Chapter 378 - 350: Sea Pear Fruit
The cave Yang Long mentioned was located on the mountainside of the island’s only peak.
The area was overgrown with weeds, and the cave entrance was small, requiring one to stoop to enter.
Mogu’s sturdy frame made it impossible for him to get inside.
Qin Ziwen crouched down, examining the low entrance. It was pitch-black inside, and the conditions were a complete unknown.
Therefore, he didn’t rush in.
"Master, I’ll go in first and take a look," Du Yu said in a low voice.
Qin Ziwen shook his head slightly and glanced back at Yang Long.
Yang Long took the hint. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I’ll lead the way."
"Be careful."
Yang Long took two men to the front. He walked second to last, and Du Yu took up the rear.
After about ten minutes, a low droning sound echoed from deep within the cave, like the lowing of some kind of beast.
A short while later, the four of them hurried back out the way they came.
"Master, once inside, we found ourselves on a high platform. At the bottom, there’s a pool of water about three to four meters below us. A tree is indeed growing on the wall behind the pool. Its roots are extensive, covering the wall, and some of them extend into the water. There’s a beast at the bottom of the pool. It was too dark to see it clearly, but it isn’t fast and remains coiled in the water," Du Yu reported.
’It seems Yang Long wasn’t lying.’
’But this cave is too small. Mogu can’t get in, and neither can the Beaked Eagle and Red Hare. There’s probably only one way to get them through. I’ll have to go in myself, open a Node inside my Home, and let them enter that way. However, to open a new Node, I’d have to close some of the unnecessary ones first. Each Node is precious, and activating one puts it on a week-long cooldown. I’ll have to see if the plant inside is valuable enough to justify it.’
He let out a sharp whistle, and the Beaked Eagle descended from the sky. Qin Ziwen had the eagle take Mogu and return to Home first.
After waiting for the Beaked Eagle to come back, he finally stooped down and went inside.
The entrance was tight, but after a few dozen paces, it suddenly opened up.
The space inside was vast, a hidden grotto all its own.
They stood on a ledge jutting out from the inner wall of the cavern.
Qin Ziwen took out a solar-powered flashlight and cranked it to maximum lumens.
The cavern was instantly flooded with light.
The first thing that caught his eye was a giant tree directly ahead.
The tree seemed incredibly cramped growing inside the hollow mountain, like a giant forced to live in a tiny house—stooping and bending, its branches spreading out along the curved ceiling. Its boughs were laden with yellow, pear-shaped fruit.
They looked like gourds.
Below them lay a wide pool of water, its surface rippling. The flashlight beam failed to pierce the depths, revealing only a patch of deep blue. In the center of that blue, a black shadow was slowly swirling.
’Interesting.’
Qin Ziwen scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally settling on the tree.
’Insight.’
[Extraordinary Sea Pear Tree]
[Sea Pear Fruit (Extraordinary): ① Consumption removes toxins from the body. ② Long-term consumption increases toxin resistance.]
’Detoxification and increased toxin resistance... Useful.’ He thought, his gaze then falling upon the tree’s fruit. They were packed together so densely it looked as if the tree had given birth to a massive litter; a single glance revealed at least a thousand Sea Pear Fruits. The sight was incredibly tempting. ’With so many Extraordinary Fruits, I wonder how much Law Essence I could get if I sacrificed them all?’
On one branch, a fruit wobbled and then suddenly dropped.
PLOP!
The instant it hit the water, the black shadow shot up from the depths of the pool. It opened its great maw and caught the falling Sea Pear Fruit in a single gulp, as if it had been waiting for this very moment.
Under the beam of the flashlight, the shadow’s true form was revealed—a massive, snow-white snake.
Its body was dotted with black spots, giving it a mottled appearance.
[Extraordinary Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake: ☆☆★★★] Level 1 Hemotoxicity, Level 2 Detoxifying Blood
Qin Ziwen frowned after reading its panel. ’Its Star Level isn’t low, and its name sounds fierce enough. How is it just an Errand boy? Only Level 1 Hemotoxicity? And it even has Level 2 Detoxifying Blood? That means its ability to detoxify is stronger than its ability to poison. Isn’t that completely backward?’
His gaze fell upon the Sea Pear Fruits, his expression shifting. ’Could it be because of the Sea Pear Fruits? Its name has ’Black-scaled’ in it, but it’s a white snake. Sea Pear Fruits can detoxify and increase toxin resistance over time. This Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake has been living at the bottom of this pool for who knows how long. After years and years of eating detoxifying Sea Pear Fruits every day, has its very nature been warped?’
After swallowing the Sea Pear Fruit, the Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake raised its head. Floating on the surface, its eyes blazed with a vicious light as it stared intently at the four people on the platform.
The snake was massive. The part of its body visible above the water was over two meters long, and from its position, it posed a considerable threat.
Qin Ziwen opened a Node.
The instant the Node appeared, the Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake reacted as if provoked, launching itself upward like a coiled spring.
While it was still in mid-air, before it could even land, a massive hand shot out, moving faster and seizing the Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake precisely by the neck.
The fierce snake opened its maw, ready to bite the owner of the hand.
With a single shake from the massive hand, it felt as if every bone in the snake’s body was rattled loose. In an instant, its ferocious gaze cleared.
Its tail went limp and drooped down.
"Hah. Audacious beast, daring to attack the master." Mogu crouched, stepping his other foot out of the Teleportation Gate.
Standing right next to Mogu, Yang Long felt like he was in the presence of a primeval beast. His blood ran cold, and his teeth couldn’t help but chatter.
He had once watched from afar as Mogu bludgeoned a Mosasaurus to death. Back then, he thought the giant was like a War God.
Now, standing beside him, he felt the hair on his neck stand up, as if he were gazing upon a Demon God.
"Don’t kill it. Spare its life. We’ll take it back and raise it in captivity for now," Qin Ziwen called out to Mogu. This Short-snouted Black-scaled Fierce Snake’s blood could detoxify, and its long-term consumption of Sea Pear Fruits seemed to have caused some kind of change. He felt it was more valuable alive than dead.
Mogu lowered his gaze to the white snake. "The master, in his great kindness, has spared your life. I suggest you learn to behave."
With that, Mogu flicked his arm, and the white snake’s head slammed into the wall, knocking it unconscious instantly.
Mogu’s gaze then landed on the Sea Pear Tree, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "A Sea Pear Tree?"
"You’ve seen one before?"
"It’s a fairly common type of Extraordinary Fruit tree. They prefer humid coastal environments, though riverbanks and lakeshores are also suitable. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Sea Pear Tree this massive," Mogu explained, adding, "Generally, when cultivating Extraordinary plants, you don’t let them grow this large. A huge fruit tree might have a high total output, but most of its nutrients are used to sustain the trunk and leaves, which actually lowers the proportion dedicated to bearing fruit."
Qin Ziwen grew thoughtful; he recalled Wei Zhaohua mentioning something similar.
Mogu continued, "However, Master, we don’t have many Extraordinary plants in our Home at the moment, and the Treasure Garden is quite empty. A large new plant would be a good thing."
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