Chapter 25 Uncontrolled Extraordinary Power and the Top Secret with a "Smell"
The first light of dawn pierced through the thin mist above the temple, gilding the black wasteland with a faint golden edge.
For the "natives" of the Forsaken Land, it was just a morning full of unknowns; but for the few players who had just completed their "awakening" (leveling up to level 5 and changing jobs) in the first test, it was an extremely awkward morning.
In one corner of the square, "Dangdangdangxinzhigang" was staring at a hoe broken in two, questioning the meaning of life.
"I just wanted to help loosen some soil, didn't I?"
Gangzi looked at the onlookers with a mixture of despair and utter disappointment. Just moments ago, he had tried to demonstrate his veteran skills by helping the newcomer clear the land. But with one swing of the hoe, without even feeling much force, the wooden handle in his hand snapped with a "crack," like a biscuit.
"Brother Gangzi, your [Sabotager] profession is specifically for destroying farm tools, right?"
The man next to him, "Hakimi North and South Green Bean," munched on black bread while gloating, "You're strong, but you can't control yourself. You look like the Hulk with Parkinson's."
Gangzi looked at his hands, which had a faint grayish-white hue and muscle fibers as taut as rocks, and said with a wry smile, "Don't even mention it. The system tells me that my current state is [Body Overload Adaptation Period]. My strength attribute has skyrocketed, but my nerve response hasn't caught up yet. I'm afraid to even pick up a water glass now, as if I'll crush it. I feel like a ball that's full of air but I don't know where to let it go."
That's right.
He didn't possess superhuman strength that granted him instant power. His newly acquired superhuman physique, instead of transforming him into a war god, brought numerous inconveniences to his life. This clumsy, muscular physique, ironically made him seem particularly endearing to the new players watching.
In the shadows not far away, the situation wasn't much better for "I'm not a husky".
He chose [Stalker].
He originally thought he could blend into the darkness with the coolness of Assassin's Creed, killing without a trace, but reality turned out to be—
"Ouch! Who stepped on my hand?!"
The husky suddenly jumped out of the shadows in the corner, clutching the back of its paw and jumping around, wincing in pain.
"Hey? Husky, what are you doing squatting here?" A player who was carrying bricks was startled and almost dropped the stone in his hand. "If you don't move, you'll look like a moldy stone, the same color as the surrounding environment."
"That's called visual deception! Don't you understand?!" the husky retorted stubbornly, rubbing its paws as it tried to save face. "Although I haven't become invisible yet, I feel like my perception of light has changed. As long as I hold my breath and reduce my presence, wouldn't it be easy for you to miss me if you don't look closely?"
"Indeed." The player nodded, looking sincere. "I almost thought it was a pile of garbage just now, and I was about to dump waste soil on it."
"..." The husky became withdrawn.
As for "What Canned Food I Said," who chose the [Mystic] class, he was currently sitting cross-legged on the temple steps, covered in sweat, pale-faced, and even had a trickle of blood flowing from his nostrils, struggling with a pebble that had floated three centimeters.
Some players who chose the [Constitution] build fared better; they didn't embarrass themselves much, but the problem was that they didn't have much room to shine. It seemed like they just became less likely to die, had thicker health bars, and higher resilience.
Although everyone was making fools of themselves, the desire for power and the urge to explore filled the entire camp with energy.
...
However, on this seemingly hopeful morning, a disturbing rumor began to circulate among the villagers in the residential area.
Have you heard?
An older woman who was weaving a basket lowered her voice and said to the old village chief next to her, "That 'Edison,' the chosen one, seems to have gone mad lately."
"Shh! Don't talk nonsense!" The old village chief was startled. "How could we possibly fathom the wisdom of the God-Chosen One?"
"No, village chief," the aunt said with a troubled expression, "I saw it with my own eyes! He took that Shennong, the farmer, and had people collect…that thing everywhere."
Which one?
"It's... excrement." The woman hesitated to speak. "Not just livestock, but human excrement too. And it has to be... um, fresh."
The old village chief was stunned.
Collecting that filth? Is this some kind of dark ritual unique to evil gods? Does it require sacrifices of filth?
Thinking of this, the old village chief couldn't help but shudder. Although the god had given them food, it was, after all, a being known as the "Ancient Calamity"...
...
Behind the temple, in a sheltered, low-lying area.
This area has been designated as a "biological no-go zone".
Three heads were huddled together in front of a newly dug pit, having a lively discussion.
"The pit has been dug, it's two meters deep, and it's been treated to prevent leakage."
The "civil engineering dog" stuck the shovel into the ground, wiped the mud off his face (hopefully it was just mud), and said, "According to the blueprints, this is a standard prototype of a biogas fermentation tank. Although we can't collect biogas now, it's definitely enough for composting."
