This is far too little compared to the oracle bone script from last time!
In reality, she looked up at the green phantom above her head and saw that, just like in her mind, it now had only two leaves left.
Seeing this, Wen Jing couldn't help but stop what he was doing.
Perhaps this phantom actually serves another purpose?
Let's observe further; if it doesn't have any other effect, then we can devour it.
More than ten Skill Points are not worthless, but given the precedent of Oracle last time, it was really disappointing for Wen Jing.
"Splash, splash..."
Just then, a tremor came from beneath Wen Jing's feet.
She looked down and saw that the stone platform beneath her feet was sinking.
Once it sinks completely, it might just find its way back to the Rope Knot Maze.
Thinking of this, Wen Jing couldn't help but turn her gaze to the bowl of golden grains beside her; she still had only one seashell left...
She drifted towards the vicinity of the grain-shaped stone platform, watching it sink inch by inch, about to be swallowed up.
Now!
The Gravity Silk flew out, stuck to the grain bowl, and was suddenly pulled.
"Whoosh..."
The stone platform, which was about to disappear, suddenly opened its mouth.
While rushing towards the bowl with all her might, Wen Jing timed her move perfectly, and just as she landed in the stone bowl, she threw the last seashell on her back into the 'payment mouth'.
"Chew, chew, chew..."
The little bug and the big mouth started eating in unison.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
When the time was up, the scene before him changed; the cave, the stone bowl, the grains... all disappeared. Wen Jing bit into nothingness and returned to the knot.
"Although it's not a free purchase, it's still a one-yuan purchase." She savored the taste of the grains.
In that very short time, she ate half a bowl of grains with her excellent eating speed, which was already worth the price of a seashell.
"I wish we could find the store again."
Looking at the newly appeared paths in front of him, Wen Jing couldn't help but think.
But then, something unexpected happened.
One of the green leaf shadows above her head suddenly disappeared.
What happened?
The moment Wen Jing had this question in his mind, he saw a wisp of flowing green light suddenly emerge from one of the ropes in front of him.
To rule out that it was just her imagination, she first looked away from the rope and then looked back at it.
After several attempts, it was confirmed that the green light only appeared on that rope.
So the effect of these green leaves is... guidance?!
Wen Jing was overjoyed, and several thoughts immediately popped into his mind: Does this guiding effect only exist in the Ancient Wilderness, or is it also effective in the material universe? Is the guiding effect continuous?
The leaf's true purpose should be to provide guidance, offering her three points of guidance, but because she triggered that mysterious... devouring property, one of it was eaten...
Looking at the lone leaf that remained above her head, Wen Jing couldn't help but feel annoyed.
At this stage, guidance is more valuable; it's a real loss to only get five Skill Points after eating a single leaf!
I wonder if I'll find the same treasure in the next shop.
If she had known its purpose was this, she wouldn't have minded returning to the material universe with this green phantom attached to her; all she knew was that it was a holographic accessory.
Following the green light, Wen Jing continued onto the rope.
As she ventured deeper into the area, she noticed that the green light seemed to grow stronger the closer she got to her destination.
Finally, following the directions, Wen Jing successfully arrived at the second store.
"No..."
In the second shop, there were only two piles of stones, with a piece of animal meat and a piece of ore placed on them.
The prices of both are similar to those of the white fruit, clearly not in the same league as the green leaves.
"Only two kinds of common rare treasures, is it because they hold a grudge?"
Wen Jing regrets that he can't exploit the bug, but he has no choice but to accept it.
This time she had enough seashells, so she simply bought out the only two items she had.
The beast meat was naturally eaten on the spot, while the ore was used as items for her return.
After leaving the store, Wen Jing looked at the path ahead, feeling hesitant.
It's almost six o'clock...
The Ancient Wilderness shifts between day and night; she must return.
But she wasn't sure if she could bring the remaining green leaf phantom back to the material universe. And if she did, it would be a huge loss if its effect was accidentally triggered in the material universe and turned into a mere location guide.
Considering this possibility, it's worth taking a gamble that the guidance will still be there when she returns next time.
After all, Wen Jing could always return to his original position by using the Gravity Silk to travel back in time.
She quickly made her decision, looking at the last green leaf:
"I want to go to the very heart of this place."
Chapter 78
"It shouldn't be a problem, right..."
Wen Jing sought guidance from the last green leaf, unsure if it was intelligent enough to understand the 'core' she was referring to.
Or there's another possibility: this might simply be a guide that can only be used to target specific stores.
But because she accidentally ingested one initially, she no longer has the opportunity for further testing.
