An offering
Lu Heng turned off the floating blue mental panel and let out a long sigh.
He wasn't surprised that his Mental Energy level was still at 0. He had only just acquired the Starlight Meditation Method and couldn't accumulate energy all at once; he could only hone and cultivate it little by little.
He had been sitting cross-legged on the ground for a long time, and his legs were terribly numb, as if they were filled with heavy mud. He braced himself against the cold stone floor with his hands and slowly moved to stand up. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a tingling, numb pain shot through his calves. Lu Heng stomped his feet back and forth, rotated his ankles and knees repeatedly, and shook his aching wrists to get the blood flowing again. The faint cracking of his bones was particularly clear in the quiet Shelter.
It was a full day. I went to explore a distant Meteorite Crater, encountered more than twenty Spotted Hyena and fought them in close combat. After returning, I sorted through the ores I brought back, arranged the three new items I had acquired, and sat down to try meditation. My nerves were on edge the whole time. Now that I've stopped what I was doing, all the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day suddenly rushed over me.
Lu Heng had no intention of going to bed now.
He recalled the Star Altar set up on the second floor.
This was his first time offering sacrifices on the altar. In his view, the principles of dealing with others were the same. If you wanted to get something decent in return, you couldn't be perfunctory on the first meeting. Just like paying protection money in the outside world, you had to offer enough and show enough sincerity for the other party to be willing to give a decent return. If you just casually tossed out a couple of insignificant things to fool them, you probably wouldn't get anything useful in return.
Having made up his mind, Lu Heng opened the Storage Space built into the Wristband.
In one corner of the space was a large pile of materials he had accumulated over a long period of time. These were all leftovers from hunting wild beasts, miscellaneous items that were neither of great use nor worth throwing away. There were fragments of Night Ghost claws, blood crystals and Snow Pearl condensed from Blizzard Monster monsters, bones of Swamp Giant Python, broken bones of tigers, and the skin of Poison Lizard and glands containing residual toxins. They were all crammed together in a mess, taking up a lot of storage space. The main problem was that he hadn't used any of these materials with his recipes or blueprints, so he couldn't use them anyway.
This sacrifice will be a good opportunity to get rid of all these unused materials.
Lu Heng reached out and took the materials out of his spatial storage one by one, carrying them all in his arms. The pile of materials was heavy, with a hardened feel after being dried, and a faint earthy smell wafted from it. Carrying the full load of things, he stepped onto the stone steps and walked up to the second floor.
The second floor is spacious and open. The Star Altar is firmly fixed to the ground, having chosen its own location beforehand, and will not move an inch no matter how much it is pushed.
Lu Heng walked to the altar and didn't deliberately arrange anything fancy. He simply took out the materials from his pocket one by one and spread them evenly on the stone surface of the altar, covering the entire surface. This was his first time making a sacrifice, so there was no need for any fancy ceremony. Taking out all the materials he had on hand was the most sincere expression of his respect.
Once the last material was placed, there was no blinding light or strange sound.
The pile of materials spread on the countertop gradually became transparent and blurred, slowly dissipating into the air. After just a few seconds, it completely disappeared, leaving the countertop spotless without even a single crumb.
A moment later, a new piece of equipment slowly materialized in the center of the altar.
It was a single-sided arm guard with claws, the overall tone was dark, the metal texture looked hard and solid, and the claw blades were exceptionally sharp.
Lu Heng reached out and picked up the equipment. It felt cold and heavy to the touch, and the claws slid and extended very smoothly. He immediately raised his wrist and Wristband to scan and appraise the equipment.
Blue text entries slowly appeared.
[Ghost Claw | Bronze Tier]
Combat arm armor with retractable claws, formed from Star Force. It combines offense and defense, with three claws that can be freely extended and retracted. The claw blades have extremely strong armor-piercing and cutting capabilities, the armor body can block physical damage, and it slightly enhances the explosive power of one arm.
After reading the equipment description, Lu Heng felt much more at ease.
He was already wearing a single-arm armor, so only one arm was protected, while the other arm was always free. Whenever he fought wild beasts at close range, he would subconsciously worry that his free arm would be bitten or scratched.
Now this Ghost Claw has filled the gap, and both arms are now equipped with corresponding protective arm armor.
Lu Heng moved his arms back and forth. The armor on both sides fit his arms perfectly, the weight was just right, and it wouldn't hinder his movements. With both arms protected, he felt much more confident in close combat.
He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't been lazy and had sacrificed all the idle materials he had accumulated over time. A pile of scrap materials that he wouldn't normally use had been exchanged for a pair of arm armor that perfectly filled his gaps in his gear—a very worthwhile deal. If he had been more stingy and only offered a small amount of materials, he probably wouldn't have been able to get such a well-suited piece of equipment. The effort put in yields the corresponding reward.
Lu Heng raised his wrist and glanced at the time displayed on his Wristband. It was already completely dark outside, and the mountain wind outside the cliff was blowing in gusts, making a muffled whistling sound.
Today, I've been traveling back and forth from morning till night, fighting hyenas, tending to the Shelter, trying meditation, and completing my first sacrifice. Both my body and mind are exhausted to the limit, and there's no need to do anything else.
Lu Heng glanced around the second floor, confirming that the altar was stable and secure, and that there were no abnormalities. He then turned and walked down the stone steps. He closed the partition on the second-floor passageway to isolate the space upstairs and prevent any unknown dangers from occurring at night.
After completing the simple inspection, Lu Heng turned and walked towards the bedroom inside the Shelter.
Looking back on today's trip to the Meteorite Crater, the rewards were greater than any previous outing. Gravity-Pressing Stone, Falling Star Sand, Star Tear, the unique Star Altar, the Starlight Meditation Method, plus the Ghost Claw Armguards obtained through the sacrifice, all filled the gaps in the defense of my arms. Although I encountered danger several times along the way, the final reward was more than enough.
Lu Heng lay down on the stone bed, his back against the cool stone surface. His nerves, which had been tense all day, slowly relaxed, and the chaotic thoughts gradually faded away, replaced by a heavy sense of fatigue. He closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and decided to rest well for the night to prepare himself for his upcoming exploration.