"Well done!"
Shennong, the legendary herb tasting hundreds of herbs, looked at this pit as if it were a pit of gold. Pointing to the piles of wood ash and the daunting buckets of "raw materials" beside him, his eyes gleamed with scientific brilliance.
"This land has been barren for hundreds of years, and the soil has long since died. Although Eileen's magic can promote growth quickly, it consumes too much mana and is not sustainable. For sustainable development, we must use 'farmyard manure'."
Shennong picked up a twig and drew a reaction equation on the ground:
"We use the high-temperature composting method. We mix human and animal excrement (nitrogen), wood ash (potassium), and withered leaves and rotten mud (organic matter) in a certain proportion and throw them into this sealed pit."
"This is called 'high-temperature anaerobic fermentation'," added the "Edison reincarnation" next to him, holding several stone slabs he had found in the ruins, ready to be used as lids. "This not only kills the insect eggs and germs inside, but also decomposes large organic molecules into nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that plants can directly absorb. This is a 'miracle' that can be achieved without divine power!"
"It's just that the taste is a bit..." Tu Mu Gou sniffed and gagged, "...a bit intoxicating."
"For food! For black bread to no longer be hard on the teeth! What does this little bit of taste matter?"
The trio exchanged a glance, revealing a resolute look that only science students could understand.
"Start construction! Seal the pit!"
Just as the three were about to pour the "unspeakable things" into the pit, a white figure suddenly appeared not far away.
It's the forest elf, Eileen.
She had been passing by, hoping to find some clean water in the back mountains. But as soon as she approached the area, an indescribable stench, a mixture of fermentation and decay, assaulted her senses.
"vomit--"
The elegant elf nearly lost her composure. She covered her nose, her emerald eyes filled with terror and disgust.
"What...what are you doing?!"
Eileen took several steps back, looking at the three filthy humans who were excitedly surrounding a pit of filth, and felt her worldview being shaken.
Aren't these humans favored by the gods?
Why would they collect this... this filthy stuff that only the lowest goblins and slimes would like?
"Hey? Eileen!"
Shennong's eyes lit up when he saw the elf, and he even waved enthusiastically (holding a long stirring stick in his hand), "Come and see! This is the'secret weapon' we prepared for that wheat field! With this, not only will germination be a dream come true, but a yield of a thousand catties per mu is not a dream!"
"I won't look! I won't listen! Don't come any closer!"
Eileen turned pale with fright, pressed her ears tightly to her head, and turned to run away as if she had seen some kind of monstrous beast.
"This is terrifying...this is disgusting...humans are truly incomprehensible creatures!"
As she ran, she vowed in her heart that she would never go near the back of the temple again, and she would never eat anything that these three guys offered her!
"Hey? Why are you running?"
Shennong scratched his head innocently, "I haven't even explained to her what 'turning into spring mud to better protect the flowers' means yet."
"Forget it, don't bother explaining."
Edison slammed the slate lid shut and then covered it with a thick layer of yellow mud to seal it.
"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect. Wait a few days, and when the stuff in this pit has fermented, scatter it in the field, and those golden waves of wheat will grow..."
Edison revealed a smile that concealed his accomplishment.
"At that time, she will know what the 'it smells so good' principle means."
...
High on the platform, deep within the temple.
Livy, through divine vision, took in all of this.
Looking at the elf who had fled in terror, and then at the three players who were pinning their hopes on a pit of excrement, Li Wei's lips twitched, and then he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"interesting."
Although the visuals are a bit "unpleasant," this is indeed the most efficient and lowest-cost agricultural solution currently available.
These players always manage to come up with something new and unexpected for him.
"Although the method is a bit crude, it can be considered a cornerstone of civilization."
"Meow..."
A very soft, gentle meow, tinged with an barely suppressed excitement, came from the shadows of the throne.
Li Wei tilted his head slightly, and the purple-gold light in his eyes softened considerably.
At his feet, on the steps, the cat-eared messenger Mia, who should have been solemn and dignified, was now lying on the ground with her butt sticking up high and her tail wagging wildly like a pendulum.
In front of her was a somewhat rough, dusty ball of yarn.
This thing was obviously made by some skillful player (probably the one who likes to weave baskets) using collected animal hair. Somehow it ended up in the temple and became an irresistible "artifact" in Mia's eyes.
"flutter!"
Mia lunged forward, her two little paws precisely catching the ball of yarn.
The ball of yarn rolled away due to the force.
Mia's heterochromatic pupils instantly narrowed into slits. Her body shot out like a spring, catching the ball. She then rolled on the ground, belly up, frantically scratching at the yarn ball with all four limbs.
