Chapter 776: Blissful Oasis
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Even with Oscar’s level of power, he couldn’t grasp the vampire Dharma Idol’s actions in that instant. It was as if he merely waved his hand that wasn’t holding any weapons.
The Lava Monster’s entire head was sliced off. The red lava connecting its whole body dissolved instantly as if the force that held its body together had vanished. Its gigantic body crumbled into numerous black rocks and piled up on the ground.
They got off to a good start since the entire fight lasted a mere 10 minutes. Mario and Grai seemed to be a little excited as they summoned their Dharma Idols a little too early. Nonetheless, to newcomers, it was better to be safe than sorry since their lives were at stake.
“Where’s the Fire Quartz?” Napier was very anxious.
“It’s here!” Mario jogged over to the spot where he found a Fire Quartz and pulled hard on the hook.
“Catch it!” With a clang, a pure red crystal the size of a fist was hauled out from the lava river. It was sent flying toward w.a.n.g Zhong, with some blood-red lava attached to it.
w.a.n.g Zhong’s storage s.p.a.ce was ready to receive the Fire Quartz. This dimensional pocket s.p.a.ce was heat-proof, and the Fire Quartz entered the storage s.p.a.ce smoothly. w.a.n.g Zhong didn’t even need to touch it.
It felt as if the temperature of their surroundings was lowered after the Fire Quartz was extracted. The lava river that was originally bubbly and glittery became rather dull.
“This is a significant characteristic.” w.a.n.g Zhong was completely focused on their task now, observing the changes in their surroundings. “You can target the places which have more concentrated fire elements and higher temperatures. There’s probably a higher possibility of discovering Fire Quartz there.”
“But there’s also a chance we might meet a large-scale Lava Monster tribe.” Grai nodded.
“Try to a.n.a.lyze the risks and retreat if the situation gets too dangerous. We’ll just take all the Fire Quartz within our ability.”
Oscar remained silent from the beginning to the end, following them quietly. He was pondering over other stuff. Frankly speaking, it wasn’t possible to deduce the strength of their Dharma Idols now unless it brought along an obvious power of the natural laws with it. Otherwise, their combat power could only be measured after they reached the peak of the Heroic Soul Stage. Nonetheless, these few people had solid foundations which were a distinguis.h.i.+ng feature of CHF warriors.
They were rather calm in handling matters too. For newcomers, their level of power wasn’t the biggest problem. Oscar had seen too many newcomers that entered a secret realm who rambled about their achievements excitedly the whole day: be it accomplis.h.i.+ng a small part of their mission or defeating a low-rank enemy. There were too many newcomers who forgot what they came for and grew dizzy with success, dying because of their arrogance.
Grai was especially outstanding. Notwithstanding his strange vampire Dharma Idol, he could break through defenses with an ordinary sword earlier on, piercing the head of a Lava Monster at the Heroic Soul Stage. This close-quarters combat power he wielded was not inferior to that of many senior Holy Disciples. Grai and w.a.n.g Zhong were definitely considered a.s.sets to the team in this batch of newcomers.
It appeared that he had to wait a while more to observe w.a.n.g Zhong’s ability. There were still 49 pieces of Fire Quartz to go; w.a.n.g Zhong would likely have to make a move at some point in time.
Oscar adjusted into a reclining position comfortably. For this trip, he specially put a sun lounger in his storage s.p.a.ce, which was very useful for situations like this. Oscar even changed into a short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt and flower print shorts. Beside the lava river, he looked like he was enjoying a sauna and having a good time.
“Our team captain is doing this deliberately, right?” Sharmie was sweating buckets. Looking at Oscar who was wearing sungla.s.ses and relaxing on the beach chair, Sharmie felt a little depressed. Oscar looked like he was enjoying himself while sipping on a c.o.c.ktail; he was definitely doing this to annoy them.
“You guys are cultivating while I’m recuperating from my injuries. These are two different things.” Oscar laughed. “When you are on a mission, you need to resist distractions and focus on your job!”
The process of locating Fire Quartz was neither very easy nor very hard. There were numerous Fire Quartz in this Magma secret realm, and you could find one every two or three miles. There were different numbers of Lava Monsters guarding the Fire Quartz, and the most they met was three Lava Monsters together. This let Oscar admire how the two groups worked together in tacit agreement under w.a.n.g Zhong’s orders.
