Watching An Xi walk away, Chu Sheng raised his eyebrows, a smile curling his lips.
Business was coming.
The existence of Sacrificial Items was no secret.
On the contrary, plenty of people knew about them, including ordinary survivors. But Sacrificial Items were so rare that most had only heard of them, never seen one.
Yet the Sacrificial Item he had made by fusing the Cat-Claw Blade with his twice-upgraded Butcher Knife had only ranked somewhere in the nine thousands.
Chu Sheng believed a ranking in the nine thousands most likely put it near the bottom.
Although that suggested there were over nine thousand Sacrificial Items, on a worldwide scale, that really wasn't very many.
He had no doubt that some convoys didn't have even a single Sacrificial Item.
Now that he could fuse materials produced by uncanny creatures with ordinary objects to create Sacrificial Items, anyone who heard about it would be tempted.
Before long, An Xi returned with a spear over her shoulder and a bone resembling white jade in her hand.
"Help me check whether this is a supernatural material." An Xi handed the bone to Chu Sheng, a hint of anticipation in her voice.
A Sacrificial Item!
If she really could turn her spear into a Sacrificial Item, her strength would improve tremendously.
The biggest difference between Sacrificial Items and ordinary objects was that Sacrificial Items possessed supernatural power.
Chu Sheng took the bone and nodded immediately. "This is a supernatural material."
"Good, that's good!" An Xi patted her chest. "Zhu Qing and I killed a skeleton together a while ago. After we killed it, we noticed that two of its ribs looked different. We thought they might be useful, so we each kept one."
"It wasn't until you mentioned uncanny creatures producing supernatural materials that I realized what it was," An Xi said, her eyes shining as she looked at Chu Sheng.
"Can this spear of mine become a Sacrificial Item?"
Chu Sheng made no move, merely watching her in silence.
"Uh..."
"What are you staring at me for?" An Xi felt awkward under his gaze, but she soon remembered his personality and how he did things. She immediately realized he was asking for payment, and irritation flared.
"You're actually worried I'll stiff you?!"
Chu Sheng said nothing. He simply nodded.
"I don't know about stiffing me, but I only accept payment upfront."
"You! Just you wait!" An Xi was furious and headed back to her vehicle again.
A short while later.
A twenty-liter can of gasoline, five kilograms of rice, and a five-kilogram steel plate sat in front of Chu Sheng.
An Xi had made two trips back and forth.
On the first trip, she had tried to get Chu Sheng to fuse her Sacrificial Item for five kilograms of rice and the steel plate.
But he had refused.
So she had gone back again and returned carrying a twenty-liter can of gasoline.
"Just so we're clear, you won't get a discount next time."
Holding the rib in one hand and the spear in the other, Chu Sheng looked at An Xi as he reminded her.
"After I use my ability, I need to rest for a while."
At that, An Xi's eyes widened, and she stared at Chu Sheng, speechless.
Gasoline and rice were both strategic supplies, and the steel plate was something you needed too. And you're telling me you're still giving me a discount?
We're both Sequence supernaturals, yet you claim you need to rest after using your ability? Who are you trying to fool?
Chu Sheng ignored her and continued, "What I'd actually prefer is supernatural materials. From now on, the price will be one supernatural material for every Sacrificial Item I fuse for you. Any material will do."
"If you find any supernatural materials suited to your spear in the future, remember to keep them. The more compatible the material is with the object, the better. The resulting Sacrificial Item will rank higher too."
As his words fell, a white light instantly enveloped the jade-white rib and the spear.
The activity here also drew everyone else's attention.
The white light was rather dazzling in the darkness.
Captain Hui, Old Li, and Zhu Qing all came over, while the survivors craned their necks to look.
"Brother Zhou, what are they doing over there?" Li Ling sat on the ground, watching the activity around Chu Sheng as she asked curiously.
"No idea. Probably enhancing something?" Zhou Dun shook his head. "You all saw it a few days ago. Chu Sheng's Sequence seems to let him turn objects into other things. A bicycle became a motorcycle."
"I imagine it's something similar this time."
Li Qian nodded beside him, envy in her eyes. "If only we had an ability like that."
"Ah..." Zhou Dun sighed and glanced at the people around them, who were also looking toward Chu Sheng with envy. "Let's survive first. There'll be opportunities in the future."
"Mm."
The white light from Chu Sheng's fusion soon faded.
The rib that had been wrapped in the white light was now gone, and the spear had turned white.
There was a slight translucence to that white color.
[White Jade Spear] [Sacrificial Item ranking: 6,761] [Ability one: Increased toughness, hardness, and sharpness. A spear fused with a skeleton's rib. Increased damage against skeletons. Added supernatural energy conduction.] [Ability two: Automatic return. After binding to an owner, the White Jade Spear can automatically return to its owner's hand from within fifty meters.] [Sacrificial Item: A supernatural object. Every use comes at a price!] [Cost of use: A spear that craves living beings. Requires daily nourishment with fresh blood, preferably by killing a person. Failure to meet this condition will result in backlash.] [Hidden attribute: If you are Chu Sheng, there is no cost of use!]
Looking at the ranking, Chu Sheng smacked his lips. Sure enough, he had guessed right. The better the object and the more compatible the supernatural material, the higher the ranking.
His Butcher Knife, for instance, ranked only 9,633rd, while this spear had shot straight to 6,761st after becoming a Sacrificial Item.
And his Butcher Knife had been upgraded twice, whereas this spear had only been upgraded once.
Still, he believed that as long as he kept upgrading the Butcher Knife and fusing it with supernatural materials, it would eventually reach a higher rank.
Chu Sheng shook his head, casting those thoughts out of his mind.
But that gesture gave An Xi a terrible fright.
"Did something go wrong?! Is my spear all right?!"
"Mm." Seeing An Xi's anxious expression, Chu Sheng simply handed the White Jade Spear over.
"See for yourself."
Before a Sacrificial Item bound to an owner, anyone could learn its information just by touching it.
An Xi took the White Jade Spear and examined its information, while Zhu Qing asked in confusion beside her, "Your Sacrificial Item fusions can fail too?"
Chu Sheng merely glanced at him. Then, as though something had occurred to him, he nodded. "Yes."
"But you don't need to worry about the first fusion. The first one won't fail."
"Still, this ability takes a lot out of me. After one fusion, I need to wait three or four days before I can use it again."
With his ability to upgrade and fuse objects, his importance within the convoy had skyrocketed. But he couldn't simply upgrade their equipment to show off his ability.
Otherwise, once their strength reached a certain level, his standing would decline.
Keeping them waiting served his interests better.
"That ability of yours really is overpowered. I've never heard of anyone who could produce Sacrificial Items. Otherwise, our convoy wouldn't have only one."
Zhu Qing offered that remark without a trace of guile.
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