Earthwood Scripture

"Have you heard? 'Miracle' Yano is back."

"And he brought back rare goods from deep in the swamp. The squad following him made a killing!"

"Then what are we waiting for? While the Gray-scaled Lizardfolk are keeping their heads down, let's hurry up and make a fortune!"

Similar conversations exploded across every corner of the Adventurers Guild.

In the boisterous, noisy hall, human adventurers gathered in groups of three or five, spitting animatedly as they discussed the rumors. A few dwarves bellowed loudly enough to drown out the surrounding din, while Half-elf rangers in the corners quietly wiped down their shortbows, their ears twitching slightly as they clearly gathered information as well.

Just then, the heavy oak doors were violently shoved open with a creak.

All the noise fell silent in an instant. Backlit in the doorway stood a travel-worn figure, swamp mud still clinging to his leather armor. It was Yano—the center of everyone's conversation.

Ignoring the dozens of gazes instantly fixed on him, he strode steadily through the crowd that automatically parted before him and headed straight for the quest counter.

Smack!

A leather pouch emitting a faint glow and a strange fishy stench landed on the counter.

"The swamp specialty goods the Alchemists Guild wanted. They're all here." His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the hall.

The clerk behind the counter froze for a moment, then opened the pouch and inspected its contents carefully. His eyes immediately lit up.

"G-Good for you, Yano. It really is Moonlight Moss."

With deft movements, he counted out a small, weighty pouch of Gold Coins and pushed it toward Yano.

Yano weighed the pouch in his hand, a bright smile curling across his lips. Then he turned to face the adventurers holding their breath throughout the hall, raised the pouch high, and called out, "Everyone, you've worked hard! Tonight at the Old Oak Tavern, drinks are on me!"

The moment his words fell, the entire place went dead silent.

Then—

Like a volcano that had been suppressed for too long finally erupting, deafening cheers nearly blew the roof off!

The adventurers who had just been plotting how to get rich in the swamp no longer looked at Yano with mere envy. Their eyes now burned with fully ignited desire!

Damn it!

We have to let those Gray-scaled bastards see what adventurers are made of!

Yano stood there, his smile unchanged.

Everything was going according to the boss's plan.

He did not know why the boss wanted to deal with those Gray-scaled bastards, but the temptation of getting rich overnight was clearly something these adventurers, who dreamed of fortune all day long, could not resist.

Before he brought back the wealth hidden in the depths of the swamp, the Swamp Forest across Reed River had always been a symbol of danger and barrenness in the eyes of adventurers. Only merchants, along with adventurers hired to escort merchant caravans, ever crossed to the other side to do business.

But now, things had changed. The Swamp Forest had become a land of treasure in the eyes of adventurers, and those Gray-scaled bastards who had once terrified him were about to face a horde of frenzied human adventurers.

No matter how sharp their claws or how thick their scales, they could never hold back human greed.

Yano tossed the money pouch in his hand, then turned and sauntered away.

"Boss, my task is complete."

"Plant that Moonlight Moss beneath that tree."

"Wrong, not this tree. The other one—the one without poison frogs."

"Yes, right here."

"Don't plant too much in one place. Use small amounts to lure adventurers into exploring the swamp."

Chen Yu hopped through the swampy woods, directing the bee swarm as it "decorated" the outskirts of the swamp.

This swamp was about to welcome the second wave of adventurers from the kingdom, so naturally it needed to be dressed up to look a little more abundant and leave a good impression on them.

As for those Gray-scaled Lizardfolk?

They had long since been frightened into migrating south by the frenzied adventurers, seeking help from the Gnolls.

How could a group that could even abandon their faith possibly feel loyalty toward the land?

Seeing that the decoration work around the perimeter was proceeding in an orderly fashion, the idle Chen Yu began patrolling his swamp territory, lest the jackals and hyenas from the southern forest invade his land without him even knowing.

