Translator: AnubisTL
The presence of agriculture, combining plant cultivation with livestock farming and involving the artificial alteration of the environment for intensive cultivation, was undeniable evidence of a relatively high level of civilization.
It was important to remember that even in Jieming's previous life, on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, only a certain Eastern nation could truly claim to practice intensive cultivation.
"However... this is quite problematic," Jieming said, his expression turning serious as he surveyed the scene before him.
During the soul search of the lava giant's soul, he had found no memories of a "plantation" or "livestock farming" at this settlement.
Moreover, judging by the state of the land, the condition of the plants, and the newness of the artificial lighting, it appeared to have been established very recently.
This meant their intelligence was outdated, and the Lava Giant Tribe's settlement had undergone some unknown changes.
The other three wizards were also stunned.
They had expected to find barracks, a mine, or some sort of weapons research facility, but none had anticipated a "farm"!
These wizards were clearly all from the Combat Department.
Their analysis reports on lava giants likely focused solely on combat aspects. The common knowledge that logistics wizards took for granted was a shocking revelation to them.
"Did... did we come to the wrong place?" a first-tier wizard asked instinctively.
Another first-tier wizard, skilled in reconnaissance, shook his head. "No, my navigation is correct. This is indeed the outpost."
"Then what are these things? Do lava giants actually need to eat?"
"Yeah, don't elemental creatures just survive by absorbing elemental power directly?"
Jieming couldn't resist educating them. Upon learning about the lava giants' peculiar physiology, the remaining three wizards couldn't help but show expressions of awe.
After a brief moment of shock, the wizards instinctively spread out and began collecting plant and soil samples for research.
They carefully picked up plant samples with tweezers or mental power, placing them into specially designed sample bags. Alternatively, they used portable analyzers to determine the element composition, energy fluctuations, and toxicity of the samples.
Jieming approached a plant with fiery red leaves. Unlike the other wizards, he didn't bother with any elaborate procedures.
After carefully examining it with his Universal Eye, Jieming simply reached out, snapped off several roots, and popped them into his mouth, chewing them thoroughly.
The other wizards gasped in unison.
Even plants that could survive high temperatures weren't necessarily non-toxic, and rashly consuming otherworldly flora was a major taboo for wizards.
If they hadn't been in enemy territory, the wizards present might have let out sharp, explosive cries.
However, Jieming's daring wasn't born of blind recklessness.
He had absolute confidence in himself.
His long-term adherence to the body tempering method had not only made his physical constitution far superior to that of wizards of the same tier, but also granted him exceptional resistance to all manner of harm.
Even if the toxins from ordinary otherworldly plants were fatal to wizards of his level, they only caused him mild discomfort, unable to harm his core constitution.
Moreover, his Universal Eye's ultimate analytical capabilities allowed him to instantly discern the plant's fundamental composition. Combined with the body cultivator's unique high resistance, he was virtually immune to all known plant toxins.
"Hmm... the taste is peculiar. Less watery than I expected, almost like roasted sweet potato," Jieming mumbled, chewing thoughtfully, a hint of enjoyment on his face.
While his words seemed casual, his mind raced with conclusions about the plant:
Initially, I thought its form suggested it was more like a succulent, but its cellular structure is closer to that of fungi. No wonder it grew into such a vast patch so quickly.
It looks juicy, but it's surprisingly dry... Still, some irritating compounds inside. Long-term consumption might enhance a creature's fire resistance, but not significantly...
The other wizards exchanged glances before flocking around Jieming, eager to exchange information.
After a brief discussion of their initial analyses, it was clear that while Jieming hadn't revealed all his findings, his direct experimentation had yielded results far more efficiently than theirs.
The four wizards regrouped to discuss their next course of action.
"The situation has changed," the second-tier wizard said gravely. "This unexpected development means our previous intelligence about this place is no longer reliable. The combat power and numbers of the lava giants stationed here could also have increased."
