What? (Chapter 95)
At the same time, they discovered the 'small' Iron-eating Beast, Ye Sheng and Mo Lin both gasped in shock.
Not long ago, they had been watching the battle between the esper Ling Lan and the S-class Thunder Iron-eating Beast. Now, it was their turn...
Even though this Iron-eating Beast was clearly in its juvenile stage, that was only relative.
At a height of five meters, Ye Sheng looked like a dwarf standing in front of it.
!!!∑(?Д?ノ )ノ
Not to mention, with its fierce pounce and sharp claws, even a light touch could be deadly!
Therefore, avoiding a fight was the best option. The two of them quietly retreated, trying to leave this dangerous area... However, whether it was their bad luck or the little Iron-eating Beast being bored of bamboo, it suddenly looked up.
Its small eyes stared directly at Ye Sheng.
Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat.
(ó﹏ò。)
An ominous feeling immediately arose.
She seemed to be particularly attractive to corrupted creatures...
Then, the little Iron-eating Beast got up and let out a loud roar, pouncing towards them in the next second.
Its fierce momentum and sharp claws all indicated it was not to be trifled with.
However, the next moment, the little Iron-eating Beast crashed into the Golden Yin Bamboo, and with a loud 'bang,' it fell to the ground, struggling for a long time but unable to get up, only rolling around on the ground.
Ye Sheng: ......
Seriously?
She had just been thinking about using her double points lottery to deal with the crisis, but she hadn't expected this outcome!
However, Ye Sheng quickly guessed the reason... the illusionary effect of the Golden Yin Bamboo!
Humans would fall into hallucinations just by touching it, let alone the little Iron-eating Beast which had gobbled it up.
It was like it had overdosed on drugs.
As for why it ate the Golden Yin Bamboo, it might be addictive?
Or maybe it was the little Iron-eating Beast's first time eating the Golden Yin Bamboo?
Ye Sheng was not an Iron-eating Beast and didn't want to try the peculiar effects of the Golden Yin Bamboo, so she just guessed. The most important thing was that they could escape now!
Just as Ye Sheng was about to turn and run, Mo Lin suddenly grabbed her.
The thin boy Mo Lin, whose face lacked much flesh, was full of excitement. His green eyes were shining, almost jumping with joy, but he suppressed his excitement and said, "Sister Ye, this is a great opportunity! If we kill this S-class Iron-eating Beast cub, we can exchange it for a lot of points!"
Compared to Mo Lin's excitement, Ye Sheng remained calm, "Mo Lin, even if it's in a hallucinatory state, you still can't kill it."
Now, earning points was easy.
Abandoned Star Iron Stones were everywhere.
And they were packed in sacks, so you could just grab a sack and run!
Even if the convoy took a cut, it was better than taking risks... Especially since Ye Sheng had Pouch No. 2, she was even less inclined to take risks killing monsters!
She could privately stash 500 pounds of Star Iron Stones!!!
Why take life-threatening risks to earn money?
Ye Sheng's voice snapped Mo Lin out of his euphoria. When he turned his head, he saw Ye Sheng looking indifferent, even somewhat resistant.
It was clear she didn't want to get involved.
This made Mo Lin pause, his face showing hesitation.
However, the chance to encounter a juvenile Iron-eating Beast was rare and would not come again.
He had to convince Ye Sheng!
If Mo Lin could kill the little Iron-eating Beast by himself, he would have already done so. But in reality, he wasn't very strong, nor was he agile...
Ye Sheng had a certain chance of successfully killing the little Iron-eating Beast, but for him, the likelihood was high that he would end up dead instead!
Asking other mercenaries for help would simply mean giving away the benefits!
Those guys wouldn't just take a share; they'd take everything.
So, under the current circumstances, cooperating with Ye Sheng was the best option!
But how to convince her?
Mo Lin frowned in distress and persisted, "Sister Ye, this Iron-eating Beast is incredibly valuable. Even if its meat isn't of low or medium radiation edible quality, just cutting out its eyes, brain, and claws would fetch at least 800,000 base points!"
"......"
What?
Hearing 800,000 base points made Ye Sheng's heart race wildly.
She blinked slowly in disbelief, and her initial reluctance began to waver... Ahem, you can't refuse points!
This was 800,000 points!!!
When Ye Sheng didn't respond, Mo Lin thought she was still unwilling. Aside from being surprised at her resolve, he was anxious enough to want to stomp his feet. He had to use his trump card.
"Sister Ye, materials from S-class corrupted creatures or their young are super precious. Besides points, there are special rewards!"
