Yu Chenjin had changed into a different outfit, and his hair had grown out a little longer. But he was still holding that same monk staff, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.“So coincidental,” Yun Luohe said with a smile, teasing him a little when she saw the way he looked.“Indeed,” Yu Chenjin replied.Yun Luohe raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go. It’s too damn hot—I want to get this done quickly.”Yu Chenjin nodded. “You came alone?”“I did. Brought my spider pet.”“What level is it now?”“Level 4.”Yu Chenjin took out a bestiary from his backpack and handed it to her. “This is the wolf spider manual—I promised to give it to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) you.”“The original?”“No. I made a copy for myself. This one’s for you.”He did this to avoid any suspicion about the manual’s authenticity.Seeing how considerate he was, Yun Luohe’s impression of him improved even more. When it came to Yúntūn’s safety, she would’ve definitely been concerned about fake data. If she followed faulty information and something went wrong, it could’ve led to a serious misunderstanding.“Thanks. When Yúntūn hits level 8, I’ll fulfill my promise.”Yu Chenjin: “Mm. Let’s go.”Under the searing heat, both of their [Stamina] points were continuously dropping. The only reason they could still hold out was thanks to their cloaks, which protected them from UV rays. Their boots were specialized mountaineering gear—safe to walk on the ground without getting scorched. Still, even through the soles, they could feel the surface heat, so they walked quickly with every step.Stepping onto the ash-covered plain, they were greeted by a vast, endless gray-brown expanse.Thick volcanic ash blanketed the ground like a giant rug, burying the original terrain underneath.Even if it was technically a “plain,” it shouldn’t have been this flat—there wasn’t a single rise or dip.The air was thick with a pungent sulfur stench, mixed with fine particles of volcanic ash. With every breath, they inhaled trace amounts of it.Seeing so much volcanic ash naturally made both of them happy—but collecting it was going to be a real problem.The ash had built up across the surface, but if you pinched it with your fingers, it would crumble. Even using a shovel didn’t work.It wasn’t like the underwater volcanic ash, which was wet and could solidify. This dry ash had to be packed into containers little by little.They stopped by the trading hub and bought a few bristle brushes and ceramic containers.Working together, Yun Luohe and Yu Chenjin crouched down—Yu Chenjin used the brush to sweep loose volcanic ash into piles, while Yun Luohe held the container and made sure every speck fell precisely in.Time passed, and sweat dripped steadily down both of their foreheads.It was simply too hot. Volcano Island was even hotter than the reef, likely due to the volcano in the distance still spewing flames.Yun Luohe had originally planned to rest and hydrate every two hours, but she now had to cut that down to one hour.After gulping down a full bottle of ice water, she finally felt a bit better.She pressed the icy plastic bottle against her forehead and cheeks to cool down—the cold touch made her feel like she was coming back to life.Her [Stamina] point stabilized at 75.Yun Luohe: “Let’s keep going. I think I’ll need to stop to cool off again in less than an hour.”“I’ve brought enough water. What about you?”“I’m good too. I’ve got iced drinks—they’re better than water. If you need one, just let me know.”Since she was cooperating with Yu Chenjin, she didn’t want him collapsing from heatstroke. He was a reliable helper, and that gave her some peace of mind.Volcano Island definitely wasn’t just dangerous because of the heat and lava.Besides, there was no way she could collect all the volcanic ash by herself. Even if a hundred more players came, they wouldn’t be able to harvest it all from this one plain.By the time they had collected just over two hundred portions of volcanic ash, they had already reached the center of the plain.They had been collecting while moving forward—if they’d just stayed in one spot, who knew how long it would take to reach other areas?Looking into the distance, the terrain of Volcano Island showed clear variations.Here was the plain; in front of the plain was a lava river glowing orange-red.The riverbed was covered in dense cracks of varying sizes.Molten lava surged through the gaps, sometimes splashing sparks of intense heat.At regular intervals, jets of steam would erupt from the riverbed without warning—towering dozens of meters into the air with a deafening boom, spreading heat and pungent sulfur vapor across the surroundings.Beyond the river were dark, steep mountains, their glossy black surfaces resembling obsidian.Yun Luohe suspected there might be an obsidian vein over there.So they would have to cross the lava river to reach the mountains.Two hundred units of volcanic ash wasn’t much. Split between them, it was just about a hundred each—not enough. But there was no choice. Obsidian was more important. They couldn’t stay on this island too long. Once they headed back after nightfall, they could continue collecting ash.But once they reached the mountains, it wouldn’t be as convenient anymore.Just as they were about to stop collecting and think about how to cross the river, Yun Luohe spotted a plant growing not far away.It was a short, thick-stemmed plant with lush green leaves—thriving right in the barren volcanic soil, which surprised her greatly.Its stems shimmered gold.She and Yu Chenjin noticed it at the same time and exchanged a glance, then walked over together.Up close, they could see the fruit—golden and shaped like peppers, though it wasn’t a variety Yun Luohe had seen before. The surface was glossy and reflective, likely resistant to UV rays.The long, cone-shaped fruits were dotted with irregular black bumps—like miniature volcanoes.