Chapter 562: Mei Wu
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong's group travelled with more confidence, with Mei Wu as their guide. Mei Wu was familiar with the area. This was obvious from the way she led the group. She was also generous with compliments about the huge spider that Ye Chong built.
Xuan Ning decided to inform the King of Mei Wu's whereabouts once they left Darkniss. As for the complicated relationship between Mei Wu and the King, it was not his place as a mere government servant to get involved.
Mei Wu was not aware that her two students were suffering under Ye Chong. Sha Ya and Xuan Ning knew, of course, but they were not foolish enough to bring up the topic. This powerful shooter was known for her unpredictable temper. It was not difficult to imagine her just shooting them all if she found out.
Mei Wu had been living in Darkniss for years. Aside from the annual trip to the world outside to resupply, such as getting energy crystals, she spent the rest of her time within the darkness of Darkniss. It would be much easier for her to go outside with the huge spider as transport.
Mei Wu had a pale complexion, for she had long since been exposed to sunlight.
She was a tenacious woman who survived the loneliness and dangers that lurked in the shades of Darkniss. That itself made her impressive.
Mei Wu treated Xuan Ning badly. She was also not interested in Sha Ya. A Level 8 shooter could not interest a shooter like her, who had passed the Level 9 mark. Ye Chong, however, was something else. Mei Wu had a bad temper, but she was also cunning. There was no reason to offend the Master weaponsmith whom she wanted something from.
She wanted the Spider. The Desert had sandstorms, while the Mist was a stretch of suffocating foliage. Aircrafts were useless in these environments, but the Spider could easily traverse through them. This was very useful for Mei Wu.
Darkniss was rich with minerals, but there was not even the slightest bit of energy crystals in this place. Mei Wu could tolerate having mediocre weapons, but she could not live without energy crystals. Every trip to the outside world for energy crystals was a great hassle for her. If she had the spider, she could bring more energy crystals with her in every trip, enough to last her a long time.
"It's here. This place has plenty of gravstones compared to its surroundings. I found it while hunting a horned tyrasaurs a few years ago." Mei Wu pointed towards a wide clearing.
Ye Chong was flabbergasted.
The place was once a lake, but now that the water had all dried up, what was left behind was a shallow impression in the ground that was the bottom of the lake. There were all kinds dazzling and colorful minerals in the soil, scattered about the clearing. They shined with a metallic luster than was absent in the other gravstones Ye Chong had seen along his journey in Darkniss, perhaps because they were cleansed by lake water long ago.
The entire clearing was about five or six square kilometres wide. There were palm sized gravstones everywhere in this clearing.
It was incredible! Ye Chong estimated no less than two dozen rare minerals in this wide clearing. Just a tiny bit of the rare minerals would greatly improve the properties of normal metal alloys. That was why the rare minerals were valuable. The rare mineral ores here were enough for him to extract a significant amount of rare minerals. They could be used to strengthen alloy structures, or improve alloy resilience, or improve their heat capacities …
Ye Chong decided very quickly that this was an important place. He immediately made a mark on his 3D holographic map. Mei Wu had never seen a map like that before, but she kept her curiosity in check to maintain her impersonal image.
However, she could tell from Ye Chong's reaction that the man valued this place. She was secretly pleased by it. She knew from their first round of negotiation that Ye Chong was a practical man. The best to deal with people like him was to make solid offers.
Now that she knew what Ye Chong was interested in, she could better plan her next moves. There were a few others like this that she knew about, and they would give her enough leverage. The fact soothed her. She had also never seen such a detailed map like the one on the Spider. She respected Ye Chong even more because of it. She did not feel any parapsychic waves from Ye Chong, but she also knew that a Level 9 shooter could never build a weapon as good as a Master weaponsmith.
Ye Chong made detailed markings in his map whenever they arrived at a new place. The map recorded every spot they had been in Darkniss, including the local distribution of plants and wild animals. With this map, his next visit to Darkniss would be much easier.
When Ye Chong was finished, Mei Wu slowly asked, "Well? Are you satisfied?" All the coldness vanished from Mei Wu as she asked with an alluring smile. Sha Ya felt her heart skip a beat, then berated herself for it. She thought to herself, "What a beauty! She didn't look like she was in her thirties at all." Xuan Ning thought to himself, "No wonder His Majesty still misses her."
