And so, as a Zerg, Fu Qing ended up with a pile of insects. Looking at the beautiful friend who was eagerly seeking praise, Fu Qing finally managed a slight smile. “Thank you.”
“We’re friends, no need to be polite!” Shu Bao was very satisfied.
After the chaos in the black marsh crocodile area, the group quickly found a place to rest, intending to recharge and continue their journey.
From a brief analysis, even the Empire’s flying team would find it very dangerous to swagger through the chaotic swamp. Unless they teamed up with the Lan Zhou team, with one side providing magical beasts and the other providing potions. Such a powerful combination would give them the audacity to be so bold and flamboyant, and conveniently trap those who entered the chaotic swamp first.
After cleaning up, Shu Bao quickly crawled into the sleeping bag provided by Nan Ming. The small white cat also stretched, quietly coming over to Shu Bao’s side and curling up to sleep. Even in its dreams, it occasionally twitched its ears, indicating it remained alert.
During this brief rest, Shu Bao was plagued by nightmares, dreaming that he was being chased by a cat. Even in his sleep, Shu Bao could feel the furry texture and warmth of the cat’s fur.
When Shu Bao woke up, looking exhausted, he found the little white cat nestled right next to his head. No wonder Shu Bao had felt like cat fur was sticking to him in the dream.
Glancing at the time displayed on the system, Shu Bao realized he had slept for two hours. It was already daylight in the real world, and the base in the chaotic world should have disappeared by now.
However, before leaving, Shu Bao had already informed Lan Qing of his plan to stay in the chaotic world for a while, so Lan Qing probably wouldn’t be too worried.
Outside the tent, there was the flicker of firelight, indicating that some of the team members were already awake. Lifting the flap of the tent, Shu Bao saw that someone was cooking food by the campfire. They had collected quite a bit of stuff yesterday, so there was no shortage of food at the moment.
Shu Bao, in high spirits, walked out and saw that most of the food being grilled was the birds, crocodiles, and swamp creatures they had collected earlier. Except for Fu Qing, who wasn’t grilling anything.
Shu Bao tilted his head in confusion. “Aren’t you hungry, beautiful friend?”
Fu Qing, “……I’m alright.” He was hungry, but since he had been in the air yesterday and hadn’t collected anything, he couldn’t very well eat grilled grasshoppers.
Shu Bao responded with an “oh” and took out a grasshopper. Skillfully skewering it, he placed it over the fire to roast. When Shu Bao looked up, he noticed that everyone was watching him.
Shu Bao: “…” Alright, he had indeed collected quite a few grasshoppers yesterday. He might have accidentally left none for others to pick up. Shu Bao silently took out some grasshoppers from his system bracelet and distributed one to each person. “Here, eat up. Don’t be polite.”
The others: “…” That wasn’t what they meant.
Before they could explain, Shu Bao’s attention was already focused elsewhere. He patiently turned the roasting grasshoppers to ensure they were evenly heated. When the grasshoppers were about seven-tenths cooked, Shu Bao took out a small jar of honey from his bracelet, which had been given to him by the high priest before he left.
Gradually, the aroma of roasted grasshoppers filled the air, making the rest of the team restless. They quietly took the grasshoppers Shu Bao had just given them, skewered them, and placed them over the fire to roast as well.
Shu Bao noticed the sudden increase in roasted grasshoppers around the campfire and wondered why they hadn’t been grilled earlier. Was today some special day?
Soon, the grasshoppers were ready. Shu Bao took one off the fire, tore off a leg, and started eating. To his surprise, a grasshopper this large was quite satisfying. The legs were almost as big as chicken legs!
“Meow~”
A cat’s meow suddenly came from beside him. Shu Bao turned to see the small, cute white cat looking at him with a pleading expression. After some hesitation, he reluctantly tore off a grasshopper’s antenna and wings and placed them in front of the kitten.