He turned to the two first-tier wizards and Jieming. "Therefore, I recommend we first conduct a risk assessment. This isn't just a simple military outpost as we initially assumed. The existence of this 'plantation' suggests the lava giants intend to establish a long-term presence here."
After weighing the pros and cons, three decided to stay and continue investigating, while one chose to leave.
However, the departing wizard promised to establish stable long-range communications with the camp upon his return, transmit the latest intelligence to the command center, and request reinforcements.
The others agreed with his plan, none willing to rashly venture into the now-changed and unknown dangers.
Jieming was among those who decided to stay.
Jieming had ample reasons for his decision.
Firstly, he was equipped with a collection of fourth-tier defensive wizard artifacts. With these, he could withstand high-intensity attacks, preventing him from easily falling into a desperate situation.
Secondly, he possessed the deeply hidden Five Aggregates Rainbow Transformation Mirror as his trump card. By activating its Light Transformation ability, he could achieve true light-based escape, virtually uninterceptable by any living creature, providing him with a perfect retreat.
Moreover, Jieming's true objective wasn't to kill.
His core goal was to collect as much Mortal Dust Qi as possible, and these living lava giants, actively "managing their society," were his most coveted producers of this Qi.
Therefore, he didn't need to truly venture into danger. Simply staying long enough to monitor the effectiveness of his Mortal Dust Qi collection would be his greatest success.
Of the two other wizards who chose to remain, one was the second-tier wizard.
Bold yet meticulous, he hoped to leverage his own strength to seize this unexpected opportunity, gathering deeper, crucial intelligence to pave the way for the subsequent invasion of the main army.
After all, the rarer and more profound the intelligence, the higher the merit points it could exchange for.
The other first-tier wizard was a relatively cautious young man who agreed to stay primarily to follow the second-tier wizard's arrangements.
He also planned to serve as an outpost. If the communication wizard who had left outside failed to contact the camp, he could at least continue transmitting support signals from the outermost perimeter.
The three wizards reached a consensus. They exchanged glances, then suppressed all unnecessary qi.
With tacit understanding, they dispersed like three shadowy phantoms, stealthily advancing into the depths of the hemispherical space.
Jieming didn't proceed cautiously like the other two wizards, using concealment runes and phantom sorcery for slow, deliberate exploration.
After all, his purpose here wasn't reconnaissance but experimentation.
From the beginning, Jieming had no intention of venturing deep.
With a flicker of movement, he arrived at the base of a massive red tree. He extended his palm toward the ground, and his mental power spread out like flowing mercury.
Under the power of alchemy, the ground silently molded itself, and within mere moments, a narrow burrow large enough to accommodate his body was excavated.
He slipped into the hole he'd dug as smoothly as a leech sliding into mud, then manipulated the loose earth to completely bury himself.
From the outside, the ground remained perfectly flat, showing no trace of excavation—a flawless concealment.
Inside the burrow, the surrounding thick rock strata and alchemy-reinforced earth insulated him from most sounds and energy fluctuations.
He maintained only the faint perception of the Glimmering Eye, like a ghost lurking in the depths of shadow.
He didn't act rashly. Instead, he focused all his attention on the inside of his dantian.
He meticulously gazed at the talisman seal deep within his dantian, the one that collected Mortal Dust Qi.
The talisman seal, ancient and weathered, emitted a faint crimson aura. Each time it gathered Mortal Dust Qi, it trembled subtly.
Jieming's mood was complex, a blend of anticipation and a creeping unease.
Time passed, second by second.
Five minutes... ten minutes... half an hour...
As time passed, Jieming's expression grew increasingly grim.
The area was teeming with thousands of lava giants, their presence marked by the clamor of labor, deep roars, the clatter of colliding rocks, and even the murmur of communication among the giants.
All these signs pointed to the settlement being brimming with "active signs of life."
Yet his talisman seal remained completely unresponsive to even the slightest trace of Mortal Dust Qi originating from the lava giants.
