Chapter 231 - 206: Challenge Card
After reading the attributes, Qin Ziwen felt they were about what he expected.
The traits were standard, increasing incubation and growth speed, but for raising Giant Beasts, these were the most practical attributes.
It takes half a year just to raise pigs for market, to say nothing of these behemoths. Their growth periods were generally quite long.
The most cost-effective approach was for them to get through their juvenile stage quickly, develop their combat abilities, and be put to use.
This special effect, however, was rather interesting.
It could make animals bred in the Giant Beast Breeding Center larger than their peers, which fit the building’s name perfectly.
He ignored the part about a low chance of beneficial mutations. It was best not to get one’s hopes up over anything based on probability; just treat it as a potential bonus.
As for the last line, Giant Beasts hatched in the breeding center would have their primary loyalty to the Lord of the Homeland.
With this hidden backdoor clause, he could also safely trade some "Giant Beasts." As long as others didn’t use the Giant Beasts against him, this backdoor would never activate.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Qin Ziwen. ’I gave Zou Jianghe a batch of Single Claw Dragons, and he said he’d help train them. Does his building have a similar hidden clause?’
Lost in thought, he made his way to the top floor.
He placed the two Dinosaur Eggs in his hand in a warm incubation area.
After thinking for a moment, he took out another one and placed it in a different, slightly warmer incubation area.
’Right, can’t put all my Dinosaur Eggs in one basket.’
’If this isn’t the right temperature for them to hatch and both of them die, there’ll be no use crying over it.’
It would probably be hard to find any more Tyrannosaurs eggs in the Gobi Desert.
’But since they lived in a place like the Gobi Desert, their incubation temperature probably isn’t low.’
He turned and went downstairs.
What he didn’t notice was that not long after he left, one of them, the black egg, trembled slightly.
Arriving on the first floor, Qin Ziwen took out the Challenge Card.
This was also a new type of Card he had never seen before, and its color was beautiful—a gorgeous rose gold.
[Challenge Card] Common · Tyrannosaurs (☆☆☆☆)
[Usage Method] Challenge/Equip
[Challenge] Upon activation, a temporary challenge space can be opened to fight the Tyrannosaurs itself. The Tyrannosaurs retains the memories it had in life. Rewards cannot be earned more than once. Damage sustained within the challenge space is not reflected in reality. (1/1)
[Equip] The Card can be equipped in certain special buildings for repeated summoning and use. The specific effects are related to the building.
Simply put, the challenge function was a one-time use, allowing one to experience the thrill of challenging a Tyrannosaurs.
Of course, since damage taken in the challenge space wasn’t reflected in reality, one could boldly experiment with various tactics and combat methods.
One could even bravely attempt to slay the beast alone.
As Qin Ziwen saw it, the Challenge Card was meant to be paired with a Breakthrough Card. You could use it to test your limits first. After all, you only live once; normally, there’s no room for trial and error. The Challenge Card provided exactly that—a chance to try and fail safely.
’The equip function,’ he thought, ’must be for turning a single-use Challenge Card into a repeatable one.’
The prerequisite was having the relevant special building.
Qin Ziwen thought it over and finally thought of his yet-to-be-built Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena.
Once he had the extra space to build the Beast Fighting Arena, he could confirm whether the Challenge Card and the Beast Fighting Arena were linked.
...
Next, he hurried over to the farmland.
He took out four Level 1 Farmland Cards, mentally willing them to merge into a single Level 3 Farmland Card, which he then used on the Level 3 Farmland in his Home.
A light flashed, and the entire farmland was enveloped in waves of rippling light.
When the white light dissipated, the farmland had successfully upgraded to Level 4.
[Level 4 Farmland: Level 4 Growth Acceleration, Level 4 Fertile] (Special Effect: Bountiful).
Qin Ziwen’s gaze fell on the tree in the corner of the farmland.
The stones around it had almost all been moved away, and its roots were deeply embedded in the soil of the field.
On its branches, plump purple fruits swayed gently.
"My Lord." Wei Zhaohua, wearing a straw hat, entered from behind and immediately spotted Qin Ziwen by the edge of the farmland. A delighted smile spread across his face. "Look, the fruit on this tree is almost ripe. I was just waiting for the convoy to arrive to have them notify you."
Qin Ziwen had always been curious about this fruit tree. He had discovered it in the ancient Giant Toad’s cave and transplanted it here. After nurturing it in the farmland for so long, it had finally flowered and borne fruit.
Discovering an unknown fruit tree in the lair of a beast whose size far exceeded others of its kind, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild and attribute some mystique to the tree.
"Teacher Wei, what’s its condition? Is it healthy?"
"It’s doing very well right now, its roots are dense. If it weren’t healthy, it couldn’t produce such plump fruit. The fruit is really an external manifestation of a tree’s health. Only a healthy tree can produce plump fruit. If a tree is in poor condition, its fruit will be shriveled and small, or it might even give up on producing fruit altogether.
Because for a plant, being willing to bear fruit is in itself a way of ’showing off its wealth,’ announcing to the outside world that it has enough spare energy to reproduce."
Since that was the case, Qin Ziwen was relieved.
He took out the Plant Transcendence Card and told Wei Zhaohua about its function.
"Teacher Wei, what do you think? Should we use this Card now?"
Wei Zhaohua was stunned, his excitement difficult to hide.
"A plant that transcends the mundane? So such things really exist! My Lord, yes, we can absolutely use this Card now! The tree is in excellent condition, and it still has fruit on its branches. Those are its reserves. If it becomes nutrient-deficient, it can even draw the nutrients back from the fruit."
Qin Ziwen took out the dark gold Card, aimed it at the tree, and silently willed it to be used.
POOF~
The Card shattered.
It turned into countless flying dark gold fragments, and specks of golden light landed on the tree.
But soon, these dark gold fragments, as if time were flowing backward, re-gathered along their original path, finally re-forming into a Card.
[Use Failed. Card cannot be used on Extraordinary Plants.]
Qin Ziwen: ???
He was stunned for a moment, looked down at the Card in his hand, and then looked at the plant in front of him.
’The plant I brought back from the very first dungeon was an Extraordinary Plant all along?!’
’And you’ve been hiding it from me for this long!’
He never expected that he would have come into contact with an Extraordinary Plant so early on; he just hadn’t known it.
He circled the tree, clicking his tongue in amazement. "You’re really something, you know that? Keeping something this important quiet."
The mysterious little tree: ...
"My Lord, did the Card fail to work?" Wei Zhaohua had witnessed the whole process of the Card shattering and re-forming.
"Yes, it failed."
"Could it be... because it was an Extraordinary Plant to begin with?" Wei Zhaohua thought of a possibility.
Qin Ziwen cast an appreciative glance at him.
"So, Teacher Wei, the arduous task of figuring out its uses will have to be left to you."
His Insight could currently only be used on wild animals, not on plants.
So Qin Ziwen was willing but unable to help and could only ask Wei Zhaohua for assistance.
Until he figured out the specific properties of the fruit, he’d have to curb his greedy appetite.
...
...