Chapter 351: Don't Go to Sea! (1/3) |
Mogu said, "Master, I'll take it back first."
"Go ahead."
After Mogu left, Yang Long let out a sigh of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
For some reason, standing next to Mogu made him feel oppressive all over, finding it hard to breathe.
"The snake is just... gone like that?"
His expression was complicated. Back when he first brought people here, the giant snake under the pool hadn't shown itself yet. He led his men to the pool's edge, and then the giant snake directly charged out from the pool, grabbed one person, and dragged them back into the water. While they were fleeing, it snatched away another person.
He thought it was a nightmare, but now the nightmare was resolved so easily.
After some time, Mogu returned empty-handed from the other side of the node. That snake had its bones broken and was now imprisoned in the Beast Cage.
"Moving this tree away seems like a massive project, delicate work." Qin Ziwen observed carefully. The tree's roots grew clinging to the wall, with many extending into the pool. Judging by the scale, the time required would be terrifyingly long, probably not even enough in a single day.
"Judging by its size, this tree is at least a hundred years old."
He knocked on the trunk, judging its density by the sound feedback, estimating its growth rate.
"Probably more than a hundred years, at least two or three hundred. This tree's density is extremely high; its growth rate wouldn't be very fast."
"How long would it take to move it?"
Wei Zhaohua frowned in thought. This was also his first time transplanting such a large tree, so many aspects could only be estimated. After careful consideration, he replied, "Guild Leader, the workload might be quite substantial. The key to a tree's survival lies in the integrity of its root system. However, this isn't an ordinary tree; perhaps its dependence on the roots isn't that great?"
"Let's try to preserve the roots as much as possible. It's fine if it's slower." Qin Ziwen said. For plants, the root system is like blood vessels. If the vessels are damaged, even after transplantation, the yield will be affected, requiring more time to recover.
This recovery time far exceeds the time needed for transplantation.
It's a very easy calculation to make.
After learning that the Guild Leader was willing to give more ample time, Wei Zhaohua wasn't as anxious anymore. Fine work takes time; more preparations were needed. "I'll go back and inquire, see if anyone in the residential complex has experience with tree transplantation."
"Alright, you arrange it yourself. Pick the fruits on the tree first to prevent them from accidentally falling into the pool during transplantation."
"Yes, Guild Leader."
......
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Martial Training Ground, second floor of the small building. Qin Ziwen held a spear in his hand, thrusting at the wooden log in front of him.
Having not practiced combat techniques for a while, he felt a bit rusty.
Wei Zhaohua ran up the stairs, waiting until Qin Ziwen finished his current movement sequence before approaching. "Guild Leader, on the wall behind that tree, we discovered a stone tablet with some words carved on it."
"I'll go take a look." Qin Ziwen frowned upon hearing this. Words? Could this Sea Pear Fruit Tree also have been artificially planted and left behind?
If I transplant this Sea Pear Fruit Tree, will someone come knocking on my door again?
And that snake under the pool, was it deliberately raised here?
In that brief instant, several thoughts flashed through his mind.
Placing the spear in his hand on the nearby weapon rack, he picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Let's go, take a look."
They returned to the depths of the Mountain Cave.
Many of the tree roots on the wall had been detached, then wrapped with soil and rolled into ball-like shapes.
The tree's position had also been moved forward some distance, revealing the wall originally hidden behind it.
Judging by its appearance, it resembled a stone tablet embedded in the wall.
Undeniably a man-made artifact.
It seemed this tree wasn't ownerless.
"Guild Leader, this stone tablet has probably been here for quite a long time. Many of the characters on it are quite blurry, hard to see clearly."
Qin Ziwen approached and discovered that, indeed, they were unclear. He couldn't read these characters at all; they simply didn't look like Chinese characters!
However, the quality of the tablet itself seemed decent. It didn't look like pure stone; its surface even had a faint metallic luster.
He thought of something, his expression shifting slightly, and used Insight on the tablet.
[Stone Tablet: @#￥ Don't go to sea! Don't go to sea! &# Long voyage.... Danger!]
The other party used some method to leave behind partial information on the stone tablet, which could only be deciphered through the Insight method.
Some of the information was incomplete, unclear whether it was intentional, or the Insight level wasn't high enough, or other reasons.
But the overall meaning was still quite clear: a warning to latercomers not to go to sea.
"But the boats from the residential complex have been going out to sea quite often lately, and there don't seem to be any problems..." Qin Ziwen's gaze fell on the two characters 'long voyage' at the end. Perhaps the 'going to sea' they mentioned didn't refer to the area around the island, but the true open ocean?
Did someone really, after arriving in this world, pilot a ship into the distance? What would be the point?
This map only lasts for forty-five days. In such a short time, without nautical charts, how far could one even sail?
Apart from these messages, the stone tablet didn't leave behind any other information.
"So it's not a warning to latercomers not to transplant the tree. Then me transplanting this tree shouldn't be a problem." Qin Ziwen thought for a moment and said to Wei Zhaohua, "Go find a few chisels. I want to leave a line of words next to it."
Soon, someone brought a chisel and hammer. Qin Ziwen picked them up and began clanging away on the rock wall.
"Phew—"
Blowing away the rock dust, he looked with satisfaction at the line of freshly carved characters left on the wall — Borrowing the tree for use.
Taking without asking is theft. I've stated my intent, so it's not theft, but borrowing!
......
Desert, Mountain Stronghold
Xie Ya had just come out of a small room when a hearty laugh greeted her. A burly figure strode over quickly. "Hahaha, daughter, I've heard some news. Didn't you always want to get a Ticket to The Restaurant? I found out, there's an auction where one of the items for sale is a Ticket."
Xie Ya's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Where did you hear this from? Is the information accurate?"
"Of course it's accurate. I spent a Level 1 Curio to buy this reliable piece of information." Xie Cheng laughed. "I'll gather some funds for us, try to get a Ticket for our father-daughter pair."
Xie Ya was somewhat excited, but she quickly controlled her emotions, forcefully suppressing her joy. "Okay."
After her father left, Xie Ya subconsciously thought of the recent transaction.
That person asked her how to compensate for innate foundation deficiencies. Actually, what that person didn't know was that she had also been searching for an opportunity to enter The Restaurant.
This time, there just happens to be a Ticket for The Restaurant.
After a moment of contemplation, Xie Ya thought about it. That person probably couldn't afford it. Every time Tickets for The Restaurant appear, they cause a frenzy.
She felt she could take that person along to broaden their horizons.
Ambition breeds demand.
Otherwise, just curled up in that little corner of their Home, not knowing how vast the outside world is, how could ambition be born?
Only when there is demand will she have a chance to get her hands on that Sky-Touching Fruit Tree of his.
Thinking of this, the corners of Xie Ya's mouth curved upwards.