Chapter 204: Exchanging Beast Crystals
She instinctively stepped back half a step, staring at the flow of light gushing from the crevice.
She quickly lifted it to take a look and saw a Green Rank Beast Crystal lying steadily at the bottom of the box.
The surface of the Crystal Stone was smooth, the color was uniform, and the energy fluctuation was stable.
It lay there quietly, as if it had been waiting to be taken away all along.
She grabbed it and tucked it into her bosom, now she had three Green Rank Beast Crystals in hand.
Adding to the two she originally had, she now owned three High Rank Crystal Stones that could be used for breakthroughs.
Although this number was still not enough to guarantee victory,
at least it made hope a bit more tangible.
Since the wooden box could recognize corpses as exchange materials,
could those long-cultivated plants also work?
Especially those rare species, perhaps they could yield higher-level returns.
She gritted her teeth and kept only a few seeds of each for future planting.
The rest of the fruits and vines, roots, and leaves, she dumped into the box.
She tossed the heavy fruits in one by one.
The vines entwined with branches and leaves, while the soil fell down with a rustle.
The internal space of the wooden box seemed bottomless.
Everything disappeared as soon as it went in, leaving only a layer of golden light on the surface.
When the golden light faded, she leaned in to take a look, and there lay a Beast Crystal!
The surface of the Crystal Stone was smooth, emitting a faint energy fluctuation from within.
She pinched it to confirm it wasn’t an illusion, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift.
If only she knew how useful this box could be from the start.
She should have dragged all those corpses inside back then!
The limbs and bones abandoned after fights, wasting such great opportunities.
In retrospect, it was truly a missed opportunity.
Who would have thought that dead meat could be exchanged for Crystal Stones!
Before, she had thought it was just an ordinary storage box, at most used to hold some odds and ends.
Now she discovered its hidden mechanism, able to transform items for resource exchange.
The Fragrant Fruit Tree stood lonely in the corner, its branches sparse, and leaves withered.
The land was bare, with no other crops growing anymore.
But the Beast Crystals in her hand were still not enough to break into the Blue Rank; she furrowed her brows and glanced around restlessly.
The pool water rippled slightly, the edges nearly overflowing, and ripples spread in circles.
The Spiritual Spring had increased a lot after forming a contract with Wyatt Yardley, and the pond was about to overflow.
Could the spring water be exchanged?
As soon as this thought popped up, the pattern on the box lid immediately switched again!
The previously ordinary wood grain instantly changed, revealing a clear image.
On the left was a sparkling pool of water, unmistakably resembling her Spiritual Spring.
On the right, a neat row of Beast Crystals was lined up.
Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, and all the way to Purple Rank, they were all there!
It didn’t state how much spring water was needed to exchange for one, nor how many times it could be exchanged in a day.
As long as she had water, she could keep exchanging endlessly!
The rules were simple and direct, without any limiting explanations, conveying just one message.
An unending water source supports unlimited exchanges.
Seraphina Caldwell’s heart sped up dramatically, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Seizing such an opportunity could fundamentally change her current circumstances.
As long as the Spiritual Spring stayed close to a male, it would gush forth.
In other words, staying close to Wyatt Yardley would make the spring water flow, and Beast Crystals would follow!
Maintaining the contract relationship would ensure stable production.
The husbands would no longer need to risk their lives hunting Dire Beasts to exchange for crystals.
They could rest and recover, improving their own cultivation,
instead of constantly living on the brink of life and death.
Seraphina Caldwell hesitated no longer; with a thought, the clear water from the pond flowed along the edge of the wooden box with a rush.
The more water poured in, the more light emanated from the box’s crevices, each beam brighter than the last.
The brilliance seeped out from tiny cracks, gradually enveloping the whole box.
Until the pond was completely dry, she closed the box lid.
The last drop of water slid into the box, leaving only damp traces at the pond bottom.
When the light completely disappeared, she lifted the lid to look again.
A Blue Rank Beast Crystal glowing with deep blue light lay steadily at the bottom of the box.
Beside it was a Green and a Yellow one.
It actually worked!
It’s truly a Blue Rank!
Excitement surged in her heart, and she hurriedly tucked the newly exchanged Beast Crystals into her bosom.
She now had one Blue Rank, four Green Rank, one Green Rank, and two Yellow Rank, totaling eight crystals.
She glanced down at her palm, where the lingering moisture of the Spiritual Spring Water remained between her palm lines.
Those were the marks left by extracting resources from the space repeatedly.
She gritted her teeth and threw the rest into the box.
Her fingers paused for a moment at the box opening but finally released decisively.
A glimmer of light, and the next time she retrieved it, it was new spoils.
This time, she got two Blue Rank, two Green Rank, and two Yellow Rank crystals.
The crystals, radiating different hues of cold light, were neatly arranged in her open palm.
The number was just right, enough for Evan Orwell to advance steadily to the Blue Rank.
The space was empty, the pond had no water, and the plants were gone.
Only some seeds and the barren Fragrant Fruit Tree stood there alone.
The soil cracked, the bark was dull, the branches and leaves all gone, its former vitality completely lost.
She gazed at it for a moment, neither speaking nor sighing.
How many supplies that tree once provided her didn’t matter anymore at this moment.
Not an ounce of her felt heartache.
As long as she could save Wyatt Yardley and the others, and make Evan Orwell strong enough to confront Albert Wyndham, none of these sacrifices meant anything.
What was lost could always be earned again,
but a missed opportunity might be gone forever.
She wasn’t afraid of hardships nor starting all over again.
The most important thing now was this person in front of her,
and whether he could become powerful enough in the shortest time.
Besides, she knew clearly that Spiritual Spring Water wasn’t a once-used-up item.
As long as she stayed close to males, it could regenerate.
Every interaction with high-rank males subtly reminded her of this fact.
She didn’t need to act hastily or regretfully.
Seraphina Caldwell withdrew from the space, looking out from the tree hole; moonlight still gently spilled onto the ground.
A thin frost covered the grass leaves, while the shadows of distant trees stood silently.
The night wind gently brushed past, bringing a faint rustling sound.
The world was so quiet, as if it had fallen into slumber.
Only her heartbeat was exceptionally clear.
Evan Orwell sat against a tree trunk, his eyes closed, breathing evenly.
His shoulder sank slightly, arms naturally dangling, posture relaxed.
The night breeze lifted the strands of hair on his forehead, revealing a faint old scar.
But she knew he wasn’t actually sleeping.
That was vigilance, a habit cultivated from years of battle.
She moved closer to him, her voice a little shaky, unable to suppress her anticipation.
"Evan, if I give you four Beast Crystals, could you advance all the way to the Blue Rank?"
As soon as the words fell, Evan’s eyes snapped open.
Pupils constricted instantly, his whole being suddenly on high alert.
But when he saw it was Seraphina, his movements froze.
His amber eyes no longer calm as usual, were full of shock.
His gaze fell on her face and quickly swept over her hands.
He stared at her intently, voice tight, asking one word at a time: "Really?"
What is a Blue Rank Beast Crystal?
A major tribe might struggle all year fighting tooth and nail and still not even snatch one.
Yet here she was, offering four with a single mouth.
These weren’t ordinary resources but strategic items capable of altering the battle field.
Each piece could trigger a deadly fight among several males.
Bloody battles all day may just yield one Crystal Core.
The three scars on his body, yet to fully heal.