Even if the Goddess of Fengrao descended to the world, this is undeniably red pine.

Sif quickened her pace, found the words left by Lisa, and couldn't help but tease:

"I've seen many illustrations of ginkgos in books, but it's the first time I've seen leaves that look like needles. I think this isn't a golden ginkgo, but a golden needle ginkgo."

Roland didn't mind Sif's teasing, he walked over seriously, looking at the words on the trunk.

Undoubtedly, it was written by Lisa.

He suddenly drew a dagger and chopped at it, while using his sleeve to cover his face to avoid being splattered with blood and fainting on the spot like Chancellor Cao.

The cover was highly effective.

The flying wood chips were all blocked and didn't splash onto his face.

Seeing Roland's slightly comical defensiveness and Lisa's bewildered gaze, Sif was well aware that the two of them didn't see the same thing last night.

She tentatively asked, "Were you influenced by some kind of hallucinogenic plant, seeing things differently from normal people?"

"The court chef once said that eating too many brightly colored fungi can cause hallucinations, with little people fighting in front of your eyes."

"Of course not, we didn't eat anything last night."

"Forget it, let's come again at night." Sif fell silent for a moment, then made a decision.

"Huh? Again, we have to come again?" Lisa's tone was a bit flustered.

"Of course we have to come, and we have to be fully prepared, ready with special exorcism tools like the Holy Cross, silver knives, and so on."

Adding a black donkey's hoof, Roland thought silently.

Sif's eyes burned with a desire for battle, her fresh voice radiated indisputable determination.

"This valley is only thirty miles from Hansa City. If there's a problem here, Hansa City will be affected too. Problems need to be solved, definitely can't be like an ostrich burying its head in the sand."

Lisa stared blankly at Sif.

She still remembered Sif's frantic plea for help to Roland, just a few months ago.

In just a few months, Sif had changed so much?

I can't fall behind either.

Lisa bit her lip and made a silent resolution.

The three dispersed to search around, finding no abnormalities.

The bleeding wild vegetables seemed nonexistent, but they weren't entirely without gain.

Sif won a race with a wild rabbit, catching a plump rabbit for cooking.

Roland climbed a tree and picked some wild fruits.

Lisa had the biggest harvest, finding three types of wild vegetables recorded in ancient recipes.

Since they're already here, they couldn't just do nothing.

If there's nothing else, then let's have a meal first.

Lisa took the ingredients to the river for processing and to prepare lunch, while Roland and Sif continued to roam around the valley.

Seeing Lisa's back disappear, Sif finally couldn't help but ask: "You really weren't hallucinating, were you?"

Asking this directly might be impolite, but with Lisa not present, it was fine.

Roland was a bit surprised.

He wasn't surprised that Sif noticed something was wrong, given her observational skills, it was normal. What surprised him was that Sif was considerate of Lisa's feelings.

Sif was proud and even arrogant.

Her eyes could only see blossoms, unable to notice the weeds by the roadside, yet this time she cared about what Lisa thought.

Anyhow, it was a good signal.

Roland slowly shook his head.

"Last night I was with her, did I also have hallucinations?"

Of course, Sif wouldn't doubt Roland, she started to contemplate further, quickly proposing a few hypotheses.

"I have a few possible explanations in mind. First, this tree has a problem; second, someone deliberately hides the truth; third, there's an issue with this valley. Naturally, it could be all three."

Roland lowered his voice and asked, "Which do you think is more likely?"

"I think the entire valley has a problem. A shape-shifting golden ginkgo and daytime bleeding vegetables are strange existences never documented in books."

Sif was a bit troubled, "There are too many doubts, I don't know where to break through."

"Not knowing is okay, we can try the control variable method."

"Control variable?"

"Yes, let's come back tonight, just the two of us." Roland said calmly.

Lisa was timid, coming at night she might not be able to help much, swapping her with Sif was also part of controlling variables.

"I understand. Your sister is coming over, let's eat first."

Although there was some unease, and the surroundings were somewhat eerie, Lisa's culinary skills, on the other hand, were at their best.

The three of them set the tablecloth at the mouth of the valley, forming a standard equilateral triangle, sharing the food.

The rabbit was roasted to a golden brown, sprinkled with various spices, the aroma was alluring.

Taking the crispy yet tender rabbit leg Lisa handed over, Sif carefully blew on the slightly hot tempting roast, elegantly and quickly ripping into the rabbit leg.

"This is the most delicious rabbit meat I've ever had!"

Lisa initially thought this was Sif's polite remark until she felt the power of the compliment.

