HBWnovel Chapter 339: Sunstone Pellets, Plant Growth Promotion!
Chapter 339: Sunstone Pellets, Plant Growth Promotion!
Sunlight scattered down, rendering the surface of the slate dazzlingly bright.Even if he were to think back to before he set out on this field duty, Cheng Ye never would have imagined that in just one short week, he would be able to charge anywhere in the Wilderness at a power output far exceeding standard fast-charging stations.
Although this charging could only be done during the day, yielding a maximum of ten and a half hours of effective charging time daily and remaining susceptible to rainy weather, its sheer portability left the Hydroelectric Station far in the dust.
Not to mention the hidden value behind it, as well as its massive potential for further power output upgrades.
'Two level-two slates can fuse into a level-three slate... If I can scrape together another level-three slate, I might be able to attempt fusing an even higher level-four slate.'
Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, quickly figuring out the resource consumption logic behind slate fusion.
This geometric progression was essentially a power-of-two stacking.
Barring any surprises, fusing one level-n slate would require two to the power of n minus one standard level-one slates.
For example, a level-four slate required eight level-one slates, and a level-five slate required sixteen.
By that logic, fusing up to a level-ten slate would only take 512 standard level-one slates.
Given his current Trait collection speed, as long as he cleared out all the Stone Sunflower People underground and did not waste a single accumulated Trait, gathering that number was not impossible.
Returning to reality, however, the center of the fused slates was clearly gathering more complex patterns, which would highly likely form a Rune.
Based on his understanding of Runes, a distinct barrier existed between the two. Stacking sheer numbers alone could absolutely never give rise to true Runic power.
'There has to be a limit to the fusions. Perhaps upon reaching a certain tier, obtaining a higher-level slate will require relying on the Fiery Sunflower itself to produce it. Otherwise, with its production speed, creating a level-ten Large Stone Sunflower Humanoid would be far too easy.'
Cheng Ye continued to deduce, 'Furthermore, the mechanics behind the Stone Sunflower People might differ from the slates. The Sunlight Slate can only absorb and convert Energy, but it cannot store it like the Stone Sunflower People do. There must be a crucial missing link in the process.'
He had to admit, this process of peeling back the layers and gradually uncovering the true nature of the Fiery Sunflower was incredibly satisfying.
Taking advantage of the blazing midday sun, Cheng Ye pulled out the level-one slate he had materialized earlier, connected it to the Flying Wings, and began replenishing its power.
Looking toward the distant Hongchuan Canyon, the red mist that had blanketed the area for two and a half days finally dissipated completely. The golden radiance of the Stone Sunflower People absorbing sunlight lit up once more.
This was good news. It meant he could resume hunting the Large Stone Sunflower Humanoids to obtain new standard level-two slates.
Of course, to avoid wasting Traits, Cheng Ye decided to first fully utilize the ones he had already accumulated.
Two hours later, his Recharge Value recovered to twenty-five percent. He immediately chose to materialize a Sunlight Slate, obtaining another standard level-one slate.
Combining it with the one he had saved earlier, a fresh level-two slate was produced.
It was a pity that the Collector could only absorb the power output of a single Sunlight Slate at any given time, making it impossible to form a multi-slate array. Otherwise, the charging efficiency could be directly stacked in the most brute-force manner.
While the Flying Wings were charging, Cheng Ye picked up the Small Stone Slab that had previously dropped from a Stone Sunflower Person and walked into the workshop.
Now equipped with a stable and efficient energy source, this Small Stone Slab, which did not even meet the standard tier, had lost all practical use.
Rubbing his thumb over the Spiral Light Path on the slate, Cheng Ye turned on the Camping Lamp, leaning in to carefully examine every detail of its surface.
About ten minutes later, the Little Flame mark on his glabella flickered gently, and a faint, phantom-like flame quietly surfaced on the tip of his right index finger.
Holding his breath, Cheng Ye cautiously extended his index finger toward a blank, patternless area of the slate.
