I Start with a Mysterious Island-Chapter 93: No Comparison, No Harm

"CAW CAW CAW..."

"CROAK CROAK CROAK..."

"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP..."

"TWITTER TWITTER..."

Strange bird calls echoed incessantly through the dense, leafy forest.

"RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE..."

A figure moved through the woods, his body brushing against branches and making rustling sounds.

"This terrain is a nightmare to navigate. And every so often, some thorny plant blocks the way," Lin Li grumbled. He then swung his Spiritual Longsword, hacking away the thorny vines in front of him.

More than half an hour had passed since he arrived in this unknown world, but Lin Li had covered less than a kilometer within the lush forest.

His pace was so slow for two reasons. First, he was unfamiliar with the forest and worried he might run into danger if he moved recklessly. Second, the terrain and environment were genuinely difficult to traverse.

"WHOOSH..."

As Lin Li moved slowly through the forest, he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. From the sound of it, there had to be a fast-flowing river not far from his current position.

"GRUMBLE..." His stomach let out a cry of protest. ’Why haven’t we eaten lunch yet?’

Lin Li patted his stomach, turned toward the sound of rushing water, and started walking in that direction.

After a few moments of hacking through the undergrowth, Lin Li saw a swift, ceaselessly flowing river ahead of him—just as he’d suspected.

"I’ll make a fire and cook lunch here on the riverbank," Lin Li mumbled to himself while looking at the river, and then started toward the bank.

The river was about fifteen meters wide. Every so often, large, meter-long fish would leap from its rushing currents.

"Whoa, those are huge grass carp! I can’t believe this Otherworld has them too. Finally, a species I recognize! But... why are their mouths full of sharp teeth?"

Standing on the riverbank, Lin Li observed the large grass carp that kept leaping from the water. He discovered that they looked exactly like the grass carp on Blue Star.

However, upon closer inspection, he could see that their gaping mouths were filled, top and bottom, with dense rows of sharp teeth capable of easily biting off a person’s finger.

"This is an Otherworld rich in Spiritual Energy, all right. Even the grass carp are this ferocious. Too bad I don’t have any fishing gear, or I’d try catching one to see how it tastes."

Lin Li stood on the riverbank, silently watching the ferocious grass carp leap from the water for a while longer. He didn’t pull his gaze away until his stomach protested again. Then, he found a large, leafy tree by the bank and started preparing to cook.

With a single thought, he retrieved the pots, bowls, and ingredients he had prepared ahead of time from the Mysterious Small Island.

"SPLASH..."

He poured water into the pot and used a small Fireball to ignite the dry branches he had gathered.

For lunch, Lin Li planned to make himself some seafood noodles.

’It seemed like every lunch he’d eaten in the wild these past few days had been noodles.’

’It wasn’t that he didn’t want to cook something else. But alas, he knew his culinary skills were lacking. Better to stick with the noodles he was decent at making than risk a disaster with another dish.’

While waiting for the water to boil, Lin Li sensed the ambient Spiritual Energy in this Otherworld’s air, and an expression of amazement once again crept onto his face.

’The ambient Spiritual Energy in this Otherworld is so rich! The concentration is several times higher than on Blue Star.’

After marveling at the rich Spiritual Energy of this unknown world, Lin Li couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.

’That’s strange. The Spiritual Energy concentration in this unknown world is several times higher than on Blue Star. Logically, an environment like this should be teeming with ferocious Mutant Beasts. Yet I’ve come all this way without running into a single one.’

The water came to a boil. Lin Li pushed his doubts aside for the moment, lifted the pot’s lid, and poured in the shrimp and squid he had prepared.

Once the water was boiling again, he dropped two packs of instant noodles into the pot.

...

A new flower shop had opened on Wangxi Road, in the East District of Rongcheng on Blue Star.

The shop was about fifty square meters. Though not large, it boasted a rich variety of flowers.

The owner was a beautiful young woman in her mid-twenties, about five-foot-six, with an oval face, a well-proportioned figure, and shoulder-length hair.

At the moment, the shop was empty of customers. The pretty owner sat behind the counter and let out a bored yawn.

Just then, a graceful figure walked in. Seeing the newcomer—a woman with delicate features, a fiery figure, and an alluring charm—the owner smiled and spoke.

"Su Yue, let’s go grab a drink somewhere after work tonight!"

Su Yue, who had just returned from a milk tea run, smiled and shook her head at her old classmate’s suggestion. "Wang Ling, my mom is arriving in Rongcheng this evening. Maybe tomorrow!"

"Your mom’s coming to Rongcheng to see you?" Wang Ling asked, taking the coconut jelly milk tea Su Yue handed her. She poked a straw in and took a small sip.

Su Yue brushed a strand of hair back from her chest, first nodding and then gently shaking her head.

"What’s wrong? You don’t seem too happy about it. Is there something else going on?" Wang Ling asked, her curiosity piqued by the look of resignation on Su Yue’s face.

Su Yue sighed. "Sigh... Her main reason for coming to Rongcheng isn’t to see me."

"If her main reason isn’t to see you, then what is it?" Wang Ling pressed.

"What else could it be?" Su Yue took a sip of her bubble tea and gave Wang Ling a knowing look.

"Oh, I get it," Wang Ling said after a moment’s thought, the realization dawning on her. "Your mom’s coming all the way to Rongcheng to give you a lecture!"

Su Yue walked over to a small, round table in the shop and sat down. She placed her milk tea on the table, then propped an elbow on it and rested her smooth, fair cheek in her palm. "I’m so envious of you right now," she said to her old classmate.

"What is there to envy about me? I’m not as pretty as you, and as for my figure... ugh, let’s not even talk about figures." Wang Ling’s eyes filled with envy as she glanced at Su Yue’s well-defined curves and ridiculously hot body.

’She knew her own figure wasn’t bad, but that was only in comparison to other women. Next to Su Yue’s insane physique, hers simply paled in comparison.’

...