, versions with higher craftsmanship will be mass-produced soon," Ni Zhen said with a dry laugh.
"If they are feasible... I understand. I'll pay attention to the mask usage," Li Fan said, acknowledging that the lack of real-world test reports was the biggest problem facing the development of the miasma mask.
With the previous descent experience, the team was now quite familiar with the process. Therefore, they didn't use the anchor and instead had Eudora carry them by flying.
"Hmm~ These masks are too ugly!" Eudora said, unable to accept the appearance after putting on the mask, which resembled a gas mask.
"Yours is okay, meow. Why does the one for cats have to be designed like an eel's head?" Dilu said helplessly.
"There's no choice. Let's just try to adapt," Li Fan, wearing a mask that resembled a round fish tank, had no better solution for this.
As the descent depth increased, the light gradually weakened, and soon the surroundings plunged into darkness. Eudora slowed down, and all members released the guiding insects from their waist pouches, each illuminating a direction. After flying down for eight to nine minutes, the three humans and one cat reached the bottom. However, all they could touch was the black rock beneath their feet and the pervasive stench of decay.
"This looks like the depths of an ordinary mountain range," Eudora felt nothing unusual.
Hiss~ Hiss~
At this moment, the guiding insects glowed brightly and all gathered in one direction.
"It's a guiding insect marker," Apo announced, and immediately followed. In the pitch darkness, the team soon arrived at a pit on the rock surface. Before they could even reach the edge to look, the strong, putrid smell blowing out from the hole already indicated where it led.
"Dilu, Apo, let Eudora take you back up first," Li Fan suggested, looking at the continuously churning yellowish miasma below. The reason was that in such a harsh environment, if a crisis occurred, Li Fan would find it difficult to guarantee their safety.
"I'm a hunter's partner! I won't back down easily!" Apo insisted.
"Me too, meow," Dilu said with determination.
"Alright, but you must not collect traces randomly anymore. All actions must follow my command," Li Fan stated his condition.
"Don't worry, I'll look after them too," Eudora assured him.
"Actually, you're the one I worry about the most. Everyone, do your investigation and then withdraw safely!" Li Fan said, extending his hand. Three palms and one cat paw were placed together.
"Let's go! ~Meow!" they shouted in unison. The team immediately descended into the pit. From the rock layer where they landed, it could be analyzed that the lower level of the Miasma Valley was actually located in deeper underground. Unlike in the game, here, apart from some bioluminescent bone fragments, there was no light source at all. The team could only rely on the guidance of the insects to grope their way through the rough and uneven, extremely large pit. Coupled with the miasma's invasion, the overall environment could be described as extremely grim. Even the extreme ecological environments like the Hoarfrost Reach and the Volcanic Hollow, which were considered extreme, felt much milder in comparison. After walking for about five minutes, the team finally emerged from the dense miasma and entered an area covered with moss. Gray beetles crawling on the ground and short-tailed lizards clinging to rock pillars were all new species they had never seen before. However, following Li Fan's previous instructions, the human and cat did not approach them for investigation.
"As expected, Master Haruno left a marker to leave the miasma-filled area," Li Fan concluded.
"It seems there's no threat here, but the guiding insects are still leading the way," Eudora reminded him.
"Then let's keep moving forward." After walking for several hundred meters, a simple campsite illuminated by a bonfire appeared before the team. This campsite was located in a recess of the rock wall, with a subterranean river emitting a blue-green light flowing by its side.
"This must be the campsite established by Master Haruno," Li Fan found it incredible.
"There are many fish bones by the bonfire, meow. They are probably leftovers from last night," Dilu analyzed.
"That means Master Haruno was living here yesterday!" Apo also expressed shock. Because in terms of the surrounding environment, it would be difficult for visitors to survive, let alone live there long-term.
"He's a tough guy," Li Fan commented. In terms of exploration and wilderness survival, Li Fan felt that the other party had reached the extreme. After all, guild field investigators had rotations and supply deliveries. Unless absolutely necessary, they would not stay in extremely dangerous areas for extended periods. Master Haruno, however, was different; he had made the wilderness his home. During the period when the Third Expeditionary Force was initially lost, it was also Master Haruno who found the research base and was responsible for information transmission between it and the Starfall Outpost.
"Let's rest for a bit first." The descent and arrival at the campsite did not take too much time. However, the arduous process made the team feel a sense of great length. Li Fan wanted to wait for Master Haruno's return to gather information, but after less than half an hour, rhythmic tremors from the ground forced them to depart immediately.
"The Zorah Magdaros is active nearby, which will affect many monsters. Everyone must remain cautious," Li Fan informed them as they rushed. The monsters inhabiting the lower level of the Miasma Valley were very aggressive. The proximity of the Zorah Magdaros would undoubtedly stimulate them further. Among the most concerning were the Blackveil Vaal Hazak and the Odogaron.
Zhao Lala reminds you: Remember to collect after reading.