I Face a Difficult Choice

Cang Xu, this old scholar, was knowledgeable and had a broad perspective, often able to discern many things from the corpses of magical beasts. Before Zhen Jin took over the leadership of the Exploration Team, Cang Xu relied on this to provide immense help to the team.

Cang Xu had previously examined the corpses of ordinary flying squirrels, but specifically instructed that if the Flying Squirrel Leader was dissected and anything unusual was found, it should be reported to him quickly.

"My lord." Soon, Bai Ya brought the corpse of the Flying Squirrel Leader and found Cang Xu.

"Ah, Bai Ya." Cang Xu nodded, then his gaze shifted to the corpse of the Flying Squirrel Leader that Bai Ya was carrying.

"My lord, please take a look. Perhaps I'm too nervous, but it is indeed a bit different." Bai Ya displayed the Flying Squirrel Leader's corpse for Cang Xu to examine closely.

Cang Xu observed for a moment, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Bai Ya, you did very well." Cang Xu praised him, reaching out to lift the Flying Squirrel Leader's corpse. Although he lifted it, the old scholar soon sighed and put it back down.

The old scholar was inherently weak and powerless, and had previously suffered from magic erosion. Although the poison was gone, his body had still suffered significant damage.

"Carry it and come with me to report to Lord Zhen Jin," Cang Xu said to Bai Ya.

"Yes, my lord," Bai Ya immediately accepted the order.

Inside the tent, Zhen Jin was discussing crossbows with Zi Di.

"Due to the magic erosion, the actual combat strength of the entire Exploration Team has decreased significantly." With no outsiders present, Zhen Jin appeared worried. "Exploring on this Sea Island was already quite difficult. Now the risks we have to bear are even greater."

Zi Di mused, "Lord Zhen Jin, we have done our best. In the short term, the state of the Exploration Team can only be like this. Unless we use mid-to-high-level magic potions, or corresponding magic, divine arts, etc., for treatment."

"However, given the current situation, we cannot produce mid-to-high-level magic potions. And I do not advocate doing so."

"Because it's too uneconomical."

"Whether it's mid-to-high-level magic potions or equivalent magic or divine arts, the cost is very high. Just to treat these ordinary people, even if there are two Bronze-level elites among them, it's not worth the loss."

After a pause, Zi Di added, "In fact, magic erosion has many after-effects. For example, various strange, even difficult-to-cure chronic diseases, as well as shortened lifespans, and so on."

Zhen Jin sighed, "Let's not consider those for now. I just want to supplement our actual combat strength. Do you think we can manufacture crossbows?"

In these past few days, Zhen Jin had fully experienced the benefits of ranged attacks.

For example, the Flying Squirrel Leader not long ago was a Bronze-level magical beast. But under the dagger Zhen Jin threw, it was struck fatally. Once the Flying Squirrel Leader died, the attacking flying squirrel swarm immediately fell into chaos, allowing the Exploration Team to seize the opportunity and achieve a great victory with no casualties.

After carefully considering her words, Zi Di said seriously, "My lord, your idea is very correct. As long as we strengthen our ranged power, we can greatly supplement our combat strength, and also conserve physical strength and reduce possible casualties."

"However, I'm afraid we still cannot manufacture them at the moment."

"First, we don't have crossbow makers. The structure of a crossbow is very simple, but manufacturing it requires mature craftsmanship. We are all laymen."

"Second, we don't have blacksmiths. Truly powerful crossbows use steel plates as the bow arms, and the draw weight will be very high. At the same time, the structure of the trigger mechanism is very precise and requires metal springs. These all need to be forged by a blacksmith. Excellent crossbows also have mechanical devices to assist in drawing the string. This kind of device cannot even be mass-produced by the Empire, and they purchase large quantities from the Goblins of the Lava Continent every year."

Scholars are not necessarily all mages, but every mage is a scholar.

Zi Di was also the current president of the Purple Vine Merchant Guild, and the arms business is usually the most profitable trade, so she was very knowledgeable about crossbows.

But Zhen Jin did not give up easily.

He still insisted, "I don't plan to use steel plates as bow arms, only wooden ones. We can dry tree bark and tear it apart to form hemp ropes. This way we will have bowstrings. In fact, we still have quite a few magical beast tendons."

"Crossbows made this way will have a much lower draw weight, but they will be easier to string, and can be done purely by human power."

"The only obstacle will be the trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism is precise and requires forging metal parts of specific shapes, and the most difficult part is the spring."

"Zi Di, you're right, we don't have a blacksmith. But we have very few people, so we don't need a blacksmith for large-scale manufacturing. I just need you to use potions to corrode specific metal parts and springs."

