Chapter 224: Necro Bambis are delicious

Chapter 224: Necro Bambis are delicious

"Damn, that shit is good!"

"Jasmine..." Alain sighed.

"Shorry," she apologized, taking another bite. "Wha-diz?"

"Fawn," Blueberry replied, gently turning a spit over the fire. A massive haunch was skewered on it, slowly roasting above the flames and wafting a delicious aroma that permeated the entire camp.

"Am I eating Bambi?!" Rose exclaimed, pushing her plate away in horror.

"Blueberry also prepared ratatouille," Louis offered, eyeing her plate. "I'm sure Ymir will be happy to share with you."

"With pleasure," the vegetarian merchant smiled. "It's simply delightful."

Rose hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll finish my plate," she said, cutting one of the caramelized apples accompanying the meat. "But it breaks my heart. Fawns are so cute..."

Myuri nodded, signaling her agreement.

"That one wasn't cute at all, it even tried to bite me."

Priam abruptly stopped eating. "Blueberry..."

"Hmm?"

"Please, don't tell me I'm eating a corrupted carcass."

The bear shrugged. "Okay, I won’t tell you."

Priam widened his eyes before realizing the others didn’t care. Everyone was feasting, some even going back for seconds. "Am I the only one disgusted?! We're eating an undead here!"

"It's perfectly dead," Jasmine remarked, prodding the meat with her knife. "That's how I like beasts. Medium rare."

"The hordes from the Necromoon have killed most animals that aren't Tier 3s," Alain explained to his son. "Fish are spared for now, but we were all getting tired of trout."

"Why don't we buy meat at the Auctions?"

"We're not all as rich as you," Louis teased.

"But—"

Blueberry cut him off. "No criticism until you participate in meal preparation. If you want to eat something untouched by the Necromoon, I won't stop you from hunting a Tier 3 beast..."

Priam grimaced. A Tier 3 beast powerful enough to withstand Elysium and the Necromoon was too much for him. For now.

"But... Isn't that bad for our health?"

"There are pills that can repel the Necromoon's corruption," Blueberry said, showing one. "I dissolve them in water and soak the bodies for about a day. That's enough to dissipate the curse in the meat. Then I use a second marinade made of Log-a-rhythm sap. It's full of vitality and gives the venison a normal appearance."

"And a great taste!" Rose exclaimed, grabbing another piece. She had already mourned Bambi.

"If you don't want your share..." Jasmine offered, reaching out.

Priam blocked the attack and devoured his piece. He chewed twice before swallowing. "Let me savor my Necro Bambi in peace!"

"It's full of toxins," pointed Louis.

"Even better."

Lvl Up: [Revelation Resilience] lvl 22, 23

MEM +6

META (Affinity) +6

META (Authority) +6

Lvl Up: [Divination Interception] lvl 6

META (Affinity) +2

META (Perception) +1

Priam and Kazuki stood on the rampart, watching Oasis and the bloody hell that lay beyond. Their enhanced visions revealed the thousands of animated corpses marching in their direction, a terrifying gleam in their empty sockets.

"We're an island of peace in a sea of death and blood," Priam sighed.

"Every passing day strengthens us and allows us to grow," Kazuki said, opening the barrier to let a corrupted pass. "This event is as much a nightmare as an opportunity."

Priam nodded as he watched one of the half-buried bio traps close on the undead. The body, crushed by leafy jaws, was drawn underground to be digested, thereby strengthening the plants in the long term. A bio trap could be upgraded for free by consuming the Sun points equivalent to its next upgrade. For now, none had evolved yet, but the necro event was still young.

Despite the traps' efficiency, many corrupted died under the aether bullets from the turrets or under the blows of the hoplites. Those were then lifted by mechas piloted by AGIs and thrown at the foot of Log-a-rhythm. There, its roots attracted the corpses underground where the main rune of Natural Growth Ritual I rapidly degraded them. Minerals and other interesting molecules were then distributed to the trees in a five hundred square meters area to boost their growth. Oasis knew how to recycle its enemies.

"Log-a-rhythm gained almost five meters and... The forest is greener?" Priam noticed.

"The effect of sacrificing almost a hundred thousand corrupted," Kazuki replied. "The challenging aspect did not lie in their extermination but rather in their transportation to your tree..."

"Natural Growth is a good ritual," Priam noted. "We should upgrade it."