[Volcanic Flame Pepper (Gold): Intensely spicy and unique in flavor. Usable for cooking and medicinal purposes. Has the effects of promoting blood circulation, dispelling cold, and removing dampness.]Anything edible was already valuable—let alone chili peppers, which Yun Luohe had always wanted.Even though it was way too hot out to be eating spicy food, she was still thrilled. She immediately dug up the whole plant with its roots.There were only five of them in the area. She took three, and Yu Chenjin took one.She carefully packed her three [Volcanic Flame Peppers] into her backpack and then continued toward the lava river with Yu Chenjin.As they got closer, waves of heat crashed into them—temperatures reaching 50°C made it almost unbearable.Yun Luohe pulled out an iced drink and chugged it in one go.Yu Chenjin seemed to be doing slightly better and just took a sip of cold water.“Can you still handle it?” Yun Luohe had been wondering about it, but then remembered—Yu Chenjin’s trait was [Enduring Body], so his physical constitution must be unusually resilient.“Yeah, I’m fine. Just hot.”The sulfur stench in the air was overwhelming—combined with the lava fumes, it was almost suffocating.They both frowned at the surging lava and the steam columns erupting unpredictably.Every now and then, without warning, a jet of steam would burst from the riverbed, spreading scalding sulfurous gas all around.The scalding lava added huge pressure—and the steam could erupt at any moment. This river was incredibly dangerous.One misstep, and you’d fall into the lava—bones and all would melt.But they had no choice.There was almost no way to walk around it. The lava river cut straight through the island’s center. Even if they searched all day, they might not find another route.Yun Luohe carefully observed the riverbed. “This river varies in width. Let’s check out the narrow spots.”The narrowest part was about ten meters across. The widest—more than twenty.Yu Chenjin paced along the riverbank, scanning the area for anything unusual.If this were a real wilderness survival scenario on a natural island, they might not find a way to cross.But this was still a game.No matter how difficult, there had to be a solution.Suddenly, Yun Luohe noticed that one area near the river’s edge had a lower frequency of steam eruptions.While other spots had three eruptions in a row, this one had only gone off once.Just as she was about to head over to investigate, her expression shifted. She stepped back and stabbed her hunting knife into the ground behind her.A fiery red lizard was glaring at her with icy eyes. Its stare made her uncomfortable, but Yun Luohe was lightning-fast—she slashed again, landing another strike on its body.The fire lizard let out a piercing screech, but her hunting knife had already pierced it through and pinned it to the ground.Without hesitation, Yun Luohe killed and dismantled it.[Obtained Fire Lizard Hide ×1][Fire Lizard Hide: Fire lizards are commonly found near lava riverbeds. Their hide has excellent fire resistance and can be used to craft fireproof clothing and gloves.]Yun Luohe’s eyes lit up.“That was a fire lizard. Its hide’s really useful. I’m going to look around and see if there are more.”Yu Chenjin: “Alright. Leave it to me.”“Then I’ll keep looking for a way to cross the river.”With her [Perception] trait and [Scanning Eye], Yun Luohe could quickly find details others missed—so finding a path across was her job.Upon closer inspection, she noticed that in the narrow area from earlier, there were irregularly shaped black boulders faintly protruding from the lava cracks.These boulders had been scorched pitch-black by the intense heat. Some were coated in a thin layer of glassy crust—cooled lava.“Yu Chenjin, look over there! The spacing between those rocks looks kind of even. Maybe we can use them as stepping stones,” Yun Luohe said, pointing at the area.Yu Chenjin looked in the direction she indicated, expression unchanged.“But those rocks have been soaked in lava too long—their surfaces must be extremely slick. Plus, we don’t know what’s beneath them. My boots can barely handle regular terrain—if I step on lava-soaked stone, the soles will melt right through…”He made a good point.But even so… there weren’t any better options at the moment.“What if we cooled them down?”“With what? If we use water, it’ll release a ton of steam.”“But it’ll also evaporate instantly.”“What about moss?”Wet moss might work.Then Yun Luohe thought of something else. “No, wait—there’s still the mutated seaweed!”Since [Mutated Seaweed] could resist high heat, maybe they could coat the rocks with it for insulation.“You mean the seaweed from the reef? It’s worth a try. We could smear [Seaweed Slime] on moss and lay it directly on the rocks—might work.”Yun Luohe immediately contacted Mu Zitang and asked him to gather some [Mutated Seaweed Powder] and high-grade moss.While waiting, she and Yu Chenjin killed three more fire lizards and obtained several more hides.Once she had the materials, Yun Luohe quickly began testing.But the moss burned to a crisp the moment she laid it down.Yun Luohe: “No good. Maybe we need something more advanced?”Yu Chenjin paused to think. “What about [Ice Crystals]?”

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