Jiang Cheng exclaimed, 'A campfire with special attributes! What's more, it's a Green grade item!'
In an instant, he felt a huge sense of excitement rushing to his heart. Finally, he had succeeded.
It took him more than 3,000 logs and 30 attempts, leaving him exhausted. His eyes were a little moist, and he felt a sense of bittersweetness, being moved by his own perseverance and hard work.
The success rate of fusing items at Level 1 was really low.
"I remember that according to the game's item grades, White is considered common, and the Green is superior. This campfire is of Green grade quality!"
Moreover, those few functions and characteristics were considered outstanding attributes among Green grade items.
He hurriedly checked the campfire.
Soon, he was pleasantly surprised to find that this campfire had an independent attribute panel that he could bind to the interface in his mind. By doing so, he could add wood to keep the fire burning without any resource consumption. Additionally, he could use it to roast meat. Unfortunately, he couldn't use it to make soups. Nevertheless, this was still an impressive tool, particularly for a Green grade item.
Jiang Cheng marveled inwardly, 'As expected of a Green grade! This function is amazing!'
The campfire's attribute panel had only four options: [Collect], [Ignite], [Fuel Generator], and [Cook]. [Collect] allowed him to retrieve it, while [Ignite] lit the fire. Once ignited, it would not go out unless destroyed or stored in the Item Box. The [Fuel Generator] allowed him to add fuel, and [Cook] required him to connect to the interface in his mind to use it.
Only Jiang Cheng could see the attribute panel above the campfire, making it his exclusive tool.
Suddenly, a woman's cry pierced through the silence, followed by a gust of cold wind that made Jiang Cheng's heart skip a beat.
According to the memories of the previous owner of this body, he knew that some monsters would appear in this world after midnight.
These monsters were immune to physical damage and could also cause physical harm to others, making them nearly unbeatable. Even Evolvers struggled to fend them off, with only a few special Evolvers able to handle them.
These monsters appeared at midnight and vanished around five in the morning, leaving everyone to wonder where they came from. As long as one did not stray from populated areas, they were safe from encountering these monsters, as they typically roamed in the wilderness.
Feeling the temperature drop and the air grow colder, Jiang Cheng's scalp began to tingle with fear. "I can't be that unlucky, can I?"
"J-Jiang Cheng ..." In the tree hole behind, Tong Xiaorou said in a trembling voice, "Come in quickly. Those things will only attack creatures that travel at night. As long as we sleep, we'll be fine."
Yaya remained asleep. Although she slept restlessly, she was exhausted from crying so much after the huge scare during the day and slept soundly.
Jiang Cheng nodded, "Alright," and quickly retreated into the safety of the tree hole. He considered putting away the campfire, but ultimately decided against it. The fire had an evil-warding flame, which could be useful in case of danger. Of course, he put away the wooden stool as well.
Just in case, he hurriedly checked the [Fuel Generator]. After opening it with his mind, a sub-interface popped up. He noticed a timer inside, which showed [00:00:00], indicating the duration of the campfire. As he expected, without fuel, the campfire wouldn't ignite. The campfire itself would not be consumed. It needed fuel.
There was fuel beside it, and he could choose to add fuel.
The fuel was wood. There were only 3,800 or so logs left, which was exactly the amount of wood in his Item Box.
With a thought, Jiang Cheng put a wood log in, and the timer changed to [00:01:00].
Curious, Jiang Cheng wondered, "Does it mean that a small log can burn for a minute?" Without any hesitation, he added a thousand logs, enough to free up a grid. He knew that wood materials were easily obtainable.
Feeling secure, he retreated to the deepest part of the tree hole and moved Yaya away slightly. Then, almost subconsciously, he reached out and pulled Tong Xiaorou over.
However, after hugging her, he realized that the previous owner of this body had not touched her.
As expected, Tong Xiaorou's body stiffened, and she didn't dare to move.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. I'm here." Jiang Cheng pretended to comfort her and said, "Go to sleep. I will keep watch."
Tong Xiaorou was surprised, and then she burst into tears.
Jiang Cheng felt embarrassed, his body stiffened as he retracted his hand.
However, Tong Xiaorou hurriedly hugged his arm and sobbed, "I thought you hated me…"
'The previous Jiang Cheng did hate you, but I'm different,' Jiang Cheng thought.
He remembered that Tong Xiaorou, his child bride then fiancee, was a beauty, but the former Jiang Cheng had never laid a hand on her, even when she turned eighteen. He didn't understand what the former Jiang Cheng was thinking.
"Didn't I tell you I was sick?" he spoke softly, trying to comfort her. "Be more understanding toward a patient. I'm sorry for making you suffer."
Tong Xiaorou cried even harder, her tears soaking Jiang Cheng's clothes. She was letting out all the grievances she had endured over the years.
Jiang Cheng didn't know how to console her, so he just held her in silence. He couldn't think about anything else with the monsters lurking outside.
Eventually, Tong Xiaorou cried herself to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. It was the first time in three years that she had slept so peacefully.
In the past, Tong Xiaorou had always been on guard duty while the former Jiang Cheng searched for food. She was also afraid that he would abandon her and Yaya and run away. She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep completely.
When Jiang Cheng saw that Tong Xiaorou had fallen asleep, he was about to retract his hand, but he realized that the girl was still hugging his arm tightly even though she was asleep.
He shook his head slightly and hugged her delicate body, leaning against the wall to rest.
Even with the added energy from becoming an Evolver, he had spent most of the day gathering and fusing items, which had depleted his energy and spirit.
Now, he felt incredibly sleepy, but he couldn't allow himself to fully succumb to sleep. Instead, he kept his eyes half-closed and alert, ready to snap them open at the slightest movement.
As time ticked by, strange sounds echoed from outside, accompanied by the cries of a woman that sounded inhuman and otherworldly.
In his memories, the previous owner of this body had often heard this sound.
However, this was the first time Jiang Cheng had experienced it himself. Even though he was in the tree hole, he still felt a chill down his spine.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging sound from outside, followed by the explosion of a huge tree in the distance. In the next moment, a woman's crying and a voice speaking in an incomprehensible language could be heard, sending chills down Jiang Cheng's spine.
Jiang Cheng was completely awake in an instant. He flipped his hand and took out his Tang Dynasty Sword, which had been enhanced.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
There seemed to be someone or something fighting in the distance. Trees exploded one after another, and monsters roared and shouted in a completely unfamiliar language. The shockwave became increasingly terrifying.
As Jiang Cheng saw the battle as about to reach them, his expression changed drastically. He gritted his teeth, let go of Tong Xiaorou, and pounced toward the tree hole. With a thought, he lit up the campfire in front of the tree hole.
With a bang, the campfire in front of the tree hole suddenly burst into flames that were more than two meters high, dispelling the coldness and darkness.
In an instant, a warm feeling rose in his heart, and an inexplicable sense of peace appeared in his heart.
"Arghhh!" At the same time, a scream came from outside, and then it quickly disappeared.
However, the next moment, the shockwave swept over. Jiang Cheng hurriedly turned around, his back facing the wind.
Fortunately, the battlefield was some distance away from here, and the power of the shock wave was already very small when it reached here.
"What's wrong…"
"Sis…"
Tong Xiaorou and Yaya stirred awake almost simultaneously, their faces etched with terror.
"It's okay, don't make any noise." Jiang Cheng's nerves were frayed, and he had no idea what was happening outside.
Tong Xiaorou and Yaya remained silent.
Pitter-patter...
A sound, like that of something falling, resonated from outside, raining down like a hailstorm.