Chapter 157: Hishu Ryu (1)
As for what this talent was... Chen Yu vaguely sensed that it seemed to have some profound connection with the "land."
So, his gelatinous body gently undulated as he hopped away from the tree hall. He carefully searched along the fortress's outer perimeter, using his body surface to perceive the aura of every inch of soil, finally coming to a stop at a desolate edge.
As a slime, his sensitivity to the earth was far more acute than that of a human. He could perceive that the condition of the land before him seemed rather poor.
Looking closely, sure enough, this patch of land showed a sickly gray-black color, with almost no traces of life visible. Even the most tenacious swamp weeds could not grow here.
"This is the place." Chen Yu was quite satisfied with the spot he had chosen.
He calmed his mind, inhaled and bubbled, focusing his consciousness on the sapling suspended within the gel.
As mana slowly infused into it, the seedling gently swayed, emitting a gentle, spring-rain-like energy ripple that silently seeped into the earth.
Immediately after, a change occurred.
On roughly one square meter of barren land, a faint, tiny, and exquisite emerald-green sapling phantom appeared. It shimmered and flickered like a reflection in water, vanishing in the blink of an eye as if it were merely an illusion caused by sunlight. However, after the phantom disappeared, that patch of land had already been completely renewed.
The originally compacted, gray-black soil had become dark, fertile, and lustrous, shimmering with a faint spiritual light. It possessed both the clear vibrancy of Xu Xuan Heaven's spiritual energy and the active radiance of Zeyarila's mana. Two completely different energies perfectly merged, as if infusing the soil with boundless vitality. Beneath the soil, it seemed as if countless minute lives were rejoicing. The ground slightly bulged and cracked. Moss spores, weed seeds, and shrub roots that had been dormant within seemed to be awakened, rapidly sprouting, shooting forth branches, and growing.
Tender green shoot tips drilled out of the ground, unfurling into leaves that gently swayed in the breeze.
A name also naturally surfaced in Chen Yu's mind at this moment — 【Hixiulong Part One: Fertile Soil】.
This was a miraculous talent capable of creating a patch of purified land and accelerating plant growth within that soil.
However, purifying land and accelerating growth weren't particularly remarkable;
many spells could achieve that.
Why did this talent give him a feeling of being useful, but not overwhelmingly so?
Wait, it seemed like he was overlooking something.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Chen Yu. What would happen if he used this talent in conjunction with "Promote Growth"?
He focused his mind.
【Promote Growth】
An eruption of emerald-green light!
The plants in the grid field, which were already growing quite rapidly, began to sway and grow upward as if convulsing. The land was soon covered by a layer of vibrant, tender green plants, lush and dense, as if they had grown naturally for over ten days.
Huh?!
They really could stack.
It seemed he had stumbled upon some incredible application.
"If we don't count 'Promote Growth', the effect of this talent can roughly make plants grow at five times the normal speed," Chen Yu concluded.
However, as he continued to explore the talent, he soon discovered an even greater surprise about "Fertile Soil."
It didn't seem to follow the principle of equivalent exchange of matter. It accelerated plant growth by five times, yet the fertility consumption of the land itself remained at the normal level.
This meant this talent didn't consume extra fertilizer!
Compared to "Promote Growth," "Fertile Soil" felt more like a form of growth that touched upon the essence of life itself.
Even better, these two talents could be used in combination.
Moreover, unlike other magical creature talents that required continuous mana consumption to maintain, "Fertile Soil" was more like a persistent buff "anchored" to a specific area.
As long as he didn't actively retract it, that patch of land could maintain this fertile state almost indefinitely, with almost no drain on his personal mana.
"Five times the growth speed, and no extra fertilizer consumption... Doesn't that mean cultivating spirit herbs actually has real hope?" Thinking of this, a wave of anticipation surged within Chen Yu.
He strained, growing gel wings on both sides of his body, and flew eagerly towards the experimental field inside the northern fortress.
Experimental Field.
Compared to the bustle outside the fortress, it was quieter here. The intense battle with the Formation Company had not affected the slime agronomists diligently farming here.
They were still busy in their respective experimental plots, carefully tending to those precious plants that had undergone multiple rounds of iterative selection and breeding.
Seeing Chen Yu fly over, the agronomists immediately hopped over joyfully, their soft, bouncy bodies colliding with each other, making cheerful "squelch" sounds.
Their pheromones conveyed delight.
"King!"
"The King is here!"
Chen Yu patted their round heads with his gel hands and inquired, "How is the latest iteration of these herbs going?"
A senior agronomist slime "squelch-squelched" forward, reporting in unskilled Common Tongue.
"Ite... iteration six now. They... they seem a bit different from before, already showing spirit herb characteristics."
The spirit herb characteristics it referred to were an introverted trait possessed by spirit herbs.
Unlike magical herbs that possessed various miraculous effects, once a magical herb began evolving towards a "spirit herb," it would gradually lose those outwardly manifested extraordinary abilities, turning inward to condense and produce a unique "spiritual glow."
