After hearing the great idea from [ Namo Goose Rice Tofu ], the other three immediately had a bright idea.
Yes, there's no reward without effort. Even [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] and [ Epic-Level Giant ] know to bait the fishing spot thoroughly, let alone this high-ranking marquis.
Besides, how can war be fought without casualties? Do you want fresh blood but don't want to make any sacrifices?
There's no such thing as a free lunch.
The group reviewed the details of the plan again before commencing a new round of operations.
While playing the game "World of Disorder," they continued to work diligently, but after logging off, they began connecting with other players on the forums.
Soon, the new plan, having passed Ed's review, was on track...
Riverside Village, near the ancient castle.
Village chief Kaping has noticed a new phenomenon in the past two days.
A new container suddenly appeared next to the Soul Returner mostly spawned like NPCs fishing by the river.
Curious, he stepped forward to ask, and [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] immediately demonstrated to him how to use the container.
He took a live fish out of the net, made a few simple cuts on its body, squeezed the Aberration fish's blood into the container, and then threw the dying fish back into the middle of the river.
Kaping was dumbfounded by what he saw, and he asked in bewilderment:
What is going on?
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] felt there was no point in hiding it from others, so he openly admitted it:
"My lord and I have a new plan that requires a large influx of fresh blood."
Kaping looked into [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ]'s eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to have made up his mind:
"Is your plan so urgent, Lord? Should I also obtain some blood?"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man, who looked quite old (not even forty years old), picked up the short knife that he had stuck in the ground to bleed the fish...
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] quickly snatched the dagger back from Kaping's hand, looking at the resolute old man, unsure of what to say.
"Well, rather than saying the situation isn't urgent enough, it's more accurate to say that only pure human blood won't work. I remember the mission description saying that."
At this point, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] also realized a problem—whether it's the Soul Returner, the Tree Worship Church Cult, or Gray, a half-plant, half-machine, can they really still be considered purely human?
Considering the gagging reaction of the Blood Corpse after tearing apart the Soul Returner, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] felt that this issue was worth discussing.
"Human blood won't work?"
Kaping pressed on with more questions.
"Yes, we need a lot of fresh blood, but human blood is not included; the blood of any other living being will suffice."
Kaping fell into thought again, and after a while he pointed to the Symbiotic Tree on his back:
"Would tree sap work?"
This stumped [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ], who quickly sent a private message to [ Clear Soup Master ] in the player system and soon received a reply:
"Theoretically speaking, player blood, Tree Worship Church NPC blood, and plant blood are all acceptable. I also subtly inquired further, and it seems that the marquis is unaware that humans are no longer the same as before the Demonic Tide."
"How could that be? Wasn't he sealed away after the Demonic Tide erupted?"
"I suspect there are two reasons: either he has some memory loss or is mentally unstable, or the humans Tree Worship Church at that time were still within their diet, since the degree of Aberration intensifies as the Demonic Tide lasts longer."
"He looks like he wants to donate blood, should we accept?"
"... So eager? I think it's probably acceptable. Just buy at the normal price; after all, we treat all blood equally."
No matter how meticulously a plan is formulated, various problems will inevitably arise during its implementation.
[ Clear Soup Master ] collected the information sent by the players and posted the latest version of the Blood Acquisition Rules on the forum:
[Special Mission Blood Acquisition Rules (Second Edition)]
1. All animal blood is purchased at a price of one silver coin per liter, without exception (if you don't know how much one liter is, you can go to the tavern in [ Western Sharpshooter ] and make a cup of about the same size using Directed Alienation ).
2. If a Tree Worship Church NPC wants to sell their blood, it's best not to draw more than half a liter at a time. Tree Worship Church Cult members have a high tolerance for discomfort. If they feel uncomfortable from the blood draw, they'll probably die as soon as the needle is removed.
3. It's best to suggest that NPCs hunt for blood; selling blood is not a good habit.
4. Diluting with water is strictly prohibited! Diluting with water is strictly prohibited! Any instance of diluting with water will result in immediate termination of the cooperation!
With clearer regulations, players have a better understanding of the types of blood they can collect.
At the beginning, some players even wanted to use tree sap instead of blood. [ Clear Soup Master ] thought for a long time and felt that the Marquis was unlikely to be colorblind, so he partially rejected this suggestion from a certain brilliant person and added a rule to the rules - if the plant sap is red, it can also be collected.
Two days later, the first carriage, filled with all sorts of different blood types, set off from White Wax Town and headed towards the sealed land in the Wilderness of Chaos.
The blood on the wagon came from all sorts of creatures, both expected and unexpected, including but not limited to Vine Sheep, "Plum Blossom" Deer, Thorn Rat, Claw Fish, Toughhide Ox (a new species brought by nomadic tribes)...
Two days later, on the second carriage that set off, the types of blood became even more diverse and chaotic. These "bloods," varying in color but generally red, came from:
The Soul Returner, wanting to test how much health he had, had his companions drain him dry.
The Tree Worship Church members who attempted to rot their roots by drinking large amounts of water and selling a lot of blood resulted in the Symbiotic Tree developing root rot.
The young Deadwood Vine cubs had just eaten animal organs and were then forced to vomit.
The blood-drinking thorns pulled from the Blood Corpse Blood-Drinking Thornbush sap.
Freshly squeezed Scarlet Millet
The Dragonborn, planning to try out this new way of making money by selling blood...
A chef's test version of a hot pot broth as he tries to open a spicy hot pot restaurant in another world...
Obviously, it's unlikely that players will completely follow the rules; their cheating isn't malicious, it's just for fun.
To make the Marquis's resurrection even more uncertain, [ Clear Soup Master ] changed the title of "Blood Acquisition Rules" to "Red Liquid Acquisition Rules" in the third version of the acquisition rules.
Apart from the core principle that it cannot be diluted with water, any naturally red liquid can now be exchanged for a silver coin once a liter is collected.
Encouraged by this, more and more "blood" began to be sent on horse-drawn carriages to the marquis's fiefdom.