Chapter 180: Desert Ruins (Two-in-One) |
"Sister Qiu, Cao Biansheng is over there, aren't you going to say hello?" Tingting gently nudged Sister Qiu's arm.
Sister Qiu hesitated for a moment, then walked over, her expression normal as she said, "Old Cao, you were pretty cool when you killed that worm earlier."
"Hahahaha, of course I was." Cao Biansheng laughed heartily, hands on his hips. "I am Cao Biansheng, after all."
Looking at the boy before her, Zheng Qiu smiled. "You're still the same as in high school, feels like nothing's changed."
"No, there have been changes." Cao Biansheng raised an eyebrow. "My strength is much greater now than before!"
"..." Zheng Qiu smiled helplessly. "Alright then, you seem busy, so I won't disturb you further."
After Zheng Qiu walked away, Qin Ziwu sidled over. "I couldn't even listen anymore, you're truly a steel-straight man. That girl came to find you on her own initiative."
Cao Biansheng didn't explain, he just glanced at Qin Ziwu. "If you're feeling spring fever and have your eye on some girl, I can help introduce you."
Qin Ziwu stared, dumbfounded. "So you did know! I thought you didn't get it."
As he spoke, he glanced at Qin Ziwu. Only this guy, protected by his older brother, could go a day without having to consider so much.
When the Desert Giant Worm's corpse was dragged back to the residential complex, it attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Although the worm's body had been partially dismembered, its mouthparts and massive frame still caused many surrounding residents to feel both fear and excitement.
When Zou Jianghe learned this giant beast had been killed by the vehicle-mounted crossbow, he specifically came to inspect it.
Seeing the wound, his evaluation of the vehicle-mounted crossbow rose another level in his heart.
The strength of a weapon lies in actual combat. Numbers might be falsified, but battle records don't lie.
"Guild Leader Qin, when will you have stock available for sale?"
Qin Ziwen said, "In a while. Production is too low right now, we only have these two."
Although disappointed, Zou Jianghe nodded in understanding.
After bringing back the dismembered remains of the Desert Giant Worm, Jia Liangcai stroked the incomplete corpse and murmured to himself, "Truly a marvelous beast."
Qin Ziwen found Chen Pi and asked if the Desert Giant Worm's outer shell could be made into armor.
Chen Pi took a piece of the cut shell. After a moment, he said excitedly, "Master, it can! This is a natural wonder, born in this dry, arid land. The carapace is hard, requiring little processing. Just simple air drying and cutting away the inner membrane is enough to use. Moreover, the shell is lightweight; the leather armor made from it should be very light."
"How long to produce a finished piece?"
Chen Pi replied, "Tomorrow, I can first make one finished piece for your evaluation, Master."
In the evening, after everyone had finished their busy work, all other materials were also processed.
The acidic liquid from the acid sac organ, due to its strong corrosive properties, was stored in several large glass jars.
The liquid with anesthetic effects was also placed into a separate transparent bottle.
The densely packed sharp teeth from the mouth cavity were knocked out by Li Tieshan. He was very interested in these straight, slender fangs, thinking these lightweight yet hard teeth might become material for making arrows.
Aside from that, all other flesh and blood were also cleaned up.
Scraping off the surface flesh, the shell was left behind, polished clean with fine sand, and then wiped with a damp cloth.
Returning to his room, Qin Ziwen had a rare moment of rest time.
He took out three cards.
He would keep the Blacksmith card for now. Then there was the Building Enhancement Card, random, which could grant any building a random special effect.
Currently, any building could only have one special effect at a time.
But because it was random, there was a chance of getting a useless effect.
After much hesitation.
Qin Ziwen ultimately decided to use it on the Leather Armor Workshop.
The yellow Building Enhancement Card transformed into light and merged into the small courtyard of the Level 2 Leather Armor Workshop.
It enveloped the entire building.
Finally, the light faded.
【Level 2 Leather Armor Workshop: Level 2 Leather Armor Defense Boost, Level 1 Leather Armor Toughness Boost, Level 1 Leather Armor Production Speed Boost】(Special Effect: Constant Temperature - Leather armor produced by this workshop can insulate against temperature, warm in winter and cool in summer)
This effect was decent. The Gobi weather was hot, and leather armor itself wasn't breathable. It was fine in cold environments, but in hot environments, it blocked sweat evaporation, easily causing stuffiness and heat.
At least the leather armor produced would have a significant improvement in comfort.
Next was the 【Advanced Resource Card】: Level 1 Dewdrop Fruit Grove.
This resource point required an area of 10*10 meters, only one hundred square meters.
Compared to the Moso Bamboo Forest, the required area was much smaller.
This indirectly proved the Dewdrop Fruit's value was higher.
Clearing out a patch of empty land next to the Moso Bamboo Forest, he then used the Dewdrop Fruit Grove card.
