Chapter 373 - 253: Geological Hub

Seeing the back half of Yu Bao sticking out of the stall, Su Zhi walked over to the innermost stall and dragged Yu Bao out.

Yu Bao was panting, its tongue lolling out, looking completely unsatiated.

"Wu Bao? Are you in there?"

"Wooo..." A flustered reply came from inside. A moment later, the stall door opened. Wu Bao scrambled out frantically, clutching a tablet with its middle legs, a Shan Bao perched on its horns.

Su Zhi asked curiously, "Were you just using the restroom?"

"Wooo..." Wu Bao nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"Arf~" Yu Bao narrowed its eyes mischievously.

’Who takes that long in the bathroom, and with a tablet, no less? Wu Bao must have been secretly watching something inappropriate, right?’

’Like videos of pretty girls dancing~’

"Wooo!" Wu Bao blushed crimson.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough..."

Su Zhi, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, separated the two "Baos." "Wu Bao is a Black Fighting Emperor. Why would it watch videos of pretty girls dancing? Now that we’ve found Wu Bao, let’s go. Shen Chuqing has been waiting for us for a long time."

"Wooo."

That was the end of it. Wu Bao breathed a sigh of relief.

’Actually, Yu Bao was right. Before I started writing, I did watch some videos... even more exciting than pretty girls dancing...’

’But those were study materials from Senior Gou Mao! Can study materials really be called ’inappropriate’?’

’Thank goodness I was quick enough to turn off the screen. I didn’t expose the fact that I was writing.’

’Doing something a little embarrassing behind my family’s back is so thrilling and gives me such a sense of accomplishment~!’

Wu Bao bounced along behind Su Zhi.

Shan Bao stood on Wu Bao’s horns, blinking its eyes curiously.

’I couldn’t quite see what was on Brother Wu Bao’s screen, but it looked like... a chat window?’

Shan Bao fell into deep thought, beginning to cross-reference information about "chat windows" in its brain.

"Chat window" comparison result one: Su Zhi / Shao Ya.

Analysis: Wu Bao and ? use a "chat window."

Su Zhi and Shao Ya use a "chat window."

∵ The relationship between Su Zhi and Shao Ya is...

∴ The relationship between Wu Bao and ? is...

"!"

Like a little penguin clapping its wings together, Shan Bao wore an expression of sudden realization as a blush crept up its cheeks.

’Calm down, Shan Bao! The other party is most likely a human. There can’t be many Black Fighting Emperors who know how to use the internet... but if it *is* a human!’

"!!!"

’Even more thrilling!’

Su Zhi asked curiously, "Shan Bao, why are you blushing? Is it too hot?"

"Peep~!" Shan Bao indicated it was fine, then turned to give Wu Bao an encouraging look.

’I don’t know if the other party is human or insect, but I’ll always support Brother Wu Bao! You have to charge forward bravely, even if you don’t know what species they are! This is... youth!’

"Wooo!" Receiving Shan Bao’s encouraging gaze, Wu Bao gleefully twitched its antennae.

’I don’t know what just happened, but Shan Bao is definitely closer to me. To think it would look at me with such a passionate gaze.’

’Hee hee.’

’Can Yu Bao do that?!’

·

At three in the afternoon, Shen Chuqing drove Su Zhi to Fuguang Lake.

In Hundred Rivers, early September was the season of endless drizzling rain. Today was no exception. It had already started raining while the two were on their lunch break, and now the downpour had grown a bit heavier.

Humid and sweltering—that was one of the hallmarks of summer in Hundred Rivers. Winter, on the other hand, would become damp and cold, which was brutal on the joints. That was why the Hundred Rivers People had a tradition of eating spicy food.

"We’re here. This is the place!" Shen Chuqing stepped out of the car with her long legs, casually letting the rain fall on her.

Su Zhi got out right after her, looking at the shimmering surface of the lake in surprise.

Even though it was a dim, overcast day, the surface of Fuguang Lake shimmered with a brilliant golden luster, as if it were reflecting the sun.

Yet, if you were to scoop up some of that water in your hands, the Golden Light on the surface would suddenly vanish, and it would turn back into ordinary water.

"Peep, peep!" Shan Bao bounced on the spot, thinking it was great fun.

Su Zhi clicked his tongue in amazement. "I heard that the surface of Fuguang Lake is always shimmering, no matter the time of day... It’s really true!"

Shen Chuqing nodded. "Before modern times, the nearby residents always worshipped this lake as a divine miracle. The Earth Element or Gold Element Pet Beasts living near the lake also grew noticeably faster than those in other areas."

"Later, after an investigation, the Divine Strategy Alliance discovered it wasn’t a miracle at all, but essentially a geographical phenomenon. Buried at the bottom of Fuguang Lake is a Golden Sand Flower with a diameter equal to that of the lake’s surface. The floating light on the water is the phenomenon of the Golden Sand Flower’s own light refracting through the water."

Su Zhi’s eyes widened in astonishment. "A... Tier Six, Earth and Gold Dual Element resource hundreds of meters in diameter?"

’All the Earth and Gold Element resources that could be mined in the rest of Hundred Rivers combined might not even be as large as the Golden Sand Flower under this lake!’

’And it’s a Tier Six resource, too... This Fuguang Lake is like a ’lite’ version of the Land of Flash Gold’s Secret Realm!’

Shen Chuqing murmured in a low voice, "Someone once proposed the idea of mining and utilizing the Golden Sand Flower in the lake. This sentiment reached its peak in the early modern era, and the people living around Fuguang Lake clashed with mining teams more than once."

"But in the end, they never mined it?" Su Zhi guessed what had happened.

"It’s more like... thank goodness they didn’t mine it."

Shen Chuqing nodded.

"After the technological revolution, the Divine Strategy Alliance surveyed Fuguang Lake and discovered that the giant Golden Sand Flower had formed in a very clever position. It was perfectly situated to pin down an active tectonic plate below it, allowing the geological structure of the Celestial Paradise City area to achieve a delicate balance."

"Celestial Paradise is one of the few cities in Hundred Rivers that hasn’t been destroyed by earthquakes, and this is a large part of the reason why. It’s like a geological hub, preventing any earthquakes that reach Celestial Paradise from being too devastating."