Chapter 292 - 174: The Aberrant Insect Civilization, the Cancer of the Multiverse

Chapter 292: Chapter 174: The Aberrant Insect Civilization, the Cancer of the Multiverse

Commercial District, Otherworld Inn

Pei Ze returned to the shop specializing in Dark Wells. He paid the fee at the front desk, collected his Dark Stone, and walked straight inside.

’Looks like I’ll have to establish a Dark Well in my own residence. Otherwise, running back and forth all the time is such a hassle,’ Pei Ze mused, rubbing the Dark Stone in his hand.

From what he understood, establishing a Dark Well wasn’t difficult. A Second-level Wizard could do it themselves. The cost was around fifty thousand Magic Stone Coins, which wasn’t particularly high.

’I’ll establish one when I get back.’

Pei Ze quickly made up his mind and strode into the room.

He first contacted Tining using his aura imprint. Only after she responded did he toss the Dark Stone into the well.

Instantly, the well water rippled. An image of a blue sky and a grassy field quickly formed on the glistening surface, along with the graceful figure of the Half Deer Maiden.

"Pei Ze!"

Tining cheered, her expression one of clear relief.

"I’m so relieved to see you’re okay. You hadn’t contacted me in so long, I was worried something had happened to you."

"Sorry, I was on the Plane Battlefield for a long time."

Seeing the genuine relief on the maiden’s face, Pei Ze suddenly felt a bit sheepish.

It had been over two months since his return to Chenxi City. He had been so absorbed in his training and potion-making that he’d completely forgotten to contact Tining.

The Half Deer Maiden genuinely considered him a friend.

"It’s alright. The important thing is that you’re safe." Tining gave him a brilliant smile.

Pei Ze smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze froze, falling upon the maiden’s left wrist. It was wrapped in white cloth, faintly stained with blood.

"You’re injured?"

"Oh, this?" Tining realized what he was looking at and lifted her left wrist. "It’s nothing serious."

Pei Ze frowned slightly. "Did another group of Magical Creatures invade your territory?"

"Not exactly. We’ve pretty much scared off all the fierce Magical Creatures in the area. Actually, that’s thanks to your Moonlight Orchids. They’ve been a huge help!"

Tining gave Pei Ze a grateful look, then, realizing she’d gotten sidetracked, quickly returned to the topic.

"This time, the ones invading our lands are monsters from another plane. They’re a swarm of insects, incredibly vicious. I tried to communicate with them, but it was useless. They kill any living being on sight, as if slaughter is the only thing on their minds."

’Insects?’

Pei Ze looked thoughtful. "Can you show me what these insects look like?"

"No problem. Just a moment."

Tining immediately ran off, TAP TAP TAP. Before long, she came running back, TAP TAP TAP, dragging the corpse of a ferocious Insect Beast with her.

The Insect Beast was as large as a full-grown water buffalo. Its body was covered in a dark red, chitinous exoskeleton, and it looked like a scorpion with eight legs. It gave off an incredibly fierce and brutal impression.

"Do you recognize this type of insect?" Tining asked, looking at Pei Ze with anticipation. "There are a lot of them, and they’re very strong—nearly lower-tier silver rank. If the Oak Guardians hadn’t helped us, we would have been forced to migrate long ago."

Pei Ze thought for a moment. "This type of insect should be a subspecies of some kind of alien insect. As for more specific information, I’ll have to do some research to find out."

"Then I’ll be counting on you!" Joy immediately lit up Tining’s face.

After that, she added, a little sheepishly, "Also, Pei Ze... could I trade with you again? A lot of my people are injured and in desperate need of Moonlight Orchids to heal."

"No problem," Pei Ze agreed without hesitation. Then he recalled something. "For your Ancient Tree Deer Spirit Race, does consuming things rich in plant-based energy speed up your healing?"

Tining nodded. "Usually, yes. Besides healing, we can also absorb plant-based energy to accelerate our growth and become stronger."

"So potions would work, too?"

"Potions? I think so. None of my people know how to make them, and the few we get are from trading with races from other planes, so I’m not entirely sure."

"Don’t worry, I’ll bring some for you to try next time," Pei Ze said with a smile.

Among the one hundred and thirty-eight Tier Three Potion formulas Mo Weng had given him, there was one called the Green Wood Potion. Similar to the Thunder Potion or the Flame Potion, it increased one’s affinity for a specific type of Energy Particle—in this case, plant-based ones.

But regardless of that effect, the Green Wood Potion itself was rich in plant-based energy. For the Ancient Tree Deer Spirit Race, it would certainly be far more effective than Moonlight Orchids or Falling Star Flowers.

"Thank you!" Tining said, her expression once again filled with gratitude.

Pei Ze waved a dismissive hand.

He had gotten the better end of the deal in their previous trades. Even if Tining had nothing to offer this time, he wouldn’t mind helping her through this crisis.

Besides, thinking in the long run, if the Ancient Tree Deer Spirit Race didn’t survive this crisis, he would lose a valuable trading partner. The loss would be significant for him as well.

For both personal and practical reasons, he had to lend a hand.

Researching the insects and brewing the potions would take time. Pei Ze and Tining agreed to meet again in ten days, after which he left the Otherworld Inn.

After stepping out of the inn, Pei Ze hurried straight to the library without a moment’s delay.

The Inner City had a library exclusively for Wizards called the Library of Truth. Its collection was massive, holding far more books than all the public libraries in the Outer City and the Wizard Academy’s library combined.

Many of its books contained rare and esoteric knowledge.

Of course, unlike the library at the Wizard Academy, reading any book in the Library of Truth required a fee, and a hefty one at that.