In the mist, Zhang Wei moved using his stealth technique.
"It's troublesome. Moving too fast creates airflow, separating the mist beneath my feet, leaving a clear, long trail."
"In the mortal realm, stealth techniques can only be used in deserts, swamps, snow, or on hard ground. Are there methods to move through mist undetected?"
"But there's no rush, I'll just wander slowly."
Leaving the heavily guarded prisoner camp, Zhang Wei continued to roam among the clouds.
[Discovered harvestable ingredient: Live floating algae]
[Harvest Level: 1-15 (regional adjustment)]
[Description: A tender algae with the effects of lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol. Found everywhere in the deep foundations of the Cloud Country. It dislikes sunlight.
Live floating algae does not possess the ability to float. However, after losing its vitality and drying out, it can continuously drift. It can bear three times its own weight, and many cloud layers are constructed using floating algae.]
"Only level 1 algae, quite standard."
"Constructing foundations, wouldn't that make it as common as soil?"
"Then why didn't I discover it before?"
Zhang Wei instantly thought of a possibility!
He took out a long pole, inserted it into the ground, and tied a rope to himself and the pole.
He slowly moved forward to explore...
Suddenly, Zhang Wei's feet went through, and he fell.
Fortunately, the rope was strong enough to stop his descent.
"Whew, that was close!"
Floating algae dislikes sunlight, and the thin mist barely blocks the sun's rays.
Live floating algae itself doesn't have the ability to float. It should rely on the 'dried corpses' of its companions to float and use them to block sunlight.
In this case, if he could sense live floating algae, it wouldn't be far to the back of the roadbed.
Or rather, the roadbed was already very thin.
Taking a deep breath, he blew away the mist around his feet...
"As expected!"
"Beneath my feet are other clouds!"
"The Cloud Country should be the uppermost of all the cloud layers!"
Beside Zhang Wei was emerald green live floating algae.
He casually plucked a piece, took a bowl of water to rinse it, and put it in his mouth.
"The texture is soft, with a slight bitterness, a bit like wild vegetables."
"If I were to pickle it, it should be a good choice."
Zhang Wei didn't hesitate and began to collect it in large quantities.
[Collection complete, Floating Algae!]
[Replication Time: 32 days]
"Level one ingredient, the replication time is indeed short."
[Collection complete: Replication time 30.5 days]
[Collection complete: Replication time 29 days]
[Collection complete: Replication time 27.5 days]
...
...
[Collection complete: Replication time 1 day]
[Collection complete: Replication time 1 day]
After the replication time reduced to one day, Zhang Wei continued to collect.
Repeated collection still yielded benefits. The quality of the floating algae on the exhibit stand in the Treasure Hall improved, and its size began to increase.
Initially, it was a thin slice, only about the size of a palm.
As Zhang Wei continued to collect.
Plate...
Pot lid...
Coffee table...
Table...
Window...
Finally, the floating algae on the stand reached seven or eight layers high, spreading out to at least the size of a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment.
Zhang Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Collecting while hanging by a rope is really tiring, it feels like cleaning windows on a skyscraper. Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights."
He glanced at the time, having collected for at least six hours.
With Zhang Wei's hand speed, he must have collected over a thousand times in these six hours!
This was also the most he had collected so far, apart from Salt Essence.
He returned to the clouds along the rope and sank his consciousness into the Treasure Hall.
"Having collected thousands of times, the quality of this floating algae should have reached its limit."
"It seems... thinner than the original. This thickness is less than three millimeters, right?"
"The color is indeed lush green, while wild ones are somewhat dull..."
"The rest will have to wait until after tasting to know. One day is not too long."
...
Leaving the Treasure Hall, Zhang Wei became more cautious.
The visibility in the mist was poor, and he could step into a trap at any moment.
Knowing the boundary, Zhang Wei changed direction and soon arrived at a town with a very vast area.
"Most of the houses are made of grass and wood. Is it because there are no other building materials?"
"Few tall buildings can be seen, with three stories being the limit. Is it a material issue, or a load-bearing capacity issue of the roadbed."
In the town, very few tall mutated humans were seen; most were small figures about 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall.
Clearly, the genetic degradation in the Cloud Country was more severe than imagined.
Another characteristic was that the residents wore very little clothing, mostly straw sandals and straw hats. Some hung wooden boards on their bodies, tied with ropes, looking a bit like armor. Others were woven from large leaves.
No one wore trousers, and their short robes barely reached their knees.
Some roamed the streets in only straw rope underwear.
"Why do they seem so poor here?"
"Material resources are too scarce."
Zhang Wei touched the hem of his pants, which were already soaked.
His shoes squelched with water.
The mist underfoot was also extremely humid, and long cloth pants were indeed inconvenient.
Zhang Wei had no interest in exploring the lives of the common people in the Cloud Country. Seeing the luxury of the buildings, he changed his direction.
Ingredients, after all, would appear in the high-class areas.
The poor commoners wouldn't have the chance to enjoy them, right?
Soon, Zhang Wei found a manor.
Not only was the decoration of the walls and gates luxurious and exquisite, but there were also many high-level mutated human guards patrolling the perimeter.
The plaque at the gate was printed with gold lettering.
'Transcendent Immortal Palace'
"What a name!"
"It has that wuxia drama vibe. The owner of this manor is quite chuunibyo."
Ordinary guards naturally couldn't detect Zhang Wei. A four-meter-high wall was like a joke.
[Discovered harvestable ingredient: Wisteria Pepper]
[Discovered harvestable ingredient: Tiger Stripe Caterpillar...]
[Discovered harvestable ingredient: Pearl Hollow-heart Vegetable]
[Discovered harvestable ingredient: Mimosa Radish]
...
...
As soon as he jumped in, more than a dozen messages flashed by.
Zhang Wei exclaimed joyfully, "I found the right place!"
"This is..."
Not daring to make any noise, he lowered his body and felt his way forward.
Furrows...
Fertilizer...
Irrigation ditches...
Greenhouses...
"This Transcendent Immortal Palace is actually a vegetable garden?"
"Damn it, what a name! I thought it was some kind of council hall, or at the very least, a rich person's mansion."
Zhang Wei, afraid of alerting the enemy, did not act rashly.
He decided to first understand the situation and terrain here.
Logically, with such a large area and elaborate decoration, there must be extremely high-end treasures.
Just as Zhang Wei was about to leave, a figure slowly walked over.
Upon seeing the approaching person clearly.
Zhang Wei couldn't help but exclaim, "Wo cao, kawaii desu ne!"