The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 294 - 205 Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower_2

Chapter 294: Chapter 205 Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower_2

These techniques were essentially the same; as long as detailed steps and relevant tools were available, even ordinary people could follow the manual to create them, akin to cooking.

However, upon reaching a certain level, these techniques would undergo a qualitative change, from refining materials to refining every grass and tree around them. At this point, ordinary people were out of their depth—just as an alchemist could alter the structure of materials, freely create objects in any shape, turn copper and iron into gold and silver, and transform soft soil into ironclad walls.

Zhou Yuan browsed the official websites of the Alchemic Elixir Association and the Alchemy Association and found that they both offered courses. However, they were prohibitively expensive: just a single set of textbooks sold for eight to nine million, and according to forum complaints from buyers, the formulas included were few and far between, mostly basic knowledge. Many people claimed they were being scammed.

Purchasing both would cost nearly twenty million. Was this the so-called "knowledge is priceless"?

Zhou Yuan clicked his tongue in astonishment and immediately opened the system game store. By searching for keywords, he found two items: the "Basic Alchemy Manual" and the "Basic Elixirs Manual."

The total price was 30,000 Star Coins.

He currently had close to 200,000 Star Coins, more than enough to buy these two items.

After completing the purchase, two heavy, brick-like books appeared in his hands the next second, startling him: "So thick?"

He first skimmed through the Alchemy Manual and found that it not only contained introductory knowledge of alchemy but also included metallurgical and mineralogical content, as well as nearly a hundred alchemical formulas towards the end.

"This is a steal." Zhou Yuan was delighted; wasn’t this much more value than spending eight to nine million on a pile of worthless books?

He quickly went to the Alchemy Workshop, sat down, and spread open the book, reading it word by word.

By the time he came to his senses, it was already late at night outside.

In the dormitory, Fang Qing was watching a movie on a large projection screen, with several takeout boxes piled on the floor, and she was gnawing on a fried chicken drumstick.

The advantage of becoming a ghost was that no matter how much she ate, she would neither get fat nor feel full, allowing her to enjoy various delicacies to her heart’s content.

"How’s the study going?" Fang Qing asked upon seeing Zhou Yuan come out.

"The progress is decent; I’ve grasped a bit of the basics of alchemy."

Zhou Yuan’s stomach growled loudly; intense mental exertion consumed a lot of energy, making him so hungry that he felt he could devour an entire cow.

Unceremoniously grabbing Fang Qing’s takeout, he started devouring it. Afterward, he picked up a metal fork, and with a thought, the fork turned into a spoon.

"Currently, I can only change the shapes of some small objects, unable to perform any more intricate operations."

"That’s pretty good for just half a day’s work," Fang Qing encouraged. "Keep it up; you can definitely succeed."

"...Why is your mouth suddenly so sweet?" Zhou Yuan wondered, his expression suspicious. This was a bit unusual.

Fang Qing took out her phone and smiled sheepishly: "I have my eye on something. It’s not expensive, only three million."

I knew it.

Zhou Yuan sneered and glanced at the screen.

"Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower?"

Zhou Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he lowered his voice instinctively: "Isn’t this thing contraband?!"

The Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower was a sinister flower that only had a chance to grow at the site of massive deaths, and for supernatural creatures like Fang Qing, whose attributes matched, it was an incredibly beneficial substance, potent enough to help her leap to the sixth rank.

However, due to its extremely harsh conditions for growth, it was exorbitantly priced, with some unscrupulous individuals committing horrendous acts to collect such flowers and achieve wealth.

Eventually, the Control Bureau had to step in to curb the situation, and the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower was listed as contraband. Anyone caught purchasing it faced a prison sentence of over fifty years.

"Look closely," Fang Qing pointed to a remark at the bottom of the screen.

"This product is... animal blood?" Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow, reading the note.

"Yes. This was developed by the blood clan. After being pounded by the iron fist, they started behaving and had been looking for substitutes for human blood for years. They bred many cattle, sheep, and pigs for experiments. After a large experiment, a blood clan scholar unexpectedly found Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flowers growing on the ground. They conducted further research and eventually cultivated an entire flower field.

Now, this thing can be artificially cultivated, so the price has naturally come down. Most importantly, its effects are nearly as good as those watered with human blood. The blood clan likely got approval from the Control Bureau and smoothly put it on various platforms; it is no longer contraband."

"Then what are we waiting for? It’s a great deal; place the order!" Zhou Yuan happily made the payment.

If Fang Qing could ascend to the sixth rank, it would be worth every penny. A mere three million...

Zhou Yuan couldn’t help but stroke his chin. Goodness, was he now able to say "a mere three million"?

Being wealthy felt amazing!

·

The next day.

Upon waking up, the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea Flower had already been delivered to the Control Bureau, with impressive speed.

Zhou Yuan directly handed it to Fang Qing, urging her to start her cultivation immediately. When they entered the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, they might encounter extraordinary dangers, and they’d rely on her then.

Zhou Yuan continued to study alchemy.

Meanwhile, the outside world was engulfed in waves of turmoil triggered by the upcoming opening of the Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

All sorts of cultists, wanted criminals, demon sect cultivators, and outlaws found ways to blend in, creating a scene of rampant chaos. Major factions had been active in catching people in the past few days, fighting several tough battles, the largest of which destroyed three streets, causing extensive structural damage.

The results, however, were significant: three elders and nine disciples of the Demon Sect were killed in total. This would provide leads to track down and eliminate other hidden Demon Sect members in Xinheng City.

Putting aside those cultists, Xinheng City had already become a huge "abnormal city," with dangerous anomalous events occurring on average every three hours, the highest level reaching level three.

Fortunately, these anomalous events were promptly resolved and contained by Control Bureau investigators or extraordinary individuals from other factions, resulting in no civilian casualties.

In addition, plants throughout Xinheng City were growing wildly under the nourishment of spiritual energy, producing various strange fruits.

Some people gained immense strength after eating them, able to lift thousand-pound boulders.

Some grew wings, gaining the ability to fly.

Others grew extra pairs of hands, becoming four-armed overlords.

Flying, burrowing, fire-breathing, water-spouting, being invulnerable to weapons... Various superpowers appeared in succession.

According to Control Bureau tests, these people’s bodies all underwent mutation, their life essence ascended, becoming transcendent beings, or extraordinary persons.

Intent on creating chaos in Xinheng City, some individuals spread a large amount of information through various channels, making it impossible to suppress the news. The internet was abuzz, and countless people wanted to come to Xinheng City to pick the strange fruits, hoping to embark on the path of transcendence.

Highways, trains, high-speed trains, and planes heading to Xinheng City were all blocked, but even so, some people hiked over mountains and ridges.

The temptation to become an extraordinary person was too great; it was genuinely life-changing!

The local residents were even more frantic, the streets filled with people searching for strange fruits, leading to numerous bloody conflicts that the Control Bureau couldn’t manage in time.

There was a touch of dark humor: despite so many dangerous deadly anomalous events, no one died, but many perished over fighting for the strange fruits: trampled to death by crowds, beaten to death after failing to eat the claimed fruit...

In the end, the Control Bureau had to call in several extraordinary persons with mental powers to collectively cast spells, hypnotize the residents of Xinheng City, and gradually send them out in batches, thus ending the farce.