Chapter 47: Treasure Hunting and Rewards

The deep pool in Ou Xiaolu’s territory was actually a lake that was narrow at the top and wide below. The lake’s surface covered just over fifty acres, but its true expanse beneath the surface was far greater. Even with the aid of some swift-swimming abilities, Ou Xiaolu spent a full three hours circling the underwater realm, the time spent no less than what it would take to dispatch a projection to explore the world.

Nevertheless, his efforts were not in vain. Beneath the water, he discovered two hidden grottos concealed behind massive boulders, both containing pockets of air. The smaller of the two was only about fifty square meters—hardly of much use—but the larger one was extraordinary: nearly seven hundred square meters of interconnected caves. If utilized wisely, it could comfortably house ten people.

Yet Ou Xiaolu hadn’t decided what to do with these two grottos; he simply noted that he found some luminous objects within both. After a thorough search, he retrieved nine white items, three green items, one blue item, and, quite unexpectedly, one purple item from the lakebed.

[Obsidian, Item Card, White: A large chunk of obsidian, suitable for crafting weapons or as a building material.]

[Marble, Item Card, White: High-quality marble, the best choice for construction materials.]

[Metamorphic Rock, Item Card, White: An enigmatic piece of metamorphic rock, surely hiding something within.]

[Giant Fishbone, Item Card, White: A complete giant fish skeleton, can serve as décor or as a boast for one’s fishing prowess.]

[Red Fish Pearl, Tool Card, White: A red bead that, for unknown reasons, always attracts fish. The perfect aid for keeping fish in one spot.]

[Drowned Ghost Hair, Tool Card, White: The remains of someone who drowned, yet did not become a water ghost. Throwing it into water instantly transforms it into a patch of water grass that ensnares anyone entering the area, refusing to let them leave.]

[Water Elemental, Character Card, Minion Rank, Combat Power 51/51: Possesses the abilities of water manipulation, freezing, and vortex magic.]

[Rain Summoning, Skill Card, White: A skill that channels water from one place to make it rain elsewhere.]

[Broken Oar, World Card, Micro, 3/3/0: No one knows which storm brought this oar to the small lake. It retains the memory of that fearsome tempest, but also points toward some mysterious discoveries within the storm.]

[Giant Claw, Item Card, Green: The forelimb of some gigantic aquatic creature, useful for making weapons or equipment.]

[Shrimp Retreat, Skill Card, Green: A kind of lightness skill, neither for advancement nor evasion, but for tactical withdrawal after facing an enemy. Once activated, it guarantees a retreat to safety.]

[Rusted Arrowhead, World Card, Small, 6/6/0: The world experienced by a hunter patrolling the mountains, where all sorts of threats may be encountered.]

[Sapphire, Item Card, Blue: A sapphire long soaked in water, now imbued with mysterious aquatic power. It has become a kind of magical artifact, suitable for crafting various magical items.]

[Broken Scepter, World Card, Large, 21/21/3: Long ago, those who held the scepter wielded extraordinary power, yet for some reason kept their distance from ordinary people. One day, ordinary people broke their scepters. What choices did they make in the end?]

Gazing at his harvest, Ou Xiaolu nodded in satisfaction. Without further thought, he opened the interface he hadn’t touched in days and sent [Character: Water Elemental] into [World: Broken Oar].

Whether or not the water elemental could gain anything there, Ou Xiaolu’s current need was experience. After killing the werewolf, he’d received 75 experience points; with the 326 he already possessed, just 100 more would allow him to level up. Craving more experience, he was tempted to seek out more enemies, especially as instant-result micro-worlds like these became his first choice.

Once he’d set up the world exploration and stowed his surplus items, Ou Xiaolu returned to the shore. The moment he stepped onto land, the werewolf corpse he’d left by the water asserted its presence by twitching violently.

It was only then that Ou Xiaolu remembered the thing. Over three meters tall, covered in long hair, with wounds that didn’t bleed and muscles as hard as stone, it would be impossible for anyone to believe that it bore any resemblance to the person who had pursued him earlier.

Ou Xiaolu didn’t hesitate. He went to a nearby villa, forcibly removed a door panel, and wrote on it: “Private Territory. No Trespassing!”

“Give me a hand and nail this board up,” he said, holding the wooden plank in front of the werewolf’s body.

Mighty Ghost appeared behind Ou Xiaolu and, with minimal effort, nailed the board onto the werewolf. Ou Xiaolu tested approaching the corpse and saw that it still twitched whenever someone came near—perfect for drawing attention to the sign.

Satisfied, he considered whether he should add an LED light in the future, then instructed Mighty Ghost to hang the werewolf corpse at the entrance to the valley.

While Mighty Ghost went about his task, Zhong Kui pulled a face and emerged. “Don’t you think this might be a bit much?”

“What’s wrong with it? If I don’t warn people, what if someone wanders into my valley? Besides, I just tested it—even though the corpse reacts to any approach, ordinary people can’t sense the werewolf’s aura. Only those with supernatural abilities can feel its power. That’s exactly who I want to intimidate.

“Haven’t I had enough trouble these past few days? If I don’t give these people a show of strength, will they really believe Lord Ou is here just to hide away?”

Whether you’re hiding or not, I can’t say, but this feels more like provocation than intimidation, Zhong Kui thought silently. Out loud, he said, “I mean, is it really a good idea to write in Chinese? Not many people here can read those characters.”

Ou Xiaolu, about to continue his tirade, gaped and froze for a moment before replying, “Do you think that werewolf was just here to scout things out and simply couldn’t understand the warning I left?”

Zhong Kui pulled another helpless face. If he spent much longer with Ou Xiaolu, he feared the painted skin on his own face might peel off from exasperation.

But Ou Xiaolu quickly regained his confidence. “Never mind! Let’s just assume he understood my warning and left on his own. I’ve never met that person—I killed a werewolf, and that’s that. Make sure Mighty Ghost hangs the notice where it’s clearly visible. I’ll come check again tomorrow.”