"Reporting to you, my lord. The mall has three floors, and we've already reached the entrance to the third."
Though Bone Ash couldn't fathom why Gu Su had suddenly asked, he still replied respectfully and at once.
"If we're only counting the mall itself, we can finish exploring it in half a day.
"But if we include the street across from the mall and the surrounding area, it'll take nearly a full day to search everything."
From Bone Ash's clear, orderly report, Gu Su could tell that undead at the squad-leader level were no longer as stiff and dull-witted as ordinary skeletons. They were intelligent enough to carry out orders precisely and report the situation clearly, which made things much easier.
Gu Su nodded in satisfaction, then pushed the plate of tribute offerings, stained with deathly energy, toward Bone Ash. His tone was casual but approving. "I understand. Good work. Take these and distribute them among the skeletons in your squad."
As he spoke, he tossed a few gold coins onto the stall to pay for the offerings.
Then Gu Su picked up the Cursed Crystal and Bloodstained Rag Doll from the stall and turned toward the Weird Tree.
He planned to use the two items to nourish the Netherfire Pile and the Weird Tree. After all, white-grade items here would respawn even if nobody bought them. Since Gu Su could take them with him now, that was better than leaving them here until they disappeared.
Bone Ash froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Gu Su to grant him extra offerings. He hurriedly lowered his stiff head and said respectfully, "Thank you, my lord."
Then he gathered up the offerings and hurried outside.
He knew the mall hadn't been fully explored yet. He had to get back and direct his squad without delaying their progress.
As he walked out, he ate the Tribute Fruit Gu Su had given him earlier. Yin energy quickly entered his body, strengthening his physique.
Meanwhile, Gu Su continued onward. When he passed the Netherfire Pile, he didn't even break stride. He simply raised his hand and tossed the Cursed Crystal into the blazing flames with perfect aim.
The next instant, a strange change took place.
The stones around the Netherfire Pile turned translucent, and a tiny black vortex slowly formed inside them. Even the flames seemed deeper in color than before.
The system prompt appeared at just the right moment, clearly noting the change.
[Netherfire Pile (Level 1) attribute upgraded. Can absorb cursed energy and convert it into yin energy.]
Gu Su raised an eyebrow and nodded to himself.
The Cursed Crystal had been worth buying. Just by tossing it in, he'd given the Netherfire Pile a new kind of energy to gather.
But what interested Gu Su more was the Graveyard Demon's remarkable ability to accommodate items. As long as an item wasn't directly incompatible, most things could easily be incorporated into the appropriate system.
For example, the Cursed Crystal had one effect when tossed into the Netherfire Pile, and might have a completely different one if given to the Weird Tree.
This discovery gave Gu Su a better understanding of how to make use of the items he had on hand.
He continued onward and soon reached the Weird Tree. With a quick motion, he tossed the Bloodstained Rag Doll toward its roots.
Before the doll could hit the ground, several dark vines hanging from the Weird Tree swiftly coiled around it.
They gave it a gentle tug, hanging it in the dense canopy. It joined the animal hide already suspended there and the Giant Lily seeds on the branches, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
The doll looked rather distinctive, but in practice, its effect was quite modest.
Gu Su glanced at the Weird Tree's restoration progress and saw that it had increased by only 5%. Apart from that, the tree showed no other changes: it had grown no new leaves and gained no additional effects.
"Better than nothing."
Gu Su muttered under his breath, not too concerned. The doll had cost only seven gold coins, so this effect was hardly a loss.
Only after taking care of those two things did Gu Su turn to look at the five elite skeletons and two mage skeletons resting nearby.
Their simple chainmail still bore faint traces of blood, but they were clearly in much better spirits. The Corruption Mycelium was evidently of some benefit in restoring the undead.
They were now ready to head out and fight.
The real reason he'd pressed Bone Ash about the mall's progress was to find out whether he could spare some of his people to help with today's exploration.
After all, half of Gu Su's elite skeletons were still stationed near the mall, protecting Bone Ash's squad from enemy ambushes while they explored.
But from Bone Ash's report, it was clear that searching the mall and surrounding streets would take quite some time. He couldn't spare anyone.
That meant Gu Su would have to adjust his original plan. He'd have to tackle today's exploration with the few elite skeletons before him, and rely on himself as well.
Gu Su was quietly planning the route ahead when he heard wings beating overhead.
The White Crows he'd sent to scout were returning one after another. They fluttered down with their white bone wings and landed on the Weird Tree's branches or the open ground near Gu Su, reporting on the surrounding area with hoarse caws.
The first to return were the White Crows that had scouted in the direction of the gas station.
They passed the site where the gas station had disappeared and continued farther afield, eventually finding a half-collapsed building in a stretch of wild grass, its walls entangled in dense vines.
According to the White Crows, the building had once been a commercial high-rise of around twenty stories. For some reason, most of it had collapsed, leaving only five or six floors. Wild grass grew among the rubble, making the place look utterly desolate.
Most striking of all, thick vines covered the building's walls. They were deep green and clung tightly to the concrete and steel, almost completely covering what remained of the structure.
But the building's ruined state and the vines' size weren't what had made the White Crows realize something was amiss and rush back to report.
The vines gave off a faint green glow. It was especially noticeable in dim places, lending them an indescribably eerie air. They were clearly no ordinary vines and had to come from somewhere unusual.
Not long after that squad of White Crows finished its report, another group that had flown east returned with another important discovery.
About two thousand meters east of the Graveyard Demon, they had found a modest-sized puddle. Its water was filthy and gave off a faint fishy smell. Around it lived a pack of wolves with rotting skin and greenish flesh, numbering about twenty.
What made Gu Su's eyes light up was that the White Crows had repeatedly checked and confirmed that the Rotten Wolves had no Wolf King leading them.
In other words, they were just a scattered pack of wild monsters with no unified command. If they launched a surprise attack, their odds of winning would be much better.
Before you continue