Chapter 363 - 335: Three-Week Island Settlement
The Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena shifted dozens of meters through the air, slamming down onto the empty ground before them and sealing the area completely.
The spider crushed beneath it had probably been flattened into a pancake.
The commotion attracted the attention of many, but Qin Ziwen strictly controlled most areas within his Home. Fences had been built, restricting everyone else to a few fixed routes between designated buildings.
As a result, they could only watch from a distance, their view obstructed by the many buildings in between.
Jia Liangcai hurried over.
Notably, the Silver Marrow was classified as an Aquatic Marvel.
Just like that, he had gathered all the materials needed to build the Abyssal Ruins.
But each drop of this Silver Marrow was a Tier Six Marvel.
As he swirled the bowl, the pale-gold liquid rolled and collided, separating into individual beads.
Each bead was the size of a walnut. According to Insight, each of these walnut-sized beads constituted a single drop.
A single drop of this size was the base unit for Silver Marrow.
So while it looked like a lot, there were actually only twenty-seven drops in total.
If he used it to build the Abyssal Ruins, he had all the materials he needed now.
However, Qin Ziwen felt it would be a waste to use a Tier Six Marvel as a mere raw material.
’If only this Tier Six Marvel could be broken down into a bunch of Level 1 Marvels.’
"Do you know how to use this?" Qin Ziwen asked, looking at Mogu.
Mogu shook its head slightly.
However, it felt an intense attraction to the drops, like a shark to blood or a bee to nectar.
Qin Ziwen pondered. ’Normally, based on experience, you either apply it topically or ingest it.’
’But based on what the Fishman Leader just said, ingesting it is likely out of the question. To be safe, I need to try other methods.’
’If I can’t find enough substitutes before this map ends, I’ll just have to use a portion of this to make up the difference.’
But the deep sea was vast, and Qin Ziwen felt it wasn’t impossible to find new Aquatic Marvels.
Besides, he would be hunting more Extraordinary Creatures on the seafloor with the Fishman Leader. Maybe they would find more like that Tridacna, with an Aquatic Marvel hidden inside.
Qin Ziwen decided not to personally join any future undersea hunts. He’d realized that his presence made Mogu hold back. It would be better to let it choose some Fishmen and cooperate with the Fishman Leader to hunt on the seafloor.
He would just need to collect the rewards periodically.
Just then, a ripple ran across the covered Light Gate Node inside the Blood Sand Beast Fighting Arena behind him. A moment later, a Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish came drifting out.
SPLAT! Without the support of seawater, it flopped onto the ground like a pile of goo.
Watching this, Qin Ziwen’s expression was complex. He didn’t know whether to call the creature incredibly curious or just recklessly brazen.
It had actually dared to come through an unfamiliar portal. This was the definition of a special delivery.
If he ignored it, it would probably become the first Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish in history to dry out and die on land.
After a moment of thought, Qin Ziwen came up with an excellent idea. He could find a place to imprison it and periodically harvest its venom. That would give him a steady source of poison.
Gazing at the Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish collapsed on the ground, its tentacles still twitching, Qin Ziwen immediately ordered his men to dig a pool.
It didn’t need to be large, just big enough to hold the creature.
But they would have to be extremely careful. The Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish was intensely venomous.
After receiving the order, Jia Liangcai rushed off. He returned with some men and began pouring water on the Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish to prevent it from dying of dehydration.
"Qin, I’ll be heading back now," the Fishman Leader said from nearby.
"Won’t you stay a bit longer? Lorne and the others are still here," Qin Ziwen said, trying to persuade him.
"No, I need to return the stone slate," the Fishman Leader replied breezily, taking his leave.
Qin Ziwen walked him to the edge of the reef. He watched the leader’s figure disappear into the sea, then lingered for a long moment before returning to his Home.
Back at the Home, Jia Liangcai and his men were digging a pit in an empty plot of land nearby.
They would then fill the pit with water and figure out a way to move the Spiritual Sheath Jellyfish into it.
Seeing that things were proceeding smoothly, Qin Ziwen carefully put away the Silver Marrow.
The substance was extraordinary. According to its description, it was an essence that formed naturally within the brain of a long-dead, hyper-ancient ancestral creature.
