Chapter 35: Rendezvous
At the foot of the slope, Su Xiao sat in the pitch-black night, unable to see his hand in front of his face.
He chose not to light a fire. Without a cave or some kind of shelter, starting a fire in the red soil region was simply asking for death.
Although he had drunk his fill of water, his stomach was still growling with hunger.
He took off his backpack. Inside was only a small piece of dried meat. After Su Xiao ate it all, the feeling of hunger didn't fade; instead, it grew stronger.
He took out the iron box containing the alchemical secret medicine and carefully removed the golden fruit inside. He had been in too much of a hurry before to check its properties.
After examining the golden fruit's attributes, he felt like he had hit the jackpot.
[Sun's Blessed Fruit]
Quality: Dark Purple
Type: High-grade plant fruit, material, restorative food, enhancement item.
Note: This is a rare item and can be exchanged for World Source.
Usage Method 1: Eat the fruit directly to gain the following permanent enhancements: Health +100, Mana +100, Fire Resistance +15%, Frost Resistance +15%.
Usage Method 2: This item can be refined into an enhancement item.
Note: After consuming via either method or drinking it as a potion, it will restore 100% Health and 100% Mana within one minute.
Note: This fruit will dissipate two days after being separated from its main body.
Rating: 260
Introduction: Wherever the Sun's Blessed Fruit is found, a powerful creature will surely have built a nest nearby. Many powerful creatures use the juice of the Sun's Blessed Fruit to feed their young, making them stronger and grow faster.
Su Xiao held the [Sun's Blessed Fruit] and fell into thought. The fruit's effects were strong. Eating it directly would grant +100 Health and +100 Mana, along with increased fire and ice resistance.
More importantly, this was an unrefined raw material. After proper alchemical processing, its effects would be even stronger.
Eating the fruit directly would be convenient, but it would be a waste of a precious resource.
Su Xiao's Alchemy skill was at Lv.20. He was simply obsessed with his blade techniques and too lazy to further develop his alchemy, but that didn't mean he didn't understand it.
On the contrary, Su Xiao knew alchemy very well. He had a vast amount of knowledge about it stored in his mind.
His current location wasn't suitable for concocting potions. He needed at least a cave and a trustworthy guard, as he needed to concentrate fully.
Of course, he had a trustworthy guard. Although that guy was a bit of a fool, he was currently too far away from Su Xiao's position.
Putting away the [Sun's Blessed Fruit], Su Xiao stood up and continued moving. He had to at least rendezvous with Bubuteni. That fool might have decent stealth skills, but his combat ability was pitiful—at least, that's what Su Xiao thought.
After traveling for five hours, Su Xiao arrived near the Yasenman Tribe. He could already vaguely see the glow of their fires.
He didn't enter the tribe directly. Bubuteni wasn't there either. He had said they would meet near the Yasenman Tribe.
Old Ba'er wasn't trustworthy. Su Xiao had returned here only to explore the secrets of the Yasenman Tribe and obtain the compass.
Su Xiao picked up a thin wooden stick and found an animal bone nearby. He began to rhythmically tap the bone with the stick.
Dong~, dong, dong...
After tapping for about ten minutes, a rustling sound came from the bushes. A sneaky figure crept closer. Bubu was crawling on his belly. He had already learned how terrifying the red soil region was without Su Xiao nearby.
Because it was so dark, Su Xiao couldn't see Bubu Wang's appearance clearly. But when Bubu Wang happily pounced on him, he noticed that Bubu Wang's color had changed.
Bubu Wang, originally black and white, was now a dirty gray-black. It wasn't a change in fur color, but a layer of mud caked on his body.
"Woof~."
Bubu Wang barked excitedly, wagging his head and circling Su Xiao. His eyes were full of expectation, as if saying: 'Master, got any food? I'm starving stupid here.'
Unfortunately, Su Xiao was just as hungry.
Su Xiao was covered in dried blood, Bubu Wang was covered in mud, and both of them were starving.
Having successfully rendezvoused with Bubu Wang, Su Xiao decided to first solve the problems of hygiene and hunger.
He told Bubu Wang to wait where he was and walked alone toward the Yasenman Tribe. Ten minutes later, he returned carrying a "big pot."
The craftsmanship of this "pot" was rough, and strictly speaking, it wasn't a pot at all. It was a round shield made from polished metal ore, just shaped like a pot.
Su Xiao had met with Old Ba'er but declined his offer of food. He and the Yasenman Tribe were only cooperating. Food was precious in the red soil region, and besides, the Yasenman Tribe's food was all highly "suspicious."
There was a mountain spring near the Yasenman Tribe. With a source of fresh water, Su Xiao's wilderness survival skills made getting food easy.
Tomorrow was the day the Yasenman Tribe would go to war with the insect race. He had an agreement with Old Ba'er: after the battle began, he would go deep into the insect nest with Old Ba'er. The reward was the compass pointing to the cliffside stone bridge.
So tonight, he needed to rest and prepare. Starting tomorrow, Su Xiao would begin exploring the secrets of the Yasenman Tribe.
Seeing Su Xiao walking back with a "pot," Bubu Wang seemed to have a row of question marks floating above his head. His big, watery eyes looked at Su Xiao with some helplessness, as if saying: 'Master, I only chew on iron as a hobby. I don't eat it.'
"Come on, I'll take you for a feast."
Su Xiao led the confused Bubu Wang to the mountain spring. A stream of clear spring water flowed down. Su Xiao stood under it to wash himself.
After washing off the dried blood, Su Xiao felt much fresher.
Bubu Wang was forced to stand under the spring. He didn't want a bath because the water was too cold.
The clear spring water turned black as it washed over Bubu Wang. After a while, Bubu Wang regained his usual luster, his black and white fur shining.
After the bath, Bubu Wang looked around for Su Xiao, only to find he had disappeared. Bubu Wang could only wait where he was.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao returned carrying a large bird and several types of green plants.
The bird was about half a meter long. It wasn't a bird that flew in the sky, but one that ran on the ground. It was incredibly fast, and Su Xiao had caught it in a trap he set.
He started a fire, used the big pot-shaped shield to boil a pot of water, and put the chopped bird meat into the pot. He also threw in a few mushrooms and some leafy green vegetables.
An hour later, a large pot of fragrant mushroom and vegetable meat soup was ready. Although salt was the only seasoning, Bubu Wang ate half the pot.
After drinking the last of the broth, Bubu Wang lay contentedly on a rock. After being separated from Su Xiao, he had been lost and confused in the red soil region, not knowing where to go, afraid to run around, with no food or water. During his journey, he had even fallen into a swamp and nearly been swallowed by it.
After bathing and drinking half a pot of meat soup, Su Xiao's stamina quickly recovered. With Bubu Wang nearby, the Snow Goddess's Halo began to accelerate the healing of his injuries.
"It was this dangerous a few days ago? Are the other contractors all in the normal zone? A bunch of lucky bastards."
Su Xiao's guess was correct. Of the 402 surviving contractors, 380 were in the normal zone.
Some contractors who had parachuted into the Black Forest were all dead within half an hour of landing. The red soil region was a bit better; the strong could survive here, but it had also eliminated many weaker contractors.
Finding a cave near the Yasenman Tribe, Su Xiao sealed the entrance.
The firelight illuminated the cave brightly. Bubu Wang sat at the cave entrance, ears perked up, acting as a guard.
In front of Su Xiao were a few empty test tubes and some crude containers. These test tubes were left over from drinking the alchemical secret medicine. In other derivative worlds, Su Xiao would have just thrown them away, but not now.
Holding the [Sun's Blessed Fruit], Su Xiao pondered how to concoct it.