Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

Luo Wei headed south through the Misty Plains with a clear direction and purpose.

The sun blazed mercilessly overhead as the temperature rose steadily with each mile southward.

She could feel moisture evaporating from her skin, and the blood in her ears had congealed into clots.

Mountain ranges undulated beneath her feet, the forests growing increasingly verdant. While one peak lay in shadow, another basked in sunlight, and ahead, heavy rain poured down on the mountains.

Luo Wei soared through the curtain of rain and down past a thundering waterfall that plunged a thousand meters. Suddenly, she spotted prismatic flashes of light on a distant peak.

A flock of migratory birds had built their nests in the great trees at the summit. In the brilliant sunshine, they called to one another as they hopped from branch to branch, singing while preening their vibrant plumage.

Rainbow Fantasy Birds - they were really here.

Luo Wei folded her wings and approached stealthily. The Rainbow Fantasy Birds were chattering about their daily affairs, oblivious to the large predator watching them.

She observed them for a while but unfortunately, these beautiful creatures were too small to carry humans across vast oceans - unless they could somehow form a bridge like the magpies of legend.

A Rainbow Fantasy Bird with ruffled feathers fluttered to another tree, preparing to feast on sweet fruits. As it turned its head, it spotted Luo Wei's pitch-black feathers concealed in the canopy.

"Goo-gah?"

The Rainbow Fantasy Bird stared at her, making a puzzled sound.

Luo Wei: "???"

How strange - she hadn't expected Rainbow Fantasy Birds to sound like this. With their magnificent appearance, how could they have such a drake-like voice?

For a moment, she almost thought Theodore had possessed its body.

No, the other Rainbow Fantasy Birds hadn't sounded like this earlier. This one probably just had an unusually harsh voice.

Despite its unpleasant call, it hadn't been ostracized by the others, suggesting it must be quite capable in combat.

"You'll do, lucky one."

Luo Wei struck swiftly, seizing the Rainbow Fantasy Bird by its neck and yanking it from the treetop.

Adult Rainbow Fantasy Birds were swan-sized, though with shorter necks adorned with a ruff of luxuriant colored feathers.

This one was slightly smaller, about the size of a duck, but still put up quite a fight.

Luo Wei pinched its beak to silence it and flew with beating wings to the mountain's far side.

Along the way, the Rainbow Fantasy Bird's feathers scattered everywhere, its wings nearly stripped bare to reveal the dark gray down underneath.

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Luo Wei felt a pang of guilt for reducing such a beautiful creature to this state. It didn't sit well with her conscience.

"Stop struggling. I promise you'll be released safe and sound very soon."

The Rainbow Fantasy Bird gave one last kick, then actually went still, as if comprehending her words.

Worried it might escape, Luo Wei used vines to bind its feet together, securing the other end to her hand.

The Rainbow Fantasy Bird watched her actions, its black eyes rolling playfully as it tried to snuggle against her chest.

Luo Wei pushed it away and retrieved the rune-engraved arrow she'd acquired in the Alchemy Town. Finding a piece of bark nearby, she used the arrow to carve a message.

After finishing the inscription, she found another sturdy vine and fastened the bark to the Rainbow Fantasy Bird's back.

If this bird made it back to the Western Continent and was found, people would see the message and bring it to Siria Magic Academy to claim her reward.

"Sorry you'll have to carry this bark for a few months," Luo Wei said as she untied its feet. "If you manage to find me alive, I'll provide for all your needs for the rest of your days."

Rainbow Fantasy Birds were low-level magical beasts rarely hunted except for their feathers.

Most magical beasts contained deadly poison, Rainbow Fantasy Birds included, so there was no risk of it being eaten.

"Go now."

Luo Wei released the Rainbow Fantasy Bird and stood up, noticing several iridescent feathers had fallen on her.

This bird seemed to molt excessively - was it already going bald despite its youth?

She collected the feathers and continued southward.

The air had become oppressively hot, with sweat streaming constantly - they must be approaching the Tropic of Cancer.

After flying for over half an hour, the vegetation below transformed dramatically.

The dense primeval forest was filled with towering trees. Plants with drip-tip leaves hosted diverse mosses and ferns, while thick vines and predatory strangler plants appeared everywhere. The rainforest vista was both mysterious and magnificent.

As Luo Wei entered the rainforest, exotic creatures scurried past overhead and all around her, making her feel as if she had stepped into an enchanted bestiary.

Not far in, she encountered a cluster of green pointed grass - lemongrass.

Traces of lemongrass could be found throughout this rainforest.

This citrus-scented grass was a fundamental seasoning in many cuisines, from Thai Tom Yum Goong to Dai-style grilled tilapia, French foie gras, and Hainan chicken rice.

The citral in lemongrass was also a natural antimicrobial agent perfect for food preservation.

If this lemongrass were sold in the Western Continent, it would command astronomical prices, or at minimum generate substantial profits.

Luo Wei memorized the lemongrass locations and pressed deeper into the forest, discovering many more spice plants common to Southeast Asian jungles.

Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, cubeb...

Most excitingly, she found vanilla orchid vines growing in a patch of loose acidic soil.

This was truly a treasure trove, a wellspring of wealth that could generate endless value!

While gold mines were non-renewable, spice plants could be harvested year after year. Spices were consumed quickly, so she would only need to act as a merchant to maintain a steady income.

Moreover, this place offered more than spices. Luo Wei also spotted many tropical fruit progenitors - jackfruit, guava, lychee, longan... With proper cultivation, these fruits could fetch premium prices.

Unfortunately, none of these promising ventures could be realized yet. Having to leave such treasure untapped was truly painful.

Luo Wei resolved that if this wasn't a dream, she would copy the teleportation array even at the risk of fatal hemorrhaging.

Including infants, she now had nearly 200 living workers; adding the undead barely brought the total to 500.

With more dead than living, her force could hardly be called a power.

Most of these living people were physically weak former slaves who could barely survive, let alone fight.

She had only two capable living warriors - Troy and the Dark Elf, and the Dark Elf wasn't even in the Western Continent.

Her population growth had just begun, with only eighteen children collected - far from sufficient.

Her nation would need at least 30 million people to be considered a major power.

Setting an initial goal: acquire 100 children this year, increase her subordinate population to over 3,000, then double it annually.

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