Although he had no idea what a "hyper-ancient ancestral creature" even was.
But the name alone sounded formidable.
The name reminded him of the Ancestral Giant Snake from the Level 4 Task.
He wondered if there was some connection between the two.
If the undersea mountain range he had visited was formed from the remains of a hyper-ancient ancestral creature, then the being’s sheer size would be the greatest he had ever conceived of. It would be immeasurable, a truly terrifying existence.
Afterwards, Qin Ziwen and Mogu carried the Silver Bobbit Worm’s corpse to the kitchen to bleed the Ten-Meter Level beast.
Because of the delay in the sea, a good deal of blood had already leaked from its wounds.
They only managed to collect a small basinful in the end, a volume far too small for a creature of its size.
But Qin Ziwen wasn’t too concerned. It was a minor issue. Back in the mountain range, within that "water within water," there were many more Silver Bobbit Worms. They were larger and had more blood. Most importantly, he had already gotten his hands on the Silver Marrow.
Qin Ziwen’s gaze fell on the blood in the basin.
Unlike the blood from the previous Bobbit Worms, this Silver Bobbit Worm’s blood was thicker and contained dense, shimmering silver specks.
After rendering it down, he extracted a full six drops of Silver Blood. Added to the seven he already had, that made for a total of thirteen drops.
If the Silver Bobbit Worm’s blood had been better preserved, he might have been able to refine more than ten drops of Silver Blood from this one creature alone.
If the Silver Blood proved its value, he might consider having the Fishmen help raise the Silver Bobbit Worms in the undersea mountain range.
After putting away the Silver Blood, Qin Ziwen found Li Tieshan. "Tieshan, our Home now has a good number of combat-oriented Extraordinary individuals, but we’re lacking in other fields. In fact, we have almost none."
Li Tieshan cupped his fists. "I await my lord’s command."
As if performing a magic trick, Qin Ziwen produced a Breakthrough Card·Extreme Breakthrough Card.
"Based on my assessment, these tasks are related to an individual’s profession and daily activities. You’re a Blacksmith, so your task will almost certainly be in that vein."
Li Tieshan looked stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly. "I understand."
"Good. Choose based on your abilities," Qin Ziwen said, crushing the Breakthrough Card·Extreme Breakthrough Card.
Sure enough, all three of Li Tieshan’s task options were related to his work as a Blacksmith.
Tier One: Within seven days, he and the units under his command must forge one thousand weapons.
Tier Two: Within seven days, forge ten weapons using only his own skills. These ten weapons must be used to achieve victory in a single war or in the hunt of an adult Extraordinary Creature, with no more than ten percent of the weapons being damaged.
Tier Three: During a large-scale battle, select one ordinary, non-Extraordinary warrior and give him a weapon you personally forged. This warrior must use that weapon to earn the first great distinction on the battlefield, the weapon must remain undamaged, and the warrior must survive.
In the end, Li Tieshan chose the Tier Two task. This was mainly because there were no large-scale battles on the horizon, making the Tier Three task impossible. The hunt for an Extraordinary Creature, however, was achievable.
After selecting his task, Li Tieshan hurried back to the Yanwu Military Equipment Supervisor to begin his preparations.
「Night fell.」
The sky outside the window was thick with stars.
[You have successfully survived for three weeks on the Gobi Desert and Island maps. Current Day: Island Map, Day 23. Achievements: Successfully completed a Level 3 Hunting Task (hunted Thousand-Eyed Snake), successfully completed a Level 2 Hunting Task (hunted Mosasaurus), acquired numerous Cards, deepened cooperation with the Fishman Race, assimilated a portion of the Fishman Race, acquired an undersea city... Overall Score: 3,555]
[Rewards Received: [Function Card] Level 2 Tracking x1, [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Giant) x1, [Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Weather Altar x1, [Breakthrough Card] Plant Breakthrough Card x1, [Upgrade Card] Building Upgrade Card x1, [Upgrade Card] Resource Upgrade Card x1, [Advanced Recruitment Card] Extraordinary Dragon Scale Horse x1, [Task Card] Home Task Generation Card x1]