Return

Hui Ying (a small Bimbo shorty)

After everyone recovered, the team that held the idol this week tried to force it out of us. Since we didn't have it with us and they didn't know where we hid it, they stopped leaving the fortress, seemingly resigned to losing this round and trying to make the most of the remaining time.

We tried various ways to gather strawberries because Mei told us that they would be harvested in two days, and the next harvest would be in about two weeks. If we didn't manage to collect any, we'd have to rely on the provided ration, as buying strawberries from the clan was not an option yet. We were trying to figure out what had bound us. Eventually, we tried forming a chain to see if someone could spot anything. It worked, but at the cost of three people who were taken to the bees. We discovered that it was spiders. Somehow, their movements were nearly undetectable, and their webs seemed to be infused with spiritual energy, making them invisible unless you knew what to look for. Even when someone was bound, the web wasn't visible at all. It was insane.

We tried to rescue those who were bound, but the spiders took two more. We went to Mei and asked about observation techniques, wondering if there were any that could help us see the spiders' movements and the webs they used to bind us. We were told that such a technique existed, but it was only available to the winning team. So, we had to wait until the week changed to receive our kilogram of strawberries and start training observation skills to figure out what to do next and how to fight back. We also needed to think about how to restructure our mini-fortress and protect the idol.

Xia Tao

The journey home took us twice as long, and judging by Lin Qing's tense expression, it was best not to disturb her during the flight, so we traveled in silence. By the end of the trip, Lin Qing was drenched in sweat, and I sat beside her, wiping her face. When we landed and the cloud dissipated, she was utterly exhausted.

We dismounted and quickly transported the structure back to the main fortress in pieces. We needed to figure out what it was and how to use it most effectively. Everyone then went about their tasks, and Mei, Lin Qing, and I sat on my favorite veranda. Lin Qing recounted what had happened.

When she finished, I said, "Ah, how I missed this place. Home sweet home" sipping tea and admiring the pond where fish swam, now shimmering with a brighter pearlescence.

"So, what did you discover that made you demand so much? The Blue Taka trees are sacred to their clan. If the other items can be negotiated, the trees are a different matter... What's so extraordinary?"

Lin Qing simply took out the cultivator's corpse from her storage and placed it beside us. Mei squinted for a moment before saying, "Are you're serious? You found an ascendant? From the Bird Clan, and in perfect condition?"

"Um, can you explain for me?" I asked.

"You might not know this, but the clan Goose hails from, despite having some influence, is limited in development. They were not initially meant for cultivation. However, thanks to the fruits of the Blue Taka tree, they evolved from ordinary geese into the advanced race they are now. But because this was an unnatural evolution influenced by the tree's fruits and not spiritual energy, they cut off their path to further development. As a result, their highest attainable rank is the Ascension of Spirit (6th rank), and even reaching that is incredibly difficult for them. As far as we know, only two members of their clan have ever achieved it, and both are believed to be dead."

"So, what does the corpse have to do with it?"

"Because it's a well-known problem for those animals that gain intelligence unnaturally. They have been struggling with it for a long time, trying to overcome these limitations. The solution was found: it's a special array engraved on their bones, embedded directly into them. It's incredibly painful, but if done correctly, it helps to break through the limit and continue cultivation. The problem is that these engravings can vary from race to race and are usually kept as a strict secret within the clan. The most interesting part is that if you break through the limit, your children are born without it and can develop like normal cultivators."

"And this corpse? It's not only a cultivator with these engravings on the bones but also from the Bird Clan. They have characteristic skeletal changes. Moreover, he is from a higher-level world, which means his engravings not only work but are of a higher class that can provide additional benefits. For the Bird Clan, this is a chance for the evolution and development of their entire clan. That's why they might buy it from us, well only if they have the brains of course."

"But if they took the crystal and it's from the higher world, why do you think it's more advantageous for us this way? Won't there be techniques or something useful in there?"

"They never use these crystals for storage. Even here, they are considered archaic and outdated. There, even more so" Mei said.

"And how do you know?"

"Master, you don't venture out of the home clan much. People from the upper worlds sometimes come here to trade or to scout for talented individuals. These events happen in big cities about once a year. So, there's a general understanding about people from there among those who attend these events. Plus, you missed something: for them to engrave these arrays, they will need a lot of Celestium, which they probably don't have. We can sell it to them in exchange for what's in that crystal."

"And why do you think the crystal won't have the engraving technique?"

"Even if it does, I think they would still prefer to get an actual completed engraving as a reference, because the process is very costly and painful. It's easier for them to give us saplings to get an example."

"We'd better prepare because I'm almost sure they will try to pressure us. That golem will be very useful, it's good that the pyramids are finished," Mei said.

"By the way, why do we need these trees?" I asked.

"What do you mean why?" Lin Qing replied. "To plant in the garden of course. They have miraculous properties that will be useful in our garden! And if we water it like the strawberries, I can't even imagine what will happen!"