Chapter 362 - 334: Silver Marrow
Qin Ziwen looked away from the strange "water within water" below, a plan already forming in his mind.
The large Silver Bobbit Worms lived deep within the mountain, while the smaller ones lived on its surface.
𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
’It seems the environment here is more suitable for the Bobbit Worms,’ he thought. ’The ones on the periphery were probably driven out.’
"What exactly is in there?" Qin Ziwen asked the Fishman Leader.
The Fishman Leader’s voice was muffled by the murky water. "My predecessor once led our people here. According to the Master of Tuiyuan who was with them, it was called ’Silver Marrow’."
"Silver Marrow?" Mogu repeated. "That name sounds familiar. I think it’s an extremely rare material, even more precious than Silver Blood."
Qin Ziwen was surprised. "If it’s so rare, why didn’t that Master of Tuiyuan come back after finding it?"
Mogu said, "He might have died, or perhaps there was an accident."
On second thought, Qin Ziwen realized that was a real possibility.
He looked up at the giant spider on the ceiling. The information from his earlier Insight ability made his heart sink.
’Its burst of speed is probably nothing to scoff at.’
’Neither "Hunting Instinct" nor "Neural Catapult" sounded like abilities a slow, lumbering creature would have.’
’If they were going to retrieve the substance from the stone sphere, they would be positioned directly beneath it.’
’It’s occupying the perfect spot.’
"No need for all this trouble." Mogu glanced around disdainfully and stepped forward, gesturing for Qin Ziwen and the Fishman Leader to move back.
"You can use this to get it," the Fishman Leader said, taking a large shell from his waist that could be used as a scoop.
"Master, you two can go on ahead," Mogu said. "I’ll retrieve the item, and we can regroup where we first came down."
"Wait." Qin Ziwen held up a hand. "I have a better idea."
’Not only can we get what’s in the stone sphere, we might even have a chance to kill two birds with one stone.’
Mogu turned to look at his master.
Qin Ziwen said succinctly, "I can set up a Node."
Mogu understood immediately. "Master, you mean... lure it into the Home?"
"That’s right. And there’s a feature I’ve never used before. I’m curious... if this thing gets crushed under a building weighing several thousand tons, do you think it can survive?" A slight smile played on Qin Ziwen’s lips.
He was referring to the rearrangement feature he’d acquired long ago, which allowed him to reposition buildings within his Home.
His plan was to reposition a building—the Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena, for instance. When a massive structure like that fell directly from the sky, he refused to believe the monster could survive.
Mogu considered it for a moment and saw no issues. "That plan should work. Although it can’t be used again for a while, it’s definitely a good one."
Qin Ziwen knew that, of course. In truth, this method would only work against creatures like this.
It would be much harder to use against a Lord of the Homeland with higher authority. If the opponent initiated a "Challenge," many of the Home’s internal functions—including the rearrangement feature—would be temporarily frozen.
With preparations complete, the three of them once again crept toward the central stone sphere.
Before long, they were drawing near the large stone sphere.
As they drew closer, the jellyfish that had been drifting lazily through the water paused before moving aside.
High on the ceiling, the giant spider’s limbs twitched, making faint scraping sounds.
The only things that remained unchanged were the Silver Bobbit Worms in the "water within water" below; they continued to roam about, seemingly unaffected.
Finally, they set foot on the central stone sphere.
Five steps away, in a depression at the sphere’s core, a pool of pale golden liquid flowed silently.
’How can Silver Marrow be golden?’
Suspecting the information was wrong, Qin Ziwen used Insight.
[Level 6 Marvels] Silver Marrow (An essence naturally formed in the brains of deceased, primeval ancestor-creatures. A precious food ingredient and crafting material.)
’Well, that’s perfectly reasonable...’
Qin Ziwen hadn’t expected there to be such a huge difference between the substance’s color and its name.
The moment they stepped onto the central stone sphere, the giant spider on the ceiling finally moved.
"Watch out!"
Mogu’s low roar erupted at the same time as his fist, which he sent blasting upward!
BOOM—
The terrifying pressure stirred up a powerful undercurrent, and Qin Ziwen was nearly thrown off his feet.
The Fishman Leader seized the opportunity to lunge forward, dipping the shell into the pool of golden liquid and taking a scoop.
The next second, a sharp spider leg struck like black lightning, piercing his shoulder blade!
"Go!"
With a low shout, Qin Ziwen opened a Node right beside them. He grabbed the Fishman Leader’s leg, yanked him backward, and the two of them plunged directly into the portal.
Mogu’s expression darkened. Although he had blocked the spider’s pounce, the creature’s body was massive and its legs were so long that it had simply bypassed him to attack the Fishman Leader.
’At least his master wasn’t hurt.’
BAM!
Mogu landed a powerful roundhouse kick against the spider’s armored abdomen, sending it flying.
The giant spider crashed into the distant rock wall. Its eight pairs of eyes glowed red as it stared madly at Mogu.
Yet, it didn’t dare to rashly advance again.
The previous blow had left it in agony.
Its abdomen still throbbed with pain, as if something was wedged deep inside it.
Mogu took out a waterskin, shot the giant spider a cold glance, and reached for the pool again.
The spider grew frantic and instantly vanished from its spot.
It reappeared as a black shadow, lunging in for the kill!
In Mogu’s senses, an immense black silhouette was closing in on him.
Mogu sneered, using the momentum to roll away and dive precisely into the Node.
The spider hesitated for a moment. But when its eight pairs of eyes saw that the pool of Silver Marrow had been almost completely emptied, they blazed with a furious red light. It flew into a rage.
Without hesitation, it pursued them into the blue channel of the Node.
As it passed from the seafloor to solid ground, the omnipresent resistance of the water vanished. The spider felt a sudden lightness.
Unfamiliar, dry air enveloped its body. Before it could even adapt to its new surroundings,
something blotted out the light above.
A colossal shadow, carrying the weight of tens of thousands of tons, came crashing down.
BOOM!!!
The massive sound swallowed everything.
The spider was obliterated.
Qin Ziwen let out a long sigh of relief.
"It’s over."
’It seems that even an Extraordinary Four Stars spider can’t withstand being crushed by a building weighing several thousand—or even tens of thousands—of tons. Just as I thought, you can’t just casually enter someone else’s Home. Before you go in, you have to initiate a challenge to prevent them from freely using their Home’s abilities. Otherwise, it’s too dangerous.’
Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
"Congratulations on obtaining the treasure, Master." Mogu bowed slightly and offered him the waterskin.
The Fishman Leader, panting, held out the shell. Blood was still seeping from the torn wound on his shoulder. "Qin, this is what you wanted."
"You should keep it," Qin Ziwen said, not taking the shell. The Fishman Leader had provided the information and had taken a great risk coming along. Besides, Mogu had already collected some.
"I can’t use it." The Fishman Leader gave a wry, helpless smile. "This substance can’t be consumed directly. Years ago, my predecessor obtained a few drops and nearly died after recklessly ingesting it. I imagine only people like you know how to process it. It’s useless to us. At best, we could trade it to another Tuiyuan, but we’re already partners, aren’t we?"
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