Mars eyed the hazardous rock formation warily. “Should we follow Snowball?” Kit hesitated, unsure if it was a wise decision. But he couldn’t resist the possibility of finding the a new recipe, plus his companion had just disappeared inside.
Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind to follow their adventurous dog. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach as they manoeuvred through the narrow gaps between rocks, always mindful of the threat of being crushed.
Finally, they reached an opening that led into a cave, just tall enough for Kit to stand upright but requiring Mars to crouch down slightly. Snowball's excited barks echoed from inside, beckoning them forward.
Kit was taken aback by the voice that accompanied the yips from within the cave. It was soft and smooth and unlike any voice he had encountered before. Snowball continued to yap excitedly at the unknown person inside the cave. "Alright, alright, I'll tell your friend,” the voice responded. "But are you sure you want someone as senseless as him to have it?"
A sharp yip followed the question, piquing Kit's curiosity even more. He didn't have to wait long to find out what was going on. A white short-haired cat emerged from the cave entrance, followed closely by a boisterous Snowball. The cat's fur glowed slightly in the sunlight and looked incredibly soft.
Snowball continued to jump around, much to the irritation of the cat. With a flick of its paw, the cat swatted at Snowball. "Sit down, you're making me dizzy."
Despite having met CAL and knowing talking animals were possible, Kit couldn't help but feel a bit surprised by this talking cat. But then again, nothing seemed impossible anymore. The snow-white cat turned its large sapphire eyes towards Kit, and he could feel an intense pressure emanating from the creature.
He realized it was a warning not to make any sudden moves or risk facing death - something he definitely wanted to avoid. Kit understood that this was the moon sphinx he had been tasked with finding in order to gain access to the traveling grove.
Deciding it would be best to treat this powerful feline with respect, Kit spoke up. "Hello, I'm Kit," he said with a bow towards the cat. "This is Mars, and the little guy is Snowball."
"Snowball told me you're here for some Moon juice magic," the cat said doubtfully, eyeing them all warily.
Kit responded respectfully, "I heard about it in town today and would like to give it a try." The small cat turned its gaze from Snowball to Kit.
"Since you two are friends, I will allow you entry." Kit's eyes widened in surprise at the cat's response. He didn't expect gaining entry to be so easy.
With a grateful smile towards Snowball, Kit thought of a reward for his little companion for securing their smooth access to the traveling grove. It was all thanks to Snowball's luck.
As he considered potential rewards, the white cat spoke again. "To extract the moon's magic, you must find me among the green, under the Jewel on black velvet, swaying to the song of the big white roar." The small cat's voice had a musical quality, almost hypnotic in its smoothness.
Kit suddenly realized that the cat had given him a riddle. He couldn't stand riddles - why couldn't it just tell him the recipe outright? Sighing, Kit hoped that Mars was better at solving riddles than he was. The sphinx's powerful voice rang out, "You may enter the moon fruit grove."
Ding!
[Found: White moon travelling pocket realm.]
Rewards: 50 experience points.
Kit shivered as a sudden chill swept over his body, causing goosebumps to rise on his arms. The cat had returned to the cave and completely ignored them now that its task was complete. Kit glanced at Mars to see if he also felt the cold. Sure enough, Mars had goosebumps too.
"What just happened?" Kit asked, feeling completely lost.
"The barrier has lifted. We can finally enter the grove. Are you ready? I have no idea what we might find inside," Mars replied with excitement evident in his voice.
Although he was nervous about following the cat into the unknown, Kit knew he couldn't turn back now. If he wanted to learn how to make the drink, he had to face his fears and enter the cave. He reminded himself that exploring CAL required courage and being uncomfortable at times.
"I'm ready. Let's go before I change my mind," Kit said, trying to bolster his own courage.
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"Great, maybe we'll even find some monsters in there!" Mars exclaimed with a one-track mind.
Kit shook his head but couldn't help feeling a bit excited himself. While their goals were different - finding the moon fruit versus searching for unique creatures - they both shared a sense of adventure as they followed the white cat deeper into the cave.
Once they passed through the entrance, Kit gasped in surprise. Instead of a cold, dark cave, he found himself in a tropical paradise. The humid air warmed his body, and vibrant shades of green from dense tropical flora filled his vision.
Towering trees reached up to five stories high, and a hot pink bird that resembled a flamingo stopped its scratching on the ground to stare at him curiously. This was truly a place people would pay thousands to visit.
“One,” squawked the hot pink bird at Kit. He wasn't sure what it meant by that.
“One what?” he asked, hoping for clarification.
“One.”
"Do you want one of something?"
"One."
"Kit, I don't think it knows how to say anything else. Just ignore it," Mars said dismissively, shooing the bird away with their hand. The bird took flight, its large wings flapping.