For example, the Giant Frog Fungi, which could increase jumping distance when eaten, had completely lost its jumping-boosting effect after iterations, now emitting a faint spiritual glow instead.
This glow was most obvious at night, a manifestation of the spirit herb accumulating pure energy. The brighter the glow, the higher the herb's age, serving as an important standard for judging spirit herb quality.
If in Xu Xuan Heaven, spirit herbs old enough could even exhibit the phenomenon of their spiritual glow condensing into rings, encircling the herb like a halo.
Chen Yu looked at the experimental field and saw that many carefully cultivated magical herbs like Giant Frog Fungi and Moonlight Moss already possessed some spirit herb characteristics.
On their leaves or mushroom caps, a faint, extremely weak, gentle halo seemed to flow. Although very faint, it proved that spirit herbs could indeed be grown in Zeyarila.
Since spirit herbs could be grown, he wouldn't hold back.
【Hixiulong Part One】
Chen Yu concentrated, carefully attempting to anchor "Fertile Soil" to the experimental field. Immediately, a wave of vitality-filled energy enveloped the field, and the soil surface once again shimmered with that peculiar blend of spiritual light and mana radiance.
【Promote Growth】
The double buff effects instantly stacked.
Amidst the astonished "wow wow wow" sounds of the surrounding slime agronomists, the Giant Frog Fungi and Moonlight Moss in the experimental field grew at a jaw-dropping, frenzied pace.
They rapidly matured, released spores, then withered. New fungal bodies and moss sprouted from the fertile soil, absorbing the spiritual energy from the "Fertile Soil" and the pre-buried spirit stones, and began growing wildly again.
This cycle repeated, and in the blink of an eye, three generational turnovers were completed.
Just then, Chen Yu sensed that the spiritual energy from the spirit stones pre-buried in the soil was finally depleted. The soil's own fertility had also been squeezed dry under this extreme forced growth. He had no choice but to stop "Promote Growth."
However, by now, within the area of the experimental field anchored by "Fertile Soil," two genuine spirit herbs had already been born.
One Giant Frog Fungi's cap had become thick, plump, and smooth, its entire body taking on a warm, jade-white hue, enveloped in a veil-like pure white spiritual glow that gently swayed.
The other, a Moonlight Moss, originally just moss creeping on the ground, had now condensed into a small cluster. Its leaves had become crystal clear, like miniature moonlight crystals, emitting a clear, cold, and faintly glowing halo.
Spiritual glow forming a veil!
This was the standard for the lowest quality spirit herb formation.
The first and second truly meaningful spirit herbs in the history of the Zeyarila world were born right here, in this nameless swamp's slime experimental field.
"Squelch! Squelch squelch!"
"Success! Success!"
The slime agronomists let out cries of immense joy. They excitedly bumped into each other, their soft, bouncy bodies trembling slightly with excitement.
Chen Yu's heart was also filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment.
But he was also clear that cultivating spirit herbs was merely the first step.
To fully utilize their value and unleash the effects of spirit herbs that far surpassed ordinary magical herbs, corresponding cultivation techniques were needed — specifically, alchemy.
He remembered that the Three Origins Sect seemed to have some basic elixirs used by mortal martial artists to temper their bodies and bones, and to cultivate internal and external martial arts.
These elixirs were priceless treasures in the mortal world, but within cultivation sects, they were merely practice materials for novice alchemy apprentices.
"Perhaps I can start by finding a few of the most basic elixir recipes to try my hand," Chen Yu planned silently.
...
Dark Realm, Gray Mountain Stone Fortress.
This mountain fortress was located in the northwest direction of the Dark Realm. Originally built by dwarves as their home, it was abandoned many years ago after being engulfed and shrouded by the expanding "Dark Realm."
Places like Gray Mountain Stone Fortress, which were swallowed by the "Darkness" and became part of it, were not uncommon in Zeyarila.
"Darkness" was not a geographical term. It was more like a phenomenon, a shadowy canopy that hung over this vast region, a never-dispersing shroud.
It fluctuated with the changing seasons and mana tides, even slowly expanding.
No one truly knew what the essence of the "Darkness" was. They only knew it connected, via a perilous path called the "Gloomy Corridor," to the deeper, more ancient, and dangerous Shadow Mountains within the Corrupted Miasma Mountains.
Some scholars speculated that this darkness might be the manifestation of a fallen deity's remaining authority. There were also rumors that it was the manifestation of the Abyss's continuous erosion of the material plane.
Like ink blots dropped on a map, not only here but even in some southern kingdoms, small patches of Dark Realm existed.
Due to their concealment, these places usually became the best hiding spots for desperadoes.
And now, this Gray Mountain Stone Fortress had also become one of the venues for the Blacktooth mercenary company and the Goblin Army to conduct gray-area transactions and arrange meetings. A large number of desperadoes, lured by the high bounties offered by the Goblin Army, frequented the place.
At this moment, the most boisterous hall within Gray Mountain Stone Fortress was filled with the shrill shrieks of goblins and the rough clamor of mercenaries.
