Chapter 386: On the Road
After obtaining the new host, Zhang Yuan instantly invested ten thousand points of Source Material into the Golden-haired Rat.
The Storage Space’s utility was immense, but its initial volume was truly too small, and he really wished he could upgrade it to full level at once.
However, what Zhang Yuan never expected was that the amount of Source Material needed for the Golden-haired Rat’s evolution far exceeded his estimation.
For the first upgrade, it consumed as much as five thousand points of Source Material.
Upgrading to Level 3 used another ten thousand points!
Zhang Yuan simply poured all the remaining seven thousand plus points into it, barely increasing the evolution level to just a bit over one-third.
This meant that upgrading from Level 3 to Level 4 required a total of twenty thousand Source Material.
An increase by yet another fold!
One should know that the twenty thousand Source Material Zhang Yuan originally had was accumulated through hard work, risking exposure of his greatest secret, by slaughtering shiploads of Barbarians in the Great Dream Marsh.
And now it was all depleted in one go, leaving him far from satisfied.
This sixth host, the Golden-haired Rat, has undoubtedly replaced the Red-eyed Crow as the most resource-consuming existence in the Divine Nest.
But no matter how much it consumed, Zhang Yuan gritted his teeth and continued to support it.
Because the Storage Space is truly enticing!
The Level 2 Golden-haired Rat provided 9 cubic spaces, and by Level 3, it increased to 27 cubic spaces.
The pattern was clear: with each level up, the length, width, and height each increased by 1. Without any surprises, the Level 4 Storage Space should be 64 cubic, and Level 5 would be 125 cubic!
In fact, the Level 3 Storage Space was already extremely useful, and Zhang Yuan stored all the gold and silver treasures he salvaged from shipwrecks inside, along with weapons, elixirs, and materials he had acquired before.
Zhang Yuan also stored some food and water to ensure he could survive under extreme conditions.
Even though the Storage Space couldn’t hold living things, food and water stored inside wouldn’t deteriorate.
Though it couldn’t keep them warm either.
Resulting in the 27 cubic spaces almost being completely filled.
Comfortably leaning against a cushion, Zhang Yuan opened his eyes, detaching his consciousness from the Storage Space.
When he first acquired this ability, he was completely engrossed in it, storing and retrieving various items, researching and testing the characteristics of the Storage Space, as well as deeper utilization methods.
Now that he had a good grasp, Zhang Yuan often took inventory of the stored items.
He felt a sense of satisfaction akin to that of a squirrel hoarding!
The next moment, several gazes fell upon him.
These gazes came from the passengers within the same carriage.
This "high-fare" luxury carriage, apart from the coachman at the front, carried eight "VIP" passengers, including Zhang Yuan.
A young couple with their daughter, a middle-aged man, a veiled young woman, and an elderly man with his grown grandson.
These passengers were not ordinary people, and among them were two Tier Four experts.
Although they concealed their aura well, Zhang Yuan’s Spiritual Sense could not be fooled.
Just a chance meeting, Zhang Yuan had no interest in them.
Throughout the journey, he never communicated with the others in the carriage, sitting quietly at the back, playing the role of a silent character.
Zhang Yuan didn’t believe these people could see through his true cultivation.
He suppressed his aura to the level of Tier Three Transformation Realm.
But for some reason, the always smiling middle-aged man and the elderly man seemed quite interested in Zhang Yuan.
The former tried probing several times along the way, and the latter attempted to strike up a conversation.
All were coldly rebuffed by Zhang Yuan.
"Ahem ahem!"
The middle-aged man suddenly coughed twice, moved his position, and said with a smile to Zhang Yuan, "Little brother..."
This man had a natural friendliness about him and was remarkably thick-skinned.
Whenever he spoke, he always had a friendly smile, like a businessman with a gentle smile, talking with almost everyone in the carriage, including the aloof young woman.
Only Zhang Yuan gave indifferent responses, treating the man as if he were air, nearly putting him in an awkward position.
But Zhang Yuan underestimated the man’s resilience.
He actually came over again now!
At this moment, the jingling sound of Copper Bells rang into the carriage.
Accompanied by the shouting of Darts Masters, the large convoy came to a stop.
It was time for a rest and camping.
Zhang Yuan immediately lifted the curtain and jumped outside the carriage.
The middle-aged man, experiencing some embarrassment, had a fleeting shade of annoyance flash in his eyes.
But he concealed it well, and no one else noticed.
The elderly man stroked his long beard and chuckled a few times.
The atmosphere within the carriage was somewhat awkward.
But Zhang Yuan felt no remorse and didn’t care about others’ feelings.
He stepped to the edge of the mountain path, breathing fresh air while enjoying the surrounding scenery.
The sky hadn’t darkened yet, but the experienced guard Darts Masters had already begun to set up camp, preparing for the long night.
The mountains were full of mysteries, and no convoy would travel at night through them.
The Darts Masters and Samurai first settled the carriage and horses, then cleared the grass and trees nearby, scattering a large amount of medicinal powder.
Before long, bonfires were set up along the roadside.
As the sun set and darkness began to envelop the mountains, the warmth and scent of food from these bonfires provided travelers with enough safety and warmth.
Zhang Yuan sat beside the fire, taking out a hard dry pancake to roast and heat.
Although he possessed Storage Space, to avoid drawing attention, Zhang Yuan carried luggage like an ordinary traveler.
Containing clothes, and dried food.
Suddenly, he felt a movement in his expression, picked up the Iron-Clad Bow and Quiver beside him, and leaped into the nearby forest.
The surrounding people didn’t have time to persuade him.
But Zhang Yuan went swiftly and returned equally quickly.
He brought back a pheasant.
Late autumn was when pheasants were the fattest, and the one Zhang Yuan caught weighed four to five catties, looking delectable.
It immediately drew a lot of attention.
Zhang Yuan gutted the pheasant he shot with his bow and arrow, discarding the innards without plucking the feathers.
He only rubbed a bit of salt inside.
He then took the Water Bag, mixing mud to coat the entire pheasant.
Finally, he placed it into the fire for roasting.
Half an hour later, Zhang Yuan retrieved the hardened, hot mud-wrapped pheasant, cracking off the shell along with the feathers.
A rich aroma instantly spread out.
Even though most people had already dined by this time,
the enticing aroma made them hungry once again!
Zhang Yuan tore off a juicy drumstick and handed it to the little girl sitting opposite him.
She was the daughter of the young couple from the same carriage, a five or six-year-old child, angelic and innocent, with big, bright eyes, exuding an adorable charm.
She had eaten some dried food earlier, but Zhang Yuan’s roast chicken had her drooling.
Her longing expression was irresistibly amusing!