Buzzing~
A rapid buzzing sound came from behind!
Zhang Wei turned and struck!
As expected, it was empty. The real attack came from the front. The Devil Mosquito took advantage of Zhang Wei's moment of recovery to launch another sneak attack!
"From the front!"
A punch as he turned!
At this moment, the Devil Mosquito's proboscis was only three meters away from Zhang Wei!
A flash of blue lightning~
The Devil Mosquito actually dodged Zhang Wei's recovery punch perfectly. At this distance, only prediction could achieve such a feat.
It knew long ago that Zhang Wei was guarding against its sneak attack, and the second strike was merely a feint!
And after its evasive maneuvers, Zhang Wei no longer had the chance to throw a third punch!
The proboscis pierced out!
The sharp point tore through Zhang Wei's body!
But...
What the Devil Mosquito sucked into its body was a surge of thunder element!
Half-elementalization!
Zhang Wei's entire body turned into lightning!
"Connect to the Treasure Bag, watch my Sea Escape!"
A surging giant wave erupted from Zhang Wei's body. The Devil Mosquito wanted to escape, but was instantly submerged by the spray. Zhang Wei, transforming into lightning, attached himself to the monstrous wave, bringing boundless paralysis to the Devil Mosquito!
The disadvantage of low-level nerves became apparent. The Devil Mosquito struggled instinctively, but its various body parts fought independently, unable to coordinate any action. The electric current interrupted its internal communication, becoming the culprit behind the bodily chaos!
5 seconds!
Half-elementalization ended!
The electric energy converged, and Zhang Wei's body was precisely behind the Devil Mosquito!
"Azure Sky Star Mark!"
Goodbye!
This punch was extremely precise, piercing directly from the lower abdomen to the crown of its head. Even the tenacious life force of an arthropod could not withstand such a wound!
Half-elementalization was an absolute god-tier skill for resisting all kinds of physical damage!
From the beginning, Zhang Wei never intended to solve the problem with his fists. Even if it feinted countless times, the final outcome would still be the same.
"Why disturb my watering..."
At this moment, the Devil Mosquito finally died.
[Collection Complete: Devil Mosquito]
[Replication Time: 180 days]
He glanced at his left foot, which had shrunk to the size of an infant. It looked like it would take another fifteen minutes for it to fully heal.
"Forget it, let's continue my grand watering endeavor!"
Using the Art of Riding the Wind, Zhang Wei ascended, further increasing the watering volume to five thousand cubic meters per second!
This was not Zhang Wei's limit for transferring abilities. Back then, to burst Nuan Gang's stomach, Zhang Wei had transferred ten West Lakes' worth of storage.
A full one hundred and forty million cubic meters!
Continue increasing!
Transferring water output, twenty thousand cubic meters per second!
Each second could fill dozens of large swimming pools, and the spray range covered the entire Wolf Fang Well.
All the Wolf Fang Grass became lush green under Zhang Wei's nourishment. About one-tenth of the Wolf Fang Grass chose to bloom immediately and scatter their seeds within a short period... It seemed they could still catch the lingering effects of this downpour.
Buzz~
Buzz~
Buzz~
Zhang Wei cursed, "Are you guys ever going to stop? Disturbing me once, twice, thrice!"
"Are you guys very interested in watering?"
Behind him.
Another Devil Mosquito appeared, though it seemed a bit thinner.
Behind it, there were even faint silhouettes of flying insects...
Art of Thunder Leap!
Dodging the fatal attack, Zhang Wei observed carefully. This time, it was indeed Devil Mosquitoes, and over a dozen of them had arrived together...
What was going on?
Every time he watered, it attracted mosquitoes.
In nature, mosquito larvae are called wrigglers, and their eggs can only be stored in water.
Therefore, in wetland areas with plenty of water, mosquito populations are quite large. Temperature and nutrients are also factors.
"Could it be... these mosquitoes are looking for a place to lay eggs?"
"I've never heard of any lakes or waterways of decent size in the underground forest..."
"So they were indeed attracted by the smell of water?"
It seemed he had no choice but to act.