On the empty land, rows of short, dark brown fruit trees appeared. These trees had a peculiar appearance, with many fist-sized holes on their trunks.
For those with trypophobia, the Dewdrop Fruit trees were quite unsettling.
These holes covered the tree trunks, like the cavities on a honeycomb.
Beneath the thick branches hung white fruits that looked like balloons.
Qin Ziwen picked one fruit.
The fruit was lightweight, about the size of a coconut. Gently shaking it, he could feel water sloshing inside.
Prying open a hole, he poured the liquid inside into a bowl.
It was a slightly viscous, transparent liquid, with some small, milky-white flakes floating in it.
It smelled of a faint fruity fragrance.
Qin Ziwen wasn't sure. He cast Insight on the two nearby plant resource points.
【Level 1 Dewdrop Fruit Grove: Level 2 Growth Acceleration, Level 1 Taste Enhancement, Level 1 Nutrient Richness】(Special Effect: The Dewdrop Fruit's shell possesses certain detoxifying effects)
【Level 1 Moso Bamboo Forest: Level 1 Bamboo Hardness, Level 1 Bamboo Toughness】
Looking around, there were twenty fruit trees in this grove. On each tree, the number of fruits ranged from 9 to 12.
About two hundred in total.
He just didn't know how fast the Dewdrop Fruit grew.
Moreover, the Dewdrop Fruit's shell had detoxifying effects. The shell was somewhat like a coconut's, though more brittle. But directly eating it would probably be a bit difficult.
After much thought, Qin Ziwen felt it still needed processing. For example, grinding the shell into powder, then mixing it with water to drink might be better.
This Dewdrop Fruit could perhaps become a distinctive product for external sale.
After finishing his busy work, Qin Ziwen prepared to rest.
The next morning, Chen Pi successfully produced a sample piece of leather armor. Chen Pi demonstrated its defensive capabilities for Qin Ziwen. He first put the leather armor on a wooden stake, then tested it with blunt and sharp weapons respectively.
First, regarding blunt impact strikes, this leather armor showed impressive shock absorption and impact resistance.
Next were sharp weapons. Against dragging, slashing, and scratching types of attacks, the leather armor also performed well.
Against chopping attacks, it showed a certain defensive effect.
But against stabbing attacks, it exposed the leather armor's weakness. It was inadequate in defending against stabs, easily pierced through.
Arrows also showed good armor-piercing effects against the leather armor, similar to stabbing attacks.
No wonder the Desert Giant Worm was killed by three crossbow bolts from the vehicle-mounted crossbow. Its natural armor was inherently weak against piercing.
Jia Liangcai repeatedly offered congratulations: "Congratulations, Master, on obtaining excellent armor! May the Master bestow a name upon this armor!"
"Since it's made from the Desert Giant Worm's armor, then call it... Sandworm Armor." Qin Ziwen didn't choose any flashy name. Naming it Sandworm Armor was for convenience and memorability.
Jia Liangcai praised repeatedly: "Marvelous! Master, this name is of great skill appearing artless, returning to simplicity, truly catchy and easy to remember."
Chen Pi was left dumbfounded. Was the name that miraculous?
He felt it was rather ordinary and unremarkable.
Qin Ziwen felt somewhat awkward.
"By the way, the Home has acquired a new batch of plants. I'll give instructions..." He told Jia Liangcai about the Dewdrop Fruit tree's effects, then asked him to pick a few fruits to try first, and how to handle them after picking to extend their shelf life.
"Yes." Jia Liangcai bowed.
At the same time, Qin Ziwen found Du Yu and asked him to follow Chen Pi and learn how to make Sandworm Armor.
He wanted Du Yu to make a set of suitable armor for himself.
Wearing an extra layer of armor would provide more safety when hunting dragon-like creatures.
Du Yu felt this leather armor looked somewhat bulky. In the end, he decided to make a simple set of leather armor for himself, sacrificing coverage area to instead protect several vital areas, maintaining flexibility.
At noon, the Crowned Eagle, which had been searching for prey outside, flew back along the balcony.
After entering the room, it couldn't wait and started making urging calls.
It placed its claws on Qin Ziwen's arm, then kept shaking its head.
It was signaling its master to take the phone off its neck.
"Alright, alright, I'll look right away."
Taking off the phone, he discovered traces of a Desert Raptor in today's recorded videos.
The environment in the video looked unfamiliar, unlike the scenes from previous recordings.
Had the Crowned Eagle flown far away?
Puzzled, Qin Ziwen dragged the progress bar. After confirming it took off, it had flown swiftly all the way along the northwest direction of the residential complex.
If he remembered correctly, the northwest direction previously seemed to be the sand dunes where the Desert Giant Worm lived.