"Special rewards?"
Seeing that he had finally piqued Ye Sheng's interest, Mo Lin explained in more detail.
"The base officials offer high prices for materials related to S-class corrupted creatures. In addition to that, they give out limited edition weapons or potions as exchange rewards. They're all valuable! Like the Bloodburn Potion Ling Lan used, which can be life-saving in critical moments."
For mercenaries and espers, these items that could enhance abilities were definitely kept for themselves.
But if Mo Lin got them, he could trade them for greater benefits.
Just like getting a spot to travel with the convoy to dig for Star Iron ore—a privilege not available to ordinary citizens in the safe zone.
Hearing this, Ye Sheng was quite satisfied.
However, with the lottery space, she wasn't particularly interested in special rewards but could sell them to Mo Lin at a high price.
They could earn a significant amount of base points.
"So, Sister Ye, do you want to take this job?"
"Yes."
"Great, we'll split the points 40-60... You handle killing the corrupted creature, and I'll take care of selling it. For this deal, I'll transfer 400,000 base points to you upfront as a deposit, and we'll settle the balance later."
Hearing that she would get 60% and an advance payment, Ye Sheng couldn't refuse.
The house in the safe zone could be fully paid for!
Seeing Ye Sheng finally nod, Mo Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, excitedly rubbing his hands together like a fly, he looked up at the little Iron-eating Beast still rolling on the ground, his eyes shining as if looking at a mountain of gold, eager to haul it home.
They needed to act quickly.
They couldn't let other mercenaries see them!
Mo Lin hurriedly took a bottle of green potion from his satchel and handed it to Ye Sheng, saying solemnly, "Sister Ye, this top-grade paralysis potion should come in handy. However, since the little Iron-eating Beast is an cub of S-class corrupted creature, I'm not sure if it will be effective. Also, try using this powder for concealing your presence!"
"Because the Iron-eating Beast's brain is very valuable, try not to damage its head. Aim for a lethal spot in its heart!"
"Oh, and use this dagger."
As he spoke, Mo Lin pulled out a dagger from his waist. Just by looking at the shiny blade, one could tell it was very sharp.
And expensive!
When Ye Sheng took the dagger and tried cutting the sturdy Golden Yin Bamboo, it easily made a small cut. However, using her regular dagger only left a shallow white mark on the bamboo.
Tsk, tsk, as expected, you get what you pay for!
She wanted one too.
(?ω?)
Once it's completely safe, she'll ask how many points this dagger costs!
After accepting the potion and the dagger, Ye Sheng didn't act immediately but instead had Mo Lin stand guard a little farther away to prevent others from stealing their kill. She told him she would call him over once the little Iron-eating Beast was dead.
Mo Lin obediently complied without objection, just reminding Ye Sheng to be careful.
And to avoid damaging the valuable organs of the little Iron-eating Beast.
After Mo Lin walked away, Ye Sheng carefully observed the surroundings, confirming no one else was around. She then activated her invisibility cloak and walked towards the drugged little Iron-eating Beast.
Meanwhile, she poured the concealing powder over herself. Unlike the pungent powder she bought, this high-grade one was colorless and odorless.
With the invisibility effect in place, Ye Sheng didn't need the paralysis potion.
Despite Mo Lin's praise for the paralysis potion, she decided to stash it in her pouch.
After all, as long as the little Iron-eating Beast was dead...
Who cared how it was killed!
Compared to the fierce S-class Iron-eating Beast that fought with Ling Lan, this small one, while drugged, wasn't that dangerous. Ye Sheng initially didn't want the hassle, but after hearing how valuable it was, she shamefully changed her mind!
Now, taking advantage of Mo Lin's eagerness, she sent him off, allowing her to use her invisibility without worry.
In fact, this was true.
Even though the little Iron-eating Beast was five meters tall, after it lay down and started rolling around, combined with the sharpness of the dagger, Ye Sheng could directly stab it in the heart. Without checking if it was dead, she quickly ran to the side.
Once the little Iron-eating Beast's struggles weakened, she went back to pull out the dagger and stabbed it again.
Killing the little Iron-eating Beast was too smooth. Ye Sheng didn't call Mo Lin immediately but decided to delay a bit. She smeared some fresh blood on her clothes to make it seem like the process of killing the little Iron-eating Beast was very tough and dangerous.
However, after seeing the little Iron-eating Beast, Ye Sheng was curious about one thing.
What level was an S-class corrupted creature cub?
Was it also S-class?
