“Can’t you learn from Xiao Huang?”
Chen Shu sighed, watching Xiao Huang swallow the three materials before him.
He took the remaining twelve materials and cooked them simply.
With a bit of coercion, he managed to get his contract spirits to obediently devour them.
Now, they were all Golden contract spirits, and digesting the Silver King materials was simple.
Chen Shu opened the panels of the four contract spirits, his lips gradually curving upwards as he let out a "hehehe."
“...Xiao Chen, can you stop laughing like that?”
The little sprite felt a chill. This guy was staring at their panels and laughing so pervertedly; it felt weird.
“I’m just genuinely excited.”
Chen Shu flicked the little sprite’s forehead, his eyes betraying his unconcealed amusement.
Among Xiao Huang’s three materials, only one was the new skill [Giant Body].
[Giant Body Lv1: Passive Skill. Increases body size by 3%.]
The other two materials, being similar to Xiao Huang’s existing skills, automatically merged.
[Deterrent Roar] had its range increased by about 30%, now capable of controlling group targets within a hundred meters.
[Unbreakable Counterattack] leveled up by two, reaching Lv4.
This was also a way to improve skill levels, but the conditions were too harsh. The improvement gained was less than learning a new skill.
However, Xiao Huang already possessed a good number of skills. Rather than trying to learn too many and not mastering any, it was better to hone the existing ones to their peak.
Er Ha, on the other hand, was different. Its combat power was directly linked to its skill count.
It could not only rapidly accumulate [Relentless Onslaught] but also allow for various combinations of elemental skills.
Out of the fifteen materials, ten were designated for Er Ha.
The new skills included [Spear of Darkness], [Radiant Burst], [Gale Cross Slash], [Earthfire Eruption], and [Frost Bind].
Another four materials were used to upgrade existing skills: [Venomous Wood Bind] leveled up by two, becoming Lv6, and [Heavenly Fire Meteor] leveled up by one, becoming Lv11.
Notably, one material caused Er Ha’s basic skill [Fireball Barrage] to undergo a qualitative change, transforming it into [Super Fireball]. Its level remained unchanged, still Lv9.
As for the little sprite, it gained a single new skill: [Level Boost Lv1: Can increase any target’s skill by one level].
The Spatial Rabbit devoured the core material of the black and white butterflies. It didn’t learn any new skills, but its [Spatial Bind] was strengthened, increasing its control duration.
And this was the improvement brought about by the fifteen King materials.
“Around fifty billion. This is a decent improvement…”
Chen Shu stroked his chin, a smile playing on his lips.
The cost of his own improvement had become truly immense, far exceeding what it was during his Silver rank.
“The rest can be sold to the official channels.”
Chen Shu murmured to himself. King materials were rare and likely in demand by the authorities. He, in turn, needed Huaxia points.
Due to the substantial amount involved, Chen Shu rode Xiao Huang directly to the capital.
…
Two days later,
“Minister Zhang, have all the calculations been done?”
Chen Shu asked impatiently.
Even though King materials had market prices, the exact valuation still needed to be settled in person.
As Chen Qinghai had gone to Dragon’s Abyss to fight, Zhang Qing was managing the headquarters in his stead.
Zhang Qing nodded and said with a smile, “A total of ten million five hundred thousand Huaxia points. All calculated at the highest prices.”
The elder had already given his word, so they naturally followed it strictly.
“Mm… alright!”
Chen Shu nodded, it was pretty much as he had expected.
The main value came from the numerous Silver True Treasures, which were no longer useful to his contract spirits, so he gave them all to the authorities.
Zhang Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and asked,
“Brother Ferocious Bandit, you should still have quite a bit of King flesh and blood left, right? Aren’t you considering exchanging it for points?”
This was a primary ingredient for making special potions and was incredibly precious to the official channels.
“No, I have other uses for the remainder.”
Chen Shu shook his head and refused. He naturally prioritized fulfilling his contract spirits’ King diet.
He then asked, “By the way, Brother Zhang, how is the situation at Dragon’s Abyss?”
They both called each other “brother” in their respective domains, so it wasn’t strange.
Zhang Qing was called brother due to his age, while Chen Shu was called brother due to his sheer ruthlessness…
“According to the front-line reports, a major battle is still ongoing, but the situation has stabilized.”
Zhang Qing smiled and said, “Thanks to the potions you provided earlier, the strength of the King-tier beast tamers has all been boosted.”
“That’s good then.”
Chen Shu nodded. At least for now, Dragon’s Abyss alone couldn't break through the defense line.
“Oh, right, Brother Ferocious Bandit, the authorities want to publicize your achievements. Is that okay?”
Zhang Qing asked, “We want to boost morale recently.”
“That’s more than okay!”
Chen Shu’s expression lit up. “Publicize it wildly, exaggerating is fine too. For example, say I single-handedly slew four hundred Silver Kings!”
“…”
Zhang Qing’s lips twitched. Couldn’t you be any more over-the-top?
He took a deep breath and said, “But within our country, there are only a little over a hundred dangerous-level异空间 (yì kōng jiān -异空间, strange/alien space) in total…”
“If that’s not enough, find some Black Iron Kings to substitute, it’s all the same.”
“…”
Zhang Qing rubbed his forehead and said, “How about we just publicize that you’ve quelled the beastly scourge?”
“That… isn’t impossible.”
“…”
Zhang Qing froze. You really dare to say that.
“We’ll publicize it truthfully… there’s no need to exaggerate; your feats are already astonishing enough.”
“Alright, I guess.”
Chen Shu nodded, and with a hefty sum of money, he turned and left the Dragon Guard headquarters.
Including the four million one hundred thousand Huaxia points from previous mission rewards, it totaled fourteen million six hundred thousand, equivalent to over three hundred billion Huaxia dollars.
“I need to find the elder to exchange for some items…”
Chen Shu returned to Nanjiang City, awaiting the end of the battle at Dragon’s Abyss.
Half a month passed gradually.
The global news broadcasted by the media dwindled, and the situation seemed to stabilize.
However, those within the official channels understood that the defense lines of various national powers were constantly contracting, and some forces had even lost communication with the outside world.
This naturally led to a decrease in news coverage.
The Blue Star, once the habitat of humanity, was now teeming with all sorts of ferocious beasts.
Only the powerful human factions remained, stubbornly defending their territories, but they were still at an absolute disadvantage.
Unbeknownst to them, the Blue Star seemed to have a new master.