Changes

Lu Heng woke up naturally.

There was no glaring light, no sudden noise; it was just that my body had slept enough, the muscles that had been tense all day were completely relaxed, and my consciousness slowly returned.

He propped himself up on the stone bed, pressing his palms against the cool stone surface, and stretched his back and waist a couple of times. He had been exhausted from fighting and traveling all day in the meteorite crater yesterday, and a good night's sleep had finally helped him recover.

After getting out of bed and getting his footing, he casually straightened his clothes, reached into the Storage Slot, and pulled out a clean, empty mineral water bottle.

He still remembered what happened.

The Star Tear was just installed yesterday, but we have no idea how it produces Starwater, when it produces it, or what the yield is. I couldn't observe it after dark last night, so I'll go over this morning to check it out myself.

Lu Heng walked directly towards the Planting Room.

Pushing open the door, a faint, damp, earthy smell mixed with the fresh scent of vegetable leaves hit me—it was very comforting.

In the Planting Room, the three beads each perform their own function.

The Sunlight Pearl glowed, steadily suppressing the daytime temperature; the Moonlight Pearl hung quietly to the side, waiting to take effect at nightfall; the Star Tear in the very center floated silently, looking utterly unremarkable.

But Lu Heng saw the problem at a glance.

Water was dripping slowly from the bottom of the bead.

The water droplets are very light and fall slowly, so they are almost imperceptible unless you look closely.

Moreover, all the dripping Starwater landed precisely on the nearly mature Pumpkin vine below.

Lu Heng immediately raised an eyebrow.

He could tell that it hadn't just been dripping for a few minutes.

The vines, leaves, and the surface of the pumpkin rind all had a fine, moist sheen, as if they had been soaked in fine water droplets for a long time. It seemed that since late at night, the Star Tear had been condensing water on their own, silently nourishing the Pumpkin below.

No wonder he didn't notice anything last night.

Lu Heng didn't dare to delay, so he quickly raised his hand, held up the empty mineral water bottle, and brought it directly under the dripping water droplets.

He had just aligned the bottle opening with the glass.

A strange thing happened in an instant.

The water droplets, which had been falling slowly and intermittently, seemed to have finally found their proper place to land, no longer scattering on the branches and leaves. Inside the Star Tear, there was a faint shimmering of water. The Starwater that had accumulated all night instantly flowed along the patterns on the bottom of the droplet, and a thin, soft stream of water fell straight down, all of it landing in the mineral water bottle.

The flow rate is not fast, but it is extremely stable.

Within seconds, a layer of clear liquid had accumulated at the bottom of the bottle.

Lu Heng's hand holding the bottle froze in mid-air, completely bewildered.

Before he could recover from this strange change, the Pumpkin vines beneath his feet suddenly began to move.

He remembered that big Pumpkin very clearly; it was only a day or two away from being fully ripe, with plump flesh, sturdy green vines, and excellent growth.

But right now.

A very subtle, crisp sound.

The main stem of the most mature melon broke off directly.

Immediately afterward, the entire vine began to wither and die at a visible rate. The emerald green leaves quickly faded, turned yellow, wilted, and curled up, their vitality drained away in an instant, and the entire vine withered and shriveled rapidly.

It only took about ten seconds.

A perfectly healthy Pumpkin plant, poised for harvest, was completely ruined.

Lu Heng stood there, his eyelids twitching, completely baffled by the operation.

After nurturing it for so long, it just broke off and died before it was even mature. Anyone would be speechless in that situation.

But the strange events weren't over yet.

As the old vine withered completely, the soil around its roots bulged slightly.

A few tender green shoots emerged from the soil.

The buds were extremely thin, yet they exuded a completely different kind of vitality, unlike the withered ordinary Pumpkin from before. In a short while, the buds unfurled their tender leaves, quickly completing their rebirth before his eyes.

It's like the old completely dying out, and the new being reborn on the spot.

Without further hesitation, Lu Heng immediately Wristband to scan the new plant.

A blue light screen pops up an entry.

[Pumpkin Star | Black Iron Tier]

Introduction: This plant has undergone a miraculous transformation and metamorphosis by absorbing the nourishment of the environment of the Sun and Moon Pearls and receiving the Starfall Divine Water condensed from the Star Tear.

