Chapter 313: The Prophet of Bloodstained Marks |
The Fish-man Chieftain swam over. It opened its mouth to speak, with Pula assisting in translation. "Master, it says this is to replenish the Snake Puppet's nutrients. Each activation of the Snake Puppet consumes a special type of energy, and this energy can only be replenished using the corpses of the Thousand-Eyed Snake. After replenishment, each activation still requires at least eight Superhumans. Currently, the Fish-man Tribe only has the last four Superhumans left. If the next time the Thousand-Eyed Death God descends, they still cannot gather eight, they will have no means to deal with the Thousand-Eyed Death God."
"Your fish-men's reproductive ability is that poor?" Qin Ziwen remembered that in his impression, fish reproduction wasn't weak.
The Fish-man Chieftain shook its head. After entrusting Luoen to someone, it had shed half of its burden.
Pula translated, "Ordinary fish-men can breed, but the Hunter Clan and Priest Clan have always had poor reproductive abilities. Moreover, ever since we lost the Shedding Abyss, our fish-men's reproductive ability has been getting worse and worse."
Translating halfway, Pula suddenly paused and glanced at Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen nodded. "Speak."
Having received permission, Pula grew a bit bolder and quickly said, "It hopes that the fish-man Hero can sow more seeds. It is willing to offer cards as payment."
"No wonder they wanted to give me a Recruitment Card." Qin Ziwen chuckled wryly. So there had been a scheme all along.
To have him use the Recruitment Card to summon a powerful fish-man, then have that fish-man hero sow seeds. If they could leave behind more Superhuman seeds, perhaps the Fish-man Tribe could continue to survive.
Thinking of such a win-win method that didn't make him feel disgusted was clever.
This Fish-man Chieftain was very smart. Of course, it might also be related to its Superhuman ability.
【Superhuman · Bloodstain Prophet · Fish-man: ☆☆☆★★】: Level 2 Information Tome, Level 2 Lie Tide, Level 2 Crisis Bloodstain.
Although the full effect of the abilities couldn't be judged solely from their names, the word 'Prophet' in the Superhuman title indicated that the Fish-man Chieftain was probably not adept at combat...
Qin Ziwen took another look at its five-meter-tall frame.
"I'll go ask Mogu's opinion. After all, it's the one doing the hard labor." After saying this, Qin Ziwen found Mogu, who was training Cao Biansheng at the back.
Mogu, who was instructing Cao Biansheng, paused its movements upon hearing footsteps behind it, guessing its master's purpose.
With its back to Qin Ziwen, it said calmly, "Master, I'll go. I already know the whole story. If it can bring benefits to Master, it's just a trivial matter."
Hearing this, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but give it a few more glances.
Cao Biansheng's mouth fell open, dumbfounded, the White Jade Coral in his mouth nearly dropping out.
Flattery could be delivered like this?
Thinking of such a win-win method that didn't make him feel repulsed was clever.
It prepared to offer cards as payment but was refused by Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen said, "I need Rare Treasures. It would be best if we could exchange with Rare Treasures."
The Fish-man Chieftain understood. It knew what Qin Ziwen needed.
It turned and returned to the warehouse.
After a while, it came back carrying a shell the size of an iron basin.
This iron basin was nearly two meters in diameter, like a large bathtub.
It was filled with glossy, smooth White Jade Coral.
The corner of Qin Ziwen's eye twitched. He had thought twenty or so at most would be about right.
He never expected such extravagance!
This was the first time he had seen Rare Treasures measured by the basin.
The Fish-man Chieftain said, "There are seventy pieces here. It's all the stock our tribe has. Actually, cultivating this thing is very slow, and planting one requires occupying a large area, so we cultivate very little."
"That's already a lot." Qin Ziwen accepted these White Jade Coral, feeling they were a bit too hot to handle.
These were all funds earned through Mogu's hard labor...
...
While Mogu was off doing its labor, Qin Ziwen found the Fish-man Chieftain. He had his eye on that deep-sea city they saw on the way.
Although it was already in ruins, it could perfectly serve as raw material for the wonder.
After the last map's settlement, he had obtained a random Wonder Card.
He suspected it seemed random, but in reality, it wasn't.
The construction requirements for the Abyssal Sea Ruin were: Deep Sea Core, Abandoned Undersea City, ninety-nine Aquatic Rare Treasures.
One radish, one hole.
He had already seen two holes.
He had seen the abandoned undersea city, and the Aquatic Rare Treasures were basically gathered. With a little more squeezing, it should be enough.
Only the last item, the Deep Sea Core, was missing.
"Have you heard of the Deep Sea Core?"
Pula repeated the question.
A strange glint flashed in the Fish-man Chieftain's eyes. It didn't know where Qin Ziwen had heard this name.
"I know. Fruits have pits, the sea also has its sea core. This sea core is generally located in the deep sea, so it's called the Deep Sea Core. I know where it once was."
Qin Ziwen became solemn.
The Fish-man Chieftain pointed northeast. "Right there. You should have seen an undersea city on your way here. That's the remnant of the city where our ancestors lived. At its most prosperous, there were eight treasure pagodas in the city, each enshrining a Deep Sea Core."
"However, when the Shedding Abyss was destroyed back then, those Deep Sea Cores also disappeared, perhaps becoming the spoils of the victors." The Fish-man Chieftain shook its head.
"Even if they weren't found back then, over the years, Shedding Abysses have occasionally descended upon our world. Those capable of going into the sea have basically come here to search."
Qin Ziwen understood. So this undersea city was also a 'must-visit' spot on the checklist.
With so many visitors having searched it, even if something good was hidden inside, it probably wouldn't be left.
After all, these fish-men lived right next to it. Apart from the Shedding Abyss, they probably hadn't missed the chance to go inside and "collect junk."
Thinking of this, Qin Ziwen felt a bit rueful. He believed that the Deep Sea Core was most likely impossible to find.
But it didn't matter. Of the three conditions, at least two could be fulfilled first.
The last Deep Sea Core could be left to luck, to be found slowly.
But when Qin Ziwen stood before the abandoned undersea city, he thought of a crucial question.
How was he supposed to take this undersea city away?
This wasn't a shipwreck, where with effort, there was still a chance.
This was a whole damn city!
As far as the eye could see, this city sleeping on the seabed had long turned into a dense, eerie underwater forest.
Most of the architectural outlines were buried under vast swathes of dark green seaweed, tens of meters high.
These seaweeds hung like giant curtains, swaying slowly with the ocean currents, enveloping the ruins in a somber shadow.
Whenever an underwater current swept by, it would lift a corner of the algal curtain, revealing the walls beneath, hollowed out by barnacles and coral.
In the city center, the many crooked giant towers stood quietly.
From a distance, they looked like the ribs of a giant beast, covered in shells and filamentous algae.
Between the algal curtains, dark shadows could occasionally be seen passing through.
Clearly, this city was not as quiet as it appeared on the surface...