“Meow?” The little kitten tilted its head in confusion.
Shu Bao nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, it’s edible.”
The others: “…” Is this how a beast tamer tames beasts? It seems a bit different from what they had heard.
The little white cat sniffed at the offering and took a bite. It turned out that the roasted parts were crunchy and tasted surprisingly good. Soon, the kitten finished the antenna and wings and meowed at Shu Bao again.
Shu Bao glanced at the remaining roasted grasshoppers and, with some reluctance, gave the kitten a grasshopper head.
Both the human and the cat enjoyed their meal, making the others envious and curious about why they hadn’t noticed how delicious roasted grasshoppers could be.
When the rest of the team’s grasshoppers were ready, they found the roasted grasshoppers to be quite tasty, but they only enjoyed the legs. As for the heads and wings, they couldn’t quite stomach them, so those went to the little kitten.
After eating, the little kitten discovered that Shu Bao’s roasted grasshoppers were the best and decided that next time it would prefer the antennae, wings, and heads.
After the meal, everyone started to pack up the camp. Shu Bao took the opportunity to collect reeds from the surrounding area while everyone was busy.
As the Nan Ming Legion had said, the chaotic swamp was full of reeds. Shu Bao found a nearby one and tried to pull it up. However, he was surprised to find that the reed’s roots were quite deep. It felt like someone was tugging against him, making it quite difficult.
Eventually, Shu Bao managed to pull the reed out. Just as the reed was being pulled free, Shu Bao heard a scream. Thinking he had caused some trouble, Shu Bao quickly looked around but didn’t see anything unusual. Looking down at the pulled reed, it appeared normal.
He placed the reed into his system bracelet and moved on to the next one. But this time, when Shu Bao reached out to grab the reed, it suddenly shot back into the mire!
Shu Bao was momentarily stunned.
From a short distance away, Ning Zhi’s laughter of schadenfreude could be heard. Seeing Shu Bao looking over, she bent over with laughter and explained, “Although the chaotic swamp is full of reeds, all the reeds are connected by some special relationship. If you pull one up, the others will know. The next time you approach, the reeds will hide. So most people usually only manage to get one reed.”
Shu Bao: “…” The reeds in the chaotic world are so united and have such personalities? What about my task? I knew that the construction materials for the Magical Plantation wouldn’t be so simple.
Reluctant to give up easily, Shu Bao continued to try a few more times, but he found that the reeds reacted very quickly. As soon as he approached, they would immediately retract underground. Moreover, the reeds were deeply rooted. Since this was a swamp, it was difficult to dig them up.
Perhaps seeing Shu Bao’s frustration, Ning Zhi spoke up again, “Shu Bao, if you want to obtain some materials, you don’t have to collect them yourself. You can buy them as well. Most gathering spots sell magical plants and monster materials. The small tavern we visited earlier also sells them.”
Upon hearing this, Shu Bao felt like he had missed out on a fortune. But thinking about his current poverty, Shu Bao realized it didn’t matter much—he couldn’t afford it anyway.
Both Shu Bao and Fu Qing were very interested in buying magical materials, so they began to inquire with the others. Especially after learning that they could also collect magical materials and sell them, they became extremely interested in the value of magical materials.
“What! Mutant grasshoppers are so cheap!”
“A whole marsh crocodile is worth 10 silver coins!”
“There are even magical skill books for sale?”
…
Amidst Shu Bao’s exclamations, the team set out again. Meanwhile, Shu Bao lamented his poverty and couldn’t help but think about ways to make money.
Previously, there was no need for trade in the real world. However, now that he discovered trade opportunities in the chaotic world, Shu Bao couldn’t suppress his desire to earn a little money. After all, as a treasure-seeking mouse, besides searching for and collecting various treasures, he also enjoyed making money.
Fu Qing mostly stayed silent but listened very attentively. Upon hearing that ten grasshoppers could be exchanged for one copper coin, Fu Qing thought about the pile of grasshoppers in his hand ring. After a careful calculation, he realized they were worth only a few dozen copper coins.
