Machalite is a rather peculiar metal. When its purity reaches a certain level, it transforms into "Celestite". At that stage, it sheds its metallic characteristics and becomes crystal clear, looking like a piece of pure, flawless jade.
High-quality Celestite of this caliber is extremely rare, and its breathtaking beauty is world-renowned. In his past life playing the games, Logan had never even farmed such a rare material; he had only ever obtained a medal made from one.
The chunk of Celestite he had just "excreted" was about the size of a volleyball. If sold in the human world, it would be worth a fortune. He recalled a certain Village Chief who carried a similar stone on his back, treating it like a life-long treasure—yet its purity likely couldn't even match this one.
"It feels like a waste to just throw it away. Should I take it as a souvenir?"
Looking at the sapphire-like, translucent stone sitting in the pit, the thought flashed through Logan's mind.
But immediately after, he shuddered. After all, this was something that had just come out of his own backside; he couldn't quite bring himself to pick it up and play with it. Next time this happens, I'll remember to ruminate and spit it out from my mouth. Even if the essence is the same, the psychological meaning is completely different.
With a casual sweep of his hind legs, he kicked some loose soil over the pit, gave it a half-hearted burial, and walked away without looking back.
...
A Kulu-Ya-Ku poked its head out from behind a tree trunk, its large blue eyes shining with a "wise" glint. The crest of feathers atop its head swayed gently in the breeze.
It had been eyeing that white monster for a while now. Passing through this forest by chance today, it had witnessed the creature "laying eggs." It quickly hid nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to sneak in and steal a few.
About ten minutes later, the white monster finally left. The Kulu-Ya-Ku was so excited its crest snapped upright, and it pounced forward impatiently.
With forepaws as flexible as suction cups, it bent down and rapidly clawed away the dirt. As layers of humus were tossed aside, several smooth, dark-brown objects were revealed.
Seeing that sleek oval shape and the glossy shells—and feeling the heavy weight in its claws—the Kulu-Ya-Ku began to salivate uncontrollably. It tilted its head back and pecked down hard at an "egg."
CLANG!!!
A crisp metallic ring echoed. The hard black beak collided with the smooth stone, sending bright sparks flying. The massive recoil traveled up the beak into its brain, rattling its skull and leaving the Kulu-Ya-Ku with a loud buzzing in its ears.
What's going on? Why is it so hard?
Confused, it tilted its head, looking the "egg" over from every angle. In terms of color and shape, it looked exactly like a standard egg. Plus, it had seen the thing being "laid" with its own eyes; there shouldn't be a problem.
Refusing to believe its bad luck, the Kulu-Ya-Ku pecked several more times. Sparks flew everywhere, and it even wore down the keratin layer of its beak, yet it only managed to chip a tiny dent into the "egg." It still couldn't break the "shell."
The repeated failures, combined with the throbbing pain in its mouth, sent the Kulu-Ya-Ku into a fit of rage. It slammed the "egg" against a nearby boulder. After a violent collision, the hard shell finally cracked open—but what was inside wasn't delicious egg yolk. It was solid stone.
The cruel reality left the Kulu-Ya-Ku stunned. The feathers on its head drooped, and the light faded from its eyes.
But soon, unwilling to give up, it dived back into the pit, frantically rummaging through the other oval stones, desperate to find a real egg. However, everything it touched was that same rock-hard material. Just as it was about to give up, a brilliant flash of blue caught its eye.
What a beautiful object! Look at those perfect curves, that shimmering smooth surface... and it was just the right size to be held with both claws.
The Kulu-Ya-Ku lowered its head, studying the treasure in its claws under the dappled sunlight. With just one look, it was deeply enchanted. For the first time, it felt there was something in this world more captivating than an egg.
The gloom from the "eggs-turning-to-stone" incident vanished instantly. On its way back to its nest, it couldn't help but stare at the treasure in its hands. Because of this, its vigilance dropped significantly, and it failed to notice the heavy footsteps approaching from ahead.
As it rounded a protruding rock along a narrow path between two hills, a massive Glavenus suddenly appeared before it.
The sudden fright made the Kulu-Ya-Ku jump. Its forepaws flailed wildly as it scrambled to avoid dropping its treasure.
The flash of blue light caught the Glavenus's attention. Having spent years consuming Machalite ore veins, it realized immediately what the stone was. As a powerful monster that had survived for decades, its long life had granted it vast experience—yet it had never seen Machalite this pure.
It could hardly imagine ore could reach such a level of purity; the ones it had eaten before were like muddy gravel in comparison.
The Glavenus had no intention of letting this "delivery meal" escape anyway, but now it had an even better reason to hunt. Opening its maw, it let out a roar and charged forward with heavy strides.
Booming thuds echoed through the pass, accompanied by the screech of steel scraping against rock.
Facing a giant monster that could bite it in half in one gulp, the naturally cowardly Kulu-Ya-Ku didn't dare stay. It turned and bolted. Relying on its agile frame, it wove through the boulders at high speed, actually managing to pull away from the Glavenus for a moment.
...
"What's that big idiot up to now?"
From the distance came a thunderous roar, mixed with the sounds of violent explosions and impacts.
Logan, who had already traveled a fair distance with Zhu Peiniang, paused. His long tail flicked, slicing through several thick weeds.
He knew that sound anywhere—it was the Glavenus throwing a tantrum. He hadn't provoked it today, so he had no idea why the guy was going crazy.
However, Logan didn't have the energy to care about that. He was currently nursing a headache over how to scale the towering mountain ahead.
The Coral Highlands were surrounded by a massive circular canyon. The outer mountain walls were not only sky-high but extremely steep, making them nearly impossible for a human to climb. Even the Third Fleet later only managed to cross using hot air balloons. It wasn't until Zorah Magdaros tore a hole in that canyon that a path to the outside world was finally opened.
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