A five-star rating from the Elf Princess Sif.

Lisa excitedly stood up.

Roland, knowing what was exciting her, gestured with his eyes for her to quickly sit down.

Sif, not knowing what was exciting her, was stunned for a few seconds, still couldn't figure it out, so she simply put down the boring speculation, and continued to battle with the delicious roasted rabbit leg.

She was quite aware that a woman's rationality occasionally goes offline.

Maybe Lisa was just bitten by a bug on her butt.

Mm, this rabbit meat is so delicious, better eat a few more bites while they're dazed.

...

The exploratory action ended without additional findings.

Besides having flowers and plants during winter, Nameless Valley seemed normal during the day.

Lisa was eager to return to the Governor's Mansion, hinting at the exploration team to head back early.

Compared to exploring the valley, Lisa wanted to advance in an undisturbed environment more.

The advancement process was both simple and troublesome, she had to make the corresponding dishes in order.

Lisa found an excuse to send Roland and Sif away, to complete the advancement ceremony.

Roland and Sif conveniently slipped out of her sight, setting off once again.

Before setting off, they found Mr. Norton, opened his Alchemy Warehouse, and took away many precious finished tools.

Norton watched the two take countless items, and couldn't help but complain:

"Hey, what on earth are you planning? Why even take the Dragon Slayer Potion!"

"You should reflect on why you have such a thing first." Roland said with a smirk as he tucked a bottle of light purple potion into his chest.

Norton was speechless.

It was said that some unknown islands and valleys far from the civilized world still had giant dragons, but it was only hearsay.

The "dragons" used as trophies by those legendary dragon-slaying warriors were mostly large lizards or medium-to-large crocodiles.

The Dragon Slayer Potion Norton made was certainly not for these small creatures, but for real dragons.

In front of his boss, Norton's protest was merely a jest.

In fact, he desired Roland's approval more.

Watching Roland and Sif rummage around, he couldn't help but offer reminders and helped them prepare plenty of items for dealing with trees.

As for where these things came from, Roland didn't ask, and he didn't want to say.

Ask, and it's intellectual property.

Loaded with tools, ready with various long and short weapons, and taking along three simple traps, Roland and Sif set off once again under the moonlight.

This night, the Blue Moon hung high, silent and windless, but Lisa's culinary skills, on the other hand, were at their peak, the surroundings were also somewhat eerie, but the atmosphere was filled with anticipation. Roland and Sif each rode a fast horse, speeding through the moonlit night.

Tonight, under the Blue Moon, there was an air of solemnity and mystery. Despite the tension, the atmosphere had an undercurrent of excitement, as both of them somehow sensed that something significant was going to happen.

Roland felt that he didn't need to mobilize the army.

First, for fear of leaking information, and second, because an ordinary army wouldn't be able to help much in this kind of situation.

They galloped under the moonlit sky.

Silent and serious, their only goal was to reach the valley quickly.

At the valley's entrance, the two of them dismounted the horses.

"I am wearing three layers of armor," Sif said calmly, her hand gripping the assembled long spear with its withering potion smeared on the tip, alert as she walked forward.

Cotton armor, light chain armor, enchanted plate armor, none were skipped.

Sif's current defensive capability was formidable, equipped with everything from cotton armor to enchanted plate armor.

Normally Roland protected her, but now she was leading the way.

Roland wasn't bothered, he drew his dagger and followed behind, squinting to observe their surroundings.

The two walked directly toward the tallest tree in the valley.

Sure enough, at night it transformed into a golden ginkgo again.

She lunged at it with a thrust, applying the withering potion to the assembled spear tip, her voice calm as she advanced cautiously.

Her expertise didn't lie in protecting plants, nor was she a forester.

She didn't understand the value of this ginkgo.

All she knew was that a thing beyond comprehension must be dealt with decisively.

...

The exploration ended without any additional gains.

The Nameless Valley during the day appeared quite normal besides having flowers and grass in winter.

Lisa was in a hurry to return to the Governor's Mansion, subtly suggesting that the exploration team head back early.

More than exploring the valley, Lisa was keen to advance in an undisturbed environment.

The advancement process was both simple and challenging, necessitating her to prepare the corresponding dishes in a specific order.

Lisa found an excuse to send Roland and Sif away, so she could complete the advancement ceremony.

Roland and Sif managed to stay out of her sight, once again heading towards the valley's center under the cover of night.

Fulfulling the exploration plan had yielded no extraordinary discoveries.

During the day, the Nameless Valley, apart from its unseasonable flowers and vegetation, outwardly seemed quite normal.

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