diymy Chapter 292: Extreme Cold: Tass Desert (2)
Chapter 292: Extreme Cold: Tass Desert (2)
Evelyn Ford took out all the antidotes from her storage space and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
’The special medicine should work, and I still have several boxes of it.’
She took out a box of the special medicine, poured out two pills, and gave them to Miles Vaughn and Donovan Irving. After taking the medicine, the swelling on their faces subsided in less than half an hour, and even their vision returned to normal.
Evelyn Ford carefully put away the special medicine. "No wonder Quincy said a single pill is worth three hundred thousand," she muttered. "This stuff really is potent."
A few years ago at Wyrmrest Base, during the parasite incident, it was this very medicine that had saved countless lives.
They sprayed the carriages and the herds of horses and sheep with a poison made from Cannibal Flowers, which kept the insects from approaching. However, no one dared to let their guard down, as they all feared the insects might carry diseases.
But besides venomous insects, the desert was also home to venomous scorpions. The Hive-tail Scorpion’s venom was exceedingly potent; a single sting would cause the poison to spread throughout the entire body in an instant.
The Hive-tail Scorpion looked a lot like a crayfish. It was not only large, but unlike other venomous scorpions, it could spray the venom from its stinger. If the venom got into one’s eyes, the consequences would be dire.
Evelyn Ford had once read about this type of scorpion in a geography magazine. A photographer had been stung by one and had died from the poison in less than half an hour.
Evelyn Ford discovered one of these scorpions while taking a bathroom break. Just as she reached out to grab it, the scorpion immediately sprayed venom at her. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and dodged.
Evelyn Ford put the scorpion in a bottle. When the others saw her on the ground catching it, they thought the scorpions were edible and rushed over to help.
"This is a venomous scorpion, more toxic than a cobra." The moment Evelyn Ford spoke, everyone retreated three steps in perfect, unspoken unison.
"Evelyn, what are you catching venomous scorpions for?"
"As a bar snack. Why, can’t I?"
Quincy clasped his hands in a gesture of admiration. "Impressive. You truly are a woman at the top of the food chain. You even dare to eat venomous scorpions."
"Not as impressive as you. You’ll even eat cat food."
Quincy was speechless.
Evelyn Ford planned to extract the scorpions’ venom and see if she could refine it into an even more potent poison.
That evening, they reached a low plateau and decided to make camp for the night. Evelyn Ford grabbed a bottle and a pair of chopsticks and went off to catch scorpions. She had already caught several bottles’ worth. In addition to extracting their venom, the scorpions could also be dried and ground into a powder for medicinal purposes.
"Evelyn, aren’t you afraid of getting stung?" Wyatt Vaughn asked nervously as he watched her grab a venomous scorpion and stuff it into a bottle. Evelyn Ford held out a hand, showing him her leather gloves.
"These gloves are so thick, a scorpion can’t sting through them. Besides, I use chopsticks to handle them, so it’s perfectly safe."
As she spoke, Evelyn Ford walked over to a small sand mound and used her chopsticks to push it aside, exposing the venomous scorpion within.
"Evelyn, how did you know a scorpion was in there? Are they under every sand mound?"
Evelyn Ford shook her head. "See this little hole on top of the mound? Many animals that live underground leave an opening like this. The sand or dirt around the opening is very fine, which means it was pushed out from inside. So, there’s definitely something in there. It’s a sure catch every time."
Just then, Wendy came over, holding a small wooden shovel and a jar.
"Miss Ford, I’m here to help."
Seeing that she was well-covered, Evelyn Ford taught her how to catch the venomous scorpions.
Half an hour later, the jar was full. The three of them returned to camp, where Evelyn Ford poured the scorpions into a sealed container to keep them.
Only the dark brown, adult Hive-tail Scorpions were venomous; the young were not. Evelyn Ford planned to raise them until they were bigger before milking their venom. A single scorpion could be milked once a month, and with a lifespan of five to six years, they could be a continuous source of venom for her as long as they lived. Once dead, they could still be ground into powder for medicinal use.