Zhang Wei did not want his experiment to be interrupted by a swarm of mosquitoes!
"Come, suck me~"
Zhang Wei spread his hands. A mosquito swooped down rapidly and, as usual, appeared behind Zhang Wei.
Half-elementalization!
Along with watering!
Thunder paralysis!
Azure Sky Star Mark!
The entire sequence took less than five seconds. A level 110 ferocious beast fell under Zhang Wei's fist.
Pfft~
He spat out a mouthful of blood, and a sharp pain surged from his shoulder.
Internal injuries!
And external injuries too!
"Half-elementalization... is not pure element after all. To retain knowledge and consciousness, and to transmit perception and signals, a certain amount of the body must be preserved. It cannot completely eliminate physical damage."
"If it became pure element, there would be no way to return. Perhaps such a skill could be called... Detonation?"
He touched his aching shoulder. "It seems I need to find another place to lure them next time!"
His stamina was greatly depleted!
The large-scale discharge during half-elementalization, combined with the water escape conversion, ensured sufficient voltage for each of Zhang Wei's attacks. He could only discharge fully, and his energy drained quite rapidly!
However, the Devil Mosquitoes' target was not just Zhang Wei. The vast amount of water released attracted many creatures, including Water Camel-like creatures. Many herbivorous beasts came to the Wolf Fang Well.
The jagged stalagmites here could not hinder their desire for food!
Similarly, this became the target of the Devil Mosquitoes!
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go after these delicious things!"
"After all, you are only level 25 in terms of edibility. This is insubordination, understand?"
Clearly.
The Devil Mosquitoes' appetite was quite voracious.
Zhang Wei also witnessed how Devil Mosquitoes hunted normal-sized animals. They would first appear behind the prey, use their six legs to firmly restrain it, and then use their proboscis to pierce into its body.
In the blink of an eye, the prey was reduced to a mere husk.
Buzzing~
Buzzing~
More and more Devil Mosquitoes were attracted by the moisture. As far as the eye could see, there were at least dozens, even hundreds!
Zhang Wei formed the hand seals for the Art of Riding Thunder and flashed away, his feet barely touching the ground!
Just kidding!
Let alone whether Zhang Wei could handle this number.
Such a large accumulation would inevitably attract higher-level predators. Speaking of which, there were no trees for cover in the Wolf Fang Well!
Not long after Zhang Wei left, a figure resembling a fighter jet rapidly approached!
Steel Feather Iron Swallow!
It was the predator that the Devil Mosquitoes feared the most!
Every time it swooped through the air, a Devil Mosquito was dismembered and consumed by the Steel Feather Iron Swallow.
At the entrance of the well, Zhang Wei hid himself among the stalagmites.
"The Steel Feather Iron Swallow's attack method is simple. It first ascends to a high altitude and uses gravity to accelerate to its maximum speed. Then, it retracts its wings to accelerate further. The increase in speed and decrease in size make its attack almost impossible to see."
"And that powerful, instantaneous attack is due to its diving speed."
"However, this method seems to have a flaw. Once it makes a sharp turn, it loses its speed advantage, and after impact, there will be a certain deceleration effect. Therefore, each dive can only result in one hunt!"
"But even so, the Devil Mosquitoes as a group cannot deal with it."
However, the Devil Mosquitoes clearly had no intention of banding together to fight their natural enemy. Each one was busy feeding.
As for their sacrificed kin...
What kin?
Didn't they buy them time to feed with their lives?
If they didn't eat heartily, how could they do justice to the lives they sacrificed?
The Devil Mosquitoes' feeding speed increased even further!
A dozen animals chose to flee in the same direction as Zhang Wei to escape the Devil Mosquitoes.
Water Camel-like creatures...
And...
[Discoverable ingredient: Sprinkler Blastoise]
[Capture Level: 100]
[Edible Level: 45]
[Description: A green and white land turtle with a structure on its back similar to a fire truck, capable of storing large amounts of water and counterattacking with a water cannon on its back.]
[Description: Upon reaching adulthood, Sprinkler Blastoise will evolve into a Fire Truck Blastoise, changing its color scheme to red and white. The water cannon on its back will become two water cannons, possessing considerable combat ability.]