The hoplite raised his hand, and Priam raised an eyebrow as he received a donation of almost a hundred thousand Sun Points.

"The bio traps are set to automatically send you twenty percent of the earned points, but when we kill corrupted directly, you get nothing. I just transferred twenty percent of everything we have earned since last time."

"Thank you."

From the beginning of the necro event, it had been decided that all Oasis residents would give a part of their earnings to help build infrastructures. This twenty percent tax was difficult to monitor since Sun points were personal, but it hadn't caused any problems so far. Oasis being a small sanctuary, all its inhabitants knew each other, and Priam trusted Hyshana and Kazuki to take care of the hoplites.

Lvl Up: [Divination Interception] lvl 7

META (Affinity) +2

META (Perception) +1

Lvl Up: [Ideal Aether Perception] lvl 11

META (Affinity) +3

"It's easy with Sun points, but here, we'll roll up our sleeves. Most hoplites have a strength exceeding three hundred; it's time they put it to use. By the way, with the new available surface, I propose creating an orchard between the rampart and the defenses."

"That'll provide fruits and vegetables for Blueberry," Priam nodded. "Even if a breach occurs—which I doubt with the new defense—corrupted won't specifically target the trees... I’m in favor."

"If we have fruits or seeds, wouldn't it be better to give them to Log-a-rhythm? It can grow any fruit," Kazuki suggested.

"Nothing stops us from asking it to grow fruits, but it has a limited number of branches. An orchard would increase our available fruit yield and allow us to sell any surplus at Auctions or to the local tribes."

"Smart."

"We could even test different trees to see if some produce more Potential," Priam mused. "Currently, Guardian of the Forest V allows all Oasis trees to contribute their Potential to Log-a-rhythm; it'd be foolish not to capitalize on that."

Hyshana furrowed her brow. "If Log-a-rhythm can receive their Potential... Why not expand our boundaries?"

"Due to lack of Sun points?" Priam found the question surprising but knew Hyshana wouldn't speak without reason.

The warrior shook her head. "Each new upgrade of a ritual multiplies its influence zone. Protective Barrier IV covered half a hectare, while Protective Barrier V covers a full hectare. So, ten Sun points equate to a square meter," Hyshana calculated before furrowing her brow. "But is that really the case? Following the same logic, Protective Barrier I should have protected a maximum of one hundred square meters."

The first barrier had been erected before the Necro event began, thanks to a synergy between Log-a-rhythm and Priam's Title, [Land Owner]. It had held back the necrowolf for a few moments, but not Dishnu. Suddenly, Priam furrowed his brow.

"Protective Barrier I covered more than a hundred square meters."

The barrier had shielded all of Oasis when the base was almost one thousand square meters. Hyshana nodded.

"Indeed. I'm almost certain that barriers and rituals can be extended by reducing their power."

Priam closed his eyes and connected with Log-a-rhythm. The tree confirmed Hyshana's hypothesis: it was possible to increase the dome's size by reducing rune density on its surface.

"You're right," Priam acknowledged. "Expanding Oasis's size to overload Log-a-rhythm with Potential... Not buying Protective Barrier VI would save a quarter of a million Sun points. Not bad."

"The future barrier won't stop a Marquess anymore, but do we really need such a powerful barrier?"

"... Not necessarily," Priam admitted. "But if I expand Log-a-rhythm's domain, I must also enhance the purification ritual. Without it, the farthest trees will continue to be corrupted by the Necromoon and distribute the curse within our network—dividing our Potential output."

"Guardian of the Forest VI and Necro Purification Ritual VI... It's a half-million Sun Points expenditure for both upgrades," Kazuki grimaced.

"Too expensive for now, but a good idea for the near future," Priam agreed.

"Unless you spend Log-a-rhythm's Potential."

"I believe there are better investments," Priam smiled, opening his tree's status.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 620

Constitution 979

Agility 608

Vitality 916

Perception 760

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 516

Dexterity 622

Memory 652 (+11)

Willpower 1 051

Charisma 631

META:

Meta-affinity 654 (+16)

Meta-focus 385

Meta-endurance 432

Meta-perception 300 (+9)

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 111 (+6)

Potential: 14 159 (+13)

Tier 0

Sun points: 762 155 (-422 215)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 160 days 11 hours 16 minutes 15 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200