Chapter 134: Magma Crab

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Ye Da applauded Zhang Ya. "You are absolutely right!"

"This is indeed a volcanic region, and there are indeed hot spring pools here. The temperature will likely drop again tonight, so I have decided to spend the night by the volcano."

Chu Ping’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Lord, how did you know there was a volcano here?"

Zhang Ya also turned to look at Ye Da, her expression filled with confusion.

[Loyalty: 80% (The boss just praised me, I’m so happy! But how did he know there was a volcano here? It’s as if he predicted the situation in advance, or... has the boss been here before? But he doesn't look like someone who has been here before. Could it be that the boss deduced it just like I did...?)]

Ye Da hadn't expected Zhang Ya to have such an active imagination, but he didn't want to waste time explaining. "The map."

"Huh?"

Neither Chu Ping nor Zhang Ya had expected this answer.

Chu Ping asked incredulously, "It's that simple?"

"What else?" Ye Da rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's go! We still need to find a place to set up the house before it gets dark."

"Lord," Zhang Ya frowned, "The geothermal heat here is too intense; I doubt any trees can grow here. We probably won't be able to spend the night."

"You can rest easy!" Chu Ping said, his confidence surging as he spoke about something he knew. "The Lord has long since upgraded the treehouse into a stone house, and it's quite spacious! It’s more than enough for the three of us!"

"Could it be..." Zhang Ya was truly unsettled now. "The Lord lives in a mobile stone house?!"

If Ye Da had upgraded to an ordinary stone house, she might not have been so shocked. But Ye Da had upgraded to a mobile stone house! That was a Tier 6 structure!

Everyone knew how many materials were required for each upgrade of a treehouse. To reach Tier 3, Zhang Ya had nearly exhausted all her supplies. Even then, it was only because she had found several treasure chests and traded their contents for more materials that she managed to reach Tier 3. And that was already her limit! After reaching Tier 3, her empty inventory had left her in a state of starvation...

Yet, the man before her had already upgraded his house to Tier 6?!

Zhang Ya was utterly shocked.

"Of course," Chu Ping said triumphantly. "You don't even know who our Lord is—he’s the Newbie King of District One! The Lord's stone house isn't just an ordinary one; it has a fireplace, a pharmaceutical workbench, a tool bench, and even a bathroom! Tell me, are you envious?"

Zhang Ya’s expression remained as cold as ever, but she made no effort to hide her thoughts. "I am."

"Tie this around your waists." Ye Da produced a rope woven from flax. He tied one end around his own waist and handed the rest to Zhang Ya. "Once we enter the volcanic zone, try to stay close and don't get separated."

"Understood!"

Zhang Ya didn't waste words and tied the rope around her waist immediately. Chu Ping, naturally, wouldn't refuse the Lord's request; after all, his loyalty was even higher than Zhang Ya's!

"Achoo!"

"Achoo! Achoo!"

As soon as the two wolf pups stepped into the foggy area, they seemed unable to handle the smell and let out several sneezes.

Ye Da patted their heads. "You two need to stay close, got it?"

"Woof!" the pups replied.

Ye Da tugged on the rope to ensure everyone was connected, then headed toward the volcano. Every so often, he would stop to analyze the surroundings with his Analytical Goggles. He hadn't expected the fog to be this thick—where could the treasure chest be hiding?

Fortunately, the goggles were reliable!

[Bronze treasure chest, 74 meters to the south.]

"Found it!"

Ye Da’s eyes lit up, and he prepared to walk over quickly. But just then, he noticed another line of text appearing beneath the prompt!

[PS: Guarded by Lava Crabs. Please beware of the Lava Crabs' attacks!]

"What?!"

Ye Da was stunned for a few seconds. The species in this Mist World were truly diverse; he hadn't expected living creatures to exist in a place like this, though it seemed to be some kind of crab.

If it was just a crab, he shouldn't be too worried. After all, no matter how big, it would likely only be the size of a spider crab—nothing compared to a human. If it dared to show itself, he could just catch it for dinner. Crab-fried rice and tempura crab sounded quite good!

"Ah!!!"

Before Ye Da could finish daydreaming about his meal, he heard a scream from behind. He immediately turned his head to find Chu Ping and Zhang Ya, only to discover that the rope had been cut at some point!

The long flax rope now consisted only of a short segment dangling from his waist.

"Chu Ping? Zhang Ya?"

Ye Da shouted their names, but everything was deathly quiet, save for the sound of bubbling.

"Xiao Hui? Xiao Bai?!"

Ye Da realized the two wolf pups were gone too. His heart sank, and he called out again. There was no response from either his companions or the pups.

What was happening? Where were they?

[❗️❗️❗️]

Just as Ye Da was searching for his subordinates and the pups, several large red exclamation marks suddenly appeared before him.

These exclamation marks usually signified danger. Without a word, Ye Da pulled his heavy axe from his back and petrified every part of his body that he could. Although his spirit energy bow had higher attack power, in a place filled with such dense fog, a bow was far less useful than a melee weapon!

"Lord, watch out!"

"Bloop!"

"Whoosh!"

The shout, the sound of bubbles, and the sharp whistle of wind occurred almost simultaneously. Ye Da lunged backward and swung his axe. He felt a violent jolt in his hand—the axe had struck something as hard as stone, sending a sharp pain through his palm!

The fog swirled and dissipated slightly under the force of the axe and the monster's movement.

Only then did Ye Da see the situation clearly: a massive, crimson-blue crab claw, as large as the drill of a construction vehicle, was right in front of him. The claw was clamped tightly onto his axe, even bending the steel blade!

Behind the giant claw, a shadow the size of a minivan emerged from the fog.

[Lava Crab: Black Iron Tier 3]