Zhan Xing cleared obstacles and obtained a lot of wood and herbs. Su Yao didn't waste them either and synthesized many potions using the herbs.

The wood didn't have an immediate use, but according to the game's logic, it would definitely be needed later. So Su Yao carefully stored it in her inventory.

Time flew by, and three more days passed.

Gerald traveled through the night and arrived at the inn.

Seeing Su Yao again felt like a lifetime ago.

It wasn't Su Yao who had changed significantly, but rather the inn and the Misty Forest that had transformed drastically.

Whether it was the smooth black road, the doubled size of the hotel, or the strange creatures inside the hotel, all of it was unfamiliar to Gerald.

Masaya sensed Gerard's unease and took the initiative to show him around the new hotel. Zhan Xing observed the young boy with considerable patience, even mentioning that it appreciated the boy's simplicity and sincerity. As for the little snake, anyone who harbored no ill will towards it was considered a friend. It was the most easygoing non-human around Su Yao, and it had already become fast friends with Gerard upon their first meeting.

Little Snake: Finally, I've met someone around my age!

Gerald met the new clerk, got acquainted with the new concrete road, and finally felt a bit relaxed under the warm welcome of the staff and Su Yao.

"Let's talk business." Seeing that Gerard was feeling better, Su Yao took the initiative to ask.

Gerald took out the storage bag and recounted his experiences with perfect clarity.

Treating Mother ( ) Magic Ore ( ) Potion ( ) Potion Collaboration (In Progress) Rice Seeds (In Progress)

"Your safety is also well ensured, and that is the most important thing." Su Yao's greatest fear was that this pure-hearted young man might be attacked by evil spirits or beasts on the way, or deceived by malicious people with ill intentions.

It was just a single sentence, and Gerard couldn't hold back his tears. He truly felt that apart from his family, Su Yao was the best person in the world!

Gerald whimpered, causing Zhan Xing and the little snake to laugh, which made Gerald embarrassed. He quickly wiped his face clean with his sleeve.

Su Yao also smiled. The atmosphere in the inn was really wonderful now, and this happiness even made her, a corporate slave, gradually forget the pain she once experienced in the workplace.

"I won't cry anymore, so stop laughing. Shopkeeper, what should we do about the pest problem?" As soon as the pest problem was mentioned, Gerard became worried again.

Apart from the pest infestation in the rice fields, everything else went smoothly. But this single difficulty truly defeated them all.

"Yes, what should we do about the pest problem? System, is there any pesticide in the store? Can it be used on this?"

[There are insecticides available in the mall, but use them with caution. Modern insecticides are very effective, but they can also cause environmental pollution. Once the insects get used to this type of insecticide and develop resistance, you'll have to switch to a different kind...]

This repeats some of the steps of modern times and is not the optimal choice for future development.

"System, stop beating around the bush. Just tell me, how much?"

The system cannot provide a solution. If this solution is not good, then there must be other better ones waiting behind. It's just that she will have to pay again.

[Option one, unlock the insecticide in the potion book and create a pure, natural, and harmless insecticide; option two, learn the magic circle and set up an automatic insect-repelling magic circle in the field.]

It seems like there are two options, but only one can be chosen.

"How do you unlock the insect repellent formula?" Su Yao remembered that the recipe in this book could only be discovered through her own exploration before it would provide specific dosages and methods.

[Next task: Find one of the important ingredients for the insect repellent, pyrethrum (0/30). [Click to view image]]

[Timed Task: Discover the ingredients of the insect repellent. Countdown: 50:59:59.]

The insecticide still needed Su Yao to explore on her own, but the system provided some guidance.

Su Yao opened the picture of the chrysanthemum to check for pests.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Pyrethrum is a type of small white flower, with white petals surrounding a yellow pistil, growing in clusters.

Su Yao described the appearance of the flower to the little snake, and the little snake immediately set off with the task.

"Gerald, do you need more rest?"

Gerald knew that Su Yao needed his help to find pyrethrum. He stood up and shook his head, "No need, I'm not tired."

"Should I go in that direction?" Gerard chose the direction completely opposite to the little snake.

"The direction is this way, but you won't be going there on your own."

Gerald looked at Su Yao in confusion. Su Yao smiled and raised a bunch of keys in her hand. "Let's go! I'll take you for an off-road experience."

Ya stayed to watch the store, while Su Yao took Zhan Xing and Gerard in the off-road vehicle.

The magic ore was placed into the fuel tank of the off-road vehicle, and Su Yao followed the blueprint provided by the system to draw. Although she hadn't reached the level of mastering magic arrays, following the blueprint still worked, and the vehicle immediately gained driving power.

Su Yao opened the car door, letting Zhan Xing and Gerard get in.

Zhan Xing and Gerard were dumbfounded; they had never seen such a big metal box before. Zhan Xing used his dragon whiskers to touch everything, knocking on the car door, feeling the car window, pressing the car seat... everything was very strange. But once the dragon sat inside, with sunlight streaming through the car windows and the cool air from the front air conditioner blowing back, it was actually quite comfortable.

