"Uh..."
The moment Ethan heard Bird Three's question, he immediately knew she had misunderstood.
He then turned to look at Bird One and Bird Two. He didn't know when Bird One had woken up, but judging from the expressions on their faces, he knew they had misunderstood as well.
So he quickly explained, "Don't get the wrong idea."
"I had no choice just now. You were poisoned, so I could only help suck the poisonous gas out of your bodies. Don't misunderstand."
"Ah?"
Hearing this explanation, the joy on Bird Three's face immediately faded.
And what Lord Ethan had just said was...
'You all?'
'Could it be that Lord Ethan didn't only kissed me?'
Bird Three quickly turned to look at Bird One and Bird Two. She found that both of them were blushing, breathing faster, and there was a trace of disappointment in their eyes, along with...
'Relief?'
'What is going on?'
"So... we were poisoned?"
After being confused for a while, Bird Three finally asked the key question.
"Yes. Someone lit poisonous incense while I was sleeping," Ethan said coldly, "I had already ordered the Shadow Guards to keep watch. If anyone tried to get close to me or harm me, they were supposed to kill them on sight."
"Who knew that woman would use poisonous incense."
"Not only did I almost get caught by it, but you and Daji got affected too."
"I was still too careless."
"What about them?", Bird One was furious when she heard this, "They dared to plot against Lord Ethan. I'll go settle the score with them right now."
"No need to look for them. They're in the tree!"
Ethan said coldly.
"But killing them is only a matter of one sword strike."
"If I let them die now, it'd be too easy for them."
"Don't worry. I've already decided that after the third wave of attacks is over, I'll use them as a sacrifice to heaven."
Just as the three were talking...
Poof! Poof!
The ground suddenly bulged up with countless sand mounds. Beneath them, it seemed as though something was about to break through the surface.
[Boom Boom Mushroom: This mushroom's special trait is its explosive spores. Once the spores mature to a certain point, they separate from the mushroom and fly in all directions. The moment they hit any object, they immediately explode. Their power is comparable to a Great Fireball.]
[PS: The only way to stop a Boom Boom Mushroom from exploding is to harvest it before the spores mature. Also, the spores of the Boom Boom Mushroom are considered the ultimate delicacy. Even though the mushroom is so dangerous, many people still risk their lives to harvest it for that taste.]
Pop!
However, Ethan had only just finished reading the information about the Boom Boom Mushroom when one of the sand mounds was pushed open.
A mushroom with a red cap and white stem, about the size of a fist, grew from beneath the sand dune. The moment it emerged from the sand, it immediately began growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
[Boom Boom Mushroom Growth: 10%]
[Boom Boom Mushroom Growth: 25%]
[Boom Boom Mushroom Growth...]
"Holy crap!"
"This thing grows way too fast!"
Ethan watched as the Boom Boom Mushroom emerged from the ground. In less than ten seconds, it had already reached 90% growth.
Whoosh!
Ethan quickly used a move from the Strange Sword Technique and directly sliced off the mushroom.
He had to kill the Boom Boom Mushroom before it fully developed. If it finished growing, those spores flying everywhere would be like bombs dropped from bombers. It would probably be impossible to stop them.
And there was no telling how many spores there would be or how powerful they were.
Ethan didn't dare take that risk.
[Boom Boom Mushroom Growth: 95%]
[Boom Boom Mushroom Growth: 99%]
[Boom Boom Mushroom has fully matured and is producing spores...]
"What the hell?"
"What's going on? Didn't this Boom Boom Mushroom already get its head cut off?"
"How is it still growing?"
Ethan was stunned.
After hearing what Ethan said, Bird One immediately rushed toward the Boom Boom Mushroom.
"Bird One, don't go!"
Ethan knew Bird One probably didn't understand how dangerous the Boom Boom Mushroom was, so he quickly stopped her.
"These Boom Boom Mushrooms explode!"
"Harvest!"
However, at the exact moment the spores matured and were about to fly out.
Bird One had already entered the harvesting range. She waved her hand and immediately stored the Boom Boom Mushroom in her backpack.
Whew!
Only then did Bird One let out a long breath. She turned and grinned at Ethan.
"Lord Ethan, it's fine now! Once the Boom Boom Mushroom is put into the backpack, it stops growing."
"Really?", Ethan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Don't take risks like that next time. Once this Boom Boom Mushroom matures, its spores will explode. It's too dangerous."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Ethan," A sweet feeling rose in Bird One's heart, "I'll be careful!"
Pop!
Pop! Pop!
However.
While the two were talking, countless sand mounds began appearing across the entire desert.
And one after another, those mounds burst open. Then countless red-capped, white-stemmed mushrooms emerged from beneath the ground.
There were hundreds, even thousands of them.
The sight immediately made Ethan's face turn green.
Even if he could cut them all down, there was no way he could harvest them all.