Luciel left the room carrying the small wooden barrel and pushed open the third door.
Inside, the room was packed with dried meat—enough to feed a thousand people for a month.
"No wonder Bloodbeard can maintain a band of five hundred thieves," Luciel muttered, smirking as he tugged on a strip of jerky. "The quality's not bad either."
The more he saw, the more certain he felt that choosing to "relocate" here had been the right decision.
"But… how do I move all of this out?"
He stepped back into the central space, looking at the three rooms on one side and the dozen or so precious plants on the other.
"And the gap in the dome's too narrow," he sighed.
Up above, the tricolor lizard still lingered on top of the dome, unable to squeeze through the ten-inch opening.
"If I try opening the dome, the noise will be deafening," Luciel muttered. A quick glance at the heavy wooden gate below confirmed his concern. Anyone outside would hear it instantly.
Then an idea struck him. "Wait… so what if they hear? I don't need the door. If it gets noisy, I'll just block it off."
He shook his head, almost laughing at himself. He'd been overthinking it.
"You can't steal everything quietly… if you can't, then just take it all anyway."
His eyes gleamed. "But first, let's put those evolution points to work. Time to bring you up to level 4."
He summoned the Red Ghost Spider.
"System, evolve the Red Ghost Spider to level 4."
Ding! Level 3 Red Ghost Spider evolving to Level 4. 1,000 evolution points deducted.
Ding! Evolution successful.
Ding! New talent unlocked: Hundred Silk Control.
Ding! Trainer ability synchronized: Hundred Silk Control (Level 4).
A warm current surged through Luciel, strengthening his body. Before he could relish the change, the dome above groaned—
Click… click…
The tricolor lizard had forced its way in, squeezing its bulk through the narrow crack. Scales flaked off as it clawed its way down.
Luciel rolled his eyes. "You stubborn fool."
"System, evolve the tricolor lizard to level 4."
Ding! Level 3 Tricolor Lizard evolving to Level 4. 1,000 evolution points deducted.
Ding! Evolution successful.
Ding! New talent unlocked: Mimicry: Scaly Hardening.
Ding! Trainer ability synchronized: Mimicry: Scaly Hardening (Level 4).
Once again, that powerful sense of reinforcement filled Luciel, though it faded after a moment.
"System, display my status."
---
Trainer: Luciel
Physical Strength: 34
Speed: 33.7
Strength: 34.4
Spirit: 45
Lifespan: 24 / 560 years
Taming Points: 10 (refreshes daily, accumulative)
Evolution Points: 1,972
Abilities:
Mimicry: Scaly Hardening (Lv. 4)
Hundred Silk Control (Lv. 4)
Earth Rock Burst (Lv. 3)
Domesticated Beasts:
Tricolor Lizard: Talent — Mimicry: Scaly Hardening (Lv. 4)
Red Ghost Spider: Talent — Hundred Silk Control (Lv. 4)
Rock Tortoise: Talent — Ground Thorn Burst (Lv. 3)
---
Luciel grinned. His power had jumped again, and his lifespan now stretched over five centuries. Best of all, his beasts were stronger than ever.
The tricolor lizard flicked its tongue and licked his palm excitedly.
"That tickles." Luciel chuckled, tapping its head.
At level 4, the lizard had grown to nearly four meters, its scales now forming triangular patterns, each shimmering with three blended colors.
The Red Ghost Spider refused to be left out, scuttling up to rub against him.
"Fighting for attention, huh?" Luciel laughed, patting its hideous back.
The spider had grown too—two meters long now. The grimacing pattern on its back looked even more menacing, while its eight legs gleamed blood-red, sharp as spears. One strike would be enough to impale a man.
"Alright, you two. Get used to your powers—you'll need them soon."
Luciel tested their new abilities. The lizard's Mimicry: Scaly Hardening allowed it to cloak itself in camouflage before instantly hardening its scales for offense or defense. The spider's Hundred Silk Control gave Luciel the ability to direct a hundred strands of silk simultaneously—a frighteningly versatile skill.
"Perfect. Exactly what I need for hauling things out."
He activated his own version of Mimicry: Scaly Hardening. Patterns spread across his arm like glowing circuitry.
"Not bad. Looks pretty cool too."
He knocked his arms together—clang, clang!—and the sound was like stone colliding with metal.
"Harder than steel. Defense is way up."
He flexed his stiff fingers and smiled. It wouldn't stop him from digging.
"Let's start moving."
Using his hardened arms, Luciel dug up the soil around the plants, carefully transplanting each one into barrels. He sealed the lids with spider silk, wrapping and tying several at once with his new control.
"Xiao Cai, your turn."
The tricolor lizard obediently approached. Luciel strapped the barrels to its back with silk.
"Hmm… we can stack more."
Soon, eight barrels lined its flanks. Then, inspired, Luciel added another row, arranging them in a grid-like "product" shape.
By the end, twelve barrels weighed on the poor beast's back.
The tricolor lizard twisted uncomfortably, hissing in protest.
"Stop wriggling. It'll be fine," Luciel scolded lightly.
He surveyed his handiwork, pleased. "All packed. Except for the tomatoes—those vines are too fragile to transplant this way."
He tapped his chin. "I'll need another method for those."