To be honest, this was also the first time Su Yao had come into close contact with an off-road vehicle; before, she only dared to look at them online.

Everyone got in the car, and Su Yao started driving.

At the beginning, it was Su Yao's adaptation phase, the speed was not fast, and Zhan Xing and Gerard leisurely enjoyed this relaxed pace. Gerard even felt a bit sleepy.

But gradually, Su Yao had become familiar with the car and was no longer satisfied with a speed of thirty miles per hour. "Get ready, I'm going to speed up!"

"Can it go even faster?"

"Of course."

As soon as the words fell, Su Yao hit the gas, and the car shot forward.

The cement road was flat, and no matter how fast they drove, the bumps were minimal. But as soon as Su Yao drove into the unpaved area, the jolts became much more pronounced. Gerard clung tightly to the seatbelt, but his body still bounced up and down incessantly.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The off-road vehicle drove through a water bay, with water and mud splashing everywhere. The car jolted up and down with the uneven ground, causing Gerard to cry out in surprise.

Zhan Xing grinned widely, laughing. Normally, it flew, so the speed of the car was nothing to it. Watching Gerard in such a pitiful state only amused it.

"Are you okay? Do you want to slow down?"

The wind tousled Su Yao's hair. She quite enjoyed the speed and excitement, but she was still worried that Gerard might get carsick, so she considerately slowed down.

Gerald shook his head: "I'm fine, the shopkeeper can open it, don't worry about me."

Zhan Xing smiled and praised Su Yao, "You look so thin and weak, I didn't expect you to be so bold."

Su Yao had the appearance of a gentle girl, and her usual personality and demeanor matched that of a cheerful and soft girl. Who would have thought she had a bit of a "wild" side when it came to driving?

The car left the area familiar to Su Yao and arrived at an unfamiliar small hill.

They parked the car, and both Su Yao and Gerard got out. They didn't have the exact location of the pyrethrum, so they could only rely on their eyes to search everywhere.

As for Warstar, this wasn't within its scope of work, and it wouldn't do such a thing. It came along merely to protect Su Yao and Gerald, and of course, to take the opportunity to experience the off-road vehicle.

The two walked away, and with a single leap, Zhan Xing landed in the driver's seat. With nothing else to do, it decided to study this metal box...

Su Yao and Gerald split up to search for the white flowers. As they searched, they didn't overlook the various plants and herbs along the way. Pyrethrum was useful, and so were other herbs. However, since the system had issued a task for pyrethrum, it was indeed hard to find. The two of them had to keep changing locations, moving on if they couldn't find it in one place. If they couldn't find it in this area, they would get in the car and head to another unsearched spot. After several attempts, they finally found a few flowers. At this moment, the little snake also brought news that it had found about a dozen pyrethrum flowers.

Adding both sides together, the task was finally completed.

Su Yao and Gerald changed locations too many times and spent a long time searching. Zhan Xing watched and practiced in the car, and in the end, he actually learned how to drive.

On the return trip, it was Zhan Xing who drove. Although it wasn't very steady and constantly gave Su Yao and Gerard the feeling that they might veer off course and crash into a tree or drive into the river at any moment, overall it was manageable. It actually managed to use its paws to steer the car all the way to the hotel.

Su Yao had just entered the room when the little snake slithered back, swaying its body.

It had no storage tools, so it could only carry things in its mouth. With white flowers against its white body, from a distance, it looked like a giant enchanted wreath.

Upon seeing Su Yao, the little snake immediately spat out the pyrethrum. Then it began to sneeze and cough frantically, each time causing its entire body to tremble, looking very uncomfortable.

It was only then that Su Yao realized that pyrethrum, pyrethrum, should also include snakes!

"Little snake, are you alright?"

The little snake was still sneezing uncontrollably, unable to speak at all.

Su Yao was heartbroken and momentarily forgot about the master-servant contract. It was only when Ya reminded her that Su Yao remembered.

The contract in place, Su Yao and the little snake were in sync. The little snake didn't seem to have any issues, just a slightly uncomfortable nose.

Zhan Xing saw it and said, "This thing can no longer be considered an ordinary snake. The little white flower will at most affect its nose, and it will be fine in a while. If you're worried, just throw it in the water. It should be a creature of the water, right?"

Su Yao nodded, filled a large basin with water, and let the little snake soak in it.

Back in the water, the little snake seemed much better, though it kept sneezing.

"Master, don't worry about me. I can feel it, it will be over soon." After another minute of continuous strikes, the frequency finally decreased. The little snake glanced at the air and spoke to Su Yao.

Su Yao gently touched the little snake's body with concern: "Don't do this next time. If you feel uncomfortable, just stay away and send me a message. I'll come to get you."

After speaking, Su Yao took out a few pieces of wild beast meat for the little snake. The little snake had indeed digested its morning meal and pounced on the meat as soon as it saw it, sneezing while eating.

Accompanied by the sound of the little snake's sneeze, Su Yao began her potion research.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the task, you have obtained a clue to the potion formula *1.]