Chapter 251: Extraordinary in the Forest |
When the leader fell from the sky and smashed into the ground.
Transforming from a wolf king into a pile of minced meat.
The remaining wolf pack scattered in a panic.
Tucking their tails, they fled in all directions, running while,
The Crowned Eagle skimmed along the treetops for a circle, only soaring back towards the mountain foot after watching the wolves flee into the distance.
The Golden Leopard cautiously jumped down from the tree, gazing in the direction the Crowned Eagle left, letting out a few soft calls.
Passing by the mountain cliff, Qin Ziwen stretched out his hand, pointing not far away, signaling the Crowned Eagle to go check over there.
That place was a cliff face; the Giant Toad had previously fallen to its death there.
Riding the Crowned Eagle down to the valley floor again, the land originally scorched by gasoline had sprouted fresh, tender green plants.
The forest was never short of death; death was the beginning of new life.
"Let's go." After gazing for a long time, Qin Ziwen signaled the Crowned Eagle to leave.
Even a creature as powerful as the Giant Toad, a tyrant that once dominated a part of the forest, would only leave behind a pale skeleton after death.
Afterwards, Qin Ziwen rode the Crowned Eagle to the locations of other Altars around the forest's perimeter.
Due to limited time, he only managed to search three Altars in the end, harvesting three cards from them.
Adding the advancement Enhancement Card obtained from the Mountain Cave, that made a total of four cards.
Qin Ziwen discovered he had found another stable method to acquire cards.
As long as he regularly used the backtracking function, he could regularly harvest cards.
Of course, the premise was that the backtracked map didn't have other residential complexes.
"Big brother, over here!"
Beside the portal, Qin Ziwu was waving vigorously.
To avoid accidents leading to getting lost, the main force had already started returning in batches during the last half hour. Now, only a few people remained by the portal.
People gathering resources nearby began to assemble, forming a long line.
"Guild Leader, there seems to be something in the river. Just now, a brother went to fetch water from the river and heard movement inside," Cao Biansheng walked over to report the situation to Qin Ziwen.
There was no fresh water on the island reef. Although they had collected some fresh water from the Oasis earlier, there was still a shortage.
Qin Ziwen said, "Crocodiles? That's normal. There are actually quite a few crocodiles downstream."
Cao Biansheng said, "Not crocodiles. According to them, it sounded like some kind of snake. That snake was very fast, able to 'fly' skimming the water's surface."
Skimming the water's surface?!
Qin Ziwen visualized the scene in his mind. "Are you sure it wasn't a lizard?"
Qin Ziwu said, "Bro, I went to check. It's true. The snake isn't very long, maybe two or three meters. It was too fast, a bit hard to see clearly."
"Let's go take a look."
Qin Ziwen was somewhat curious about what kind of snake could glide on water.
By the riverbank, the water flow had become increasingly gentle.
Furthermore, the water level was a bit lower than before. It was probably the summer flood season earlier. After more than a month, it was normal for the water level to drop.
Just as he arrived at the river, not far away, a rapidly moving silver line on the water's surface caught his attention.
"Right there!"
"I see it."
Out of curiosity, Qin Ziwen cast Insight on that silver line.
[Superhuman·Silver Thread Snake: ☆☆☆]
He was somewhat surprised. This was the first wild Superhuman creature he had seen besides the Giant Rock Dragon.
Its star rating was just a bit low, not even solid stars.
Probably still a juvenile individual.
But upon careful thought, the Sky-Touching Fruit was discovered on this map. Since there were Transcendent Plants, the appearance of Superhuman animals wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
But this luck was too good. They hadn't found any in the previous month, and now they encountered one just half a day after arriving.
He thought of Chitu's third-tier task: while carrying a Rider, hunt a Superhuman creature not lighter than the combined weight of both, and sustain zero damage to itself and the Rider.
"Too bad it's too small." Qin Ziwen shook his head regretfully.
This Silver Thread Snake was only three stars, its weight too light, failing to meet the requirement.
If only its weight could be heavier.
"Remember to pay more attention to your surroundings next time you come, don't get bitten by the snake."
Although its star rating was low, its tier was high. A Superhuman-level snake, if venomous, its venom could be terrifying.
Qin Ziwen's expression shifted slightly. "Right, go back and get a few traps. Set up a few traps around here."
Judging by its size, this Silver Thread Snake didn't seem to specialize in strength.
The Fish Trap might be able to trap it.
After all, it was a Superhuman-level snake, very rare.
Qin Ziwu and Cao Biansheng hurried back upon hearing this. Soon, the two returned, each carrying two Fish Traps.
The traps were also filled with food bait.
Then they set them up along the bank, semi-submerging the Fish Traps into the river.
This Silver Thread Snake seemed to sense the people on the shore. It "floated" from the river surface to the opposite bank, dove into the water, and disappeared.
Returning to Home, the open space beside it was piled high with trees.
Thick, sturdy logs were neatly stacked on the ground.
Further away, people were lined up in a long queue, receiving their "wages."
The most suitable wages were meat.
This was also the hard currency within the residential complex.
Tao Qian rushed over. Seeing the stacked logs, he hurried over to screen for suitable raw materials.
He was worried they had cut the wrong trees. After all, not all timber was suitable for shipbuilding.
After screening them, Tao Fu set aside his worries.
Because most of the trees here had basically undergone a rough screening by tree species; they weren't just randomly chopped down.
Teak, oak, fir, pine, camphor wood...
The vast majority were suitable for shipbuilding.
Some of the timber was also suitable for making bow bodies and Crossbow Carriages.
"How many ships can this timber build?" Qin Ziwen walked over and inquired.
Tao Fu said, "If we're talking about twenty-meter sea-going vessels, we could probably build about four."
"Good, then build according to that standard. Approximately how long would it take to build four ships?"
Tao Fu pondered. "Reporting, sir. Once the ghost shipyard starts construction, the ghostly shipwrights hardly need rest. They can work around the clock without stopping. The black water beneath the center of the shipyard can also treat the timber, eliminating the need to consider air-drying or anti-corrosion. Probably three to four days to launch one ship."
Qin Ziwen nodded silently. At that speed, they could have roughly three twenty-meter-class wooden sea-going vessels in about ten days.
That efficiency was fast. However, having ships alone wasn't enough. There were many Sea Beasts on the seabed in this sea area.
A wooden hull structure would still be somewhat "brittle" trying to withstand attacks from Sea Beasts.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Ziwen continued asking, "Then, if we clad the sides and bottom of the hull with a layer of Iron Plating, approximately how much longer would the construction period be?"
"Iron Plating?" Tao Fu thought. "Probably an extra half day of construction. But, sir, the materials would need to be prepared in advance."
"Of course. I'll have the Armory Department assist you with that."
Subsequently, Qin Ziwen went to the Armory Department, told Li Tieshan to assist Tao Qian's side in cladding the ship hulls with an iron skin, and asked him if there were any difficulties.
Li Tieshan listened, sweat beading on his forehead, and complained incessantly, "Sir! I have difficulties! Huge difficulties! We're short on people! Give me another hundred people, and I guarantee I'll complete the task!"