Sizzle...
The sound suddenly erupted, like a droplet of water splashing into a pan of boiling oil. The water molecules instantly boiled and churned violently under the intense heat.
The moment the flame neared the Small Stone Slab, fine Bubbles immediately bubbled up on its seemingly indestructible surface, as if the outer material of the slate was being evaporated and melted by the high temperature.
Cheng Ye quickly withdrew his finger, dispelling the flame at his fingertip. However, the scorched section of the slate did not return to its original state; it felt wrinkled and uneven to the touch.
'Little Flame's ability can actually affect this special material...'
Cheng Ye promptly took the Small Stone Slab out into the sunlight for a test. After confirming that it still retained its Sunlight Absorption capability, he returned to the workshop.
This time, he was much bolder. Summoning flames on both his thumb and index finger simultaneously, he aimed for the shriveled area of the slate and pulled outward with a bit of force.
Rip.
Unsurprisingly, the originally solid Small Stone Slab was torn apart without any resistance, splitting neatly into two halves.
"Holy crap, how did it tear apart so easily?"
Startled, Cheng Ye hastily extinguished the flames, lowering his head to stare intensely at the cross-section of the slate.
But before he could clearly see its internal structure, the slate turned into a mass of quicksand-like substance, just like what happened when a Stone Sunflower Person died.
Following a slight tremor, the two halves of the slate instantly crumbled into two piles of pale gray stone powder.
The anticipated sunflower seed kernel structure did not appear, no inspectable energy circuits existed, and even his guess that microscopic organisms were hidden inside fell flat.
In that fleeting glance, he had only seen that the interior of the Sunlight Slate was covered with spiral patterns connecting to the surface, seemingly piercing straight through from top to bottom, with nothing else present.
'Does this thing come with an uncrackable self-destruct mechanism?'
Cheng Ye stared at the two piles of stone powder near his hand, furrowing his brows in deep thought.
A moment later, his unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened, returning to the stone powder to study it repeatedly.
The ordinary stone powder left behind after a Stone Sunflower Person died was nothing more than loose gravel dust, completely unremarkable.
But the two piles before him were entirely different. They still retained the unique texture of the Sunlight Slate. Pinching it between his fingertips, he could clearly feel distinct, hard granules, as if it were formed by the condensation of countless microscopic crystal fragments.
He fetched a Wooden Plank, scraped every last bit of the left pile of stone powder onto its surface, and carried the board outside.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The stone powder, which had been dull and lifeless inside the room, began to emit a faint glow when bathed in the sunlight, as if it still retained a portion of the Sunlight Slate's Traits.
'Huh, could this stone powder be the sunflower seed kernel after all?'
His interest instantly piqued, Cheng Ye hurriedly retrieved his block charger and pressed its connector against the pile of powder.
If the stone powder could also convert Energy, then many of his previous conclusions would need a complete overhaul.
Regrettably, without the guidance of the Spiral Light Path, the stone powder could only emit light on its own; it was entirely incapable of generating any usable Energy output.
'This stuff looks somewhat similar to the minerals sold by the Golden Tree Wind Shelter City.'
Cheng Ye returned to the workshop, pulling out his Defense Terminal to dig through information regarding the unknown heat-sensitive minerals.
This was the first related piece of information publicly released by Golden Tree Wind Shelter City in Year 27. Though they never explicitly mentioned it again, he quickly found their public sales catalogs for the New Era Years 33 and 34.
The later pages of the catalog clearly detailed the classification of the heat-sensitive minerals: it was divided into three standard tiers and one special tier.
Among them, the tier-three heat-sensitive mineral was the lowest quality, appearing as a fine, sand-like powder that was even worse than the residue left behind when a Stone Sunflower Person died.
It was only at tier-one that signs of granulation appeared, yet it was still far inferior to the stone pellets split from his slate.
Even the special tier was merely a clumped gray mineral with a sandy surface, resembling the accumulated substance of dead Stone Sunflower People.
