"I had no idea there was groundwater beneath that clay deposit..."
Xu Yanwu put on an innocent expression. "I was doing perfectly fine chasing that Annihilation Spirit... Then I accidentally pierced through the groundwater..."
After carrying the two women and running for so long, Xu Yanwu finally escaped the range of the gushing groundwater and set them down.
But such an opportunity was rare. Before setting Chi Yuan down, Xu Yanwu quietly made a small wish and tampered with the future a little, letting something slip into Chi Yuan's consciousness.
Danzhu pounded away at Xu Yanwu, her little face flushed red. "Idiot! You ruined the clay deposit I worked so hard to find!"
Xu Yanwu pulled a bitter face. Danzhu's punches did not hurt anyway, so he let her vent. It was not like he could tell her that even if he had not intervened, the clay deposit still would not have been saved, right?
Xu Yanwu quietly said to Danzhu, "Little miss, isn't it enough that I admit I was wrong? I'll find you an even better clay deposit next time, okay?"
"You said it! If you dare break your promise, you're dead!" Danzhu said fiercely.
"Okay... okay..."
Xu Yanwu responded somewhat meekly, then looked at Chi Yuan with concern. "Um... Chi Yuan, your injuries..."
Chi Yuan covered the spot where she had been struck, frowning. "I'm fine. They aren't too serious; I'll recover after resting for a while. Xu Yanwu, what happened to that Deadwalker?"
"That Deadwalker? The Annihilation Spirit?" Xu Yanwu rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. "No idea why, but she ran the moment she saw me. Then the groundwater burst out, and I lost her..."
"...So?"
"She got away..."
—A Deadwalker's Monologue—
I was an Annihilation Spirit. Don't ask me why I was an Annihilation Spirit, because I didn't know either.
I had been living peacefully at the very bottom of the cave.
But then, on this day, two hateful little bitches suddenly barged in. Not only did they dig up mud, but I could also sense that many of my sisters in the cave had been killed after they appeared.
Those sisters might not have been as smart as me, but that did not mean outsiders could bully them however they pleased!
So I found that black-clothed girl who had ventured deep into the cave, intending to avenge my sisters. But before I could deal with her, another girl in light red clothes arrived.
Although the girl who came later was much stronger than the other one, she was only about as strong as me, so she was not much trouble.
But...
Just as we were fighting, a man appeared.
He, he, he, he, he was terrifying!
Why hadn't I sensed him in the cave before?!
Why was he looking at me like I was prey?!
Most importantly... what was with that feeling from his body, like he was our god?!
So naturally, I got scared and ran away.
But he actually had no intention of letting me go, and even tried to stab me with the spear in his hand.
Luckily, his throw was inaccurate. Otherwise, I would have died long ago.
After that, I lured him to where the cave connected to the groundwater, hoping to take a gamble and see if I could escape.
Luckily, he ran away when he saw the groundwater gushing out. Otherwise...
But because of the groundwater, I could no longer live in that cave. So I followed the groundwater all the way into the ocean.
In the ocean, I encountered a Honkai Beast whose strength far surpassed mine. Thus, as part of a symbiotic relationship, I joined the group of Deadwalkers within its body...
-----Some Time Later-----
"Heave!"
Xu Yanwu hoisted an enormous sack several meters in diameter onto his shoulder, causing a series of clattering, scraping sounds to come from inside it.
Xu Yanwu's Wish Specialty Bag—it could hold anything! Not five or six thousand, not two or three thousand! Only 998! 998! Take supreme enjoyment home!
"Lianshan! Hurry up, carry those shells properly. We'll keep walking along the shore and gather another batch!"
"Okay..."
Like Xu Yanwu, Lianshan carried a huge sack on his back that was not much smaller than Xu Yanwu's. His face was so miserable it looked as though he had eaten a bitter melon.
He should have been happily grinding herbs and making medicine in the tribe. But during a meeting of the tribe's higher-ups, Ji Lin had casually mentioned that many tribes had recently begun using shells as a medium of exchange. As a result, Xu Yanwu had dragged Lianshan over to work as a porter...
"Brother Xu, do we really need to collect so many shells..."
Lianshan had already followed Xu Yanwu across more than a dozen li of beach. He felt like they had practically monopolized every shell in the area...
"Brother Xu, even if shells can be exchanged for things, is it really okay for us to pick up all of them..."
"What do you know? This is all money!"
Xu Yanwu glared at Lianshan. "Besides, things like shells will wash up on the shore again after a while. We won't pick them all clean."
Lianshan said, "Okay..."
As Xu Yanwu walked, he muttered, "Besides, we picked up these shells with our own ability, so what's wrong with that... Has it been easy for me... Not long ago, Cang Xuan actually stuffed chili sauce I used for seasoning up my nose while I was taking a nap... All because I accidentally knocked over the salt she had stockpiled. Salt used to be a universal medium of exchange too—it was an early form of money... Was it easy for me to make chili sauce with a wish..."
"Isn't this just me hurrying to find some shells to bribe her, so she'll go easier on me..."
Lianshan silently listened to Xu Yanwu's muttering and secretly made a decision.
He absolutely could not provoke Cang Xuan in the future...
Wait, did someone seem to be ahead of them?
Eh, eh, eh?!?!
Cang Xuan?! And Chi Yuan?
Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives?!?!
By the way, who was this Cao Cao Brother Xu always talked about?
Three minutes later...
Xu Yanwu obediently squatted in front of Cang Xuan. Beside him sat the bag of shells he had just collected, while Lianshan and Chi Yuan stood to the side, watching speechlessly.
"So this is why you secretly picked up all the shells and left me here collecting for two hours without finding anything?"
Cang Xuan stood expressionlessly before Xu Yanwu, staring at him.
"Ahahahahahaha—"
Xu Yanwu laughed awkwardly and rubbed his hands together. "Wasn't it to give you a surprise..."
"A surprise that made me waste two hours?"
"...I'm sorry, please forgive me. All these shells were collected for you!"
Xu Yanwu admitted his mistake without the slightest backbone.
"Hmph."
Cang Xuan snorted. "That's more like it. I'll reluctantly forgive you."
Only then did Xu Yanwu rise from the ground. "Uh, Cang Xuan, did you and Chi Yuan come to the beach to pick up shells too?"
"Of course not."
Cang Xuan pointed at the stretch of land before them. "We're going to buy this land!"
Before you continue