Zhen Jin was also very familiar with crossbows.

Although he hadn't recovered the relevant memories, his common sense contained a wealth of information.

In fact, Temple Knights were all equipped with cavalry crossbows. These crossbows were smaller and specifically designed for knights to use on horseback.

Zi Di sighed, "I'm sorry, my lord, I currently don't have any potions that can corrode metal parts into specific shapes. I don't carry this special potion with me. But if I can gather the corresponding materials, I can still concoct it on the spot. However, magic beasts with corrosive acid are not easy to deal with and could very likely cause huge casualties to the entire team."

"Also, there's one more thing I'd like to remind you to pay attention to."

At this point, Zi Di subconsciously lowered her voice slightly.

"If your plan is successfully implemented and almost everyone in the team has a crossbow, then this team will be difficult to control and become very dangerous."

Zhen Jin's pupils constricted slightly.

Zi Di's reminder was very accurate.

Zhen Jin immediately recalled the scene of Huang Zao escaping.

One should neither overestimate nor underestimate people, Zhen Jin murmured in his heart.

The human heart is unpredictable.

Facing his savior, Huang Zao escaped with a dagger, whether intentionally or not. And on this island, where dangers lurked everywhere, what kind of extreme situations would arise in the future?

It seemed now that everyone supported Zhen Jin as their leader. But what if some extreme situation occurred?

For example, if everyone was fleeing from a magic beast, would someone use their crossbow to shoot a companion in order to escape, making the companion a decoy to slow down the magic beast's pursuit?

Especially in the current environment, low and mid-level magic and Battle Qi could not be activated. Both Zhen Jin and Zi Di were very weak. A sharp sword or a flying arrow could be fatal to either of them.

Humans had fatal weaknesses.

These members of the Exploration Team were not soldiers of the Hundred Needles Family. And cultivating loyalty often required time.

Zhen Jin was not someone who couldn't listen to opinions.

"If crossbows won't work, then we can only try using bows."

"Longbows definitely won't work. They would be very inconvenient in dense forests, and they also require a high level of skill from the archer."

"Shortbows are possible. They are easier to make than crossbows. But this also requires some training."

Ranged attacks first and foremost needed accuracy.

However, Zhen Jin's sudden mastery of ranged attack capabilities due to the emergence of his memories was difficult to replicate.

The members of the Exploration Team, except for Bai Ya, were not proficient with bows and arrows.

He was the son of a hunter, and using bows and arrows was one of his means of livelihood.

If there were enough people, Zhen Jin could select skilled archers and form a specialized archery team. But now he was severely short-handed, and the main purpose of forming an archery team was to protect these people and minimize casualties as much as possible.

"Wood is readily available here, so making shortbows won't be difficult. If one person's aim isn't good enough, the team can perform a volley to form an arrow screen and compensate for the deficiency."

"We still need to conduct intensive training, otherwise we won't even be able to form an arrow rain or arrow screen."

"However, training requires sufficient food."

Zhen Jin began to feel a faint headache.

Drawing a bowstring is very physically demanding, and the higher the poundage of the bow, the more so. Many crossbows require mechanical devices, otherwise, the bowstring cannot be drawn by human strength alone.

When shooting arrows, one needs to aim and maintain the state of the strongly bent bow limbs for a period of time, which is also very physically demanding.

The greater the physical exertion, the more food is required.

Without food replenishment, rash training is definitely asking for trouble.

Therefore, the problem boiled down to food.

And food shortage was already the most serious problem at the moment!

While Zhen Jin was troubled, Cang Xu and Bai Ya requested an audience.

The two brought the corpse of the Flying Squirrel Leader.

"We have made some unexpected discoveries, my lord," Cang Xu said in a serious tone.

Zhen Jin's gaze subconsciously fell on the Flying Squirrel Leader's corpse: "Could it be that you found a magic crystal?"

"Not at all." Cang Xu motioned to Bai Ya.

After seeing Zhen Jin nod, Bai Ya placed the corpse of the Flying Squirrel Leader he was carrying onto the table.

Cang Xu then instructed Bai Ya to forcefully pull open the incision on the Flying Squirrel Leader, revealing the distinct and vivid muscle texture.

"Lord Zhen Jin, Lady Zi Di, please look here." Cang Xu pointed at these muscle textures.

Zi Di took a look and immediately frowned slightly: "It is indeed somewhat different from ordinary magic beasts."

Zhen Jin also noticed that the muscles of ordinary magic beasts were usually in bundles and were a whole. However, the muscles of the Flying Squirrel Leader were divided into many fine muscle thin slices. Each muscle thin slice was tightly arranged, like fish scales, and was very neat.