Sporadic fluctuations occasionally occurred, but these were merely faint residual traces left by wizards on the battlefield, not the Qi of the indigenous creatures themselves.
"Something's definitely wrong!" Jieming couldn't help clenching his fist.
He was certain his talisman seal was functioning perfectly, still keenly sensitive to Mortal Dust Qi in other contexts.
The problem lay with the lava giants themselves.
Based on the plantations he had previously encountered, this settlement was no mere mining vein or barracks; it had clearly exhibited social organization.
The lava giants here practiced organized animal husbandry, with clearly defined labor divisions and even "artificial suns" to maintain ecological balance.
All of this indicated that they had reached a conceptual level sufficient to generate social interaction, and thus, Mortal Dust Qi.
No matter how you looked at it, they should have belonged to the concept of "society"!
"What could be the reason?" Jieming frowned, utterly perplexed.
He repeatedly reviewed the theories of Mortal Dust Qi generation in his mind, as well as the lava giants' unique physiology and elemental composition.
Could it be their life form?
They were semi-elemental creatures, or perhaps their method of expressing "emotions" was fundamentally different from any life form he knew?
He tried analyzing it from every angle, but could never find conclusive evidence to explain this anomaly.
Theoretically, he could delve deeper to search for larger, more complex, and possibly more advanced lava giant strongholds to conduct further experiments.
Perhaps the "cities" or "royal courts" at the core of the Lava Giant Plane Empire could generate the Mortal Dust Qi he needed.
However, Jieming's assessment of the danger was extremely rational.
To venture further would mean confronting higher-tier Lava Giant Lords, possibly even fifth or sixth-tier beings.
The danger level of such strongholds far exceeded his current capabilities.
Moreover, his primary objective was to collect Mortal Dust Qi, not to engage in a full-scale confrontation with the entire Lava Giant Plane Empire.
Risking his life in an area with an unknown outcome would be clearly unwise.
After prolonged deliberation, Jieming reluctantly abandoned the idea of further researching the lava giants' Mortal Dust Qi.
A wave of regret and frustration washed over him—his core objective had met such a bizarre failure in the very place where it seemed most likely to succeed.
"It seems I'll have to turn to the Frostdark Realm," Jieming thought to himself.
Since the lava giants proved unworkable, he would try the snow monsters instead.
Although he hadn't yet studied the snow monsters in detail and couldn't be sure if their life forms would present similar problems, it was currently his only option.
He quickly outlined his next course of action: similar to his approach in the Blazing Sun Realm, he would locate the snow monsters' settlement in the Frostdark Realm, collect samples for in-depth research, observe their social structure, and attempt to gather Mortal Dust Qi.
"However, my research on snow monsters isn't as thorough. It seems I'll need to return to camp first to find relevant materials..."
Just as Jieming was planning the specific details of his expedition to the Frostdark Realm...
Boom—rumble!
A violent explosion shook the entire underground cavern, nearly causing the cave where Jieming was hiding to tremble!
Immediately after, the furious roars of lava giants surged like a tsunami—the combined, frenzied war cries of countless lava giants, accompanied by dazzling energy flashes and the hissing of erupting lava.
Jieming's face tightened abruptly. He knew the wizards outside had been discovered!
He didn't need the precise detection of his "scouting eye." The sheer intensity of the energy fluctuations and the synchronized roars of the lava giants were enough to tell him this wasn't a simple skirmish. The wizards' infiltration had been completely exposed, triggering a full-scale counterattack from the entire stronghold!
He quickly activated the runes he had pre-arranged around the cavern, slightly clearing the vision beneath the earth covering the entrance. This allowed him to glimpse the situation outside without revealing himself.
His gaze pierced through the narrow cracks, locking onto the source of the sound.
But before he could observe carefully, identical energy fluctuations erupted from another direction.
"Damn it!" Jieming cursed inwardly.
He hadn't expected these two wizards to be discovered so quickly.
(End of the Chapter)
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