Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

At present, Xiaoye had six skills in total. The Shadow Warlock Authority, which it had obtained by exploiting a glitch, didn’t seem to have expanded its Sea of Consciousness by much.

Perhaps it would have to evolve to the next stage to resolve the issue.

He bent down and rubbed Xiaoye’s fluffy head, his voice softening. ”Alright, I’ll need you to help watch the camp tonight.”

It couldn’t be helped.

The RV could barely accommodate Xiaoye, who was now the size of a tiger.

After he used his Strong Will to open the door remotely, the creature leaped down the RV steps and ran toward the doghouse by the camp gate.

The number of Runes at Lv4 and below was about the same as the number of Lv5 Runes. This was mainly because chimeras rarely dropped low-level Runes, and he had used up quite a few in trades recently.

Su Chen picked out the Fertility Skill and enchanted it onto a short staff.

Like the Lv4 Water Creation Skill, this would be a communal camp item, mainly for Ms. Cheng’s use. She still had a batch of Red Millet seeds, and after the extreme cold weather passed, he would have her pick a plot of land in the backyard to plant them.

’They should be easy to grow.’

In such a volatile and harsh environment, the species of this world were presumably quite resistant to drought and cold.

This wasn’t something he needed to worry about. If worst came to worst, he could just buy supplies at the border town market.

Any problem money could solve wasn’t really a problem.

He was now extremely wealthy.

If Dongfu City had a personal wealth leaderboard, he’d definitely be at the top.

Just then, Yan Ruoruo walked into the RV. She was carrying a bag of skincare products—some nice things Yu Ziyuan had brought from the city.

”I’ll put these on the vanity,” she said, her flat tone carrying a hint of a question.

Su Chen nodded.

Only then did Yan Ruoruo walk into the bathroom and place the bottles and jars—facial cleanser, moisturizing serum, sunscreen, and the like—on the counter.

In the apocalypse, this was its own kind of luxurious, dignified life.

”Here, take this Rune,” Su Chen said, pushing a small vial containing a Rune across the table.

Ruoruo, who had just emerged from the bathroom, paused. She realized it was a Lv6 Wind Splitting Skill Rune.

”Wait a moment.”

She walked over to the passenger seat and took a small vial containing a Lv6 Healing Skill from her quiver. Ruoruo had killed a Werewolf chimera earlier that day and received her share of the loot. The day before, she had also killed two modified humans on her own. Her haul had been significant.

However, she lacked her own means of healing. In the past, she had relied on team support to recover from injuries and mitigate the aftereffects of her Frenzy.

Handing over this precious healing Rune was equivalent to entrusting her very life to Su Chen.

The gift had become an exchange.

Su Chen didn’t hesitate, absorbing it immediately.

The Lv6 Healing Skill was only a numerical upgrade; its mechanics hadn’t changed.

With this, he was only three Skills away from unlocking his second Core Authority: raising the Wind Element Flying Skill, the Gold Element Critical Strike, and the Ice Element’s Ice Bird summon to Lv6.

’I’ll have to rely on sacrifices to get the Ice Element Rune.’

The altar structure would adapt its rewards for each person; he refused to believe he wouldn’t get what he wanted if he just sacrificed enough.

According to information from the ”Rune Knowledge Radio,” the new mission hall also tailored rewards based on the sacrificer’s class, combat style, and existing Rune Construction.

This was the same logic that had allowed Ruoruo to obtain the Magic Longbow, the ’Cyan Nether Bow’.

This proved it wasn’t just a matter of luck.

Yan Ruoruo, for her part, had used the Spiritual Materials she acquired to successfully raise her Wind Split to Lv7. According to her, she had unlocked a silent assault trait.

Her Wind Split Arrows would no longer produce a sharp whistle. Instead, they would be shrouded in highly compressed, silent airflow, which also granted them a much faster flight speed.

”Nice. That’s a qualitative change,”

Su Chen praised. The Attached Damage from Wind Split was already known for its speed; now it was even faster and stealthier.

Ruoruo was no damsel in distress. She could fight and provide support, making her a worthy right-hand woman.

Even if she were just for show, she put on no airs and was a calming presence.

Now, she bustled about, bringing a Radiant Candlestick and a Silent Stone from the main camp area and placing them on the table in the RV.

Of these two Runic items, one repelled insects and had a healing effect, providing a soothing, therapeutic comfort even to the healthy. The other created a localized soundproofing field, raising an invisible privacy shield around the RV.

It was still early.

Su Chen picked up the Holy Sword and wiped the bloodstains from its blade with a cloth. As he touched it, he could feel a warmth emanating from within. The blade’s pattern, like flowing clouds and water, shimmered with a faint Spiritual Light.

He had realized how extraordinary the Holy Sword was when he first tested it. It seemed to possess a faint, hazy Spiritual Sense, capable of giving him a slight, joyful response.

Now that it had tasted blood, that wisp of Spiritual Light was a little stronger, but to his Perception, it was still too faint—far weaker even than a mosquito.

’So it needs to be nourished with blood?’ Su Chen thought, surprised.

The ginseng and Jade Lingzhi he had absorbed before had possessed a much more easily detectable conscious Spiritual Light.

For all he knew, anything in this world—mountains and rivers, plants and stones—could give birth to sentience.

He would just have to wait and see.

”If it’s possible, I’d love for Unit 13 to gain sentience too. It would make traveling so much easier,” Su Chen mused.

”Like Howl’s Moving Castle,” Yan Ruoruo added.

”Not a bad idea.”

The corner of Su Chen’s mouth quirked up. He was far too attached to this RV to ever part with it. It would be amazing if it could learn to dynamically reconfigure its structure, absorb external energy, and defend itself.