With a new artifact in hand, Ma Lu then activated another artifact, the Sticky Web, and stuck back one of the blessings that had been reset last time.
As the list of blessings unfolded, Ma Lu noticed something different.
The blue blessing "Turn in Circles" was flashing continuously, and half a second later it disappeared, replaced by a white blessing "Aerobics Enthusiast: The team gains an additional 1% stamina."
Was this the effect of winning the heartbeat lottery?
But there hadn't been any fighting just then, so Ma Lu went back and read the description after the heartbeat lottery again.
Okay, it indeed didn't mention that a battle was necessary, only that it could be triggered whenever there was a blessing option.
And the effect of the Sticky Web just met the condition, though his luck this time was a bit off as he triggered a downgrade in blessing.
A selectable blessing went from blue to white, fortunately without much impact.
Ma Lu was about to choose the blessing he had prepared for; he hesitated between [The Last Bastion] and [Charge with Hits].
Both of the purple blessings had good effects, one defensive and one offensive, and [The Last Bastion] was very compatible with Boggy's abilities.
However, considering that he could also use the other blessing and exploit a bug with the Young Flame Lizard, Ma Lu had already made up his mind.
[Charge with Hits: Team members gain a 10% increase in strength for every attack endured while in a defensive posture during battle, and this effect can accumulate. The effect resets after launching an attack.]
Keeping this purple blessing, Ma Lu waited for Boggy while once again looking for an old friend, the Young Flame Lizard, in the vicinity.
...
This time, Boggy didn't come alone; there was another figure sitting behind him on the motorcycle.
The person had a plump figure, clearly a woman.
"Your girlfriend?" Ma Lu asked.
Boggy shook his head, "A newbie."
The woman took off her kerchief, revealing a beautiful face. She seemed about six or seven years older than Boggy. She extended a hand and introduced herself confidently, her voice as soft and light as a feather pillow.
"No, you haven't joined the Twin Sunflower Hunting Group yet, you're still in the trial period," Boggy corrected her sternly.
"To be precise, you're not a member of our group yet, so you won't be entitled to a share of the hunt this time. I will pay you according to your performance after the hunt is over, and all Hunting Group members will vote to decide whether to accept you into our group or not."
Mai Mai smiled and responded with just one word, "Okay."
"Oh, welcome aboard," Ma Lu and Mai Mai shook hands. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Mai Mai's gaze towards him held a hint of something deeper.
However, it didn't seem to carry any ill will, so Ma Lu didn't linger on it, just curious, "How did you get to know Boggy?"
"I also spent some time with the Harpist, but I left two years ago. After that, I didn't work as a hunter anymore. Since I was little, I've dreamed of opening a perfume shop, and I used the money I earned to fulfill my childhood dream."
"Hmm, then why did you suddenly decide to join a Hunting Group again?"
"After being a perfume shop owner for a while and achieving my dream, I found out that the hunting lifestyle is more suitable for me."
Mai Mai brushed the windblown strands of hair behind her ear, "That's how it is with people, when you're young, it's always unclear what you truly want. When I heard that Boggy was setting up a New Hunting Group, the thought of returning crossed my mind."
"But what about your perfume shop if you go back to being a hunter?"
"I heard from Boggy that you only go out for hunts once a week and it would take about a day to return. It shouldn't interfere much with the perfume shop business, and the shop is looked after by my sister. Whether I'm there or not doesn't really make a difference."
"Have you two finished talking?" Boggy didn't know why, but ever since he decided to bring Mai Mai along, there's been an inexplicable irritation in his heart. He took out a card and handed it to Ma Lu.
"I sold the rest of the Giant Claw Lord and those Bloodsucking Tail Weasels, including that Short-Eared Lync Hedgehog. This is your share, along with some other miscellaneous items. There's about 32,000 Electric Degrees on it."
"Sure, can you hold onto it for me?" Ma Lu took a look and then handed it back to Boggy.
He couldn't take it back with him, so it had to stay with Boggy for now. He'd ask for it when he needed it.
But with this money at hand, it provided a safety net. In case there was a time when he didn't want to hunt, or if Boggy had something urgent to attend to, he could directly use this money to make purchases in the city, ensuring he wouldn't return empty-handed.
"Let's save the small talk for later. Now, let the hunt begin," Boggy declared, taking a deep breath.