Kit looked around for the moon sphynx, but it had disappeared. He wasn't too worried; he was sure it would show up eventually.
Meanwhile, Snowball was happily sniffing all the new scents in the tropical garden. His whole body was wiggling with joy. Kit couldn't help but giggle at his furry companion before they continued through the foliage in search of some fruit.
They moved slowly through the thick plants, and Kit's pants were already torn in a few places from catching on broken branches. He made a mental note to repair them later tonight.
"Snowball, can you find us some fruit in here?" asked Kit hopefully.
Snowball began sniffing around on the ground. Being smaller than Kit, he had an easier time manoeuvring through the plants. After a few minutes, Snowball let out a happy yip and headed east. Kit and Mars followed him to an orchard of small trees where they found plenty of ripe fruit to eat.
The trees were planted in neat rows, creating a clear path to walk through the orchard. It looked like a human-made landscape; there was no way these orderly trees could have grown naturally. Kit noticed that they were all the same height as him.
As he approached the edge of the orchard, the thick foliage suddenly ended. He went up to one of the trees and saw a purple berry, about the size of an eyeball, hanging from one of its branches. The skin was rough, but it was covered in soft fur.
Curious, Kit plucked one of the berries and brought it to his nose. It had a delicate floral scent. Using his identification skills, Kit tried to determine what type of berry it was.
[Purple moon fruit]
A berry with a sweet juicy flavour that bursts in the mouth. The skin cannot be consumed.
Kit's heart raced as he realized he had found the elusive moon fruit. But a nagging feeling told him it might be too easy, and there could be a hidden catch waiting for him.
Shrugging off his worries, Kit began to pluck the berries from the tree, even though he was getting scratches from the twigs and leaves.
"Mars, come help me with these," he called out excitedly. Together, they gathered over 5000 of the purple berries in an hour, thanks to Kit's improved speed attribute from his boots.
As he collected the fruit, Kit mulled over the riddle and clues given to him by the white cat. The first part seemed obvious - the berries were nestled among the green trees. But the next two parts still eluded him.
Lost in thought, he looked up at the darkening sky and saw the moon appearing as daylight faded. "Under the Jewel on black velvet and swaying to the song of the big white roar," he recited from the cats hints about the moon berry fairies blessing the fruit. "Do I need to find a fairy?"
Interrupting his musings, Mars called him over to look at something by some green flora. As they got closer, they noticed tiny white flowers glowing softly among the greenery.
Kit admired the scenery, enthralled by the small flowers that seemed to glow in the darkness. As he looked around, more of them appeared, enchanting him even further. He couldn't resist plucking one from its stem and using his identification tool on it.
[Moon fairy]
A delicate white flower that only blooms under the moon.
Kit's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "Mars, I think we have discovered the elusive fairies that grant blessings to the moon fruit. But they are not actual fairies, rather a type of flower!"
Kit's heart raced with excitement. He never thought he would find the second ingredient so easily. With growing enthusiasm, he began to gather the delicate flowers.
Ding!
[Skill learned: novice harvester]
Player has just gained a little insight into harvesting, player is not a complete disaster at harvesting. Doubles the amount harvested from a single produce.
+ 5 Intelligence
+ 3 Agility
Finally, Kit's harvesting skill had been upgraded! It seemed like it took forever for him to achieve this milestone. Now, when he picked flowers, he would be rewarded with double the yield. He couldn't help but wish he had upgraded sooner while collecting berries.
"Kit, I really think you are right, the more I think about it, the more it meets the description from the sphynx," Mars exclaimed with excitement. "To find the prize, you must seek me amongst the green, under the Jewel on black velvet and swaying to the song of the big white roar."
"The second part refers to the moon in the night sky, right?" Mars looked at Kit expectantly.
"Yes, I believe so. These flowers only bloom at night, and the Jewel is most likely the moon while the black velvet is the sky," Kit replied.
"So then maybe the third part could be hinting at a white monster? The roar could potentially be linked to a fierce creature," Kit pondered aloud.
Mars' eyes lit up with excitement as a wide grin spread across his face. "I really hope you're onto something here, Kit. Snowball, can you try to locate a white monster for us?"
Mars crouched down and gave the little dog a pat on the head. "Kit, can you carry the fruits in your pouch again? Mine is almost full," Mars said, handing over all of the berries.
This was a routine they had done countless times while harvesting fruit. Kit was grateful to have their special pouch, with its 5,000 slots for storage and ability to stack items up to 1,000. Kit wondered what an even more remarkable pouch would look like.
Kit became lost in thought as he continued picking small flowers as they followed Snowball, Mars did the same.