Under her intense gaze, the last illusory green leaf melted away, disappearing simultaneously into the spiritual realm.
The next moment, Wen Jing quickly looked at the ropes around him.
On one of the paths, a streak of blood-red light appeared, an ominous color that seemed to lead nowhere.
But that's something she'll explore next.
Following this direction, Wen Jing walked onto the rope knot and quickly killed three ordinary wind beasts. He then returned amidst the still-sounding wind.
Registration Center.
"Congratulations, you've had a great haul this time!" Seeing Wen Jing return with a bountiful harvest, the staff member congratulated him while expertly reaching for the 10-credit packaging box.
"Hehe, not bad luck."
Wen Jing held the three white seashells in his palm, but put the dark blue ore he bought in the 'shop' inside.
Watching her departing figure, the staff member couldn't help but glance back at the packaging materials behind her.
Is there some kind of Luck charm in using this cheapest packaging box?
After running all the way to the research institute, Wen Jing was surprised to find that Xie Ming was not there, as if a fixed NPC had not respawned.
However, since he's not here, you can sell the materials you have to the tutor in another materials room.
Just then, a familiar voice came from not far away. "Huh? Wen Jing?"
"Dean!"
Wen Jing turned around and unexpectedly saw the 'rare NPC' Dean Bai.
"You're here to sell materials?" Dean Bai noticed the box in her hand, his golden eyes peering closer. "Not bad!"
After exchanging greetings, the two went to the adjacent materials room together, Wen Jing sold his haul to another instructor.
70 Integral!
Upon seeing the price of the ore, Wen Jing's eyes lit up.
She tried taking a bite of the ore before returning, but because she hadn't invested in Digestion, she found that the energy conversion efficiency was very low, far less effective than meat of the same volume, let alone rare fruits.
If it weren't for her excellent Digestion system, she might have Digestion.
Developing Digestion abilities in this area isn't impossible, but Wen Jing hasn't forgotten that his next goal is giant trees. He's only encountered one piece of ore so far, so it's more worthwhile to prioritize investing in larger giant trees to upgrade his Digestion abilities.
So she brought the ore back to see its value, and to her surprise, it was worth more than bird eggs—truly a rare treasure among the ruins of a civilization!
"Of course, this can be used as material for Pseudo-Wilderness Weapon," Dean Bai said from the side.
Wen Jing: " Pseudo-Wilderness Weapon?"
"Only materials from the Ancient Wilderness can be brought into the Ancient Wilderness. Weapons can naturally be made from Ancient Wilderness ores. Because they look similar to Awakened Weapon, but lack the special abilities of Awakened Weapon, they are called Pseudo-Wilderness Weapon."
Dean Bai explained to Wen Jing, " Pseudo-Wilderness Weapon can only be made by the Mastermind; they're practically a luxury item."
The instructor beside him added, " Ancient Wilderness materials are mainly used in the synthesis of materials. Many advanced materials used in Awakened training are made by fusing some of these Ancient Wilderness materials."
Recalling the various "black technologies" used by Awakened, such as Locator Stone and special alloys used in his own villa training ground, Wen Jing nodded in realization.
The advanced level of materials industry that we have today is inseparable from the discoveries made in Ancient Wilderness.
She didn't sell her seashells last time, so bringing them out this time won't make a difference.
However, unlike rare minerals, white seashells are just ordinary materials. After asking the price, one could only be sold for 2 Integral, so Wen Jing didn't sell them and planned to bring them to the rope-tying space again next time.
Although the guide leads to the core, who knows if you'll encounter any shops along the way?
In the corridor, Wen Jing was saying goodbye to Dean Bai.
Suddenly, she saw the other person's pupils shrink and become narrow.
The next moment, Wen Jing noticed something was wrong and turned around.
"Clatter!"
A large drop of dark red blood fell to the ground out of nowhere.
In a daze, Wen Jing seemed to hear the sound of ocean waves coming from a very distant place, as if from another dimension.
Immediately afterwards, a familiar figure landed heavily in the empty corridor, its right back pierced by something enormous, and a large amount of dark red blood gushed out like a spring.
"Drop!!"
A nearby emergency rescue robot immediately rushed over.
" Old Xie /Mentor!"
Wen Jing dared not approach. Dean Bai, however, reached out and tore open the void, took out something from it, rushed forward, and stuffed it into Xie Ming's mouth.
As the item entered her mouth, Wen Jing noticed that the rate at which Xie Ming was spitting blood had miraculously decreased. At the same time, she also noticed white scales on the back of his hands and neck, which were traces of his incomplete transformation into Wilderness Body.