A distinctly granular texture like the one in his hand meant either Golden Tree Wind Shelter City was hiding it and refusing to sell, or, due to the Fiery Sunflower's slumber, they simply hadn't found it.
'It can be absorbed by Rare Crops, accelerating their growth rate and increasing the crop yield...'
'If even the stone powder has such Traits, the effects of these stone pellets in my hand might be even stronger.'
Cheng Ye stood up, deciding to test it out based on Golden Tree Wind's research results.
Even though he had no crops from Artificial Cultivation on hand, the vast Wilderness was never short of various plants.
Although the Petrification Curse had drained the Vitality of the plants, leaving them as hollow husks, scattering Fertilizer over them should theoretically still promote growth.
Finding a random yellowish-green vine, Cheng Ye first used his hands to dig away the soil near its roots, then pinched a small pinch of stone pellets between his fingertips and sprinkled them over the root system.
He also scattered varying amounts of stone pellets at the roots of several nearby weeds and a dead tree stump.
After briefly jotting down the differences in quantity in his notes, he figured that if there were any changes, the results would be observable within two to three days.
Having done all this, he carefully packed the remaining stone pellets into a Sealing Bag, intending to find real Crops for a detailed test once he returned to Dabo Town.
As the time passed noon, his Recharge Value once again accumulated to the threshold required to extract a Trait.
Cheng Ye weighed his options briefly. Using twenty-five percent of his Recharge Value to extract a grain-sized Energy-Gathering Redstone was simply not cost-effective. Meanwhile, extracting a slate guaranteed a standard level-one every single time. The returns were on a completely different level.
Not to mention, twenty or thirty Redstones could drop directly from a Large Stone Sunflower Humanoid, making it absolutely pointless to waste his Recharge Value on them.
With his Traits fully depleted, the Flying Wings were also fully charged.
Cheng Ye rolled his neck, gazing toward the golden-glowing mine shaft in the canyon, a smile helplessly tugging at the corners of his mouth.
An hour later.
BOOM!
A deafening roar suddenly exploded, completely shattering the dead silence of the canyon!
The noise, wrapped in apocalyptic might, surged outward from the depths of the mine shaft. The ground beneath his feet trembled madly, the structures of the Gathering Place shuddered, and dust and rubble rained down.
The very next second, an overwhelming crimson light erupted wildly from the cave entrance, like a giant beast breaking free from its shackles!
This red light was no longer the relatively soft hue from before; it carried a heart-palpitating pressure. It was far more savage than the last eruption, instantly sweeping through the entire canyon and dyeing every inch of the Gathering Place a terrifying scarlet.
The moment the crimson light spread, a disheveled figure engulfed in fierce winds violently shot up into the sky!
Sparks scattered as the black bionic wings flapped furiously. As he soared past the highest Rock Wall of the canyon, he showed absolutely no intention of slowing down.
Because of this, the spewing red light seemed to be dragged by an invisible force, crazily spreading and climbing in all directions.
It didn't just swallow the topmost cliffs on both sides of the canyon; it entirely shrouded the rear mountainside as well.
At first glance, the two undulating mountain ranges of Hongchuan Canyon looked as if they had draped themselves in a scarlet cloak. The terrifying aura rippled outward indiscriminately.
It wasn't until he had flown nearly half a kilometer away that the Flying Wings slowly descended to the ground.
Turning his head to behold the horrifying spectacle in the distant canyon, Cheng Ye let out a long sigh of relief, a hint of sheer gratitude surfacing on his face.
Good lord, he had still underestimated the value of the Large Stone Sunflower Humanoids.
The Large Stone Sunflower Humanoid he had taken out this time had even more red stones embedded in its face than the last one—a full forty pieces.
Almost the instant it was dispatched, the Fiery Sunflower inside the mine shaft entered a state of furious rage.
Fortunately, the Flying Wings had been fully charged and could operate at maximum speed, allowing him to barely scrape by and escape by the skin of his teeth.