‘Beep. Detected B-class high-radiation Thunder Iron-eating Beast, not edible.’
So it wasn't!
Still, being able to easily kill a B-class corrupted creature was unexpected.
Ye Sheng felt quite proud.
(ノ￣▽￣)
Although, in reality, it was largely thanks to the illusionary effect of the Golden Yin Bamboo that led the little Iron-eating Beast to its death...
With her question answered, Ye Sheng started to explore the surroundings. While wandering, she made a significant discovery!
Not far from the little Iron-eating Beast, there was a small cave.
This "small" was relative to the size of an S-class Iron-eating Beast; but for Ye Sheng, it was a super large cave.
After carefully investigating and finding no other living creatures inside, she swiftly ran in. With her previous experience exploring the Porcupine Rat’s burrow, Ye Sheng moved quickly.
She lit a simple torch from her satchel to illuminate the dark cave.
Compared to the long tunnels dug by Porcupine Rats, the Thunder Iron-eating Beast's cave was much simpler, like an open-plan bedroom.
Upon entering, Ye Sheng immediately saw a spot worn smooth from frequent rubbing. Nearby, scattered stones glowed with an eerie green light.
They were Star Iron Stones!
With a "waste not, want it" mentality.
Ye Sheng used Pouch No. 2 to collect these Star Iron Stones. During the collection, she also found a few pieces of red-glowing mutated Star Iron Stones, which made her eyes light up. She quickly stashed these mutated Star Iron Stones into Pouch No. 1.
'I am getting rich'
After refining these mutated star iron ores, it should be possible to forge a Corrupt Blade!
However, some of the star iron ore in the iron-eating beast's cave had been bitten, and then seemingly discarded because it wasn't tasty, emitting a faint green glow.
It seems the iron-eating beasts eat these star iron ores.
The abandoned mine that the convoy found might have been a place where someone 'stole' the iron-eating beast's food, and upon discovering an S-class iron-eating beast, they quickly fled.
And then, they became the 'suckers'...
Ye Sheng thought about this helplessly, but didn't slow down. After collecting all the star iron ore in the cave, she discovered several black energy stones on a stone platform.
Surprisingly, they had similar habits to the spike rats.
(???)
Haha
Now it's all hers.
Before taking the energy stones, Ye Sheng scanned them with a detector.
"Beep... Detected B-class energy stone, specific energy value: 1366!"
"Beep... Detected D-class energy stone, specific energy value: 445!"
"Beep... Detected A-class energy stone, specific energy value: 1865!"
!!!
Ye Sheng was shocked as she looked at the three energy stones.
Except for one D-class energy stone, the others were A-class and B-class!
After absorbing these energy stones, the little one might be able to stand up!!!
With great joy, she put the energy stones into her No. 1 pouch. Ye Sheng was so happy that she wanted to run 100 laps to express her joy. She then found some more star iron ore in a corner of the cave, swept it all up, and left the cave.
Luckily, she had promised Mo Lin.
Otherwise, she would have missed out on so many treasures, just thinking about it made her heart ache!
Now, the time was almost up. After Ye Sheng called Mo Lin over, they worked together to disassemble the small iron-eating beast. The precious and valuable organs were preserved by Mo Lin using special techniques, keeping them fresh for up to a week.
Just as the two were happily leaving, planning to move to a safe area, a prompt suddenly sounded in Ye Sheng's mind.
[Substitute Straw Doll: Has taken one fatal attack (3/3)]
[Substitute Straw Doll is completely damaged and reverts to a normal item]
Upon hearing the item prompt, Ye Sheng felt a bit regretful. She had hoped to keep one more chance!
But it turns out Ling Lan had already used it.
Wait... the “Guardian's Blessing Ring” aura she drew lasted only five minutes, and that time had long since passed. By now, regardless of whether Ling Lan had defeated the S-class iron-eating beast, the battle should have been over.
So why was there another death?
Ye Sheng sensed something was off. Ignoring Mo Lin who was standing nearby, she quickly took out the Substitute Straw Doll. Because it was already damaged, it was maintaining the final 'death scene,' showing a hole in the scarecrow’s heart.
This sight made Ye Sheng’s scalp tingle, and she quickly burned the damaged scarecrow.
Mo Lin was curious he also looked over. The thrill of acquiring the S-class iron-eating beast cub's organs had not faded, but he soon heard Ye Sheng’s grave voice.
“Mo Lin, we need to go check the battle situation in the mine. Besides the S-class iron-eating beast, there might be other unexpected events!”