Chapter 259: Snowfield Expansion Card |
Summoning his two pets, Qin Ziwen took out two Enhancement Cards and used them on each.
Light enveloped them. Chitu stamped its hooves, its body size increasing further as it let out a low, rumbling snort.
Chitu's body swelled dramatically right on the spot. Its body length approached four meters, and its shoulder height exceeded two and a half meters. Its entire frame was packed with bulging, explosive muscle.
Now, it had initially stepped beyond the category of a Mongolian Horse, or more accurately, beyond the category of natural horses altogether! In Earth's history, the largest Andrewsarchus had a shoulder height of only two meters. At this moment, Chitu had formed its own unique category.
Even compared to those mutated Gobi Wild Horses from the previous map, the current Chitu stood a full head taller.
"Hmm, your size increased. Your speed shouldn't have dropped, right? Let's run later and see how your speed is," Qin Ziwen said, looking towards the other side.
The Crowned Eagle's body also underwent a sudden transformation. Its wings grew further, finally reaching a wingspan class of ten meters. Its head height reached three point two meters. With its wings folded, standing in place, it resembled a burly, majestic guardian statue.
Qin Ziwen tried riding both the horse and the eagle, confirming their speeds had indeed improved.
Normally, after reaching a certain volume, as a creature's size increases, its speed tends to decrease because excessive weight becomes a burden. However, this law completely failed to apply to these two pets who had broken through their limits and reached the Superhuman tier.
"I just don't know how fast the Mosasaur is in the sea," Qin Ziwen pondered. "But it feels like it might not be as fast as you are now."
Thinking this, Qin Ziwen suddenly realized that Chitu's current speed was faster than the Mosasaur's. Could he then run up to the Mosasaur and "kite" it?
Seriously considering the question, Qin Ziwen still found it somewhat difficult. The main challenge was that the Mosasaur, being an aquatic creature, moved through the sea without relying on terrain; it could travel in a straight line. Chitu, however, needed to run along the seabed, which was not a flat plain. There were trenches, small hills, coral reefs, and other obstacles, preventing it from running a pure straight line. So, there was still a possibility of being caught by the Mosasaur.
"Need to be even faster. If it could be faster, even with complex terrain, there would be no need to fear the Mosasaur."
[Superhuman · Hooves of Victory · Mongolian Horse: ☆☆★★★]: Level 3 Unbreakable Body, Level 3 All-Terrain Adaptation, Level 3 Champion's Courage.
[Superhuman · Sky Wings · Crowned Eagle: ☆☆★★★]: Level 3 Steel Claws, Level 3 Airflow Manipulation, Level 3 Extreme Speed.
After resolving the pets' breakthrough, Qin Ziwen took stock and found he already had three Advanced Building Duplication Cards. Unfortunately, although he had the cards, there were no Advanced Buildings for him to duplicate. This card could only duplicate finished product cards of Advanced Buildings; it couldn't be used directly on a building.
Then there were the Human Constitution Enhancement Cards. He now had five of them stored. It was time to use them. Rubbing the faintly glowing cards in his hand, he thought, "The worry is not scarcity, but inequitable distribution."
Qin Ziwen understood this principle. Without a reason convincing enough to gain public acceptance, rash distribution could turn a favor into a spark igniting internal conflict.
His gaze swept over the list, finally settling on the followers he had directly recruited himself.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Ziwen called for Li Tieshan.
"You've been working very hard recently, I've seen it all. But you still need to pay attention to your health. I don't want my master blacksmith to one day collapse from overwork in the Armory Department."
"Master, it's not hard work!" Li Tieshan said emphatically.
Qin Ziwen took out two Human Constitution Enhancement Cards and used them on Li Tieshan.
"Master, what is this..."
After the enhancement ended, Li Tieshan felt his strength, which had increased by more than double. His nose tingled with emotion. Clasping his fists, he bowed deeply. "Tieshan will forge countless blades with this body, and will absolutely not fail to repay Master's grace in granting me this transformation today!"
Qin Ziwen waved his hand, the corner of his mouth lifting. "You've learned bad habits from Jia Liangcai. Where did you learn these sentences, one set after another?"
"Words from the bottom of my heart!" Li Tieshan bowed again.
"Alright, we've known each other for so long. I understand you. I trust you. Go and call Jia Liangcai for me."
A moment later, Jia Liangcai hurried over.
"Master."
Qin Ziwen threw an Insight at him. Still one star. His expression immediately darkened. "Didn't I instruct you before to find spare time to train at the Training Ground? Why hasn't your physical fitness changed?"
"Ah?" Jia Liangcai was stunned. Why was the Master suddenly concerned about this minor matter? He pondered for a moment before replying, "Reporting to Master, Home affairs are too busy. I have no spare time for practice."
"Hmm, when your constitution reaches three stars, I'll have a surprise for you. Work hard. Time is like milk; if you squeeze it, there's always some. Besides, isn't there the Healing Spring? Sleep a little less. At your age, you probably don't get that sleepy anymore anyway."
Then there were the Human Constitution Enhancement Cards. He now had five of them stored. It was time to use them. Rubbing the faintly glowing cards in his hand, he thought, "The worry is not scarcity, but inequitable distribution."
After Jia Liangcai left, Qin Ziwen went to another area and used the newly acquired Snowfield Expansion Card (Large).
Light flashed. The gray fog at the edges receded layer by layer, revealing a large expanse of silvery white. The moonlight from above the Island shone upon the snowy ground. A hint of chilliness entered the air.
Fortunately, this snowfield area wasn't very large, and the snow wasn't very deep. Qin Ziwen walked onto the snowfield. One foot stepped down, sinking about thirty centimeters. Squatting down, he scooped up some snow with both hands. Strangely, the temperature in this area also seemed to be fixed. As soon as one stepped into the snowfield's range, the temperature abruptly dropped a notch. It was completely unscientific.
Moreover, this snowfield had nothing extra besides snow—no trees, no grass. It was like how sandy ground only had pure sand.
Chitu seemed to have discovered something fun. It ran over, felt the cool snow underfoot, and galloped about on it playfully. It thought of something, then dashed off. After a while, it returned with Little Black One in tow.
Following behind Chitu's rear, Little Black One looked like a little sidekick.
Upon discovering the newly appeared snowfield, Little Black One's eyes lit up with excitement. It had never seen snow before and found it amusing.
It charged in and plopped its bottom onto the snow. The icy snow made its rear end contract from the cold, and it quickly stood up. It turned in a circle, then performed a hungry tiger pounce, leaping into a snowdrift. Opening its big mouth, it swallowed a mouthful of snow. The icy sensation made Little Black One roll its eyes.
The Crowned Eagle was unwilling to display such childish behavior. Spreading its wings, it flew deeper into the area. Looking back, it saw Chitu and Little Black One each doing their own thing. Only then did it extend a claw, secretly pressing it into the snow, leaving a deep claw print.
It seemed dissatisfied with this claw print. It hopped up, changed its posture, and pressed down again with its claw.
Chitu and Little Black One, play-fighting, moved closer. Hearing the noise, the Crowned Eagle raised its head and, without batting an eye, flapped its wings to erase the footprints on the ground. Lifting its neck, it then slowly ambled off towards another direction.