After returning to the carriage after dinner, Evelyn Ford was still studying the scorpions. Ronan Kendrick sat opposite her with an aggrieved expression, but she didn’t even notice him.
"These venomous scorpions are all you seem to see lately."
Evelyn Ford snapped out of her trance and looked at Ronan Kendrick. "When did you get in?"
"I’ve been sitting here for half an hour, and you didn’t even notice." Ronan Kendrick’s voice was full of complaint.
"Sorry about that. One of the venomous scorpions just died."
Ronan Kendrick was speechless.
"It’s getting late. We should get some sleep. We have to be on the road again tomorrow."
Evelyn Ford gave him a perfunctory nod. "You go ahead and sleep. I need to roast this dead scorpion dry and grind it into powder."
Ronan Kendrick’s sense of grievance was practically about to burst out of the carriage.
Although the scorpion was venomous, its exoskeleton was an excellent medicinal ingredient. When applied to a venomous insect bite, the scorpion powder could immediately reduce the swelling. Evelyn Ford finally understood the saying that for every poison, nature provides a cure.
Ronan Kendrick moved closer to watch Evelyn Ford. He knew her personality: once she ran into a problem she couldn’t solve, she would obsess over it until she did.
Despite feeling aggrieved, Ronan Kendrick didn’t stop her from working. Instead, he started helping her, assisting until she was finally satisfied.
"Too bad about those two special pills, but oh well..." she laughed. "From now on, if anyone gets bitten by a venomous insect, we’ll just use the scorpion powder to treat them."
After transferring the scorpion powder into a glass tube, Evelyn Ford washed up and went to sleep, completely satisfied.
"Ronan, I’m brilliant." Even as she was about to fall asleep, Evelyn Ford couldn’t resist a moment of self-praise.
Ronan Kendrick watched her fall asleep, then couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"Evelyn, you’re too much," he whispered.
「The next day.」
When Evelyn Ford woke up, she discovered a faint mark on her chin.
"Ronan, what’s this?"
Ronan Kendrick’s gaze shifted, not daring to meet hers. "You probably bumped it. Does it hurt?"
"I don’t think I bumped it. It feels more like a dog took a secret bite out of me." As she said this, Evelyn Ford suddenly attacked Ronan Kendrick from behind, putting him in a chokehold.
"Fess up. Why did you secretly bite me?"
"I didn’t," he insisted, still trying to be difficult.
’Men,’ she thought. ’They’d be stubborn to the grave.’
"If it wasn’t you, then was it Mina? Mina, did you bite me?"
Mina wagged her tail frantically, then retreated into a corner with Blackie.
Evelyn Ford huffed. "If someone doesn’t confess soon, they can sleep on the floor tonight."
Ronan Kendrick quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I did it! But it’s your fault for ignoring me these last few days."
Evelyn Ford was in disbelief. ’How could Ronan Kendrick do something so childish?’
Still, she reflected on her own behavior. She had been so engrossed in catching scorpions and refining venom that she really had been neglecting Ronan Kendrick.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong," she said. "I’ll take you with me to catch scorpions today."
Ronan Kendrick was quickly mollified.
Aside from the venomous insects and scorpions, the other dangers in the desert were negligible. After several days without encountering any quicksand, everyone grew a bit bolder.
"Looks like there are some shrubs up ahead."
Evelyn Ford looked where Ronan Kendrick was pointing. About a kilometer away to their right, there were indeed a few clumps of shrubs.
Just as Evelyn Ford looked away, a gray, unidentified creature scurried out from the shrubs. She raised her binoculars and saw that it was a Pallas’s cat.
"It’s a Pallas’s cat kitten."
Ronan Kendrick gestured behind them. "Doesn’t Quincy want one of these little guys?"