The Long-Tailed Scorpion had already been hacked into pieces.
Men Qi and Buhaci circled its remains, examining each part and occasionally cutting off a piece of meat.
Men Qi pried the gemstones from its back. Aside from a few small fragments, there were three large pieces.
She held them up to the sun, turning them this way and that.
Each gemstone contained a reflective structure that focused sunlight into a brilliant glint visible from a great distance.
"Why would they have a structure like this? Is it meant to attract something, or ward something off?"
Kevin asked curiously.
"Probably to deal with birds. Scorpions are afraid of the Giant Birds overhead. Maybe these highly reflective gemstones on their backs make the birds think twice before swooping down to catch them."
It was only a guess. This scorpion was formidable, even among those of Knight Rank.
Generally, once a creature reached that level, its physical structures no longer changed much in response to its habits or surroundings.
The gemstones might simply have been a trait that helped it avoid predators when it was weaker, one it had retained ever since.
That was fairly common on the Dark Continent.
It was especially obvious when comparing the same species across different regions.
Some traits that had been useful when a creature was weak became pointless, even burdensome, once it grew strong. Yet they remained.
Then they watched Biscuit take tools from her ring and start cutting the gemstones on the spot.
After a few quick cuts, she had trimmed each gem down to its central tenth.
"This is the valuable part. I can work on it when we get home."
The outer layers were worthless. Stones like those were everywhere, with nothing distinctive about them.
They merely transmitted light extremely well, which was