Chapitre 71: Chapter 71: Revising the Plan
"Achoo!" Tyles sniffed and suddenly shivered, saying, "I can't take it anymore; it's too cold by the lake. I need to walk around."
Watching Tyles' retreating figure, Tuck scratched his head and then looked down at the ground, eyeing the four-meter-long Frost Crystal Tiger. He estimated that its hide would be large enough to make an undershirt for himself and maybe... still have enough left over for Tyles to use as a rug?
Tuck chuckled, pulled out a small knife, and started skinning the tiger.
"You all wait for me on the shore; I'll be up soon!" Rhett said, thinking it was time to retrieve the water-element plants. After speaking, he turned and dove into Ice Crystal Lake.
Half an hour later, Rhett's figure surfaced, tossing a bundle of magical plants onto the shore before diving back into the lake.
Tuck and Reilly perked up, gathering around the roughly fifty plants. Reilly carefully examined them, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Ice Crystal Lilies, all of them! These are the main ingredient for Moonlight Potions!"
He recalled that the last batch of plant seeds his father had given him contained the fewest Ice Crystal Lily seeds. Subsequent seed exchanges mostly yielded Snow Vine and Mist Lotus seeds. Everyone knew that Ice Crystal Lilies were the primary ingredient for mental strength potions, making them more valuable than other magical plants of the same level.
For Reilly, the prospect of gathering a large number of Ice Crystal Lilies during this expedition was an unexpected bonus. It would be immensely helpful for acquiring Moonlight Potions in the future.
As he gazed out at Ice Crystal Lake, Reilly thought to himself, "How many more magical plants could be at the bottom of this lake? It's exciting to think about."
After another ten minutes, Rhett surfaced again and began swimming back to shore without diving back in.
Seeing his father returning to shore, Reilly estimated that the number of magical plants this time probably wouldn't exceed one hundred.
However, as Rhett approached, the expressions of the group began to change.
"Ugh, why did it suddenly get so cold?"
"Father, what are you hiding behind your back?" Reilly asked with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Howl Howl
Whitefang shivered from the cold, burrowing into Reilly's arms while staring at Rhett's approaching figure with fear in its eyes.
Rhett glanced at everyone, smiling mysteriously as he brought his right hand forward.
In his hand was a flower resembling an ice sculpture, crystal clear and shining in the sunlight with a rainbow of colors.
Tuck blinked his big eyes, staring at the ice-sculpted flower in Rhett's hand. He felt like he'd heard of it before but couldn't quite recall, scratching his head in frustration. He hurriedly asked, "Father, what kind of magical plant is this?"
"It's so beautiful, Father. Is this also a magical plant?" Tyles' eyes sparkled like stars as he admired the flower.
Rhett nodded silently.
Only Reilly looked at the eight ice-sculpted plants with uncertainty, their round flowers being quite rare. After searching his memory, he finally uttered a name he found hard to believe: "Father, could this be the high-level water-element plant... Frost Sunflower?"
"Oh? Not bad, you know the name of this magical plant," Rhett said with a warm smile, raising the Frost Sunflower higher to let its dazzling light shine in the sunlight.
"To think it's really Frost Sunflower..." Reilly murmured, still marveling at the sight. "I've only ever heard descriptions of it, but I've never seen it in person."
Reilly pondered for a moment and then said, "What impressed me most is that it grows in the ocean, has a two-year growth cycle, but after that, it only takes a year to mature and produces a batch of ice crystal seeds each time. These seeds are a favorite food of water-element magical beasts and are also quite effective in alchemical potions."
Reaching out to gently touch it, he found it icy and smooth. "Father, I remember that two years ago, at the Dotton Auction in Twilight City, a single Frost Sunflower seed sold for ten silver coins."
"Ten silver coins?" Rhett was surprised. He knew high-level water-element plants were valuable, but if what Reilly said was true, then cultivating Frost Sunflowers on a large scale would be like having a hen that laid golden eggs.
However, he quickly realized, "But it will take years to cultivate these eight high-level plants on a large scale."
With that in mind, Rhett became even more determined to accumulate resources steadily and focus on long-term development, which aligned with his best interests.
"If only the Frost Crystal Tiger had cubs... its ability to spit ice spears is so cool," Tuck said regretfully as he looked at the bloodied carcass of the tiger.
Rhett gave Tuck a heavy pat on the shoulder without saying a word, knowing that the chances of Tuck obtaining a magical beast cub during this hunt in the Dark-Winged Eagle Ridge were slim to none.
At that moment, Rhett began to contemplate whether it would be more worthwhile to hunt Tier 3 magical beasts in the deeper regions starting tomorrow or to continue hunting Tier 2 magical beasts on the outskirts.
After a few minutes of thought, Rhett revised his plan. Since the territory had sufficient resources for both short-term and long-term development, the materials and magic crystals from two Tier 3 magical beasts weren't as important.
What mattered more to him were Fate Points.
"However, based on the simulation, the number of magical beasts in the deeper regions seems much scarcer than the Tier 1 and Tier 2 beasts on the outskirts," Rhett pondered. After all, in a week's time, he had only managed to kill two Tier 3 magical beasts, which was far less efficient than hunting on the outskirts.
Moreover, killing a Tier 3 magical beast only yielded 1 more Fate Point than a Tier 2 beast!
Rhett couldn't help but sigh. "Becoming a Level 3 Mage, but without mastering Quicksand, makes an earth-element mage's clumsiness quite apparent, even among peers of the same level."
Unlike water-element mages, earth-element mages lacked restrictive spells, and unlike wind-element mages, they lacked acceleration spells. Even light and dark elements had some restrictive abilities.
Reflecting on the last simulation, some Tier 3 magical beasts, though unable to defeat him, still managed to escape.
In just one simulated week, he had encountered four Tier 3 magical beasts, two of which had escaped from him.
"At this rate, spending a week in the mountains and only earning 6 Fate Points for killing two Tier 3 magical beasts?" Rhett frowned, thinking that it was unacceptable. The cost-effectiveness was too low; he couldn't afford to spend a week for just 6 Fate Points.
After weighing the pros and cons, Rhett ultimately decided to abandon the idea of hunting deeper in the mountains.
The deeper regions still housed mid-tier Dark-Winged Eagles, and Rhett didn't dare deviate from the simulation's route. Any unexpected change could have dire consequences, provoking something beyond his ability to handle, and he'd regret it deeply.
Even with the simulator, Rhett remained cautious. He couldn't afford the risk of slight deviations from reality when facing opponents with significantly superior strength.
He called Tyles over, ready to speak, but noticed that Tyles was angrily pointing at the Frost Crystal Tiger's carcass and the pile of tiger hide at Tuck's feet.
"Ah! Tuck, look at what you've done to the tiger hide!"
...
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