Success in Crafting

The place was hot and dry, so after searching around for half an hour, Fang Linyan found three spiders under a nearby barn, eaves, and rocks. Two of them had yellow bellies and green legs—local Geometric Yellow-Bellied Widows, each as big as a palm.

The other was much smaller, but pitch-black and glossy all over, like a well-polished abacus bead, with only a strange red spot on its abdomen. This was a Six-Eyed Red-Bellied Spider.

Weighing the pros and cons, Fang Linyan finally settled on the Six-Eyed Red-Bellied Spider.

Though this spider was small and its venom wasn't as potent as the Geometric Yellow-Bellied Widow's, the latter was a web-weaver, best at spinning a large net and waiting for prey to stumble in. The Six-Eyed Red-Bellied Spider, however, was a hunting spider—it didn't stay in one place but roamed around, relying on its jumping ability and explosive speed to hunt.

In Fang Linyan's memory, the Voodoo Sect's black witchcraft—Blood Spider—essentially used one's own blood to summon a blood-red spider to attack the enemy. The Geometric Yellow-Bellied Widow could enhance its venom, while the Six-Eyed Red-Bellied Spider boosted the blood spider's jumping power and mobility.

After weighing the options, Fang Linyan ultimately favored the latter. He wrapped the Six-Eyed Red-Bellied Spider in a piece of paper, set it on fire, then shook the burnt ashes into the voodoo doll. Biting his finger, he drew a strange rune on it.

Just as the rune was completed, an indescribably eerie chuckle rang out from nowhere, carrying an intense malevolence. Fang Linyan's whole body jolted, his face turning pale as he stumbled and fell to the ground in a sorry state, even blood trickling from his ears and mouth.

Then he spat out three mouthfuls of blood in succession, all of it splattering onto the voodoo doll in front of him, absorbed completely without a drop wasted. It was fortunate that he now had a healthy body; if it had been his previous one, stricken with lung cancer, those three mouthfuls of blood would have cost him half his life!

When the voodoo doll was successfully crafted, Fang Linyan suddenly felt as if the entire world before him—even time and space—rippled strangely. But the sensation was fleeting, like a faint ripple passing over water, hovering between reality and illusion.

At that moment, though, he was utterly exhausted, with a sharp pain in his chest like a knife twisting. So he only felt a brief daze before dismissing the matter. Leaning against the wall, he panted for a while, then grabbed a bottle of frozen cola and took a big gulp to recover. When his hand touched the voodoo doll, a series of information appeared on his retina:

Hastily Crafted Voodoo Doll (Condition: Fair)

Creator: Contractee ID 72AFS

Equipment Rarity: Blue (Base rarity is White, but quality was boosted by ability bonus during crafting.)

Materials: Paper, wax, cloth, straw, bone powder, blood

Socketable Gem Slots: 1

Equipment: Only the holder of the voodoo doll can use Voodoo Sect black witchcraft, and it grants a 6-6 base damage bonus to the holder's black witchcraft.

Passive Attribute: Blood Refining (Special)—This voodoo doll was mixed with the creator's blood during crafting, so when the creator uses it, any black witchcraft requiring blood as a casting material/medium will have its casting time reduced by 3 seconds. If the continuous casting time is less than 3 seconds, it becomes instant. Non-creators receive no bonus.

Passive Attribute: Inferior—Superior crafting skill cannot mask the low quality of the materials themselves. This voodoo doll will be destroyed after a certain number of uses. Remaining uses: 10.

"Evaluation: I'd take a dozen of these voodoo dolls—if the price is right."

"Because all materials used in this equipment are common, it cannot be taken out of this world."

Fang Linyan didn't feel much about the equipment's attributes, but what he didn't know was that under normal circumstances, a blue equipment would gain one enchantment attribute bonus, and a top-tier blue equipment would gain two.

However, probably because the passive attribute "Blood Refining" was too strong, the negative passive attribute "Inferior" appeared to balance it out. In other words, Fang Linyan's hidden crafting ability was deemed too powerful even by the space itself, so a negative attribute had to be added to even things out.

After picking up the voodoo doll, Fang Linyan didn't act immediately. Instead, he stayed outside to observe. At this point, he naturally had to execute his second most important plan: getting some money. A single coin could stump a hero! He only had four dollars left on him—not even enough for a meal, let alone completing the main quest.

When it came to making money, Fang Linyan had thought it through carefully. First, he ruled out illegal violent means, because his current body was just that of an ordinary young man. If he caused trouble and drew the cops, even a non-fatal bullet wound could cost him half his life.

However, earning money through legitimate channels wasn't in his options either. So now, Fang Linyan was carefully observing, looking for an opportunity. After waiting about an hour and a half, his eyes suddenly lit up. A "Hellcat" sedan drove up from a distance, with obvious modifications and a skull paint job—clearly a local gang's car.

There were three people in the car. Two got out directly, glanced around warily, and quickly headed toward the supermarket, while one stayed in the vehicle.

Seeing this, Fang Linyan's eyes brightened. He stood up and quietly moved to the rear of the car, noticing that the exhaust pipe was still emitting fumes—the engine hadn't been turned off. This gave him confidence.

From the car's appearance, the occupants were likely gang members.

There were three people in the car, but one stayed behind, suggesting there was something valuable inside that needed guarding.

The two who left looked around cautiously before departing.

The temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius, neither hot nor cold, so there was no need to keep the AC running. Yet the car wasn't turned off, and the man in the driver's seat gripped the steering wheel, scanning his surroundings—indicating he was extremely paranoid and ready to drive off at any moment.

These four factors combined, Fang Linyan felt the other party was likely up to something, and he could take a gamble! Along the way, he could also test the power of the Voodoo Sect witchcraft: Blood Spider. Seeing the two who got out had already entered the supermarket, Fang Linyan moved to a spot ten meters behind the Hellcat, where a box truck completely concealed his figure.