Various Applications and Speculations × So Close

[May 3, 2002]

[This is a day to remember. The third Gale Grassland Exploration Team, consisting of Kevin, Melusina, Men Qi, Xiahara, Rukira, and Koala, brought back the first ray of "hope".]

[May 4, 2002]

In the Travelogue, Long-haired Creature are simply referred to as cows, and the milky white liquid obtained is called Milk; however, this is merely the author's own arbitrary abbreviation.

Based on our experience from the third exploration, we named the Long-haired Creature "Long-Haired Creature I-Gran," and the hope extracted from its lake "Thick White Milk."

[May 5, 2002]

Kevin began researching how to incorporate Thick White Milk into the potion.

Men Qi began researching how to incorporate Thick White Milk into food.

Qiduo began researching the biological components of Thick White Milk and how it produced therapeutic and medicinal value.

Koto began researching whether Thick White Milk could provide plants with high nutritional value.

----]

In his Notebook, he typed in the last character.

This is my log from the past few days.

He keeps these logs every day, and he makes a simple summary of everyone's experience each day.

This is his mission.

After all, they were a team, and everyone had their own responsibilities, even though they were simply divided into Hunting team, Scout Team, and a logistics team.

But everyone who comes to the Dark Continent has their own goals and purposes.

While shouldering team responsibilities, one must also strive towards personal goals.

As a core data processing personnel.

The strategy is very clear about the purpose of each person.

He took out a thick stack of research records about plants of the Dark Continent that Koto had placed next to him, and slowly entered the new records into the system.

At the same time, he placed Illumi's research on various toxins in the Dark Continent, as well as data records and reports on related Serum Antidote, next to it.

Everyone has similar personal tasks to complete.

Biscuit, aren't you going to research that Milk?

Gon, who was perched in the tree, looked at Biscuit next to him and asked.

Biscuit stood to the side, holding binoculars, and shook her head slightly.

"Idiot, I'm not interested in that stuff. Let them do the research. We'll use the results eventually." She interrupted Gon.

"Stop talking, that guy's here."

Through the telescope, one can see a strange creature standing on a tree branch in the distance. It has claws like a bird, wings with bird claws on them, a head like a dinosaur, and a long, thin tail like Rat.

Most notably, his crown was not made of feathers or flesh, but of pillars made of Rock.

Structure.

Reflected by the sunlight, it gathers a brilliant radiance.

"What a beautiful Rock! I finally caught it after all this time," Biscuit excitedly.

The Gemstone Crown Dragon, a Bird Dragon Beast that is less than 80 centimeters long, is pitifully small in the vast Beasts Giant Beast Kingdom.

However, the light gathered by the Dragon Crown Gemstone on its head can have a disorienting effect even on Large Dragon Beast.

Extremely fast and agile.

After Biscuit was fooled once, she remembered it; the Beasts kept tracking her.

"Strange!"

"Okay, okay." Kiy stared blankly, somewhat helplessly.

It quietly slid down from the tree without making a sound.

For this former assassin, the ability to approach silently in the jungle had become instinctive.

Especially after experiencing the brutal beatings of the Dark Continent.

Seriously speaking, among the entire Exploration Team, Qi is definitely number one in how to conceal his presence.

After landing, Qi entered an extreme state of aggression and began to approach silently.

Gon and Biscuit also landed, and the two were responsible for driving away any Beasts that might threaten Qi in the surrounding area.

Finally, Qi had slowly approached the Dragon Beast.

"Call out!"

In the Lightning Speed.

The air pressure flashed like lightning, instantly shooting up to the treetops, and a hand reached out like a claw.

Just as I was about to touch the Dragon Beast, the Gem Crown on its head shimmered in the sunlight.

Killua was momentarily stunned.

Although he had already reached out due to inertia, his movements were somehow distorted, and his hand passed through the side of the Dragon Beast.

The feathers on the bird's back brushed against his palm.

This fleeting moment of missed grab gave the Bird Dragon Beast an immediate opportunity. With a powerful leap, it sped off like an arrow and landed on another tree.

A mistake was made.

Or perhaps it was affected by the Bird Dragon Beast's dazed state.