But after the sandstorm, the sand dunes were blown away by the storm, large sections of dunes shifted, exposing ruins buried beneath the yellow sand.
This was a small city buried beneath the desert.
There was a perimeter wall on the outside, with scattered buildings inside.
A Desert Raptor was walking within this already abandoned, deserted small city.
The sand dunes had been blown away by the great sandstorm, shifting a large distance to the side. Now, nearly half of this small city was still buried in yellow sand.
And the Desert Raptor was wandering in the exposed part.
"Du Yu, found the target." Qin Ziwen turned his head and shouted.
"I'll have the Crowned Eagle and Chitu take you there first. We'll follow from behind."
By now, the yellow sand within the residential complex had basically been cleared away.
Qin Ziwen gathered the core hunting team, then brought food, water, and the two vehicle-mounted crossbows, heading towards the sand dune area.
When they arrived, the Desert Raptor was already dead.
Du Yu was leaning against an earthen wall, sitting on the ground, holding his long spear, covered in blood.
"Are you injured?" Qin Ziwen hurriedly took out a water cup filled with Healing Spring water.
"Master, I am unharmed. This is the raptor's blood." Du Yu waved his hand in refusal. "Master, you all need to be careful. Just now, I heard movement from the sand dune area over there. There might be worms."
Qin Ziwen looked east. Over there, some buildings were still covered by yellow sand.
He immediately shouted, "Everyone, pay attention! Don't go near that area, stay away from the sand dunes!"
Everyone responded in agreement.
"This place seems quite well-preserved." Wang Jun looked around. He found this place resembled ancient architectural ruins buried beneath yellow sand.
"This house has collapsed."
"This place looks like a courtyard. Look, there are still ridges around."
"This is a well, right? It's full of sand."
Everyone explored the surroundings.
They could confirm that humans had indeed lived here before.
They were probably the first to discover this place.
After searching, everyone found that things like stone mills, stone foundations, and stone tablets inside these buildings were still well-preserved. Some rooms even contained porcelain and pottery jars.
Many still bore traces of past use.
"Guild Leader, there's a bronze sword here."
"There's a bronze mirror here."
"There's a mummy here."
In a room, a dark brown mummy, its skin tightly wrapped around its bones, lay quietly on a bed.
The eye sockets had long since dried out, leaving two black holes. A woolen blanket covered its body, long since fused with its remains.
Its hands were placed flat on its chest. Judging from the posture, it appeared quite serene.
"There's paper on the table. Unfortunately, it's been too long, and it was buried. The content is unreadable." Wang Jun said with some regret.
Yang Cunshen came in from outside and whispered something in Wang Jun's ear.
Wang Jun's eyes lit up, then he said to Qin Ziwen, "Captain, that stone tablet has been cleaned. Cunshen discovered some content on it."
Qin Ziwen came before the stone tablet in the city. They had discovered this tablet earlier, but the carved text's crevices had long been filled with sand and soil, making it unclear.
So they left two people here to pick out the sand and clean the tablet.
Now the tablet had been roughly cleaned, and the text was visible.
The characters on it were square and regular, in Song typeface.
With everyone working together to decipher it, they finally identified the text on the tablet.
The overall meaning was that they were originally residents of the Yangzhou Iron Workshop's market district. One day, the market district suddenly arrived at the edge of a lake.
Because the Iron Workshop itself possessed smelting and forging capabilities, and many of the residents who came along were originally city blacksmiths.
In the initial period, relying on iron tools for hunting, they barely survived by the lake. They renamed the Iron Workshop 'Iron County,' changing the workshop district into a county, appointing an elder with high prestige as the county magistrate, and selecting brave and martial men to serve as county captains.
Then, relying on a mysterious power called cards, they gradually gained a foothold.
Under the guidance of the Home, they successfully passed through the grasslands. This Gobi was the second world they experienced.
Who knew, after arriving in the second world, conflicts arose with newly merged residents. To compete for power, both sides erupted into conflict. Although the conflict was ultimately quelled, both sides suffered heavy casualties.
Afterwards, because they failed to complete the one-month deadline task, they were forever stranded in the Gobi.
When the inscription was carved, they had already survived in this world for eleven years. Survivors from the Iron Workshop were becoming increasingly scarce. To leave a record, they specially carved this tablet.
Cao Biansheng was somewhat shocked. "Yangzhou... is that from our ancient times? Could similar events have happened in ancient times?"
"Not necessarily ancient people from our world. They could also be from parallel worlds." Saying this, Wang Jun hesitated. Before transmigrating, their status wasn't high. Perhaps the higher-ups knew something, but it wasn't known to the general public.
While others were still amazed, Qin Ziwen thought of something.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
He had once asked Li Tieshan if he remembered the past. Li Tieshan loudly answered: "My name is Li Tieshan, a blacksmith from the West Market of Yangzhou City's Iron Workshop."
...