[Description: Although Sprinkler Blastoise is terrestrial, due to its nature, it is highly dependent on water and cherishes it very much.]
Another species he had never seen before!
He couldn't let the Devil Mosquitoes spoil it!
The Water Camels and Sprinkler Blastoises fled madly, using the stored water to form protective shields, utilizing the Devil Mosquitoes' fear of water for self-protection.
But...
There wasn't much stored water left!
Several companions who had lost their stored water had already fallen victim to the Devil Mosquitoes' mouths!
Just then, a terrifying tsunami tens of meters high suddenly surged before them! Wave after wave crashed towards them!
This...
Was this the blessing of the gods!
A dozen herbivorous animals quickly charged towards the tidal wave, while the Devil Mosquitoes rapidly ascended...
"Hi, surprise!"
"Thunder Leap!"
Lightning soared into the sky!
Carried along with it was a monstrous water dragon!
Azure Sky Star Mark shone like starlight within the flowing water, its residual force shooting the Devil Mosquitoes' bodily fluids in all directions!
[Collection Complete: Devil Mosquito]
...
[Collection Complete: Devil Mosquito]
...
[Replication Time: 28 days]
And the Sprinkler Blastoises swept up by the tidal wave did not escape Zhang Wei's collection either. They were all stunned and stored within the Treasure Bag.
Zhang Wei dared not linger and quickly hid in the depths of the gravity well.
After about half a day, this hunting feast finally ended. The lush green Wolf Fang Grass could no longer maintain its moisture under gravity and returned to its dry, withered appearance.
Zhang Wei picked up a Devil Mosquito's head from the ground and said, "Strange, so many heads on the ground... Could it be that the Steel Feather Iron Swallows intentionally don't eat the heads and six legs? Is the chitin content too high?"
With a wave of his hand.
He severed the sharp proboscis from the Devil Mosquito's head.
After a special manufacturing process, this proboscis could be made into a straw-like weapon, but Zhang Wei did not know this technique.
However, he could sell it at a high price to the Blade Forging Mountain Villa...
He imagined it would be more expensive than Leo Dragon's teeth.
At this moment, Zhang Wei's left foot had completely healed. The new foot was still a bit tender, and it tickled and hurt as he walked on the stalagmites.
After simply making a shoe with the hide of a Water Camel, Zhang Wei began to ponder.
"This watering job... should I continue?"
"Of course!"
"This could be a method to infinitely acquire Yuan Water. I absolutely cannot give up!"
"And these Wolf Fang Grass cannot be missed either!"
The lush green Wolf Fang Grass attracted so many herbivorous animals, not only because it was an excellent cold dish but also because it was a high-quality fodder highly favored by wild beasts.
This time, Zhang Wei learned his lesson. After the ground dried out again, Zhang Wei reduced the water output. Five hundred cubic meters per minute was still a considerable range.
And the Wolf Fang Grass in this area welcomed its fourth... or perhaps fifth spring.
The density of Wolf Fang Grass was extremely high, with three to five stalks per square meter. Otherwise, it couldn't support so many herbivorous animals.
And the Wolf Fang Well area spanned tens of hectares...
Damn... no, the Grass Excavator is on the job!
[Collection Complete: Wolf Fang Grass]
[Replication Time: 1 day]
[Replication Quantity: 15 grams in dry state]
Normal Wolf Fang Grass was very light when dry. However, it would swell to ten times its volume when it encountered water, referred to as automatic hydrating vegetables!
And these vegetables only became delicious after being hydrated.
Ten portions!
[Replication Quantity: 22 grams in dry state]
Another hundred portions!
[Replication Quantity: 92 grams in dry state]
Another thousand portions!
[Replication Quantity: 792 grams in dry state!]
In two full days, Zhang Wei had collected hundreds of thousands of portions crazily!
He did nothing else but mechanically dig up Wolf Fang Grass here, even his rest time was minimal!
This replication level had reached the level of the original Ball Potato, becoming an undeniable perfect-grade ingredient!
[Replication Quantity: 190 kilograms in dry state!]
