However, there's a reason why a road is called an unpaved road. Compared to the uneven, potholed dense forest, the advantage of this road isn't that it's free of potholes, but rather that you can see the potholes.
However, with the speed of the half-dragon after its transformation, there is no longer a necessary connection between seeing potholes and being able to avoid them.
On the violently jolting car, their conversation began to break down:
"Dude, I'm... a little... disgusted."
"No, don't vomit in the car, or you'll be fined two hundred."
"Don't worry, I can hold it in. Holy crap, what fell?!"
Amidst the endless, violent jolting, [ Second-Class Biscuit ] suddenly heard a crisp sound. Something the size of a fist seemed to have fallen out of Gray's chest cavity, hit the rickshaw's footboard, and bounced off.
This restored their speech to normal. [ Xiexie Huigu ] poked his head out from beside the truck bed to look behind them:
"It looks like... a heart?"
[ Second-Class Biscuit ] shakily flipped Gray halfway over, glanced at him, and said:
"It should be fine. There's another one that looks similar and it's still functioning, and the lungs next to it are still moving too."
That's good, that's good.
[ Xiexie Huigu ] thought for a moment, then took off his Tree Worship Church robe and wrapped it around Gray, who might drop equipment at any moment. From a distance, it looked like he was holding a bronze-colored alien baby.
With the half-dragons unleashing their full firepower, the rickshaw quickly arrived at the foot of the castle.
[ Second-Class Biscuit ] had just jumped off the carriage and was holding onto the handles when he started vomiting. Meanwhile, [ Xiexie Huigu ] was carrying Gray while also taking out two silver coins and tossing them to the half-dragon coachman.
Although he knew he might have given too much, the current situation was just like a crisis in a TV series or movie, with no time to find money or do anything else.
After a dizzying moment, the two entered the castle's main hall and met Ed, the guide who had respawned there.
"My lord, we've found... half of Gray in the wild."
"Cough."
Ed's throat bobbed, almost bursting into laughter, but he still asked anxiously:
"Has the remaining half been found?"
The two shook their heads, handed Gray to Ed in front of them, and the task in front of them changed to [awaiting settlement].
Ed lifted his robe and glanced at Gray's miserable state, then found the World Tree figurine on the edge of Gray's Shattered coat. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Ed felt like he'd seen this half-human figure somewhere before. After thinking it over, he remembered the sci-fi movie " RoboCop " from his past life. Gray really did look a bit like that Officer Murphy now.
He looked at the two players, who seemed as anxious as family members outside a delivery room:
"I will do my best to save him, and I will keep you informed of any further developments."
"OK."
The two players didn't think much of it. As hardcore combat enthusiasts, they weren't particularly interested in the storyline. After all, " World of Disorder " had many strange random missions every day, and people would edit them into videos and post them online every day.
Cyber Historians will definitely follow up on this matter. They care more about their own character's strength than Gray's fate, so that they can contribute more if they want to avenge Gray in the future.
Simply send this message to [ Zhong Lele ] via private message, and you'll soon see new task videos posted on their account.
After seeing off the two players, Ed led the remaining merchants into a restricted room.
A strangely shaped tree grows on the shattered ground. This tree is as thick as two or three people combined, but it was cut off at waist height and a hole was dug in it. A strange-smelling resin is even oozing from the break.
Ed compared the sizes and then inserted Gray directly into the tree hole.
The depth of the tree hollow reached just below Gray's armpits, leaving his arms, neck, and head exposed, while his entire chest was stuffed inside.
Ed placed his hand on the tree trunk, and the strange plant quickly began to change according to his will.
More and more resin began to appear at the bottom of the tree hole. Although the color and smell of this liquid were very strange, it actually contained a lot of nutrients and could replace human blood in this world to a certain extent.
This also represents Ed's further development of his abilities by combining the experimental records of the Tree Worship Church. Bottled and sold, these items are the healing items [ Nutrient-Rich Resin ] that players can no longer do without.
Although most of his sternum was replaced with metal, Gray's spine remained human.
The resin gently enveloped his remaining biological parts and slowly nourished them. Gray's expression gradually relaxed, and his mechanical heart stopped working so frantically, and his breathing became calmer.
Although he didn't know how long it would take for the merchant to wake up, Ed was at least certain that he had successfully kept the man's life hanging by a thread.
The Nutrient-Rich Resin will repair some of the damaged parts of Gray's body, but looking at Gray in this state, Ed also had a vague sense of unease.
He recalled a casual conversation he'd had with Little Green some time ago. At the time, he'd thought the Second Holy See would be entering a comfortable period of farming and development, but now it seemed like that might really be a flag—the first crop hadn't even ripened yet, and it looked like something big was about to happen?!
Two hours Gray opened his eyes, as if he had been jolted awake from a nightmare. Almost the instant he regained his senses, he instinctively roared and brandished the two sharp blades in his hands, like a bloodthirsty soldier teleported from the battlefield.
However, upon seeing the surrounding arrangements, his roar gradually subsided and finally disappeared from his throat.
Looking at Ed, whose expression was somewhat formal, Gray smiled wryly and said:
"Sure enough, this is my 'last Vitality '."
"What are you saying? Are you still asleep?"
"I'm thanking you for saving my life."
"There's really no need to be so subtle."
Gray didn't answer; he wanted to bow in thanks but realized his actions seemed to be problematic.
"What state am I in right now?"
Ed sat in the wicker chair and looked at the traveling merchants in front of him:
"If I were you, I'd wait until I've fully recovered before considering it."
"It's okay, just tell me, I can accept it."
Ed then loosened the restraint on Gray's neck, allowing him to stretch his head forward and see the large tree beneath him.
"... I can accept it, I can accept it..."
Gray rambled on as if trying to encourage himself, but then fell silent the moment he saw the lower half of the tree trunk.
Ed looked at his neurotic state and said:
"If you're not satisfied with the tree, I can let your upper body temporarily reside on the Vine Sheep."
"No, please."
Gray showed a look of horror:
"Big trees are nice too."