I Live on the Land in Global Games

Chapter 564 - 547: Winter Frost Grass
Chapter 564: Chapter 547: Winter Frost Grass

Cold Deer were much harder to deal with than the vampires had been.

At least vampires had obvious weaknesses; sunlight and clear water were both effective weapons against them.

But Cold Deer were different; Mu Ying had not discovered any exploitable weaknesses yet.

They had formidable strength and were equipped with abilities such as Extreme Despair, Bloody Frenzy, and Cold Gaze, which targeted the enemy’s psyche, amplified their combat power, and remotely controlled the freezing of enemies, respectively. This made them formidable in both close combat and at range.

Moreover, both Extreme Despair and Cold Gaze were non-direct attack abilities, one targeting the psyche and the other a form of control, coincidently targeting the weak point in Mu Ying’s defenses.

Her defense-oriented spells such as Tree Skin Skill, Stone Skin Technique, Natural Shield, as well as the Thorny Battle Armor formed by Little Red could only defend against direct physical or magic attacks, unable to block attacks aimed at the psyche or spells that directly controlled actions.

The Guardian Armor from the Natural Bracelet did provide all-around protection, even against psychic attacks, but in the Snow Domain, her Guardian Armor was extremely weak and practically useless.

This meant that Mu Ying was essentially defenseless against the Cold Deer’s spells.

Adult Cold Deer were all at least level 9, with six at level 10 and one at level 11. On the level front, Mu Ying wasn’t at an advantage and didn’t have the ability to counter their spells. If she got hit, her life could very well be in danger.

Fortunately, the Cold Deer’s spells were not large range attack spells; spell casting required visual guidance and a clear target to hit.

Since she couldn’t withstand them, she decided to hide well, just as she had done when facing Sharon, planning to use the Magic Flying Carpet to conceal her presence, attack from atop the carpet, and resolutely not reveal her position.

This meant she would definitely not engage in close combat with the Cold Deer, so the only power she possessed that could be considered a counter to the Cold Deer, the ”Balance Scythe,” would be useless. She had to think of other ways to cause severe damage to the Cold Deer.

There were 53 Cold Deer, and 33 of those were combat-capable adults. Mu Ying wasn’t worried about fighting or ambushing them one by one, but once she made a move and the Cold Deer began to fall, they’d surely increase their vigilance and stick together, which would make her hunting task much harder.

Mu Ying thought of poisoning them.

Quietly administering poison, just like she did with the Blood Crows, was the fastest way to weaken the enemy.

But after revisiting the habits of the Cold Deer, she shook her head. They fed by creating the Hero Banquet with a spell, and such on-the-spot spell casting didn’t leave an opportunity to administer a poison that needed ingestion.

The Soft Bones Potion, on the other hand, didn’t need to be ingested to take effect, and could spread through the bloodstream. An open wound was all it took to administer the poison, but it was only suitable for smaller creatures. The Cold Deer were too large, and the drug’s potency wouldn’t be enough to erode their bones. The drug’s effect might be nullified by their antibodies before it could even take hold.

She needed to find a poison that didn’t require ingestion and was as concealed as possible.

Mu Ying actually had a lot of poisons, some were toxic mushrooms gifted to her by the Mushroom Men, and some she concocted herself with recipes gathered from the Emerald World.

Ever since the last time the Soft Bones Potion had a significant effect on the Blood Crows, Mu Ying had taken a great interest in studying poisons. She grew plenty of poisonous magic plants and produced a variety of toxic magic potions.

Upon careful thought, there was one that seemed suitable.

She rummaged through her Space Ring and pulled out a few small wooden boxes.

Inside the boxes was a finely powdered white substance.

This powder is called Frost Snow Powder, not a magic potion, but a deadly material collected directly from the magic plant, Winter Frost Grass.

Winter Frost Grass is a type of magic plant with a very good detoxification effect. The main ingredient for a detoxification potion capable of curing most poisons is the seeds of the Winter Frost Grass.

The Frost Snow Powder is a white powder that condenses on the leaves as the Winter Frost Grass grows, absorbing moisture from the air; it is highly toxic.

Once it gets into a wound, it rapidly takes effect, causing all moisture in the victim’s body to crystallize into frost, including the blood. Although it isn’t contagious, the effect is potent—Mu Ying had tested it, and a little bit of the powder was enough to bring down a cow.

Frost Snow Powder needs to be kept at low temperatures and cannot be exposed to high temperatures for more than an hour.

If poisoned with Frost Snow Powder, one can quickly detoxify by baking at temperatures above 50°C from all directions for two hours within three hours of exposure.

Mu Ying thought that the snow-white Frost Snow Powder matched very well with the Snow Domain, where there were absolutely no conditions to detoxify it. Moreover, its color was similar to that of the snow on the ground and the fur of the Cold Deer, making it hard to notice if smeared on.

Winter Frost Grass is a magic plant cultivated in winter. Last winter, Mu Ying had already harvested a season’s worth, and most of the Winter Frost Grass seeds were made into detoxification potions and sold in the Territory Contribution Store. Meanwhile, Frost Snow Powder, being of no use, was all gathered and left to collect dust in her space—she still had a large stock, which was perfect to utilize now.

Frost Snow Powder needed to come into contact with a wound to take effect. The Cold Deer might not get injured for no reason, but she could cause it to be wounded!

She flipped through her Magic List, picking out spells that would be useful.

Firstly, she ruled out Fire Magic such as Blazing Flame Magic Balls and Fire Wall Skill, as they could adversely affect the Frost Snow Powder.

Mu Ying did not want to engage in a war of attrition. Her goal was to injure the Cold Deer and then poison it! Therefore, the core strategy revolved around how to effectively wound the Cold Deer.

This is where having a long list of spells showed its advantage.

She selected the 4th-level Stone Piercing Technique, 5th-level Thunderstorm Skill, and Thorny Wall Skill—some of the Attack Magic she possessed that dealt higher damage, more than enough to break through the Cold Deer’s defenses.

Among these, although the Thunderstorm Skill would generate a short burst of extreme heat, the duration was very brief and would not significantly affect the Frost Snow Powder.

With a plan in place, Mu Ying envisioned her hunting strategy, and only once she felt fully prepared did she start to take action.

Since she planned to use poisoning to reap the Cold Deer, the pressure on Mu Ying to attack was greatly reduced. So, she didn’t choose a lone Cold Deer to start with but instead followed the largest group out hunting today—a team of six Level 9 Cold Deer.

They were out to expand the Snow Domain with their combined magic.

Mu Ying followed them, avoiding populated areas, until they reached the edge of the Snow Domain.

This was a gentle slope, which the Cold Deer had already visited several times. The snow here had been falling for days, and these five Cold Deer were there to finish the job. Using a large-scale combined casting of Ice and Snow, they would erode the area’s soil fertility into frozen ground and make it a part of the Snow Domain.

Firstly, they patrolled the surrounding area, ensuring there were no human traces nearby that could reveal their secret, before they started casting the Ice and Snow.

While casting together, the Cold Deer spaced themselves quite far apart. Mu Ying’s spells couldn’t encompass them all at once, but she had anticipated this and didn’t rush to act.