Chen Yu went hopping over with a squishy bounce.
He appeared to be nothing more than a harmless slime, but in the beetles' eyes, the aura of their dead companions clinging to that menacing carapace was stimulating their nerves.
With each step closer, they could feel their bodies sinking deeper into an abyss of fear.
Eventually, after leaving behind several corpses, all the beetles withdrew from beneath the tree, abandoning the territory they had contested for so long.
The war concluded in a hasty ending.
Yet it was a victory that felt entirely deserved.
The slime had defeated its natural predators, completely occupied the oak tree territory, and become the true overlord of the oak.
However, from Chen Yu's perspective, another matter was clearly more worthy of his delight.
"Sekashi, help me collect the beetle corpses."
"Are you going to use these beetles to craft new armor?"
Sekashi gathered the beetles larger than fists into her arms, but her gaze fell upon the beetle helmet worn by the slime.
"You don't understand this."
"These beetles are actually delicious food."
"Food?"
A slime treating its natural predators as food?
Fortunately, Sekashi had long grown accustomed to the envoy's peculiarities.
What she was more curious about was whether these beetles were truly that delicious to make the envoy so expectant.
Burrowing Beetles, these magical creatures, were hard as rocks and often dwelled underground. She had almost no contact with them, let alone eaten them.
"Oh, right, help me collect the Poison-stinger Wasp corpses too."
Chen Yu hopped to the entrance at the tree base.
All the beetles inside had already left, leaving behind only some rocky lumps he couldn't understand, sparkling and shiny—probably treasures the beetles had collected.
Since the beetles had all departed, everything now belonged to him.
Chen Yu swallowed all the stones in one go and brought them outside.
"Sekashi, help me see what kind of treasures these are."
Chen Yu spat the sparkling stones onto the ground, still coated with mucus.
"Let me see."
Sekashi picked up the stones from the ground, examining them carefully with her amber vertical pupils.
"Huh?"
"There's Gray Gravel Crystal here too?"
"What's Gray Gravel Crystal?"
"Gray crystals occasionally found along the riverbank. Nobody knows what they're used for, but the humans across the river seem to like them very much, often trading food for these stones."
"Perhaps they're some kind of magical material."
Sekashi's tone carried some uncertainty.
"Let me see."
Chen Yu became interested and swallowed the fragmented crystals back into his stomach to examine them carefully.
Acid corrosion?
No change—harder than ordinary stones, couldn't be digested.
Bring it close to his magic organ?
The mana replenishment phenomenon he imagined didn't occur.
So what exactly is this thing used for?
Is it really a magical material?
Chen Yu idly churned the Gray Gravel Crystal in his stomach when suddenly, for a brief moment, he thought he saw the crystal glow.
Huh?
Probably not an illusion.
Wait, could it be?!
Chen Yu's entire gelatinous body wobbled and bounced several times, appearing utterly shocked.
What had reacted with the Gray Gravel Crystal seemed to be the spiritual energy he had gathered.
Continuing to pour spiritual energy into it, the Gray Gravel Crystal indeed began emitting a hazy light, like a light bulb, illuminating the slime's body.
In that moment, he seemed to have transformed into light itself.
"Eh, are you returning to Putu's divine kingdom?"
Sekashi stared blankly at the glowing slime, unable to resist beginning to pray.
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's this stone that's glowing."
Chen Yu spat out the glowing Gray Gravel Crystal. The stone fell to the ground, slowly radiating bright and gentle light in all directions.
He thought that compared to Gray Gravel Crystal, the name "Light Bulb Stone" might be more suitable for it, or perhaps it should be called the Zeyarila version of spirit stones.
Although it was just glowing a bit, it had genuinely stored the spiritual energy he had poured into it.
If this isn't a spirit stone, then what is?
Chen Yu felt as if a door to a new world was opening before him. With spirit stones, some of the ideas that only existed in his mind now had hope of realization.
What could spirit stones do in Xu Xuan Heaven?
Besides serving as currency, they could be used for cultivation, restoring spiritual energy, setting up formations, drawing talismans...
They were essentially the cultivation version of batteries, with far too many uses.
He couldn't help but recall the Lost Trail Formation Diagram in his possession. With spirit stones, perhaps he could...
Chen Yu indulged in his reverie for a while before snapping back to reality.
"You're saying there are many Gray Gravel Crystals along the riverbank?"
"Not that many, just occasionally found."
"If you want them, I can quietly go back to gather some."
"Forget it. The Corrupted believers linger around the riverbank. It's too dangerous for you to go out."
He didn't want Sekashi to be captured by those fanatical believers just for a few spirit stones.
Chen Yu swallowed the Gray Gravel Crystal again, submerged into the swamp, and returned to the slime nest.
The fact that Gray Gravel Crystal could store spiritual energy was excellent, but it was too conspicuous. He could only bury it in the nest for now and deal with it later.
As for right now,
He was hungry!
...
In the camp, the bonfire crackled as it burned the firewood. The beetles had been pried open by Sekashi using wolf teeth and were roasting in the fire.
The insect meat inside glowed golden, resembling plump crab roe, or like oyster meat covered with golden and silver minced garlic. The rich, lingering aroma enveloped the camp and refused to dissipate.
"So, so fragrant."
Sekashi sniffed, nearly drooling.
Chen Yu was focused on eating and didn't notice her expression.
With a slurp, he swallowed the beetle paste mixed with Poison-stinger Wasp meat into his gel.
The beetle paste was rich and savory with a unique mushroom-like fragrance.
Meanwhile, the Poison-stinger Wasp meat had its own distinct flavor—when roasted, it resembled stretchy cheese, salty and full-bodied.
Delicious!
Chen Yu chomped away, unable to count how much he had eaten. Finally, his body had expanded a full circle, becoming round and plump, before he lay on a stone, happily bubbling.
Satisfied.
But it seemed he had eaten too much and could barely move.
Whatever, who cares.
Chen Yu squinted contentedly, his body gradually enveloped in warmth, becoming drowsy.
Nearby, Sekashi watched him, then curiously picked up the warm beetle shell, carefully brought it close to the shell's edge, and tentatively took a small slurp.
The scalding, thick golden paste and meat had just slid into her mouth when the flavor exploded on her tongue. First, an extreme freshness and sweetness washed over her taste buds. The paste's texture was incredibly smooth with a slight stickiness and chewiness, gently melting on her tongue and releasing even richer, more complex aromas.
She could even clearly hear the enticing "gurgle" sound the thick juice made when stirred in her mouth.
Huh?!
Delicious!
Her amber vertical pupils brightened noticeably, and her tail swayed back and forth, unable to conceal her inner joy.
So Burrowing Beetles were such delicious food?
She took another bite of the Poison-stinger Wasp, crispy outside and tender inside.
So happy she could barely speak...
The bonfire burned, the camp was peaceful and tranquil, while at the swamp's edge, a storm of bloodshed was brewing.