But unlike the first-level Ball Potato, Wolf Fang Grass was a delicacy with an edible level of 25, a high-quality vegetable that would not be out of place in any human world restaurant.
According to market prices, ordinary level 25 ingredients ranged from 200 to 450 Belly, with particularly delicious ones reaching 800 Belly.
Ordinary Wolf Fang Grass had high practical value, being rich in nutrients and having considerable medicinal value. With the boost from the culinary world, it could easily fetch 2000 Belly per kilogram!
And this was the weight of wet grass. One kilogram of dry grass could be exchanged for ten kilograms of wet grass after soaking!
"Speaking of which, it's still not as good as Devil Mosquitoes. A single proboscis could easily sell for 2 billion!"
He went to the Treasure Bag.
After two days, the replication product of the first batch of Wolf Fang Grass had appeared.
This batch was from yesterday's 90-kilogram level, 120,000 portions.
Compared to ordinary Wolf Fang Grass, the perfect-grade specimen was more unsightly, but its dry sprouts had more branches, resembling a dry shrub.
90 kilograms of dry grass, no matter where it was placed, would be five to six meters tall, a messy clump occupying a large space!
"Let me try to see the changes in Wolf Fang Grass after 120,000 collections!"
90 kilograms...
Zhang Wei soaked it in 900 liters of water, and in an instant, it was all absorbed by the Wolf Fang Grass.
But...
The Wolf Fang Grass only turned slightly greenish, lacking any vibrant vitality.
"Perfect grade, and this is the appearance?"
"No!"
"It seems to require more water."
To measure precisely, Zhang Wei added only one hundred liters of ordinary water at a time, until finally, Zhang Wei added a total of 3000 liters to finish.
At this point, the Wolf Fang Grass finally displayed its most perfect form. At first glance, it resembled Dragon Claw flowers or Aloe Vera, and it had many branches.
"Forty times the water absorption, can the nutrients still be maintained?"
Zhang Wei cut off a piece from the tip of the Wolf Fang Grass, about the thickness of an arm, which needed to be cut into four strips from the middle and then re-cut.
Juice gushed out...
The unique vegetable aroma of Wolf Fang Grass filled the air, with its fragrance being two stages higher than ordinary Wolf Fang Grass. Its edible level was at least 40!
He took a small piece and put it in his mouth. A refreshing sensation exploded in his mouth, and he could clearly feel the plant fibers breaking in his mouth.
An extremely perfect texture, and with a light flavor, it was perfect for use as a cold dish. If paired with some sauce, or pickled into preserved vegetables or kimchi, it would surely have a unique flavor.
Shortly after eating!
Zhang Wei felt a surge of heat rising from his lower abdomen, reaching his hips first... and then to his groin.
Then it reached his heart, quickening his blood flow, and he immediately felt invigorated. Finally, it reached his brain and various nerve endings, improving his thinking speed and body control.
The newly grown left foot, which had been a bit stiff, became active immediately with the boost of the Wolf Fang Grass.
"Just one bite! It can mobilize my heavy body!"
"My body mass is incomparable even to a level 100 gourmet hunter!"
"Even diluted forty times, it still has such strong nutrition... The synergistic complementarity of Wolf Fang Grass has such an exaggerated effect!"
"Speaking of which, even diluted forty times, the medicinal effect is two stages higher than ordinary Wolf Fang Grass. How much stronger is it than ordinary Wolf Fang Grass?"
"Even I had a reaction. This strong kidney and sponge boosting effect, ordinary people wouldn't be able to stop for three days and three nights!"
Whenever it came to this aspect, the price of ingredients would soar, and this was a gentle method of replenishment.
2000 Belly was definitely an underestimate. Ignoring all additional value, on a nutritional level, it could sell for 25,000 Belly per kilogram.
If it were auctioned, 50,000 Belly would be normal.
And the newly grown 190-kilogram Wolf Fang Grass would surely have even better nutrition. Considering the forty-fold expansion due to hydration, one plant could sell for 380 million.