The journey ahead went very smoothly. It seemed that many of the flying magical beasts had been drawn away by the Empire and Lan Zhou’s teams, so there were fewer magical beasts attacking them.
During the trip, Shu Bao and Fu Qing paid special attention to their surroundings and discovered some unique magical plants of the Chaotic Swamp. Gathering these plants made up for the sense of loss from the grasshoppers.
Of course, Shu Bao didn’t feel that collecting the mutated grasshoppers was a loss. After all, only those who eat them truly understand their taste. No matter how expensive or cheap, such delicious things should never be missed.
Along the way, whenever Shu Bao passed by, the reeds of the Chaotic Swamp would retract underground to hide. The reeds could only be observed from afar and couldn’t be pulled out. Although Fu Qing had given him one, ten were still far from enough. Moreover, after learning about the value of the marsh crocodiles, Shu Bao gave half of the ten marsh crocodiles he had collected for the task to Fu Qing.
However, Fu Qing declined, “You might find them useful, so keep them for yourself. Just consider it a debt for now.”
Shu Bao sincerely thanked him and mentally noted this favor.
As for the reeds, one reed from the Chaotic Swamp could be sold for 2 silver coins at the tavern, which is equivalent to 200 copper coins, or 2000 mutated grasshoppers.
This conversion made Shu Bao feel faint. He was on the brink of bankruptcy!
The group arrived at the Swamp Insect area, the last dangerous zone they had to cross. At the edge of the Swamp Insect area, they saw several other teams.
These teams were scattered in groups, each occupying a section, with expressions of impatience on their faces.
“What’s going on? Why are all these people stopped here?”
“Afraid to move forward? That can’t be. Anyone who dares to venture this deep into the Chaotic Swamp isn’t scared of death.”
“I’ll go ask.” Zhou Yi pointed to a nearby group, “That’s the Qing Dai Legion.”
Seeing familiar faces, Zhou Yi immediately went over to inquire about the situation, while the others found a spot with no one around to rest.
Shu Bao looked around and noticed that about seven or eight teams were stuck at the edge of the Swamp Insect area, with a total number of several hundred people.
It turned out that the Chaotic World was indeed crowded. This indirectly suggested that there were already numerous rifts between the Chaotic World and the real world in this universe.
If a solution wasn’t found quickly, it was feared that Shu Bao’s base might be engulfed by the Chaotic World before it even had a chance to develop. At that point, not only would completing survival challenges be an issue, but escaping from this world might also become problematic.
Fu Qing’s expression was serious, clearly having considered the same issue. While the others were busy inquiring about the situation, Fu Qing approached Shu Bao and said in a very certain tone, “You’re also a contestant.”
Although Shu Bao’s wide ancient-style sleeves covered the system bracelet, Fu Qing still noticed this detail. Being equally unfamiliar with the Chaotic World and the value of magical materials and having storage tools, Fu Qing had developed a habit of touching unfamiliar plants with his fingers, a scanning method used in the absence of a deconstruction gun.
Direct physical contact, depending on the size and complexity of the object, took from a few seconds to several dozen seconds to scan new items, which was another form of scanning and also a way to protect the identity of contestants.
“Yes.” Shu Bao did not deny it, contemplating whether to reveal his true identity.
“Then shall we cooperate?” Fu Qing continued, “The Chaotic World has rifts scattered throughout the universe, meaning that here, we will not only encounter indigenous beings but also more contestants who have entered the Chaotic World through these rifts. The competition extends beyond the real world.”
Shu Bao was tempted. Regardless of anything else, Fu Qing’s strength was something he had witnessed firsthand. In this strange world, Shu Bao really didn’t dare to boast about handling everything alone.
