Chapter 76
To fulfill the requirement of "killing the Spotted Crocodile King," it meant that only Ye Bai could wear this wrist guard. But turning it into equipment that only the killer could wear—wasn't that a bit harsh for the Crocodile King BOSS? ... So, they take care of the killing and the burying, huh?
Just as Ye Bai snapped back to reality from the shock of the divine equipment, she was about to shower Di Linna with a stream of enthusiastic flattery.
However, Di Linna seemed to have anticipated Ye Bai's reaction. She rubbed her forehead and interrupted, "I know, no need for compliments..."
Previously, she had been so flustered by Ye Bai's praise that she found herself unwittingly in debt to this guy. Now, before even completing the commission, she was already working for him.
"This wrist guard is the pinnacle of my career. Just being able to count on you to bring back the fabric from the Weaving Clan is a huge reward for me."
"Sure, sure, leave it to me!"
Having gotten a good deal, Ye Bai no longer played coy. She readily agreed, happily equipped the wrist guard, and bid farewell to Di Linna.
She then found Ka Li and briefed her on everything.
At this stage, Ye Bai had handled most of the pressing matters in the territory, and personnel had been assigned to their respective posts, leaving no idle hands wandering about.
The security situation of a territory is closely tied to the number of unemployed. Ye Bai had maintained a rapid pace of development, always wanting more people rather than fewer. With the addition of new technology, a batch of job opportunities had emerged, and issues of happiness and security had not arisen.
So, when the territory upgraded to town level next month, with an increase in population and the emergence of luxury goods demand, security would be the issue to consider.
To prevent any unexpected delays upon entering the Divine Realm, Ye Bai roughly explained to Ka Li how to allocate the next batch of refugees.
Of course, there were still 25 game days until the next batch of refugees arrived, and Ye Bai felt confident she could make it back in time. The only thing worth worrying about was that wandering merchants would be coming again in about ten days. It would be a shame to miss them.
After briefing Ka Li, Ye Bai made her way alone to the location of the Source Well.
The semi-transparent well stood quietly, exuding an air of mystery.
Ye Bai swallowed hard, suppressing her nervousness as she approached the edge of the well.
【Would you like to use the 'Source Well'? Current energy value (100/100)】
Energy value?
Seeing this attribute, Ye Bai was momentarily taken aback, then realized that this Source Well was not a system-generated one from the expansion pack, but rather one built by players, hence the energy bar limitation.
However, her thoughts began to wander uncontrollably. In the expansion pack, the natural Source Well could only be accessed by the top 100 players on the server each time—wasn't that a form of energy limitation as well?
Shaking her head, she decided it was pointless to overthink it. She would just see what happened when she used it.
【Yes】
Upon confirmation, a burst of light emerged from the Source Well, enveloping Ye Bai like a cocoon, and then she was drawn into the well.
A sensation of traveling through space washed over her, reminiscent of logging into the myriad realms from the Star Network, but this time it felt more intense and prolonged.
Ye Bai felt as if she had lost her body, her soul being squeezed and twisted. The light and shadows around her made her feel dizzy, and she ultimately succumbed to the darkness...
...
It felt like a brief plunge into deep sleep. Ye Bai had no idea how long she had been submerged in darkness—perhaps a day, or maybe just a moment.
In her hazy state, she sensed a pair of eyes watching her.
"Slurp, slurp..."
Accompanied by a strange sound, Ye Bai was startled awake by a wet sensation on her cheek.
"Ah!"
Ye Bai's eyes flew open to find a fluffy white mouth staring back at her. Startled, she instinctively sprang back, rolling and scrambling three meters away in a flash.
Once she had put some distance between them, Ye Bai turned to see that the fluffy mouth belonged to a grayish-white donkey, neither too big nor too small, an adult donkey.
...A donkey?
"Ah, uh, ah, uh!"
Seeing Ye Bai awake, the donkey opened its mouth and let out an unintelligible bray. But with its human-like gaze, Ye Bai couldn't shake the feeling that the donkey was mocking her.
Ye Bai wiped her face, realizing that it had just licked her. Thankfully, the donkey's mouth didn't smell bad.
Now that she knew it was just a donkey, her racing heart began to calm down. She rubbed her slightly dizzy head... Wait a minute, that donkey didn't kick her in the head, did it?
"Ah, uh?"
Ye Bai shot a suspicious glance at the donkey, which returned her a look of confusion.
"..." After a moment of eye contact, Ye Bai decided to ignore the creature for now and shifted her gaze to her surroundings.
It was daytime, but the sky was overcast and gray, suggesting a foggy, smog-laden day.
Ye Bai found herself on a half-bare grassy slope, her view limited. In the distance, she could barely make out some scattered large white stones.
Opening her map, she was greeted by a familiar war fog, with only a small area of her surroundings 'unlocked.'
However, from this, Ye Bai could roughly deduce that she had arrived in the Divine Realm, though she couldn't tell where exactly she was within it.
The Divine Realm was part of the expansion pack, and she had no detailed map in her memory. Even as the game's chief designer and producer, she could only vaguely remember that the locations in the Divine Realm were divided according to the biological races' powers.
And the only creature nearby was this seemingly extraordinary donkey that appeared to look down on humans (?).
This donkey had no saddle or reins, looking more like a wild donkey.
But wild donkeys are usually found in herds; how could one be here all alone, and not afraid of humans?
Considering the environment, she could only conclude that there was still much to explore.
Then, Ye Bai looked down at herself. She noticed she was still covered in some shimmering 'water stains.' As she focused on them, the stains slowly detached from her body, coalescing into a droplet the size of an apple, which fell into her palm.
With a thought, Ye Bai stored it in her backpack.
【Source Droplet】
Level: Legendary
Unique Binding Character: Bai Ye
Effect Duration: 10 seconds
Usage Restriction: Cannot be interrupted
Usage Effect: Leaves a mark, returns to the Source Well
Even when stored in her backpack, the Source Droplet didn't occupy a slot; it could be used at any location in the Divine Realm. After use, it would return her to the Source Well, but it couldn't be interrupted during the process, so it was unlikely to be used to escape combat.
Additionally, it served as a positioning coordinate or save point in the Divine Realm. Aside from the first entry into the Divine Realm, which was random, subsequent entries would return players to the last location where they used the Source Droplet.
Originally just retrieving the droplet, but the next moment, Ye Bai's expression changed as she scanned her backpack.
She clearly remembered the various items she had brought with her, and now one slot was missing an item.
It was one of the supplies she had brought—bread.
Uncertain how many days she would be in the Divine Realm, Ye Bai had made ample preparations before setting out, bringing along a set of 20 loaves of bread that her territory could currently produce.
Since the items in her backpack were in sets, she immediately noticed when the number of loaves dropped to 18.
Realizing this, Ye Bai shot a horrified glance at the donkey in front of her.
"Ah, uh?"
The donkey smacked its lips, also looking at Ye Bai.
Was it this guy who did it?
Ye Bai wasn't entirely sure, so she took out another loaf of bread from her backpack, holding it up and looking at the donkey.
"Ah, uh!"
The donkey let out a happy bray, took two quick steps forward, and before Ye Bai could react, snatched the loaf from her hand and swallowed it whole, chewing a couple of times before it disappeared.
Well, Ye Bai had solved the mystery; the two missing loaves had definitely been stolen by this guy.
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