The appearance of the sand bandits was just a small interlude for the two of them these few days, and didn't change anything. The white sand scorpion still couldn't be found.
...Until — the fifth night!
In the depths of the Samok Desert, this area belongs to the eastern part of the Yorbian continent. Seeing that it was getting dark, the two decided to set up camp on the spot.
Over the past few days, the two had only spent one night in the city, while the rest of the time they were camping in the wild. What they didn't expect was that sometimes luck is just around the corner!
"Garde!"
Gardevoir stood next to Akira, suddenly looking towards the sand layer not far away, with a solemn expression. Under the moonlight, there was a faint silvery-white reflection on the surface of the sand layer.
"Have we finally found it?!" Akira put down the tent in his hand, his face showing delight. He had had enough of the dusty days outside! Every day he just walked on the endless desert, with nothing but sand in sight!
The whole world seemed to be covered with yellow paint, with only the occasional cactus adding a touch of emerald green. Fortunately, Gardevoir finally discovered the whereabouts of the white sand scorpion!
"Have we finally found the white sand scorpion?" Menchi asked tensely with a straight face. She had also been looking forward to this for a long time.
The desert journey of several days had darkened her originally fair face considerably. A few shades deeper and she would be as dark as a hip-hop artist.
Akira glanced at Gardevoir, and then Gardevoir disappeared from her spot, appearing in mid-air above the sand dune in front of them the next moment. A gentle breeze blew across the clear night sky, ruffling Gardevoir light green hair tips.
Gardevoir stood in the air with her eyes closed. Suddenly, Gardevoir eyes snapped open, her beautiful ruby-like eyes covered with pink psychic energy, and her arms were also enveloped in a pink glow.
What should have been a grand gesture didn't stir up even a speck of dust below due to Gardevoir deliberate suppression. This was to prevent the hard-to-find white sand scorpion from running away...
The white sand scorpion hiding in the shallow sand layer seemed to sense some kind of danger, its body trembling slightly, as if about to burrow deeper.
But it was still a step too slow! In an instant, a white sand scorpion with a body as large as two people was lifted out of the sand layer, wrapped in a huge ball of pink psychic energy.
Gardevoir directly used a precise manipulation of psychic power, using psychokinesis like a sack to lift up the White Sand Scorpion. This method could also avoid damaging the ingredient during battle.
Looking at the White Sand Scorpion lying motionless before him with spirals in its eyes, Akira had a sense of unreality. He had already given up hope, but with a turn of the head, the ingredient was right in front of him?!
"This... this isn't a White Sand Scorpion!" An exclamation came from beside him.
Akira slapped his forehead and said helplessly "I knew it wouldn't be this easy..."
"This is the king among White Sand Scorpions - the White Sand Scorpion King!" Menchi carefully examined the unconscious White Sand Scorpion King and said seriously.
?????
It turns out that normal White Sand Scorpions are about the size of a human body, but the one before them was a full two times larger! And from the golden stinger, it was also evident.
Ordinary White Sand Scorpions have white stingers, only the king of the species has a golden one! All signs indicated that what Gardevoir caught wasn't an ordinary White Sand Scorpion, but the White Sand Scorpion King!
White Sand Scorpions were already hard to find, and the White Sand Scorpion King was one in a hundred! Just its rarity alone could almost rival an A-grade ingredient!
After Menchi professional explanation, Akira finally understood the difference between the two, and couldn't help but marvel. It seemed the Goddess of Luck hadn't abandoned them, but was just preparing something big?
Looking at the White Sand Scorpion King covered in silvery-white hard shell, and thinking of desert species on Earth, Akira had a vague guess in his mind. Perhaps the appearance of White Sand Scorpions on the sand surface wasn't a coincidence.
The desert has large daily temperature differences, with the surface hot and deeper layers cool during the day; at night, the surface is cool and deeper layers are warm. To control their body surface temperature, White Sand Scorpions generally hide deep under the desert during the day.
Only when the temperature drops at night do they come to the surface layer of sand, which is why Gardevoir discovered it so easily.
Looking at the unconscious White Sand Scorpion King, Menchi eyelids twitched constantly.
She had greatly underestimated Gardevoir strength!
Akira might not understand this deeply, but as a professional gourmet hunter, Menchi naturally had a thorough understanding of the White Sand Scorpion as a target. Ordinary White Sand Scorpions were already hard to catch due to their extreme speed.
The White Sand Scorpion King, being the ruler, was not only faster but also possessed considerable combat power. This was evident from its huge, fierce pincers that still emitted a cold light, as well as the golden stinger on its body.
Gardevoir didn't even need to fully unleash her power to capture the White Sand Scorpion King.
It's worth noting that capturing alive is far more difficult than killing it!
Gazing at Akira, who was pondering nearby "Is this scorpion's poop poisonous?" Menchi eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Before this desert journey, although she understood there were many people more capable than her, compared to people of the same age, she could be considered a leading figure.
Breaking the record for the youngest one-star hunter in the Hunter Association was an achievement she was proud of!
Since meeting Akira, her worldview had been constantly challenged, often making her question if she was really that capable.
Why did it seem that when compared to Akira, she had no advantages other than cooking...