dtnovels Chapter 226 Gratitude
Chapter 226 Gratitude
As Xu Si pushed open the car door, the scorching sunlight of the blood-red sun immediately rushed towards him.
He narrowed his crimson star-like eyes, his gaze sweeping over the relatively flat hilltop.
Several weathered boulders are scattered among the rocks, casting short shadows. The slope, compared to the surrounding mountains, seems to be a tourist attraction deliberately left for visitors.
In the distance, the winding mountain road, like a faded ribbon, disappears into the even more vast mountains.
The tranquil lake behind me now appears as a frozen, crimson mirror, so quiet that it seems as if yesterday's life-or-death struggle was just an illusion.
The crows in the sky had vanished by then, and by the time the convoy became lively, they were nowhere to be seen.
The campsite on Tashan Mountain, enclosed by rocks, is simple yet practical.
Jiao Jiao pulled a small stool out of the pickup truck, sat down next to Su Su, sipped water, and stared blankly into the distance.
After being dragged into depravity by the [Slothful Abyss] yesterday, she was no longer as carefree as before, and seemed to have matured a lot all of a sudden.
The children, including DouDou, huddled together to comfort each other.
Shao Bing stood on a slightly higher rock, his hawk-like gaze slowly scanning the surroundings. The "synergy" feature brought by his new Sequence 2 promotion made his perception even more acute.
Although he lacked specific perception abilities, his skillful "borrowing" of this characteristic still brought him great benefits.
Fu Xiaojian's rib injuries were mostly healed. After checking the Warrior's tires, he walked towards Xu Si.
"We'll reach a village in about half a day's journey. Do you think we should go in and search it?" Fu Xiaojian asked.
The convoy is not short of supplies now, thanks to the dried sweet potatoes from the last harvest and Niu Niu.
Even without collecting supplies, the convoy can make a smooth transition.
"What kind of village?" Xu Si asked.
After all, finding a supply point is not easy, and there's always the possibility of finding something useful.
Besides, he's short on purification points! Even with nearly 30,000 in assets, it's still not enough.
"I'm not entirely sure, but it should be a small village, with about a few dozen houses!"
Fu Xiaojian's "Unknown Hammer" is useful, but not as precise as I had imagined.
"How dangerous is it?"
"It should be alright! Since we appeared in the convoy's path, it must have been a close call!"
Fu Xiaojian couldn't make any guarantees either; the journey had been fraught with danger, causing him to doubt himself.
As the two were talking, suddenly, a shadow swept across their heads.
He looked up and saw the enormous body of the Death-Slaying Crow descending from the sky.
The flapping of the huge wings stirred up the air currents that whipped up the sand and dust on the slope.
The three snake heads nimbly rotated in the air, and the middle head seemed to be holding something in its beak.
"Chirp—"
The crow let out a low hoot, hesitated for a moment, and finally landed in the direction where Xu Si was.
The heavy body landed with a thud that made the ground tremble slightly, and three pairs of scarlet vertical pupils stared at Xu Si in unison.
Its posture seemed a bit strange—no longer the slightly fearful aloofness of before, but instead revealing a hint of… eagerness to claim credit?
The snake's head in the middle peeked forward.
"despair."
An object, roughly the size of a fist, irregularly shaped, with a surface shimmering with a dark silver and a deep blue glow, fell onto the sand at Xu Si's feet.
The thing looked like a mixture of some kind of metal and crystal, like a strange metal, emitting a faint but clear, eerie energy fluctuation.
A bizarre fall?
Xu Si's starry pupils narrowed slightly.
The three heads of the crow simultaneously emitted short, urgent cries, their six eyes fixed on Xu Si, then glancing at the fallen item on the ground, as if to say, "Look, I brought you something good!"
Xu Si was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.
Is this guy... offering a tribute?
Or is it just about pleasing oneself?
This action completely stunned Fu Xiaojian, who was standing next to him!
He still owes Xu Si three strange drops! And this guy just got one right away.
It would be a lie to say I'm not envious. I wonder if he'll ever have the chance to switch careers and become a Divine Contract Master!
DouDou was also confused by YaYa's actions.
Who is your master after all?
Xu Si bent down and touched the fallen piece with his fingertips.
It feels slightly cool to the touch, and the energy flow on the surface is clearer; you can even feel a certain "sharp" will contained within it.
[Strange Drop Detected: Piercing Crystal]
[Item Characteristics: Armor Penetration, Energy Stripping, High-Frequency Vibration]
[Upgrade Option 1: Enhance the Artifact - Sword of Punishment]
[Description: Greatly enhances the "Edge Breaker" and "Judgment" properties; attacks are accompanied by high-frequency energy vibrations, causing additional damage to armor, energy shields, and physical structures.]
[Estimated Purification Points Consumption: 1200]
[Upgrade Option 2: Piercing Artifact - Cold Spear]
[Description: Puncture, puncture, and more puncture; if it doesn't go through in one go, then puncture twice.]
[Estimated Purification Points Consumption: 1400]
Xu Si understood immediately and beckoned Dou Dou over.
"your!"
Ya Ya, standing to the side, became somewhat anxious. It wasn't that he was inherently rebellious, but rather that it was truly beneficial to have a good relationship with Xu Si.
It first got its revenge thanks to Xu Si's intervention, then was healed by Yi Yi's 'Soothing Aura', and then Xu Si killed the [Slothful Abyss Serpent], after which it had a hearty meal.
If you had to put it in a nutshell, you could say it was a way of repaying kindness.
"Huh? I don't want it. What Ya Ya gave you is yours. Besides, if it weren't for Brother Xu, I wouldn't have made a contract with Ya Ya!" Dou Dou backed away repeatedly.
The crows beside him nodded repeatedly!
He really wanted to get along well with Xu Si.
"Old Xu, you should still accept it!"
Xu Si glanced at the prism in his hand, then at Ya Ya's expectant face (if those three ferocious snake heads could be read), and at Dou Dou who was retreating in a hurry beside him, and did not refuse again.
As a strange entity bound to the Bean Contract, Crow's spoils theoretically belong to Bean, but this guy clearly wants to "pay tribute" to himself.
Forcibly refusing could damage the feelings between Ya Ya and Dou Dou.
"Okay, I'll take it, but next time I'll buy it at market price."
This time, consider it as Ya Ya "redeeming" himself. When Dou Dou signed this guy, he also lost a strange item.
It's easy to imagine that in the future, Ya Ya will likely become his main force in collecting strange drops.
Indeed, no one can be sure what kind of flower will bloom from the seed that has been planted!
Xu Si held the [Piercing Crystal], which was still emitting a faint glow, in his palm, feeling the sharp and restless energy flow within it.
Instead of immediately upgrading the system, he looked up at Ya Ya.
The three snake heads were now slightly lowered, displaying an almost "docile" posture.
However, given its enormous and ferocious body, the scene was rather comical.
"Well done." Xu Si nodded to Ya Ya, his voice flat and devoid of much emotion.
The vertical pupil of the crow's middle head seemed to light up for a moment, and it emitted a short, low "chirp".
It then flapped its wings and rose back into the sky to continue its guard duty.
Its circling posture seemed... a bit lighter?