IMC Chapter 25

Watching Shu Bao continuously tap the ground with his tiny paws, Lan Qing consoled him by gently patting his furry head with the tip of their tail. “It’s okay; this just makes it more challenging, doesn’t it?”

Shu Bao remained silent. Apparently, this teammate wasn’t great at comforting others.

Lan Qing retracted his tail, reflecting on the merits of fur and hair. It was a shame he couldn’t wear that perfect black wig he had acquired earlier.

Although they suspected the system was targeting them, both Lan Qing and Shu Bao were utterly baffled by the magical tasks and building materials. Even the high priest nearby hadn’t heard of any cat demons or seen red-tailed owls.

“Well, let’s focus on technological development for now. As for those cat-snake things, we’ll deal with them later,” Shu Bao expressed satisfaction with this outcome. After all, he wasn’t quite ready to face so many natural enemies all at once.

Shu Bao briefly explained the system’s main interface to the high priest. Unfortunately, only Shu Bao and Lan Qing could operate it.

The high priest didn’t feel any regret. In fact, everything they’d encountered since morning had already made them proud. Entering the temple, witnessing miracles, and even receiving guidance from divine beings—all were blessings.

Exiting the mission hall, Shu Bao and Lan Qing began planning their tribe, ultimately designating a residential area and neatly arranging the blueprints for the comfortable tents.

Seeing the familiar blue glowing area and the material icons above it, the Xia Wang tribe immediately understood that they needed to start collecting resources again. However, the deity had mentioned that these tents were for their use, and the source of materials was straightforward: dismantle old tents and add some wood to complete construction.

The comfortable tents required only two leather products and one piece of wood, making resource collection relatively easy. Once they gathered the necessary materials, it would take just an hour to finish building.

While the tribe members were busy dismantling tents, Shu Bao, Lan Qing, and the high priest ventured outside the tribe to find a suitable location for the wood processing factory.

Shu Bao had realized the importance of wood as a basic resource. Currently, the trees around the base were rapidly being felled—understandable given the tribe’s future expansion plans. However, relying solely on tree planting wouldn’t be sustainable due to the trees’ growth cycle. Shu Bao urgently needed to find a forest rich in wood.

After circling the tribe, they settled on a spot west of the tribe for the wood processing factory. It wasn’t too far from the base, and the lush surrounding trees made it an ideal location. The high priest mentioned wolves in the area, though they’d only encountered them once.

Shu Bao and Lan Qing weren’t concerned. They placed the blueprint carefully and informed the high priest that once the tents were built inside the base, they could continue working there.

The happiest about this arrangement were the Sishe tribe’s slaves. As long as there was work, they had value. They would strive to become Xia Wang tribe members as soon as possible.

Watching the eager slaves rush off to work, the Xia Wang tribe members exchanged glances. As official residents, they couldn’t be outdone by slaves! Plus, they were curious to see what other miracles the deity might create.

Just as everyone enthusiastically immersed themselves in their tasks, a distant dragon roar echoed. Though the sound seemed far away, the terrifying aura within the roar was already close at hand. Instinctively, they paused their work and looked up at the sky.

Quickly, a massive shadow descended, and the sky was crossed by the silhouette of a dragon. Against the sunlight, the onlookers could only discern the dragon’s outline, yet they were deeply shaken.

Although they had heard of the existence of dragons, seeing one with their own eyes was a first. With just a glance, they understood that this was an unbeatable force. Legends claimed that dragons were among the earliest creatures created by the gods, possessing unparalleled power. Now, it seemed those legends held true.

The dragon’s shadow swept over the tribe, causing people to instinctively bend their knees and nearly fall to the ground. No one mocked them; the oppressive force made it nearly impossible to stand upright.

Even more terrifying, under the fearful gaze of the crowd, the dragon circled back from the sky, as if observing something within the tribe.

Shu Bao, Lan Qing, and the high priest had already returned to the tribe and were now gazing upward.

“That’s the dragon! Arrogantly spewing fire, taking advantage of its ability to fly,” Lan Qing muttered, still harboring resentment from the previous encounter.

“The Long Tribe found us so quickly!” Shu Bao was surprised, looking at the dragon in the sky. It was indeed the Western dragon from the Great Cauldron, resembling a dinosaur with large bat wings. Although impressive, as a second-generation cultivator, Shu Bao was more interested in the Eastern divine dragon.

“Do you think it intends to launch an attack?” Lan Qing asked, his nervousness not directed at the dragon itself but at the tribe’s people and their vulnerable structures and supplies.

Shu Bao wasn’t sure of the dragon’s intentions. After all, it could fly. If it decided to breathe fire during a low pass, it would be troublesome. “If only it would rain,” he mused. After all, it was a fire dragon. Rain would make it difficult for flames to ignite.