"Meow! You bad guy! Don't run away! Meow!"
She was so engrossed in playing that she completely forgot she was in a temple and that the supreme ruler was sitting behind her.
Li Wei couldn't help but smile as he watched this scene.
He moved his fingers.
A faint, almost imperceptible wisp of spiritual energy quietly wrapped around the ball of yarn.
Just as Mia was about to pounce on her prey again, the ball of yarn suddenly defied the laws of physics and jumped to the left.
"Meow?!"
Mia missed her target and lay on the ground, completely bewildered, her ears twitching, with an expression that said, "Did this ball come to life?"
"hehe..."
Li Wei chuckled to himself, then flicked his fingers again, and the ball of yarn rolled to his feet.
Mia cautiously raised her head and glanced at Li Wei, only to find that the deity seemed to be "resting with his eyes closed" and had not noticed her lapse in composure.
So, she mustered her courage and crawled forward, like a stealthy agent, inching her way to Li Wei's feet, stretching out her little paws to tentatively reach for the ball.
Closer...closer...
The moment his claws touched the ball, Li Wei suddenly opened one eye and looked at her with a half-smile.
"Meow!!!"
Mia jumped up in fright, the fur on her tail instantly bristling like a feather duster. She scrambled to her feet, put her hands behind her back, and stammered:
"God, Your Majesty! I...I wasn't playing! I was...I was checking if this ball was dangerous for you!"
"oh?"
Li Wei shifted into a more comfortable position, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. "So, what were the test results?"
"Reporting, Your Excellency!" Mia blushed, her eyes darting around. "This ball... is very bouncy! Extremely dangerous! I, the divine messenger, must... keep a close watch on it!"
Li Wei couldn't help but chuckle, and was just about to tease her.
Just then, a series of hurried and resentful footsteps came from the entrance of the main hall.
"That's outrageous! Absolutely unreasonable!"
The forest elf, Eileen Moonsong, practically rushed into the temple. She looked somewhat disheveled, her long silver hair was a little messy, and her beautiful face was filled with despair. She was also tightly clutching a handkerchief to cover her nose.
She ran down to the foot of the platform in one breath, as if it were the only place in the entire camp with fresh air, and then she gasped for breath.
"What's wrong?" Li Wei asked knowingly, his voice tinged with a hint of mockery.
"Lord God!"
Eileen looked up, her emerald eyes even glistening with tears. "Can't you do something about those humans? They... they're a bunch of lunatics! Perverts!"
Upon hearing this, Mia immediately perked up. Forgetting about the ball of yarn, she quickly regained her (self-righteous) divine authority, puffed out her chest, and stood before Li Wei, watching Eileen warily:
"What's wrong? Did those favored ones bully you again? Or did they not give you food?"
"It's worse than not being given food!"
Eileen pointed towards the back mountain, her fingers trembling, "They...they're collecting excrement! And they're dumping that filth into the pit, saying they're fermenting some kind of 'treasure'! They even want me to sing for that pit!"
"I am a child of nature! I am a spirit that listens to the whispers of the wind! How dare they... how dare they make me cast a spell on a pit... that thing?!"
Eileen became more and more aggrieved as she spoke. As a race with severe mysophobia, the scene she had just witnessed had a mental impact on her no less than facing the whispers of an ancient god.
Upon hearing this, Mia, who had initially been somewhat hostile, instantly changed her expression to one of sympathy and understanding.
"well..."
Mia sighed, and like someone who had been through it all, walked over to Eileen and patted the elf, who was a head taller than her, on the shoulder.
"You'll get used to it, meow."
Mia said with a weary expression, "These humans are definitely not quite right in the head. The other day, that human insisted on asking me what color burlap sack I liked. How strange."
"And that Husky guy!" Eileen chimed in, "He didn't sleep last night, he was lying on a tree pretending to be dead, saying he was practicing some kind of 'stealth,' and he scared me so much I almost fell off the treehouse!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! And that guy called Canned Food! He's always talking to himself, saying things like 'video recording' and 'bro,' it's creepy!"
A cat and an elf, surprisingly, reached a consensus in front of the throne of the evil god on "just how bizarre are humans?" and started a lively roast session.
Previous barriers and racial differences vanished instantly when faced with the common topic of "complaining about gamers".
Li Wei sat high up, watching the scene below, his smile widening.
The sun was shining brightly, and the breeze was gentle.
Outside the temple, the group of players were tinkering with some rather "interesting" technology, but it was indeed the sound of civilization's revival.
Inside the temple, the timid stray cat and the proud, fallen elf were sharing gossip like best friends.
"This way... isn't so bad either."
Li Wei closed his eyes, savoring this rare and heartwarming moment