Alex glanced around, frowning slightly.
Most of the people talking now were those who had leveled up.
There were no new clues, and the only information being shared concerned low-level alien beasts from other areas.
But no one mentioned how they had managed to kill the level 1 and 2 beasts.
It wasn't hard for Alex to figure out how, though, and he didn't dwell on it.
After a few more glances, Alex noticed Dabai had stopped tearing into the meat.
He staggered closer.
Looking at the thunder-striped python, Dabai had already devoured most of the meat from the lower body.
The upper half of the snake was almost untouched.
Alex shook his head slightly. Such a massive piece of meat, even if they spent another three days eating, they wouldn't be able to finish it.
But keeping the body here for three days wasn't practical.
Alex thought for a moment and decided to put it up for auction.
After all, food was one of the most vital resources for survival.
Although it didn't matter to him with Dabai around, others were still struggling to find enough to eat.
His mind spun as he approached the thunder-patterned python once more, picking out the more valuable parts, like the snake tendons and eyes, and storing them in his [System Backpack].
He sorted through the remaining meat and decided to put all of it in the auction house.
There was nothing urgent for him at the moment.
The price had to be something that either provided valuable information or something new he hadn't discovered yet.
In short, if the offer didn't satisfy him, the deal wouldn't go through.
After setting the anonymity and conditions for the auction, Alex hopped onto Dabai's back. "Take me to the python's lair."
Dabai tilted its head as if confused but flapped its wings, and its massive black figure swiftly disappeared into the chaotic valley.
Only the giant skeleton remained.
What Alex didn't realize was that everyone in the auction house and on the World Channel was buzzing with excitement over the thunder-striped python meat.
"Oh my God! What did I just see? This is the meat from a level 10 Thunder Marked Python! If that's the case, this boss must've killed it!"
"Ugh! Why is there such a huge gap between people? I haven't even killed a level 1 ant, but this boss took down a level 10 alien beast!"
"Hahaha! This must be one of the greats from the Free Beacon! Only our people can be this powerful!"
"Right! It makes perfect sense! This boss must be from the Free Beacon!"
"Are you blind? The anonymous seller's avatar clearly shows their nationality and region. Your Free Beacon is in red?"
"Ha! It must've been luck! He wouldn't have been able to kill the level 10 beast otherwise!"
"Tch! Is your source of information from the Free Beacon? Stop dreaming. This person is clearly from China. You're just a level 2 foreign trash, don't try to argue!"
"We Chinese bosses can kill level 10 alien beasts. You've only killed a few level 2 ones, and you still have the nerve to run your mouth?"
The World Channel was in chaos, and the auction house wasn't much better.
Many people who had hoped to get lucky quickly posted messages in the auction house.
At the same time, as Alex stood on Dabai's back and looked over the forest, he saw many messages popping up in the auction house.
"Boss, are you still looking for pendants? I can help with that…"
"Boss! I was once a beauty at Tsinghua University. Just let me help you, and I'll do anything!"
"Boss! Have you seen the information I discovered? It's a wonder from the desert…"
Alex frowned slightly as he skimmed through the messages.
Just when he was about to block them all, he noticed a message that caught his attention.
"Hello, I have the construction blueprints here."
The signature was anonymous, but from the profile picture, Alex could tell the person was likely Chinese, like him.
After hesitating for a moment, Alex responded, "What kind of construction blueprint? Please explain in detail."
"The fine steel armor construction blueprint. Once you have it, you can forge various types of iron armor independently."
"How much meat do you want in exchange?"
"A thousand pounds!"
As the message flashed on his screen, Alex fell into deep thought.
If the blueprint was as the person claimed, it would be highly valuable.
If he obtained it, he could build a set of stainless steel armor for Dabai.
While it would slow Dabai down, it would significantly improve its survivability.
It wouldn't be vulnerable to a single blow from a Thunder Marked Python anymore.
After a brief pause, Alex agreed.
For others, meat might be extremely hard to come by, but for Alex, who had Dabai, meat was easy to find.
A thousand pounds was a reasonable price for such a blueprint.
After agreeing to the trade, the game interface in front of Alex suddenly shifted.
A faint silver light appeared, and a paper blueprint materialized before him.
[Fine Steel Armor Construction Blueprint]
[Quality: Silver]
[Usable times: 1]
[Evaluation: After using and learning, you will gain the ability to independently forge fine steel armor!]
Seeing this, Alex immediately chose to use it.
In an instant, he felt a surge of knowledge flooding his mind about forging stainless steel armor.
A new construction item appeared on the game panel in front of him.
He clicked on it, and the interface shifted.
A forge-like structure appeared, with various patterns beneath it.
[Construction Furnace (can be built anywhere)]
[Requires: Iron (0/1100), Wood (0/1000)]
[Customized Fine Steel Armor (undefined)]
Build a furnace?
Looking at the large amount of iron and wood required, Alex frowned.
'I haven't even seen a single piece of iron yet, and there's so much wood. If I cut them one by one, how long is this going to take?'
Just then, Dabai let out a sharp eagle cry, pulling Alex's attention back to the present.
Only then did Alex realize that they had arrived at the lair of the Thunder Pattern Python.
'Forget it. No need to think about that now. If it comes down to it, I'll trade meat with someone else.'