Torches on the stone walls crackled, casting flickering light and shadows that illuminated the diverse characters gathered around the large wooden table.
The crisp clatter of dice hitting wooden bowls, the slap of cards on the table, the wild laughter of winners, and the curses of losers intertwined continuously.
In the center of the crowd of mercenaries, surrounded, were several goblins wearing tattered leather armor and gold rings through their noses. They were screaming.
"Place your bets, success or failure of the subjugation!"
"Bet! I'm going for the high odds, I choose subjugation failure, curse that sour-faced knight to fail!" a mercenary with a brutish face roared, slapping a handful of silver coins on the table.
"Hey, Tock, save your pathetic silver coins to buy yourself some new armor, hahaha!" his opponent mocked, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"I hate that Galvin guy, but I have to admit, he's a knight from a proper legion, born for this stuff. Subjugating some unknown A-rank target is a sure thing."
"Idiot, high odds are high, but you gotta be able to collect them," another mercenary laughed and cursed.
"This Tock guy always dreams of hitting it big with a small bet. Nothing good comes that easy."
"Exactly, just betting for fun. These cunning goblins wouldn't run at a loss," the mercenaries chimed in.
Hearing their mockery, Tock waved his hand irritably. "You don't know shit! High risk, high reward!"
"What's the point of earning those measly coins all day? Can't even buy a mug of ale."
Just as the other mercenaries were about to continue, amidst the noise, a mercenary with a flushed face from drinking suddenly slammed the table and shouted at a mage across the table who was fiddling with spell components:
"Hey, Black Crow, stop messing with those bird feathers. Check if any news has come back. The Formation Company went to clear out that A-rank target, it's been ages."
The mage called "Black Crow" impatiently took a swig of ale and cursed, "What's the rush? Eager to lose your pants? Sending a message back here from that godforsaken place by pigeon, even non-stop, takes a good while."
But even as he said that, he instinctively cast a sensing spell.
Suddenly, his movements halted, and a look of surprise flashed across his face. "Huh? Wait... seems one really is back?"
He hurriedly put down the bottle, pulled out a small pinch of faintly glowing feather dust from his waist pouch, muttered a few obscure incantations, and cast a communication spell.
A white pigeon phantom made of mana then fluttered its wings and landed on the tip of his staff.
The pigeon's eyes glowed with a strange blue light, its beak opening and closing slightly but making no sound.
The surrounding noisy mercenaries and goblins instinctively quieted down a bit, looking over curiously.
Black Crow focused intently, listening to the information transmitted by the white pigeon. The expression on his face rapidly changed from curiosity to shock.
*Clatter!* His staff slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a crisp sound.
"What's wrong?" the mercenary beside him, sensing something amiss, urgently pressed.
Black Crow's face turned ashen, his lips trembling. He jerked his head up, his voice cracking:
"My deposit... Defeated... defeated. Blacktooth's Formation Company was completely wiped out. Even the leader, Galvin, was captured."
"Wh... what?!"
The entire table instantly fell dead silent. All the mercenaries widened their eyes, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Black Crow's voice carried a sob as he continued shouting, "Damn it! The message says that godforsaken place has subdrakes, and an insanely powerful Death Knight! We... we've all been tricked by these damn goblins!"
After a brief moment of dead silence, the entire hall exploded into chaos as if a pot had been boiled over.
"Oh! Damn it!" A mercenary stood up abruptly, knocking over his mug.
"An Elite Professional captured? How is that possible!" another muttered in disbelief.
"Bullshit! I knew no A-rank bounty was ever simple," a more seasoned mercenary pounded the table and cursed.
While everyone was cursing, only one person was plunged into immense ecstasy.
Tock cheered and shouted, slapping the table with both hands. "Pay up, pay up! I knew that A-rank target wasn't a pushover!"
"Don't think about welching. I finally won once!"
No one paid him any mind. A mercenary suddenly snapped to his senses and pointed at the equally dumbfounded goblins.
"Cheaters! You damn green-skinned cheaters!"
"That wasn't some damn A-rank target at all, that was an S-rank! My bet! Hand over the money!"
The crowd instantly turned their furious gazes toward the goblins. A dangerous atmosphere filled the air. Several hot-tempered mercenaries had already gripped their weapon hilts.
The goblins shrieked in terror. They realized things had gone completely south. The intelligence was severely flawed. This was no longer just about bets;
they were likely to be torn to shreds by these angry humans.
"Not our fault! The message came from Riftrock Pass!"
"Let's go, report back quickly!"
They could no longer care about anything else. They squeezed out of the crowd in a panic, shrieking as they fled the hall, jumped onto the giant lizard mounts waiting nearby, and galloped frantically towards the direction of Riftrock Pass.
"Stop! Don't think you can run! I finally won once, give me my money!" Tock was utterly furious. The first time he won a bet, and these goblins wanted to welch?
How could he allow that?
So he mounted his horse and chased after them, cursing these untrustworthy goblins eight hundred times over in his heart.