"Please look here again, both of you." Cang Xu then continued to display the internal organs of the Flying Squirrel Leader.

Zhen Jin and Zi Di also discovered that the surface of these internal organs had a layer of white covering, like fascia, and it was quite thick.

Zi Di was puzzled: "This is indeed different from normal magic beasts. But what can this different structure explain?"

Although Zi Di was a mage, she was not as knowledgeable in this area as Cang Xu.

Zhen Jin's common sense also did not allow him to understand the old scholar's intention.

Seeing the puzzled expressions of the two, Cang Xu explained: "I strongly suspect that this Flying Squirrel Leader can release strong currents!"

"Oh? How do you say that?" Zhen Jin was puzzled.

"There are also mice that can discharge electricity?" Bai Ya's mouth was wide open.

Cang Xu continued to explain: "There is a special fish that breeds and thrives in the seabed or large rivers, and people call it the electric eel. The body structure of this fish is very similar to this Flying Squirrel Leader. When they want to discharge electricity, their whole body's muscles will pulsate, erupting with terrifying electric shocks that can instantly electrocute elephants. But they also have insulating fascia within their bodies, which can protect themselves during electric shocks."

"Then why didn't this Flying Squirrel Leader release electric shocks before?" Bai Ya asked.

Cang Xu shook his head slightly: "This electric shock is not magic, but comes from the unique structure of life. Magic is when a mage uses their spirit, with the help of elements, to create something out of nothing according to laws. The electric eel is because of its unique organ tissue. It's like being able to make sounds after having a throat, and being able to fly after having wings."

"Electric eels can at most generate current, but cannot control the direction of the current. However, electric eels live in water. Once a strong current is generated, the aquatic life near it will suffer terrifying electric shocks."

"As for the Flying Squirrel Leader, even if it generates electricity, it depends on the surrounding environment. Trees, the ground, and the air are often strong obstacles to electric current."

"Therefore, only when the Flying Squirrel Leader comes into contact with an enemy will its ability to electrocute be revealed. But because Lord Zhen Jin's thrown dagger directly killed it in mid-air before, this ability was temporarily concealed."

"So that's how it is." Bai Ya suddenly understood.

Zi Di narrowed her eyes slightly: "So, if we have to face this kind of Flying Squirrel Leader in the future, iron armor will be a weakness. It's best to wear thick leather armor."

Cang Xu shook his head: "Leather armor cannot provide enough safety. The face is usually exposed. At the same time, the Flying Squirrel's claws and teeth are very sharp and can discharge electricity after tearing through leather armor."

Zhen Jin nodded: "So, the best way to deal with this kind of Flying Squirrel Leader is ranged attacks! But we have too few archers."

Although Zhen Jin could throw accurately, he couldn't achieve a fatal blow so smoothly every time.

He wasn't everyone's nanny, and his subordinates weren't meant to be protected.

"Lord, Lan Zao is here to report to you." Just then, a voice came from outside the tent.

Lan Zao was a Bronze-level elite, so Zhen Jin had sent him to scout the surroundings earlier.

Zhen Jin summoned Lan Zao into the tent and saw that the latter's face was full of joy.

"Lord, good news! I found a gathering place for a Flying Squirrel group not far ahead. These Flying Squirrels have dug holes and built nests in the trunks of large trees. I roughly counted, and there are many tree holes! This Flying Squirrel group is very large, nearly a thousand of them. If we take them down, it can greatly supplement our food."

Cang Xu mused: "It seems the gregarious nature of this kind of Flying Squirrel hasn't changed."

"Oh?" Zhen Jin raised his eyebrows slightly and subconsciously looked at Zi Di.

Zi Di knew what Zhen Jin meant and immediately said: "I've already tested it, the meat of ordinary Flying Squirrels is fine. Of course, the monster meat of the Flying Squirrel Leader definitely cannot be eaten casually."

Bai Ya exclaimed: "Hunting such a large group of rats is very dangerous."

Lan Zao glared at Bai Ya, then looked at Zhen Jin, and volunteered to charge first and attack the Flying Squirrel colony.

Cang Xu shook his head: "Lan Zao, you underestimate these Flying Squirrels. A Bronze-level Flying Squirrel Leader can unleash electric shocks. Such a large tribe is very likely to have an Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader."

"What?" Lan Zao was stunned.

Zhen Jin fell into thought.

He found himself facing a difficult choice.

But for a moment, Zhen Jin found it hard to decide: "I need to think carefully about this matter. You all withdraw and go about your business."

"Yes, Lord."

"No matter what decision you make, I will support you." Zi Di said this as she was the last to leave the tent.