Nevertheless, Ye Chong was immune to her expression. He could not understand the expression at all, much less respond to it.
On the other hand, he did understand what Mei Wu was trying to say. "Yes. Do you know any other places like this? What do you want in exchange?" Ye Chong asked calmly. Mu and Shang had taught him repeatedly about the rule of equal trade. Of course, most of the time, it was only appropriate to be used on people on the same level as him. Fortunately, Mei Wu was one of those people.
"I know of three more," Mei Wu said as she reverted back to her cold attitude. However, her eyes betrayed her satisfaction with their negotiation method. It was much easier to deal with smart people. "I want a Spider."
Ye Chong expected that much. He considered it for a moment and said, "I can't give you this one, since we need it to leave Darkniss. If you want it, you'll have to wait until I enter Darkniss next time."
"Alright," Mei Wu agreed eagerly, and followed up with a question, "I don't understand, why are you interested in Darkniss? Is it the gravstones?"
Ye Chong nodded, then shook his head. "It's not just the gravstones. You're familiar with this place. Have you ever seen an animal that's about 10 metres tall, with a red-tipped arrow tail?"
Xuan Ning knew immediately what Ye Chong was talking about. He stared at Ye Chong and asked, "So you're interested in that? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Just say the word, and His Majesty will give it to you."
Mei Wu spoke up sharply, "Don't mention the b*stard Majesty in front of me again, Xuan Ning, or I'll put a hole in your head! Humph, I'm still way ahead of you as a shooter." Mei Wu lifted her chin and stared down arrogantly at Xuan Ning.
Xuan Ning felt himself showered in cold sweat. He quickly bowed his head and nodded, "Of course, of course!" Sha Ya stared at him. Who would have thought that the infamous Xuan Ning would cower before a woman just like that? And what was Mei Wu's relationship with the King?
Mei Wu breathed heavily with her right hand on her chest, and recovered after a while. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply and gathered herself. She shook her head at Ye Chong and said, "I have never seen that creature you speak of. However, if you're talking about an animal that size, you will probably need to go deeper into Darkniss."
"Have you seen this before?" Ye Chong took out the colloid fungus. Sha Ya and Xuan Ning studied the thing in Ye Chong's hand. They did not actually know why Ye Chong wanted to visit Darkniss. They also did not recognize the thing in his hand.
Mei Wu took the colloid fungus in her hand and scrutinized it. Abruptly, she lost her composure. "Why do you have this?"
"You recognize it?" Ye Chong kept his gaze on Mei Wu.
Mei Wu nodded with a trace of fear in her eyes. "Once, I was chased by three slitherlizards. I couldn't throw them off my back, and so I decided to run further into Darkniss out of desperation. Fortunately, I did not encounter any other wild animals along the way. I ran and ran for a long time, it must have been at least three weeks. It was then that I came across a meadow. The entire field was covered with this kind of fungus that you have. I was exhausted by then, and at my limit of parapsychic control. I thought that was it for me. When I saw the field, I simply slumped onto it. Once I was on the ground, I didn't have to strength to get up again. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end, but to my great surprise …"
All three of her listeners keenly followed her words.
"The three slitherlizards left, just like that. I didn't think much about it back then. I was too tired, my eyes won't open. I fell unconscious. After some time, I woke up and saw a red patch underneath me. I was so shocked I quickly shot up from the ground.
"It was so quiet in the field. There wasn't a single sound. The long hairs of the plant swayed in the wind. I looked closer and realized that it was not grass at all, but a kind of thin, hair-like plant. I call that place the Sea of Threads. I didn't see other animals in the Sea of Threads. I was scared of what I found, but then something else happened that made my truly afraid. Out there, I couldn't spread my parapsychic waves!"
"What?"
"Impossible!"
Sha Ya and Xuan Ning gasped.
"I was horrified! I never experienced that before. Never! A shooter without parapsychic waves cannot defend themselves. I ran away from the Sea of Threads without delay." Mei Wu smiled bitterly. "I wasn't so lucky on the return trip. I encountered many powerful creatures along the way. It was a dangerous trip, and I was badly injured from it, but in the end I got back home, alive. That was the most horrifying experience I ever had."
Mei Wu could still recall the horror she felt from that incident. Beside her, the three listeners were chilled by her story as well.