'I wonder how long this tantrum is going to last...'
Cheng Ye pondered to himself, unable to resist summoning the Shadow Box to inspect his latest harvest.
First was a standard level-two slate. Then, he pulled out a cloth bag filled with a pile of red stones in varying sizes.
Having gained experience this time, he hadn't waited for the red stones to hit the ground before collecting them. Instead, he had directly shoved the Stone Sunflower Person's head right into the bag.
After the head dissolved into sand, it became the special-tier stone powder sold by the Golden Tree Wind Shelter City.
As for the red stones, not a single one was missing. All forty were neatly embedded in the stone powder, presenting a truly exhilarating sight.
"Let's try fusing a level-four slate first!"
Two level-two slates fused into a level-three, and two level-three slates merged together, ultimately forming an imposing square slate with a side length of sixty-five centimeters.
'Good grief, if I fuse a level-five slate, the surface area will exceed a meter. It won't be easy to carry around at all.'
Cheng Ye clicked his tongue in awe, immediately proceeding to swap out and install all the red stones onto it.
Each red stone was the size of a quail egg. He only managed to fit twenty-four pieces before the slate reached full saturation.
Upon placing this level-four slate under the sun, a brilliant golden light—so intense it could be clearly seen from several kilometers away—abruptly burst forth from its surface.
"Holy moly, if I mounted this thing on a car roof, it would look incredibly badass!"
Cheng Ye took two steps back, reflexively raising his fingers to shield his eyes.
Not only was the level-four slate too large to conveniently carry around, but the light it emitted was far too eye-catching.
He pressed the Pendant against the slate, calculating the power output against the popped-up charging notification.
As expected, the value skyrocketed again, directly breaking through to an unprecedented 100 kilowatts. It would take just over eight hours to fully charge the Collector from zero.
However, Cheng Ye frowned, somewhat surprised by the calculated data.
'Hmm, the rate of increase has slowed down?'
The power output of a level-one slate, fully loaded with red stones, peaked at around 15 kilowatts.
Stepping up to a level-two slate, the peak value rose to about 40 kilowatts, representing a 166% increase.
A level-three slate outputted 80 kilowatts. The increase rate had dropped, but it was still 100%.
Logically, a level-four slate should yield 160 kilowatts, but it was currently sitting at only 100 kilowatts, meaning the increase was a mere 25%.
If the slates continued stacking at this rate, the power output of a level-five slate likely wouldn't even surpass 200 kilowatts, most probably plateauing between 120 and 150 kilowatts.
Shielding his eyes with his fingers and squinting to forcefully observe the Spiral Light Path on the level-four Sunlight Slate, Cheng Ye quickly realized the reason behind the diminished gains.
While the level-four slate possessed eight hubs, the energy circuits only circulated among four of them. The other four lay isolated on the periphery, entirely uninvolved in the overall energy loop.
Even the intricacy of the Rune in the center hadn't changed despite the slate stacking.
'It seems my judgment was correct. A higher-level slate definitely requires the support of a higher-level Rune.'
'Perhaps it requires a primordial level-two slate to assemble an even more advanced, ultimate slate.'
Stacking standard level-one slates reached its maximum cost-effectiveness at level-three. Going any higher was simply not worth the investment.
If he used a primordial level-two slate as the Core, what kind of changes would occur?
Cheng Ye reined in his thoughts, hugged the large slate to his chest, and boarded the Flying Wings. Looking for all the world like a mobile miniature sun, he flew straight back to the shelter.
It went without saying that Liu Bi spotted his figure from two or three kilometers away; he was simply too conspicuous.
"If you brought that thing to Flower Province, it would definitely be a best-seller! There's no sun over there. You could just go and set up an artificial sun," Liu Bi couldn't help but quip the moment the Flying Wings landed.
"Haha, its only function is Sunlight Absorption. Flower Province doesn't even have sunlight, so bringing it there would just make it a piece of junk."
Cheng Ye chuckled.
