Chapter 764 - 115: Smoke Food

Chen Chuan took a look and discovered that the source of the heat was, surprisingly, the Raccoon Cat Stone Token he hadn’t used in a long time.

He used to use this item as a trump card, but with the improvement of his strength, it was now little more than a decoration.

After all, these days, even when facing multiple opponents, he no longer needed other methods to alleviate the pressure. He could handle them all on his own.

He had, however, recently neglected the food required by the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk. According to their prior agreement, if he didn’t provide food, the Raccoon Cat would turn on its master.

But it all depended on the master. With the power he now possessed, the Raccoon Cat didn’t even dare to make a move against him, not letting out so much as a peep.

He took out the Stone Token. A thought emanated from it, conveying an intense interest in the Lost Object he had just acquired—a feeling of extreme craving.

He was a little surprised. Although low-level Lost Objects had some value, you usually had to discover the correct way to use them to understand their purpose.

Yang Yuncheng had failed to figure it out after twenty-five years, and Chen Chuan didn’t believe he could do it right away. That was why he hadn’t opened it after receiving it, planning to deal with it later when he had time.

However, he also noticed that the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk hadn’t reacted at all since he entered the area. This only started happening after he sliced open the Rift.

’Could it be that the appearance of the Rift triggered some kind of change in the Lost Object?’

At this thought, he took out the Lost Object. After a glance, he began to unwrap the thick cloth, layer by layer. When he was done, he found an oval-shaped object with a jagged, broken edge. It looked like a piece of an eggshell, only slightly thicker.

Its appearance was quite unremarkable. Without any prior explanation, one might mistake it for a fossilized piece of eggshell.

But now, as he held the object, it began to emit faint wisps of light smoke under the glow of the Rift. A fragrant aroma accompanied the smoke, and after taking a whiff, he surprisingly felt a sense of fullness.

It wasn’t an illusion of fullness; it felt as if he had just consumed a large amount of Nutrition Paste and other nutrient-rich foods. And it wasn’t just his body. As he continued to inhale the scent, even his depleted spiritual energy seemed to replenish itself slightly.

His thoughts stirred. ’Can this be used to mend the body’s wear and tear?’

’But are there any harmful side effects?’

He looked at his Second Self but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The opening of the Rift naturally produced a corrosive influence, and the signs of dematerialization on his Second Self were nearly identical to those caused by the Rift alone. There was almost no discernible difference, which meant that even if the object had an effect, it was negligible.

Just then, the Raccoon Cat Stone Token in his pocket grew increasingly hot and began to vibrate slightly. It was as if the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk was leaping about frantically inside, its urgency mixed with an occasional, pitiful plea conveyed to his mind.

After a moment of thought, he relaxed his restraint on the Raccoon Cat. The next instant, a sharp AWOO! came from the Stone Token, and a faint, pocket-sized phantom of a Raccoon Cat leaped out. It rushed toward the light smoke rising from the Lost Object in his hand and began tearing and biting at it. A faint KRAK KRAK sound could be heard, as if the Raccoon Cat was gnawing on the object itself.

But it was impossible for the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk to actually damage the shell-like object. After all, it was a Lost Object; even if it was only of the lowest Fifth Level, it was not something a mere Strange Talk could compare to.

Though the Raccoon Cat tore away a good portion of the light smoke, more of it billowed out steadily under the Rift’s glow. During this process, the Raccoon Cat’s phantom seemed to solidify slightly. One could now make out a pocket-sized Raccoon Cat with a large head and small body crouched on the eggshell. It bared its fangs, looking utterly ferocious, letting out a roar at its surroundings after each bite.

But whenever Chen Chuan’s gaze fell upon it, the creature would immediately flatten itself, curling into a ball and taking small, timid bites, feigning obedience.

After a while, the Raccoon Cat seemed to be full, apparently stuffed to its limit. Only then did it reluctantly return to the Stone Token.

Chen Chuan inspected the token and could clearly feel that after this feast, the Raccoon Cat was somewhat different from before.

The most obvious change was to the Stone Token itself. He had commissioned its carving early on, and while the craftsmanship was decent, it was ultimately just stone, with many parts inevitably feeling a bit crude. But now, it had become more refined. The rough, cold feel was gone, replaced by the warm, smooth texture of jade.

Furthermore, he discovered that the cloak he wore and the items he carried seemed slightly newer. Of course, these changes were incredibly subtle; without Spiritual Power like his, they would be almost impossible to notice. The change was also trivial and practically useless.

But this served as indirect proof of some of the Lost Object’s properties.