After these days of exploration, he had already figured out the extent of his swamp territory.

With Oak Territory as the center, further west into the swamp lay the territory of the Corrupted Crocodiles. Every one of those crocodiles was a Bronze Tier Demonic Beast.

Those swamp puppies were not very fast, but they took up space and blocked his path.

Heading north led to the Conifer Swamp Forest, the hunting ground of the Rotten Moss Tribe Lizardfolk. The trees there were sparser and straighter, and the Great Bear Clan lived within. They were huge and powerfully built—probably capable of swatting one Slime to death with each paw.

Heading south, meanwhile, led into a Death Swamp that gave off an ominous aura all year round. Jackals and hyenas prowled along the boundary between life and death, surviving on carrion and occasionally hunting unlucky Demonic Beasts that wandered in.

That was Gnoll territory, and now it also housed the Corrupted Lizardfolk, who were temporarily sheltering there.

Thus, Chen Yu realized that he seemed to be trapped in the center of the swamp.

To defend his position as the Swamp Overlord and safeguard the swamp's peace and stability, he decided to borrow power from beyond this world.

Since it was still early, he returned to Oak Territory and began his daily talisman-drawing practice.

He pressed prepared leaves beneath a stone, then fetched a venomous stinger to use as a talisman brush. Together with the improved magical ink, he had barely assembled the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone needed for drawing talismans.

The conditions were crude, but in the Swamp, he could not ask for more.

When Yano left, he had promised to find him some Magic Paper. Chen Yu wondered whether it could replace leaves as talisman paper.

But the magical ink Yano had brought could indeed be used.

He only needed to fill a Gray Grit Crystal with Spiritual Power, grind it into powder, then add it to the magical ink and stir it to obtain the Spiritual Power ink he needed.

In his view, this magical ink was more like a vessel for some mysterious force—thick and silky, like a net that tightly locked Mana within it.

After adding the Gray Grit Crystal, however, the Mana inside could be displaced.

To put it more vividly, it was like replacing the mage guarding prisoners in a prison with a cultivator.

It could still serve its intended purpose.

Chen Yu used gel to clamp the venomous stinger, dipped it in a little ink, and shakily traced the talisman lines of the Stone Fortification Talisman onto a leaf.

Without a doubt, his attempt failed.

His half-baked Talisman Drawing Technique was clearly not enough to handle such a difficult talisman-drawing environment.

Thus, after failing more than a dozen times in a row, he no longer dared waste the precious leaf talisman paper and Spiritual Power ink. He immersed his consciousness back into Xuxuantian to continue practicing talismans.

Not until noon did the popping panel notification pull Chen Yu, immersed in practice, back to reality.

[Talisman Drawing Technique Lv.1 → Talisman Drawing Technique Lv.2]

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Race: Hallucinogenic Slime

Level: Black Iron Lv.3 [EXP: 16/30]

Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.4 [Spiritual Power: 0/40]

Life Status: Healthy [HP: 115/115]

Racial Talent: Devour and Digest Lv.3

Other Talents: Acid Secretion Lv.3, Toxin Resistance Lv.3, Tough Carapace Lv.3, Hallucinogenic Factor Lv.2

Skill List: Kaiyuan Scroll Lv.5, Object Manipulation Technique Lv.3, Lesser Arrow Technique Lv.3, Sound Transmission Technique Lv.3, Talisman Drawing Technique Lv.2

Prestige Title: Slime Warrior (A Slime Just Starting Out)

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"By my reckoning, the sect's Scripture Pavilion should be open by now."

Chen Yu tidied the table, stepped out of the thatched hut, and headed toward Chongshan Hall of the sect.

His Qi Cultivation had already broken through to the fourth level.

Most of his talents and skills had leveled up across the board, including the Kaiyuan Scroll, which had reached Lv.5 and could advance no further. It was time to claim the sect's advanced Cultivation Methods.

The Earthwood Scripture, one he had had his eye on for a long time.