Chapter 343 - 308: Central Courtyard Garden

Chapter 343: Chapter 308: Central Courtyard Garden

After collecting the Demon Cores, the next step was to deal with that large piece of Magic Crystal Ore.

Zelir placed his palm on it to feel it out.

Hmm...

He could clearly sense the Magic Power circulating within the Magic Crystal—vast and wild.

However, this energy was raw and not very pure.

It would take a lot of effort to refine it into Source Energy Crystal Stones that could replenish Magic Power.

"How are we supposed to move this thing?"

Gray knocked on the surface of the Magic Crystal with his knuckles.

The bottom of the Magic Crystal was connected to the ground, so it couldn’t be moved directly.

"We’ll have to dig it out from the bottom, I guess...?"

Marcus crouched down and observed it carefully.

"We’ll have to dig a pit around the bottom of the Magic Crystal to get it out... Looks like that’s the only way."

Zelir thought about the Magic he knew, but nothing seemed useful for the task.

The only Earth Magic he currently knew was the Stone Wall Skill, which could only generate an earth wall, not help with mining.

’It’d be great if I had an Earth Control Skill, something similar to the Level Three Flame Control Skill. I could just use Magic Power to move the earth and rock aside and save a lot of effort.’

However...

"As it happens, I have tools!"

Zelir pulled two shovels out of his Storage Pouch.

"Why would you have something like that in your Storage Pouch?" Valles’s expression was a little stunned.

"I’ve kept them on hand ever since that Life-Devouring Blood Boil commission." Zelir was quite proud of his foresight.

"You’re really something."

Marcus took the shovel Zelir handed him and tested its weight.

It felt decent enough.

The job of digging out the Magic Crystal was left to Marcus and Valles.

Zelir and Gray went to take care of other things.

"Come on, Gray!"

Zelir rubbed his hands together. "Let’s carve up these Minotaur legs!"

There weren’t many edible parts on the Minotaurs, only the thigh meat.

But they were still a bit of a pain to process, because their hides were thicker and tougher than the Minotaurs outside, making them difficult to cut.

And there were a full nine of them.

So Zelir had to find a helper.

"Hill! Come and help us out."

Zelir shouted to Hill.

Hill was wiping clean the two Short Swords she had used to burst open the Minotaurs’ necks. Hearing Zelir’s call, she sighed.

"Is this stuff really that delicious? It’s so filthy to prepare..."

Although she seemed a little reluctant, Hill still came over to help.

"Which part?" Hill asked.

"The hind leg. We want this red meat on the outer thigh. That’s the best part," Zelir said, pointing.

Unexpectedly, Hill was also very skilled at butchering.

She knew exactly where to make the cut.

She plunged the blade in, clean and decisive, then channeled a bit of Shadow Fighting Qi.

The hide split, the flesh parted, and the meat separated from the bone.

She carved out the leg meat beautifully.

Looking at the smooth cut, Zelir was once again reminded of the moment Hill had launched her surprise attack.

Stealth, a leap, and then a second acceleration in mid-air.

That moment... it was like a falcon’s dive, utterly ferocious!

There were no flashy techniques.

The objective was clear: to sever your neck with a single strike, to put your opponent to death with the most efficient movements possible.

And it was clear that Hill’s strength had grown since they teamed up in Black Stone Town.

’That was against Demons... What if she were fighting a person?’

A thought couldn’t help but surface in Zelir’s mind.

’If Hill wanted to assassinate me, my 32 points of Perception definitely wouldn’t be enough to notice her.’

’Then... could my passively triggered Magic Barrier block that strike?’

Shaking his head, he cleared away the complicated thoughts.

After being busy for a while, the eighteen fresh cuts of Minotaur leg meat were finally carved out and laid out on a spread-out canvas.

On the other side, the digging team’s work had also come to an end.

"One... two... LIFT!"

With a low grunt, Marcus and Valles worked together to lift the Magic Crystal out of the earthen pit.

Then they carefully placed it on an empty patch of ground.

THUD...

The Magic Crystal’s density wasn’t very high; even a single Middle Level Professional could lift it.

A large pile of loot was laid out before them. It looked like a rich haul, but as for how to carry it...

That was a big problem.

Fortunately, Zelir had a Storage Pouch and could easily store everything.

Otherwise, a normal party would have had to turn back at this point; the excessive weight wouldn’t allow them to press on.

"Let me see..."

Zelir placed a hand on his Storage Pouch, connected his mind to it, and took a look inside.

The Storage Pouch was 2x2x2 in size. Inside were Source Energy Crystal Stones, Magic Potions, and various odds and ends.

The Magic Crystal was over a meter in length and width, and only a few dozen centimeters high, so it would fit.

But adding eighteen Minotaur leg cuts...

That would require some thought.

With a slight shift of his will, Zelir began to adjust the positions of the items inside, organizing them neatly.

Inside the storage space, the items automatically floated, shifted, and stacked together, freeing up a lot of room.

This method was very interesting, a bit like playing an idle game. He could move objects without any effort at all.

Zelir put the Magic Crystal in first.

Then the Minotaur leg cuts...

They were a bit more troublesome. The space inside the Storage Pouch wasn’t refrigerated, and the party wasn’t heading back so soon; they would be out here for a few more days.

If not stored properly, the meat would probably spoil.

But Zelir had a solution.

The Frost Technique!

Driven by his Magic Power, the temperature of the Minotaur leg cuts dropped rapidly below freezing. Their fresh red color was locked in as they were flash-frozen.

The temperature inside the Storage Pouch didn’t change that quickly.

He would just need to take them out occasionally and use the Frost Technique to lower the temperature again, and they could be preserved for a long time.