Zhang Wei sighed, "Indeed, it took a lot of effort to collect such high-end ingredients, but the efficiency is not as high as the Gourmet Bank. And the Gourmet Bank mainly focuses on the comprehensiveness of ingredients, without omissions. If we were pursuing replication price, a tenfold performance would be easily achievable."
"Indeed, founding the Gourmet Bank back then was a brilliant idea. Without a clone technique, one must build a force of one's own to handle things conveniently."
Zhang Wei collected more than half of the Wolf Fang Grass in the Wolf Fang Well, leaving the rest for the nearby wild beasts and the ecosystem. With Zhang Wei's water, a new generation of Wolf Fang Grass would grow quickly.
He returned to the well entrance.
He arrived at the small pool where Zhang Wei had first arrived.
"I'll wait and see... to prove my guess!"
At a glance! The small pool was crystal clear!
There was water!
He reached out a hand and dipped it in. At a depth of about 30 centimeters, the total water storage was less than 20% of before, but it was enough!
This proved Zhang Wei's guess was correct. As long as the Wolf Fang Well received enough rainfall, the internal Yuan Water could be refreshed indefinitely! The reason for such a small amount...
Perhaps it was because the aggregation of Yuan Water required a certain amount of time, or some special reaction.
But it didn't matter. Zhang Wei could have Nuan Gang leave new markers here and come often.
Continue collecting!
Systematic collection!
This was the last search of this trip, aiming to thoroughly collect all valuable items, just like the Wolf Fang Well above!
[Collection Complete: Primary Yuan Water]
[Replication Time: 1 day]
[Replication Quantity: 13850 liters → 33500 liters!]
...
[Collection Complete: Secondary Yuan Water]
[Replication Time: 1 day]
[Replication Quantity: 3500 liters → 18000 liters!]
...
[Collection Complete: Tertiary Yuan Water]
[Replication Time: 1 day]
[Replication Quantity: 1500 liters → 4500 liters!]
...
[Collection Complete: Stone Sugar Cube]
[Replication Time: 75 days → 1 day]
[Replication Quantity: 34 kilograms → 758 kilograms]
...
[Collection Complete: Chocolate Beetle...]
[Collection Ingredients: Pea Rainbow Candy...]
[Collection Ingredients: Pomegranate Raisins...]
...
Blissful Rice...
Radish Worm...
100% Strawberry Concentrate Juice...
Dessert Tree...
Candied Chicken...
Golden Carrot...
Jade Onion...
To dig out all valuable items more deeply, Zhang Wei began by using spiral punches to damage the surface from the first layer and used the Art of Riding the Wind to turn over all the soil in a full circle.
Ingredients buried deep underground would not escape.
"Don't worry, proper soil loosening is beneficial for agricultural secondary production... Of course, I think I am just proper."
"Even if they go extinct, don't be afraid. They are already immortal in my Treasure Bag. At worst, I'll release some perfect-grade varieties into the wild, and your entire species will be upgraded."
However, the evolution of Zhang Wei's Treasure Bag was based on deliciousness for preferential selection.
Whether they could adapt to nature was another question.
First Layer!
Zhang Wei replicated the One-Water Orange Candy to be the same size as a real orange.
Second Layer!
He swept through all the corners, ensuring no adult Blissful Rice was missed. During this process, he also harvested a large number of Chocolate Beetles, Pea Rainbow Candy...
Third Layer, Zhang Wei pried open all the foundation mineral veins, madly searching for white rock candy.
Fourth Layer, Zhang Wei encountered a forest of Dessert Trees!
"Just as described, the Tree of Billion, the Dessert Tree that never repeats!"
"Thus far, you are the most precious ingredient I can collect in large quantities!"
An edible level of up to level 80.
And a matching flavor!
Finally, Dessert Trees are not small in size; one tree weighs ten tons!
The edible type of Dessert Tree is not considered high-end or rare, but with an edible level of 80, it could sell for thirty thousand Belly per kilogram.
However, the price of the heaviest trunk and branches of Dessert Trees would be slightly lower, and some hard candy would not be very valuable, but the lees in the core of the tree were good.
The overall estimated value was over 80 million Belly.
If uniformly collected to improve quality...
"Tree Decomposition Operation, commence now!"