“But with this weather?” Lan Qing surveyed his surroundings.

“Boom!” A muffled thunderclap echoed from the northwest. Dark, oppressive clouds swept in like a storm, accompanied by thunderous explosions and flickering lightning. Within moments, the air turned cool and damp, carrying a refreshing breeze.

Lan Qing: “…”

Shubao covered his small head with both paws. He glanced at the rapidly darkening sky and sighed, “This weather—please don’t let it hail!”

Almost immediately, massive hailstones pelted down along with the pouring rain.

The people of the Xia Wang Tribe scrambled to find shelter. Fortunately, not all the tents were dismantled, providing some cover. Rain was one thing, but these hailstones were truly painful due to their size.

Lan Qing, agile as ever, managed to avoid getting hit by the hail. Shu Bao swiftly retreated into a tent, peering outside at the dim sky occasionally illuminated by lightning. “What about the dragon? I wonder if it got hit. But a majestic divine dragon shouldn’t fear hail, right?”

Lan Qing: “…” He suspected that their team had only driven off the dragon thanks to Shu Bao’s quick thinking. Otherwise, once the dragon finished scouting and confirmed the tribe posed no threat, it would likely attack.

In truth, the dragon wasn’t afraid of hail, but it disliked rain. As soon as it started raining, it ignored any commands from above and sought shelter wherever it could.

However, just because the dragon wasn’t bothered didn’t mean its bonded rider, Yu Lingqi, felt the same way. Especially after the rain began, the dragon’s flight became unstable, leaving Yu Lingqi unable to relax his grip. He couldn’t even shield himself from the hail.

So when the dragon found a spot to avoid the rain and dove in, Yu Lingqi emerged battered and bruised. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated—after all, the weather had been fine when they set out. Why did it have to rain now?

Originally, he had intended to scout Xia Wang Tribe and create some trouble, piquing the audience’s curiosity to boost his popularity. Given the current situation, it’s easy to imagine the scene in the live broadcast.

As he looked at the rain curtain outside, along with hailstones the size of eggs, Yu Lingqi quickly adjusted his mood. It’s alright; rain can’t last forever, and coincidences like this won’t happen all the time.

The rain persisted for nearly an hour. Although the hail only lasted a few minutes, it was still quite intimidating. The high priest explained that this was typical for summer—clouds and rain went hand in hand. However, such urgency was relatively rare.

After this incident, the people of the Xia Wang Tribe felt a heightened sense of crisis and further revered the deity. After all, many had heard the deity speak.

Observing the admiring glances from those around him, Shu Bao curiously scratched his face. Why were they all looking at him like that? The mouse hadn’t done anything special!

Once the rain stopped, the first comfortable tent had already been set up. Curious, the crowd gathered to inspect it and were pleasantly surprised. The tent was sturdy, well-organized, draft-free, and aesthetically pleasing. Especially the five tents, neatly aligned, looked delightful.

Upon entering, they discovered the exquisite interior. They couldn’t even find seams—it was as if the tent was a single piece. The fresh-off-the-press tents left everyone in awe.

They rushed to find the deity, inquiring whether everyone’s tents could be built in the same style. Shu Bao readily agreed; after all, the system-produced tents were of high quality and comfort.

So, one by one, tent blueprints were neatly arranged. The tribe members efficiently dismantled their old tents and stored supplies. Once everything was collected, Shu Bao initiated construction. Now, they waited. In the meantime, the others headed to the blueprint workshop at the wood processing factory.

Shu Bao also discovered what “datafication” means according to the system. When he focused on a particular plant, an unknown virtual box appeared next to it.

Lan Qing informed him that he could use the deconstruction gun to scan it. Once scanned, the plant’s information would be datafied and uploaded to the shared system database for all participants. The first uploader of a scan could even name the scanned organism, ensuring consistency for other players encountering the same plant in the future.

“Sounds intriguing,” Shu Bao said eagerly, pulling out the deconstruction gun and aiming it at Lan Qing.

Lan Qing raised an eyebrow. “I’m not worried about being deconstructed by the gun. It only scans and analyzes; it doesn’t deconstruct living beings. However, due to privacy protection, participants can’t be scanned or analyzed.”

Hearing this, Shu Bao redirected the gun to something else—a nearby weed. After a quick scan, an information prompt appeared.

【An unnamed monocot plant, non-toxic. Would you like to name it?】

Shu Bao rubbed his paws together and decided on a name for the weed: “First Grass Under Heaven”, signifying the first plant he’d named.

Lan Qing, who observed the entire process: “…” It seemed his furry teammate had questionable taste and naming skills. Will that name confuse other players?

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