It provides a strong feeling of fullness after consumption, and long-term consumption can slowly purify the body of accumulated impurities, metabolize turbid qi, and remove dark and obscure substances from the body.

Lu Heng stared at the entry for several seconds.

I understood instantly.

It wasn't a complete waste.

Ordinary Pumpkin cannot withstand the layered nourishment of Starwater, which forcibly induces transformation, causing the old body to wither and die, and a new body to be rebuilt.

The cost is a wave of maturation phases being wiped clean and requiring regrowth.

The benefit is that it directly transforms into a mutated crop, which can purify the body, and long-term consumption can genuinely improve physical condition.

I did make money, but the process was incredibly agonizing.

Lu Heng looked down at the half-bottle of clear Star Water in his hand. The water was clean and transparent, without any impurities.

He made up his mind.

The remaining Starwater will not be wasted.

Before leaving, pour all the water onto the Blood-Devouring Vine at the entrance of the Shelter.

After dealing with the unexpected situation in the Planting Room, Lu Heng turned around and returned to the main room to begin organizing the complete set of combat equipment.

Two pairs of arm armor on each hand lay quietly on the stone platform.

One of them is the basic defensive gauntlet I've been using before; it's thick, sturdy, and primarily for blocking and damage mitigation.

The other one is the Ghost Claw obtained through yesterday's sacrifice; it is sharp and ferocious, with an emphasis on armor-piercing attacks.

Lu Heng raised his hand to weigh and compare.

He is right-handed, which makes him more agile and stable in generating power, making moves, and controlling his actions.

Without much thought, he put the Ghost Claw claw on his right hand.

With a gentle snap of his fingertips, the armor fit snugly against his joints, providing a perfect balance without hindering his movements. A thought flashed through his mind, and three dark, sharp claws instantly sprang out, their cold gleam sharp and their edges possessing a hard, metallic quality, their fangs clearly defined.

He just swung his arms around a couple of times in the air.

The sharp, piercing sound was short and precise.

Without even testing it, it's clear that this thing's armor-piercing and cutting power far surpasses all his previous melee equipment. It's suitable for close-quarters combat, tearing flesh, grabbing, and parrying.

After playing with it for a bit, he exerted force with his fingertips, and the claw hook smoothly retracted, completely fitting and hiding inside the armor, neither obtrusive nor in the way.

He then put on his original defensive arm armor on his left hand.

One side attacks, the other defends; the division of labor between the left and right sides is now fully established.

At this point, the protection for both arms is completely flawless.

After donning all his outdoor protective gear, weapons, and supplies, Lu Heng walked to the entrance of the Shelter, pulled back the curtain, and pushed open the stone door.

A cold wind rushed in instantly.

It's snowing outside.

It's bigger than yesterday.

The snow fell thick and fast, turning the landscape a grayish-white expanse. The distant forests and cliffs were completely covered in snow, leaving only a vast expanse of cold white in the world.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, stung my face, chilling me to the bone.

Lu Heng stood at the doorway, looking at the desolate wilderness shrouded in blizzard, and for a moment he was at a loss as to where to begin.

Normally, when I go out, I can identify the direction to search for supplies and hunt monsters.

In this kind of heavy snow, all traces on the ground are covered up, animal tracks are hard to find, and supply points are hard to see. Wandering around blindly is a waste of energy.

He subconsciously raised his hand and touched the Geothermal Talisman stuck to the inside of his shirt.

The talisman is warm to the touch and has a stable feel.

These past few days, I've been resting at home and passively storing energy at night to keep warm. The energy that was originally depleted has slowly recovered by one bar.

The Geothermal Talisman now has two energy storage slots and can be used twice.

As Lu Heng's fingertips caressed the surface of the talisman, a clear plan formed in his mind.

Instead of aimlessly wandering around in the blizzard searching for resources, head straight to the Geothermal Valley.

Taking advantage of the snowy weather and the absence of disturbances, we went to the Geothermal Valley to fully absorb the Geothermal and completely fill the energy storage of the Geothermal Talisman.

It's safe and profitable, much more reliable than blindly exploring.

Having planned his route, Lu Heng buttoned up his coat and stepped out of the Shelter into the midst of the falling snow.