Not receiving a response, Fu Qing grew somewhat cautious, “Are you from the luck faction?” After all, if Shu Bao were a strength faction contestant, there was no reason to refuse the proposed cooperation.
Shu Bao: “!!!” Instantly clinging to his disguise, he shook his head vigorously, “No! I’m from the strength faction! Beast tamer!” He then presented the little white cat on his shoulder.
Although Shu Bao had good luck, he indeed was not from the luck faction, or rather, didn’t belong to any particular faction. If he had to be defined, Shu Bao was more of a traversal type.
“Meow!” The little white cat let out a fierce cry.
Fu Qing: “…” Even though he had seen the fighting ability of the white cat, this scene was hardly convincing and somewhat amusing.
“Then shall we cooperate?”
“Sure!” Shu Bao replied firmly.
Although Fu Qing felt there might be some issues with this answer, he still extended his hand for a shake, “Looking forward to a pleasant cooperation, beautiful friend.”
“Looking forward to a pleasant cooperation, beautiful friend.” Shu Bao responded in kind.
Thus, the two parties reached an agreement. Ignoring the reality world for now—since they didn’t even know if their bases were on the same planet—their initial plan in the Chaotic World was quite unified: to make money, collect magical materials, enhance their strength, and form their own power team to establish a foothold in the Chaotic World as soon as possible.
After reaching a consensus, the Nan Ming Legion also gathered the information they wanted. It turned out that when the Empire and Lan Zhou’s teams had previously passed through the Swamp Insect area, they had thrown a large amount of aphrodisiac potion, causing chaos in the area.
The Swamp Insect was already highly dangerous. The situation became even more perilous under the influence of the aphrodisiac. It was said that almost all the teams crossing the Swamp Insect area at that time were wiped out, and those who fortunately did not enter the swamp were still stuck in the area.
Similar to the Marsh Crocodile Zone, the Swamp Insect was very large. Detouring around it would take a lot of time. Naturally, the teams stuck here, falling behind the Empire, were unwilling to take a detour.
In the end, everyone agreed to wait in the Swamp Insect area, hoping that enough teams would arrive later, allowing them to break through with the advantage of numbers.
Shu Bao nodded in understanding. After all, when he first arrived in human society, he had also relied on the crowd to cross the road. With that thought, Shu Bao turned his gaze toward the Swamp Insect area.
At that moment, a monster with a bizarre appearance, resembling a thick python, emerged from the swamp. Soon, more of these creatures appeared, entangled together like a group of pythons.
Shu Bao: “…” No, there weren’t snakes when crossing the street before.
“That’s a Land Dragon, which you can think of as a giant earthworm,” Ning Zhi explained.
Shu Bao: “…” The mouse is experienced; don’t lie to the mouse!
Fu Qing pointed to another area and asked, “Are those leeches? Why are they so big?”
Ning Zhi nodded, “Yes, they’re mutated. Given that the grasshoppers are so big, it’s normal for leeches to be larger.”
Fu Qing calmly nodded, then sighed, “You guys are really in trouble. We’ll have to cross it soon, but luckily I can fly.”
In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned towards Fu Qing.
“Meow~” The little white cat yawned.
Shu Bao belatedly reflected, “Lucky I have a cat.”
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted to Shu Bao.
However, Shu Bao was currently relieved that he didn’t have to wade through the swamp and didn’t notice everyone’s gaze. He was instead pondering how to give the little white cat a bigger portion next time he roasted grasshoppers.
The group decided to wait for another hour. After that, regardless of whether there were enough people, they would attempt to cross the Swamp Insect zone; otherwise, by the time they reached the area with the dragon eggs, there might be nothing left.
Feeling relieved, Shu Bao planned to take a look around. Fu Qing accompanied him. They waved to the Nan Ming Legion, signaling that they would be back in an hour and that there was no need to worry. After all, they are the kind of people who can do extraordinary things.
Nan Ming Legion: “…” Just a tiny bit tempted to hit someone.