The priority right now was plundering the Thunder Pattern Python's lair.
The Thunder Pattern Python might as well be considered a small lord, so its lair was bound to have something special. There was no way it was just an ordinary space.
As Dabai landed and came to a stop, Alex jumped off his back and started inspecting the swamp carefully.
When they first arrived, Alex had been too focused on the battle between Dabai and the Thunder Pattern Python to notice whether there were any valuable resources around.
Walking deeper into the swamp, Alex finally noticed something odd around the lair of the Thunder Pattern Python—a strange kind of grass.
Its leaves had patterns resembling lightning, and unlike the other swamp grasses, the color was a mix of blue and purple.
Opening the system, Alex checked its details.
[Thunder Grass]
[Quality: Bronze]
[Effect: After consumption, it enhances physical fitness and grants weak lightning power.]
[Description: A strange grass that grows in the swamp, born from seeds that survived a lightning strike, and a favorite food of the Thunder Python.]
'Looks like this is the source of the Thunder Python's lightning power.'
Without hesitation, Alex began collecting the Thunder Grass, soon picking all of it.
[Obtained Thunder Grass x10]
After gathering the grass, Alex scanned the area for anything else but found nothing. Calling Dabai over, Alex climbed back onto his back.
"Let's head to your home."
Dabai tilted his head, processing the word "home," and then took off into the sky once more.
On the way, Alex finally had time to check the rewards just received.
[Silver Beast Taming Capsules x10]
'Right, these Beast Taming Capsules are essential for me.'
Only with Beast Taming Capsules can Alex capture more exotic beasts and become stronger.
[Iron x200, Wood x200]
The materials would be useful later; no point in worrying about them now.
Thinking about the plans from earlier, Alex quickly opened the auction system, placing half of the snake meat up for sale with the following conditions:
[1 catty of snake meat for 2 catties of iron or 5 catties of wood]
The price might seem steep, but considering the scarcity of food and the not-too-scarce availability of these materials, it seemed fair enough.
Cutting down a small tree could yield hundreds of catties of wood, and even a larger branch would produce dozens.
'I think this price is reasonable.'
Once the offer was listed, the channel exploded with comments.
"Did this person really kill an entire Thunder Python? How do they have so much meat? I thought it was just the corpse of one killed by another beast..."
"Who is this person? I need to find them! Someone stronger than my Lighthouse group? I'm cutting down trees right now."
"Boss, can you lower the price? 5 catties of wood is too much."
"Are you planning to build something with all this iron and wood?"
People flooded the channel with messages, either debating the price or asking questions.
Alex ignored them. They were just a bunch of people who hadn't grasped the situation yet.
After a while, Dabai landed on a steep cliff and let out an excited cry.
"Oh, your home is here?"
As Dabai touched down, Alex jumped off and looked at the bird's nest perched on the cliff. There were no other beasts around—just Dabai, the lord of this mountain.
Scanning the area, Alex spotted something peculiar. Without paying attention earlier, Alex stepped on some grass growing from the cracks in the rocks, which released a cloud of black mist.
"Interesting. Dabai, do you eat this?"
Dabai approached the grass, then nodded before shaking his head.
Alex understood: Dabai might eat it occasionally, but it wasn't its primary food.
'This grass is probably linked to Dabai's black cloud skill.'
Checking the system, Alex saw the detailed information of the grass.
[Black Cloud Grass]
[Quality: Silver]
[Effect: Can enhance physical fitness after consumption, and may provide additional effects for exotic beasts.]
[Description: A rare grass that grows in high places, releasing a strange black mist.]
'Additional effects? Could it be related to acquiring the black cloud skill?'
It seemed like acquiring the skill might be a matter of probability.
With that thought, Alex decided to collect all the grass.
"Alright, Dabai. Wait here while I make you some armor."
Earlier, Alex saw the auction house had purchased enough iron and wood to build a construction furnace.
With a satisfied grin, Alex opened the system panel and built the furnace.
[Construction Furnace]
[Description: Can refine ore into weapons, armor, or other items, requiring the corresponding blueprints.]
Next, Alex selected a blueprint for fine steel armor, put in the necessary iron, and began refining.
Halfway through, Alex got an idea as they glanced at the strange herbs in their backpack.
'Typically, when refining items, could I add other materials to enhance their properties?'
Intrigued, Alex decided to try using these herbs in the furnace.
Taking a Thunder Grass, Alex placed it carefully into the furnace. A faint rumbling sound filled the air, and soon after, a puff of black smoke rose.
"Ah, well..." Alex stared at the black smoke, a little speechless.
It seemed like a failure.
But before Alex could try another material, the system's message popped up.
[Construction successful.]
[Fine Steel Armor]
[Quality: Silver]
[Description: Armor made from special materials, designed specifically for exotic beasts. It will emit weak lightning to counterattack when struck.]
'Successful?'
Alex looked at the armor with a cold gleam and was slightly stunned. This was designed for Dabai, with the idea that the weight would not interfere with Dabai's flight. The armor would protect the key areas only.
"Dabai, come over and try this on."
With Alex's help, Dabai donned the fine steel armor and immediately seemed more energetic.
"Now, fly and see if it feels too heavy."
Dabai took off, soaring through the air and letting out a series of joyful chirps.