"Surround it!" Gon and Biscuit, who were far away, immediately rushed forward, forming a triangle to try and hunt down the Bird Dragon Beast.

But after failing the first time, catching him again became extremely difficult.

The Gemstone Crown Dragon's ability to thrive in the Giant Beast Kingdom is undeniable.

It keenly sensed the encirclement and immediately leaped and glided from the treetop.

He quickly broke free from the three men's encirclement, and even if they wanted to drive him away, the chances of success were slim.

Just then...

Just as the Bird Dragon Beast leaped onto another branch, the thick branch instantly shed its disguise.

It transformed into a long snake, tilted its head, and swallowed the Gemstone Crown Dragon that was standing on it whole.

"It's that beast!" Biscuit recognized the snake immediately. It was the same one that had attacked them earlier.

Qi had already rushed forward.

The snake that ambushed them wasn't particularly powerful; it was only able to defeat them last time because they were hunting another giant beast at the time, and this damned snake was hiding nearby to launch the sneak attack.

The snake didn't try to run away; instead, it went to meet it.

His previous surprise attack on the group had made him underestimate the strength of humans.

In addition, none of the three were particularly large.

"Hmph, you dare to charge at me?"

While hunting here.

Kevin has already begun his research in the Pharmaceutical Room.

He stared at the single drop of Thick White Milk dripping onto the tray, lost in thought.

This is undoubtedly a top- A-Rank material.

He has the power to create it now, but the problem is that the necessary materials are hard to find.

He has found the supplementary materials.

That's the venom of the Resentful Eater Snake.

This byproduct is essential; otherwise, the concentrated nutrient solution can only serve as a nutritional supplement, produced by bodily functions.

It's important to understand that the Nenki of the Resentful Eater Snake uses its venom to transform the life force of flesh and blood into surging Nen Aura that it then consumes.

It was just enough to transform the concentrated nutrient solution into surging Nen Aura.

The problem is how to fuse the two materials?

The third type of Fusion Agent is hard to find.

First, one must possess a certain level of detoxification power, and then one must perfectly bind the two together.

"Have you run into a problem?" At this moment, Melusina walked in from behind Kevin, reached out and rubbed his temples, and asked.

Kevin nodded and told the other person about the problem he was facing.

"There are three ways. First, look in the Giant Beast Kingdom for Molted Beast Skin. Then, ask Little Wang if he has any related information. Finally, you can ask Tuck if he has any relevant records."

Upon hearing this, Kevin pondered for a moment, then nodded.

The first one goes without saying.

The second possibility is that Little Wang, being Resentful Eater Snake, has a good chance of knowing that there are materials that can detoxify him.

The third possibility is that the Information Chip on Kevin's body comes from this Machine Lifeform. Tuck, as a member of the life form, has relevant knowledge and records, so the possibility is not low.

Let's ask Little Wang first.

Kevin wasn't the only one researching Thick White Milk.

Men Qi and Xiahara are now also thinking about how to incorporate flatbread into their cooking.

"How about we make it into a soup? It would be so easy to add a liquid like this to soup, right? Soup would also dilute its nutrients, making it easier for everyone to absorb after drinking it," Buhaci suggested from the side.

This is the simplest method. Almost everyone who sees this Thick White Milk and wants to make a dish from it will think of this method first.

Men Qi shook her head.

"The ingredients for that Bing Ta are meaningless. All you need to do is boil a pot of water, then add a drop of Thick White Milk to dilute it. It's hardly worthy of being called a dish."

Upon hearing this, Xiahara was stunned for a moment.

"It seems that's really the case."

This act of completely diluting a grain of sand cannot be called cooking at all; no one would have thought of such a method.

As a chef, one must incorporate Thick White Milk into dishes to make them delicious, nutritious, and easily digestible.

"And if it's dripped into the soup, how can we ensure that the cake doesn't dissipate? Even the aroma alone contains concentrated nutrients."

Even if it diffuses into the soup, it will easily dissipate with the steam. Besides, how much hot water would we need to prepare to make up for it?

"The most important question is, how much water can one person drink at a time? The concentration of nutrients might not be enough."

The problem remains unresolved.

