"System, can domestication points also be used on plants?"
Luciel suddenly thought of the possibility and asked in his mind.
[Ding! Plants can be domesticated.]
"In that case… I'll dig up every last one of them."
His gaze swept over several unknown plants that were already on the verge of withering. By his estimate, they could still survive for a while if transplanted.
There were more than a dozen plants in total, leaving him momentarily torn.
"I'll search for other things first. I can move them all in one night."
For that, he would need more strength. If his tricolor lizard and Red Ghost Spider could evolve further, transporting everything would be much easier.
Luciel began his search, soon coming across a room with its door tightly shut.
Click—
With just a light push, it opened.
"That's promising." Luciel stepped inside cautiously.
The sight of a large bed immediately told him it was Bloodbeard's bedroom.
He moved to the bedside cabinet, pulled open a drawer, and found a bulging cloth bag. Inside was a heap of beast spars.
Luciel grinned. "Bloodbeard sure is confident, leaving something this important lying around."
Of course, that confidence wasn't unfounded—who would expect anyone to climb directly up from the outside of the hill?
Luciel reached into the bag. "System, absorb it all."
Ding! Energy converted successfully. Evolution points gained: 3866.
Luciel's grin widened. "Now that's what I call striking it rich."
Over 3,800 points in one go—it was enough to push his plans forward. After reveling in the windfall for a moment, he steadied himself and continued searching.
In a cupboard, he discovered a small chest containing plant seeds and a handful of gems.
"Another nice surprise."
The seeds were carefully stored in little cloth pouches—seven or eight different kinds. He packed the entire box into his backpack. The seeds were too valuable to leave behind.
"As for the gems… I'll take these back. Mino might enjoy them."
He pocketed the gems casually before rummaging through the rest of the closet. Aside from several sets of clothes, he found rolls of cloth neatly stacked.
"Do people here really like hiding cloth in their wardrobes?" Luciel muttered.
He pulled them all out and stacked them on the table—fifteen rolls in total, in eight different colors.
"Always hoarding, never wearing. Well… let me help them 'use' it properly."
In addition to the cloth, he found more than a dozen swords in different styles, along with several spears.
"These will be useful. I'll melt them down later."
Luciel bundled the weapons and cloth together, then tapped the walls out of habit.
Boom…
A hollow sound. A hidden chamber.
"So that's where the real treasure is."
Raising his eyebrows, he quickly located the mechanism and opened the secret door.
Inside was a simple study: a table, a chair, and shelves.
On the table lay several animal skins. Curious, Luciel unrolled one and froze.
"This… Oracle script?"
Shock filled his voice. The characters were ancient hieroglyphs. Alongside them were drawings of plants and notes detailing their uses.
He flipped through more skins and found records of animals, plants, and even special recipes.
"Hieroglyphs? Just how old is this world? And what about cabbages and tomatoes…?"
A chaotic thought crossed his mind—was this world somehow parallel to his own?
But the evidence was scarce, too little to draw conclusions.
"Forget it. I'll take these back and study them later."
He carefully packed every animal skin into his backpack. Even if he couldn't yet solve the mystery, gaining knowledge of the world's written language was already a huge breakthrough.
After searching the hidden chamber thoroughly and finding nothing else of note, Luciel returned to the main bedroom, then moved on to the next room.
There were only three rooms in total: the bedroom with its secret study, and now the second.
Squeak—
The unlocked door swung open.
"A storage room."
Barrels. Hundreds of them filled the space, stacked neatly.
He opened one at random.
Splash.
Water sloshed inside.
But in the center stood a massive barrel—one and a half meters tall, towering above the rest.
"That's unusual."
Luciel approached, noticing several stones weighing down its lid. After removing them, he cautiously pried the cover open.
Whoosh—
Water surged out instantly, and something crystal-clear leapt forth.
"What the—?"
Luciel reacted instantly, firing strands of spider silk from his fingers to bind the object mid-air.
Slap!
The captive thrashed, spraying droplets everywhere.
On closer look, Luciel's eyes widened. "The crystal fish… the one that mysterious woman mentioned?"
It resembled an arowana, but completely transparent, its bones shimmering like dark crystal. It was stunningly beautiful, almost like a living sculpture.
"A treasure fish… but I wonder how it tastes," Luciel muttered with a chuckle.
Slap! Slap!
The fish flailed violently, and in moments, water droplets clustered around it, forming a ball the size of a football.
Luciel's expression froze. The fish floated inside the sphere, suspended in midair—the water ball not spilling a single drop.
"Incredible… so this is how the Bloodbeard thieves had their water supply."
He shook the fish lightly in its web of silk. The water sphere remained perfectly intact, only shedding a few stray drops.
Carefully, Luciel found a small bucket, placed the fish inside, and tucked it securely under his arm.
No wonder the Moon Lake Tribe had offered a huge bounty for these creatures. In a wasteland world where water was scarce, a fish that could produce its own supply was priceless.
A true lifesaver.