He moved the shell-like object a little farther away from the Rift. Sure enough, as the distance increased, the light smoke it emitted grew thinner.

If that was the case, then this item’s effects likely only manifested when it was near the Opposite World. No wonder Yang Yuncheng had kept it for over twenty years without figuring anything out.

And even if someone did know, most people would lack the means to use it. Only the governments and corporations in control of the World Ring could likely extract its true value.

He contemplated for a moment, then gave a call. With a flutter of wings, Chaoming descended from above.

He held the shell-like object out, letting Chaoming sample the light smoke. The bird took a sniff and immediately perked up, its eyes growing exceptionally bright. It let out a CHIRP! at him. He nodded. It was clearly useful for Chaoming, too.

With this item to replenish his mental and physical energy, he no longer had to worry about the drain from his training.

Since the corrosive influence from the Opposite World was ever-present, he had Chaoming return to its perch above while he seized the opportunity to continue his training.

Before long, he heard the sound of pouring rain outside. Fortunately, he had chosen a higher spot on a dirt slope. Knowing it would rain, he had draped a waterproof tarp over his tent, and the interior was almost completely sealed, preventing any water from seeping in.

The rain started in the afternoon, falling intermittently. It stopped by nightfall, but then those strange, rustling noises returned. They didn’t last long, however, quickly fading away—apparently driven off by the monstrous presence emanating from the Rift.

Chen Chuan stood guard before the Rift, circulating his Spiritual Secret Technique. Whenever anything attempted to infiltrate, he would strike it down with the Snow Monarch Blade. The last time, he had been unprepared, and the narrow underground space had restricted his movements. This time, he had intentionally expanded the area, allowing him to swing his blade much more freely.

「A night passed.」

He heard the sounds of people outside. With a wave of his blade, he instantly erased the Rift before him. The blade returned to its Sword Scabbard with a sharp SHING, and he rose to his feet.

The radiant light that had been swirling in his eyes slowly receded. It seemed his thorough preparations had paid off; his gains this time were far greater than the last.

He glanced at the Lost Object in his hand. It was possible the item had also played a part in his success.

For one thing, after several confrontations with entities from the Opposite World, the Snow Monarch Blade would always suffer some drain. Normally, the Mutated Organization within it would feel fatigued and need the entire day to recuperate. But with this object nearby, its recovery was much faster, and the efficiency of his training had noticeably improved.

After a moment’s thought, he wrapped the object back up, threaded a cord through the cloth, and tucked it securely into his pocket. Then, holding the Snow Monarch Blade, he stepped out of the tent.

As soon as he stepped out, he was hit by a medicinal odor. A large amount of powder had been scattered throughout the camp, and its scent mingled with the stench of dissolved insect carcasses, creating a pungent mix. Chaoming, who had followed him out, couldn’t help but sneeze.

Just then, he heard a KRAKK-ing sound. He turned his head and saw several human-shaped mounds of earth near the campfire. Cracks were now spreading across their surfaces. One by one, the natives sat up from within, brushing off chunks of mud with the help of their companions. It turned out they had been sleeping inside them all along.

Yang Yuncheng walked over and followed his gaze. "When we don’t have tents, this is how we avoid the corruption of the night," he explained. "It’s quite practical in the wild. You can dig a pit and lie down anytime, anywhere."

Chen Chuan asked, "Does this require any special materials?"

"It requires the unique soil from our region, combined with some special beverages and medicines," Yang Yuncheng said. "If Manager Chen is interested, I can give you the recipe. However, this method only works in this specific area. It’s hard to say if it would be effective any farther out."

He gestured toward his people. "This is why they’re reluctant to migrate. They’ve lived here for a very long time; they’re familiar with this place and have adapted to everything. They might survive out there, but many would surely die in the process."

Chen Chuan nodded. After a moment of thought, he added, "From what I understand, some members of the Old Imperial Family were able to travel through the Merging Land at night by pledging faith to a certain entity. Is it true that this method was learned from the natives?"

"Such a method does exist," Yang Yuncheng said. "But pledging faith to an entity requires a great number of offerings. The people in the settlements around here can’t afford that many tributes, nor do we have the population to be ’consumed’ as such. So, we use our own way. Thankfully, it’s gotten us through all these years."

His voice then dropped. "But after the people from the Federation arrived, everything changed almost overnight."

Chen Chuan said, "Elder Yang, I will have to trouble you to lead the way shortly."

Yang Yuncheng replied gravely, "I’ll go pack my things. Manager Chen, we leave in half an hour."

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