First, the food made with Thick White Milk should have its nutrients locked in. This will ensure the food is nutritious, but if the food is not nutritious enough, even medications may not be absorbed.

Finally, we consider its deliciousness.

Although for a Gourmet Hunter, having delicious food as the last resort is a failure, that's just how it is.

Men Qi was very clear about what was most important right now. If it were just her, she would certainly be quite willful, and she would definitely act willfully. But right now, the team's main needs were at stake.

"What were your initial thoughts?" Buhaci asked.

"For the condiments, I'd like to mix the Thick White Milk with the Bing Ta condiments to make a simple dipping sauce, or a similar seasoning sauce."

"Let the cake be attached to the Bing Ta food, so that the food provides high nutrition without lacking flavor or overshadowing the main dish."

"After all, this concentrated nutrient solution really can't be used as a main dish; it can only be used as an ingredient."

As she spoke, Men Qi prepared to get moving.

He took out a transparent Medicine Tube from his pocket.

There was a layer of white liquid at the bottom of the medicine, which looked to be only about the size of a little finger.

"It's hard to imagine that such a small amount of food would be so nutritious that it would be unbearable for one person."

"We'd be glad we didn't waste it; this thing is very precious."

After all, although they know the fixed production location, the problem is that they still don't have a way to consistently obtain the output.

Only in special circumstances can Keqing attempt to forcibly seize something.

It also carries a considerable risk.

It took quite a while.

Kevin, on the other side, had already spoken with Little Wang and received the answer that he didn't know.

Even after sending Little Wang to communicate with Bing Ta's snake, they didn't get any results.

The main reason is that this area is their territory, and they have never cared who could cure their Snake Venom.

After all, they don't leave Snake Venom to kill animals; they always wrap their prey up first, then pour the Snake Venom into it before eating it.

Snake Venom is merely a cooking method to turn prey into an edible food.

L was not a primary tool used for hunting.

Ugh, this is troublesome.

"Then let's go ask Tuck where he is."

"He should be hunting in the outer areas, among Bing Ta; after all, he has a great need for communication," Melusina said after thinking for a moment.

Tuck usually follows anyone who is active around the base.

The main issue is that, for Tuck, humans are always coming and going.

Each interaction lasts only a short time before the person returns, either disappearing or dying.

Tuck didn't know how long it would be before he saw a human again, so every time he encountered one, he had a very strong need to communicate with them in order to stabilize his will and soul.

For him, this was the foundation of survival.

"Then let's go look for it."

The two left the Snake Nest base and wandered around for a long time.

Then they saw two or three people, looking somewhat disheveled, but carrying a Giant Snake.

"Did you get your revenge?" Kevin asked.

Gon smiled and nodded.

Then Kevin saw Biscuit, a person holding a gem, hopping and spinning forward.

The other person seems to be in a very good mood.

"What discovery made you so happy?" Kevin had a pretty good idea.

However, Biscuit jumped over and held up the Gem Crown Bird, which she had just forcibly taken from the snake's mouth.

"A gemstone, what a beautiful gemstone, naturally radiant without any polishing."

Sunlight shone on the gemstone, making Kevin.

Kevin took a step back in an instant, frowning.

"Huh? You're not in a daze?" Biscuit in surprise.

Because at this stage, whether it's Gon, Qi, herself, or Bing Ta have all experienced a momentary daze.

Even the largest and most powerful beasts, the ones they had to flee from, were momentarily stunned.

Kevin Shirley didn't.

"A little affected by the Buddha, but not to the point of complete disorientation. Is it a mental attack?" Kevin suddenly became interested.

"Isn't it amazing? I'm thinking about what kind of ornament I could make from it to better serve my team." Biscuit absolutely adored this beautiful gem that also proved useful in battle. It combined beauty and practicality.

"Perhaps it could be used as a testing device to assess the strength of one's mental will," Melusina said suddenly as she watched from the side.

"You weren't shaken either?" Biscuit, surprised.

Melusina shook her head. "I don't feel anything at all."

Kevin could understand why, since Melusina had some blood from the Resentful Eater Snake.

The other party still exists in physical form, and the strengthening of their mental will is undeniable.