After seeing the evolution conditions for the Exotic Fire Kylin, Kent felt a bit relieved. He then looked at the massive figure in the sky—the Holy Beast, the Heavenly Fire Kylin—and said loudly, "Heavenly Fire Saint, I am confident I can evolve the Exotic Fire Kylin, but I'll need you to provide two things: 1,000 pounds of High-Level Red Fire Ore, and 10,000 pounds of Royal-Level Monster Flesh."
"You're quite capable, young one," the Heavenly Fire Kylin responded, "You know that Red Fire Ore contains intense fire energy, which can fortify my clan's foundation. However, do you know that 1,000 pounds of low-grade Red Fire Ore only yields one pound of middle-grade ore, and 1,000 pounds of middle-grade ore yields only one pound of high-grade ore? It's a process that takes time. After sleeping for over 3,000 years, I've only cultivated over 10,000 pounds of high-grade Red Fire Ore."
Kent, having only seen the Red Fire Ore from a distance and not handling it himself, now had a clearer understanding from the Heavenly Fire Kylin's explanation. He gathered several pieces of important information:
The Heavenly Fire Kylin's rank and level were far beyond the limits of this secret realm. It likely wasn't a native creature of this place.The Heavenly Fire Kylin's body could naturally absorb fire energy from the surrounding space, crystallizing it into Red Fire Ore, and over time, forming veins of Red Fire Ore.The Red Fire Ore veins in Sheep's Horn Mountain had an enormous reserve. If calculated at a 1,000-to-1 ratio, there were at least tens of billions of pounds of low-grade Red Fire Ore here, a massive and valuable resource that could greatly alleviate Earthstar's pressing energy needs.The Heavenly Fire Kylin likely didn't care for the low-grade Red Fire Ore, and Kent could potentially trade with it.
Having understood all this, Kent smiled. "In that case, Heavenly Fire Saint, please prepare the materials. Let the Exotic Fire Kylin absorb them. I still have tasks to do in this secret realm, but I will return in three days to help it evolve. Is that acceptable?"
The Heavenly Fire Kylin lowered its gaze, giving Kent a penetrating look. "Fine. But you'd better not try to escape from this secret realm. While I don't know the full extent of your human powers, if you anger me, I can easily follow through with the consequences. As for those three little ones, they need to be confined. I have no interest in monitoring their movements."
Kent readily agreed. He knew that the Heavenly Fire Kylin was a noble being and wouldn't turn on them without cause, so the safety of Long Buyu, Huang Jintian, and Ye Qiugao was guaranteed, though they would be temporarily confined.
"As long as their lives are not in danger, I have no objections," Kent said.
The Heavenly Fire Kylin then cast a cold glance at the three individuals in the distance. "Will you come willingly, or should I drag you over? I'll give you three breaths."
Upon hearing this, Huang Jintian and Ye Qiugao exchanged glances, both showing unease, while Long Buyu, more composed, figured that at worst, the two of them would accompany him to the afterlife. After all, their lives were far more valuable than his.
The three wasted no time and quickly approached the Heavenly Fire Kylin. In no time, a gust of wind blew, and the Kylin swept them up in its whirlwind before flying away, taking the Exotic Fire Kylin with them.
Kent watched them leave before turning his attention back to Sheep's Horn Mountain. He realized there was no need for him to personally inspect the Red Fire Ore veins; after all, the Heavenly Fire Kylin, who had cultivated them, could be trusted.
As for how the Heavenly Fire Kylin would prepare 1,000 pounds of high-level Red Fire Ore and 10,000 pounds of Royal-Level Monster Flesh, that was no longer Kent's concern.
The Exotic Fire Kylin would need at least three days to absorb those materials, so Kent wouldn't waste the time. He turned and ran toward the lake shore, intending to finish exploring the entire waterway in the next three days.
"Ah, I should take care of this first."
Kent looked at the Burrowing Beast, White Earth, and said, "I've ended our contract. You can go now; our fates have come to an end."
White Earth looked at Kent with red eyes, clearly reluctant. After Kent ended their bond, they could no longer communicate mentally. White Earth let out a few barks before burrowing into the ground, watching Kent leave.
Kent wasn't particularly moved. He took out a small motorboat and began traveling across the water.
The waterway formed a circular shape and spanned hundreds of miles, with a vast forest in the center.
To determine the depth of the water, Kent even dived in and soon concluded that the deepest part was around 500 meters, a depth that couldn't sustain powerful native beasts.
The exploration process was dull and boring, but Kent had bought enough fuel to keep the motorboat running continuously.
"A giant white shark, golden mid-tier, level 47."
Kent recorded his encounters with native creatures. He aimed for perfection, ensuring that he didn't miss any part of the secret realm.
In reality, if he explored more than 80% of the area, it would be considered acceptable. Kent thought he could explore 90% of the Mowling Secret Realm.
"A group of Ghost Swordfish, with levels ranging from twenty to thirty. They have sinister faces, and their bodies resemble straight swords, ranging from 3 to 6 meters long, capable of generating powerful impact."
Kent wrote it all down. If one looked closely, they could see he had filled most of his notebook, each page densely covered with writing.
Of course, he couldn't submit this notebook directly. He would need to organize it into a report with lots of photos and original materials once he returned.
Three days later, Kent had finished exploring the waterway. Since he couldn't dive, his exploration was limited to what he could do above the surface.
The entire waterway only had one Royal-Level monster, a 51-level Giant Squid with terrifying tentacles.
However, this monster had a bad fate—it was captured by the Heavenly Fire Kylin and would likely end up as food for the Exotic Fire Kylin.
Sigh!
Kent returned to Sheep's Horn Mountain and entered the underground region through the massive fissure.
Wow~
Looking around at the large amount of Red Fire Ore, which was irregular in shape but generally fist-sized, Kent casually picked up a piece. He found it quite dense, weighing about one pound.
Feeling the warmth emanating from the Red Fire Ore, it was clear that it contained a substantial amount of fire energy.
Hmm!
Kent noticed a deep red Red Fire Ore and a piece with a reddish-golden color.
The heat from these two ores was far stronger than that of the low-grade Red Fire Ore, with the reddish-golden one being far more intense.
Kent immediately deduced that the deep red ore was mid-grade Red Fire Ore, and the reddish-golden one was high-grade Red Fire Ore.
"With so much Red Fire Ore, this is a huge energy resource. If it were mine, I'd strike it rich," Kent thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement.