Ming landed on his hillside, surveyed the surroundings, and found nothing unusual. He patted Da Vinci's head and fed Foodie a fish, marking the end of their journey. With over 8,000 experience points gained, it was evident that the little froggies had had a hectic and happy time.
He then released the three little creatures to roam freely while he took out the steelwood saplings and planted them in the fertile soil of his glowing Flower Field. There were four saplings in total, and Ming hoped they would grow strong. He applied for two sludge cards as fertilizer and took out the corn and potatoes Erik had given him.
The corn, already dried, was ready to be used as seeds. Ming planted a few kernels in the fertile soil and saved the rest. As for the potatoes, Erik had instructed him to place them in a dark, slightly damp area of the house to sprout. After sprouting, he would cut them into pieces and bury them in the soil.
Ming placed everything on the first floor before returning to the rooftop and lying in a chair. Truth be told, sawing steelwood was alright, but mining was genuinely exhausting. The extraction of fine gold from the ore had left him mentally and physically drained. Nonetheless, the trip had been fruitful, yielding 3,000 pounds of steelwood and 2,000 pounds of fine gold. It was definitely a worthwhile adventure.
Now, it was time to level up Da Vinci. Adding the experience from the past two days of traveling, Da Vinci reached level 35. With only 15 levels left before the ultimate level 50 evolution, Ming wondered what new abilities Da Vinci would acquire.
After leveling up, Da Vinci's travel distance increased, and the travel backpack added two more spaces, totaling ten. Da Vinci could collect them all if he ever reencountered humanoid zombies, provided he was willing.
"Let's check out this treasure chest."
Ming took out the treasure chest Foodie had found:
[Advanced Treasure Chest: Requires 1 Advanced Treasure Map]
"Another advanced one."
Ming grabbed Da Vinci from the pond's edge and rubbed the chest with its belly, hoping to imbue it with luck and reveal something valuable.
[Your Da Vinci glares at you angrily. Its belly hurts from the rubbing, you know... Seeing you use Da Vinci to rub the box, Foodie believes there must be something good inside. It looks at you, feeling it shouldn't let Da Vinci have all the benefits...]
"Alright~"
Ming let go of Da Vinci and happily picked up Foodie, rubbing it against the treasure chest. "You're lucky too, little buddy!"
[Foodie glares at you... Let go, and next time, use Da Vinci for this kind of thing...]
Ming put Foodie aside and looked at the new member, the squirrel squatting and munching on a walnut, crunching away.
"Never mind, you're new here. Maybe next time."
Ming checked his inventory for treasure maps, combined them into an Advanced Treasure Map, and opened the chest. A purple light emerged:
[B*Powerful Strike Pine Branch Spear Design Module]
[Requires: 5 pounds of Steelwood; 5 pounds of Fine Gold; 20 pounds of Steel Ingots; 20 pounds of Iron Ingots]
"..."
Ming was stunned. This trip was so bountiful! With an abundance of steelwood and fine gold, he had obtained a purple spear that could replace the white one. The required materials were no big deal.
Done!
He stood up and grasped the new Pine Branch Spear. The shaft had a pine bark-like texture, yet it felt comfortable and secure in his grip. The spearhead was a long, triangular cone with two blood grooves, and the tip appeared sharp and menacing under the light.
What a great spear!
He glanced at the two froggies. From now on, he would touch them before opening any treasure chests.
Froggy luck +1.
[B*Powerful Strike Pine Branch Spear]
[Vitality +15]
[Strength +20]
[Agility +15]
[Spirit +10]
[Exclusive Property: Equipped, deals 20% increased damage to mutated beasts]
[Exclusive Property: When in a pine forest, it naturally emits a pine scent]
"A pine scent?"
Ming sniffed it, finding the smell a bit strange. He hoped it would only sometimes smell like this when he carried it around. After playing with it for a while, he stored it in his inventory.
As for the poisonous mushroom, it was best to keep it in storage for now. Ming then lay back in the chair and started forging the Fine Gold Plate Module, planning to head to the Personal Random Instance soon.
After these days of traveling, he realized that regional maps were abundant in materials and supplies, but personal random instances were the only way to get equipment.
The random map is available once every five days. He wouldn't miss the opportunity if he entered before midnight. He had to be well-prepared this time because a powerful Shared Boss had wiped out four districts, upgrading the instance to a Personal Random Instance. So, thorough preparation was crucial.
The froggies had already traveled today, and their backpacks were still on cooldown. However, a few slots should be available before midnight.
As for the poisonous mushroom, it was best to keep it in storage for now. Ming then lay back in the chair, nibbling on the Awakening Peony and occasionally drinking a Spirit Potion as he forged the Fine Gold Plate Module. He also made more Spike Trap cards and checked the squirrel's attributes:
[Five-Star Harvesting Squirrel]
[Mutated Creature]
[Vitality: 6]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 9]
[Spirit: 36]
[Exclusive Talent: Harvesting]
He felt that the little squirrel's talent would be helpful in the future. At that moment, a large bird circled above his house, carrying a blue and white box in its talons.
"There shouldn't be airdrops in the third chapter, right?"
He watched as the bird landed, releasing the box and hopping to the side, staring blankly at him. A note was attached to the box. He took it off and read:
[Hey, it's Alan. I brought you some local specialties from the regional map I visited yesterday. You'll definitely like them. I want to thank you again - the Crab Golem you gave me is incredible! It single-handedly swept through the map. Some resources were too heavy so I couldn't bring them to you. I'll give them to you when we meet. Oh, and the bird is for you too. The meat is delicious - I've already tried it...]
"..."
Ming looked at the large bird; sure enough, it was quite plump. He had to admit, and Alan was pretty generous.
Ming opened the box and found it filled with nearly a hundred hairy crabs. Tonight's dinner would undoubtedly cause Foodie's talent to skyrocket.
Ming closed the box, stood up, and took out his telescope to look towards Alan's mountain.
Ming could see Alan standing atop a King-class Coconut Crab Golem through the telescope, waving in his direction. On either side of the Coconut Crab was a slightly smaller hairy crab, looking like five-star Overlords.
Not bad at all.
Ming had to admit, and Alan had a good head on his shoulders. he would organize a crab legion so quickly, indeed, start his way to victory!
Ming stood on the roof and waved back, showing his gratitude.
That night, the aroma of cooked crab filled the air around Ming's mountain, and Foodie excitedly croaked non-stop!
At 11:30 pm, Ming stood on his mountain, stuffed the froggies into his pocket, and glanced at the little squirrel, asking it to guard the house well.
He opened the Personal Random Dungeon and teleported!
With a hum, everything turned white. When he landed, Ming looked around and found himself in a large courtyard, facing an ambulance with incomprehensible writing on it.
"Damn, is have teleported me to some primitive tribe?" Ming muttered.