Although the power output of the level-four slate was capped at 100 kilowatts, this speed was already remarkably impressive.
Opening the Illustrated Handbook, he found that after taking out a Large Stone Sunflower Humanoid, the Sunlight Absorption Trait had maxed out once again.
Biological Deconstruction Ray had also accumulated to sixty percent, and Sun Flame had likewise reached thirty-five percent.
At this rate, simply clearing out all the Large Stone Sunflower Humanoids in the mine shaft once would be enough to gather the required amount.
However, what he needed to test right now was whether a one hundred percent Recharge Value could materialize a primordial level-two slate.
If it couldn't, there wouldn't be much point in staying here. Even if he fused a level-five slate, the power increase would be marginal, while its excessive size and blinding light would make it highly inconvenient to carry.
Throughout the entire afternoon, the red light on the horizon lingered stubbornly, blanketing the earth like a congealed, blood-colored veil.
The entrance to the canyon was tightly sealed by the red glow. Cheng Ye stood and gazed outward, noting that not even the Stone Sunflower People had emerged to absorb the sunlight.
Clearly, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be wood to burn.
Even the Fiery Sunflower was perfectly capable of grasping such a simple principle.
If it didn't protect these Stone Sunflower People, and they were all wiped out, the cycle of cultivating a new batch of Stone Sunflower People from scratch would likely be terrifyingly long.
Since he wasn't lacking in Traits at the moment, Cheng Ye simply let the matter drop, turning back to the shelter to wait quietly.
It wasn't until dusk fell that the red glow gradually faded, leaving only a faint streak of tangerine across the horizon.
His Recharge Value had also recovered to sixty-two percent.
Looking up at the night sky, the canopy above was completely pristine without a single cloud. A few early stars dotted the expanse, shining brightly and distinctly.
Based on his Experience, tomorrow was bound to be another clear, sunny day. By noon, when the sunlight was at its fiercest, his Recharge Value should be fully replenished. Then, he could attempt to materialize the primordial level-two slate.
At the thought of this, an indescribable wave of joy surged in Cheng Ye's heart. His appetite, suppressed for the past few days, thoroughly broke loose.
Thick nutrient fluid slid down his throat bag after bag. In the past, he would feel full after drinking ten bags at most, but today he polished off a full eighteen
bags. Only when his stomach bulged to the point of a faint ache did he stop, still feeling a lingering desire for more.
Alongside Liu Bi, the two worked late into the night, expanding outward along the exterior walls of the inner shelter.
Measuring dimensions, securing steel frames, and piecing together Wooden Planks—the repetitive motions continued tirelessly.
By the time the final Wooden Plank was nailed firmly into place, the eastern horizon was already displaying the pale white of dawn. The two collapsed onto the ground. Staring at the shelter that had been expanded by a full five hundred square meters, they simultaneously let out long sighs of relief.
However, this sense of accomplishment was quickly diluted by reality. The old materials they had brought back from Hongchuan were basically exhausted, leaving only some scattered Wooden Planks.
Without stainless steel crossbeams for reinforcement, this newly expanded section wouldn't even be able to stop a normal Mutant Beast, let alone fend off an Infected Body. Its defensive capability was barely better than nothing.
"Alright, this shelter is basically maxed out. If we want to build any more... we'll have to go back and transport more materials," Liu Bi said with a satisfied sigh, rubbing his sore lower back.
It had been a long time since he'd done such heavy labor. Being able to build a new shelter from scratch out in the Wilderness left him thoroughly exhausted, yet his heart was filled with a deep sense of security.
Cheng Ye nodded. After watching Liu Bi head back inside to catch up on sleep, he remained standing on the watchtower, waiting for daybreak.
As the early morning sunlight scattered down, the level-four slate instantly lit up with a dazzling glow, entering a stable charging mode.
But just as he was about to check the situation inside the canyon, stepping toward the door, his gaze was firmly hooked by a few plants in the distance. His footsteps instantly froze in place.
"My god, did these mutate?"
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