Chapter Forty-Five: Westward All the Way

Strange and sharp, with the ability to appear and disappear at will, the Soul-Pacifying Nail was nothing short of a deadly weapon.

Stepping out of the courtyard, Mu Chen tested the attack range of the Soul-Pacifying Nail. Once it flew beyond twenty meters from him, he lost control over it and it dropped from the sky. To his surprise, he found that the nail could be placed beneath his feet, lifting him into the air; however, his mental control was crude, and he barely rose a meter before falling back down. Clearly, this usage would require long practice. Otherwise, even if all five nails were collected, one would risk falling from the sky due to poor control—at best a fatal crash, at worst accidentally triggering a rain of blades upon oneself.

Shaking off these whimsical ideas, he opened his personal information.

[Name: Mu Chen]
[Race: Human]
[Title: None]
[Contained Item: ???’s Eyeball (click to view)]
[Level: Lv8]
[Territory: Level 1]
[Skills: Mental Entry—Fusion (click to view), Expulsion]
Mental Entry: Fusion (fused soul artifact: Soul-Pacifying Nail*1)
Note: All fused items can be used henceforth without consumption.
Constitution: 5
Mental: 11 (7)
Potential Points: 2

“No wonder I can control it so freely—it’s because of this ‘Fusion’ skill.” He recalled his recent breakthrough.

The Mental Entry: Fusion skill had long eluded him, but its benefits were now becoming apparent. After another flight with the nail, merging it back into his arm, Mu Chen glanced at the distant slaves still collecting resources with fervor. Clearly, Mu Jiu’er had already set the arrangements in motion.

He looked up.
Countdown: 43:15:51…

“I’ve slept for over ten hours…”

Just then, Lilian returned to the base courtyard with some hemp. Mu Chen checked her information.

[Lilian (Healthy)]
Status: Slave exclusively serving Mu Chen
Condition: Hungry
Constitution: 3
Mental: 4
Defense: 1
Loyalty: 100
……

Seeing the “Hungry” status, Mu Chen understood that everyone had awakened without food, and Mu Jiu’er’s supplies were nearly depleted. Even with the best intentions, there was nothing to be done about food. He glanced at No. 1, busy gathering timber in the distance; hunger was also marked in their status.

“Sigh…”

When confirming the territory, he had split the food into seven batches for sale at the trading post, but now even the daily rations weren’t enough for so many people. He checked his backpack. Today’s provisions had been moved there during his sleep, and they were only enough for a single meal for everyone.

From now on, food would be the primary struggle.

Mu Chen’s thoughts turned first to the Grain Storage Base. Though he knew its location, the area swarmed with monsters—adult mutants, Ten-Death Beasts, Evil Infant Controllers, gangs of Street Demons… Other creatures aside, the Ten-Death Beasts inside left a deep impression on him. Most importantly, he remembered that the crafting materials for the [Carrion Beast Recruitment Scroll] were still missing a Ten-Death Beast’s hand bone.

Clearing his mind, he shook his head. His strength had soared, and with Ivy at his side, even if they encountered those monsters, victory or defeat remained uncertain. At worst, escape was always possible. Besides, after the powder keg explosion, monsters within a ten-kilometer radius had gathered near the grain base; perhaps they had already fought and eliminated each other.

He walked to the water supply area, where a giant wooden barrel stood beside the well—undoubtedly Mu Jiu’er’s handiwork. It could hold at least 200 liters. Approaching, he peered inside to find less than a fifth of the barrel filled, with a lone wooden ladle floating on the surface.

He scooped out some water and drank; it tasted much like any ordinary drinking water.

[You discover the water in the barrel has been perfectly purified and is entirely safe to drink. However, the barrel’s creator has bestowed upon it a most elegant name: Bath Barrel.]

“Mm…”

“……”

“Thank goodness it’s daytime! If it were tonight, who knows if I’d be drinking bathwater!” This girl was growing ever more unconventional.

After a simple replenishment, Mu Chen placed two [Level 1 Well] construction phantoms in the water supply area. Then he placed a [Level 1 House] and a [Level 1 Stove] construction phantom beside two of the dwellings.