Sharmie’s group discovered a Fire Quartz, and with their experience from before, they didn’t head to grab it immediately but stood at a safe distance away. A heavy artillery weapon Dharma Idol was summoned by Sharmie around 10 meters away from the group, preparing to attract the enemy and finish it off.
Frankly speaking, weapon-type Dharma Idols were quite rare in the Holy City, as they pursued the power of the natural laws, which was more important to them than pure power. Weapon-type Dharma Idols were considered low-tier even on Earth. Having a firearm for a Dharma Idol was out of the ordinary. Oscar didn’t think much of it at first as he thought that that type of Dharma Idol would only have a singular attack. Although it could fire a powerful attack, it could only be positioned at a fixed point. He thought that no matter how powerful the attack was, its effectiveness in battle was limited. However, he had clearly underestimated it.
Sharmie’s artillery Dharma Idol was not programmed for a direct attack. Its fixed position wasn’t an inconvenience; instead, it served to lock on to its target.
Oscar was surprised to find that her artillery weapon was somewhat similar to Small Eyes’ special skill. No, it was stronger than Small Eyes’ special skill. Both locked on to their target, but enemies that were locked on as Sharmie’s targets seemed to have a GPS attached to them. No matter which angle or position Sharmie fired her weapon at, her attack was able to precisely strike the target no matter how the enemy tried to dodge or how many obstacles were in the way. The Lava Monster that she locked on to as her target was hidden behind two other Lava Monsters, but all her attacks were spot on, and none were null attacks! With Oscar’s expertise, he could tell that Sharmie wasn’t deliberately controlling the direction of the attack and that it was her odd Dharma Idol that had a target locking and tracking function.
Although this Dharma Idol seemed to have this mere one function for now, it was a rather scary one. Oscar could already imagine the power that such a Dharma Idol combined with a high-tier soul tool could harness: for example, Murphy’s Hand Mortar. That powerful firepower could destroy anything in its path. He could tell that Sharmie belonged to the type that had a big Soul Sea capacity. In the Holy City, there was a saying that ‘a woman’s Soul Sea capacity was proportionate to her b.o.o.bs.’ Although it was a joke, it was not entirely false. He inferred this from how Sharmie didn’t care about wasting her Soul Power when firing her attacks.
A big Soul Sea capacity was like an inexhaustible source of energy, and her Dharma Idol which carried a precise GPS function was a terrifyingly accurate blow. This was the best long-ranged gift one could get.
What was the most important in a team? Other than excellent instructions, it would be powerful firepower. It wasn’t that other roles were inferior to firepower marksmen, but if a strong firepower marksman integrated into a team, he would be able to wield way more destructive power than if he worked alone.
Previously, the Wanderl.u.s.t Team only had one firepower marksman, Small Eyes. They had always been lacking in this area, which was something many exploration teams in the Holy City lacked too. Too many people were focused on their individual cultivation, and very few people focused on powerful, long-range firepower. Every time true long-range weapon experts came along, they were definitely sought after. Their team obtained such an a.s.set just like that?
Oscar felt that this was a pleasant surprise. If he were to judge Sharmie by the standards of a true long-range weapon expert, Sharmie would appear to be pretty inexperienced, but she definitely wasn’t lacking talent in this area. This discovery was perhaps the most unexpected gain from this trip. It was a pity that the Wanderl.u.s.t Team was so poor now; previously, the whole team saved up for half a year before they could afford a Murphy’s Hand Mortar for Small Eyes. Buying another one for Sharmie? Dream on! At least for now, they couldn’t afford it.
As for Napier and Mo Ling, each of them had a level of power similar to that of Grai, and they had interesting Dharma Idols too. Napier’s clown Dharma Idol had an explosive function, a powerful attack that had a strong penetrative effect on one’s soul. It was a pity that this ability couldn’t be used on the Lava Monsters as they had neither soul nor flesh. As a result, they weren’t afraid of his psychic, storm-like soul attacks. To them, it felt like a gust of wind.
Mo Ling’s Dharma Idol was more suited for fights with a large number of enemies. Having a king of beasts for a Dharma Idol was very suitable for the Tyrants. Using the method of a Dharma Idol and physical strength combined attack wasn’t rare, but Mo Ling’s steady and calm personality could make up for his lack of talent.
Sharmie’s artillery locked on to a target the instant the three Lava Monsters appeared. Although it wasn’t able to deal heavy damage, it had the Lava Monster growling angrily and retreating, unable to dodge the attack. Another Lava Monster’s attention was drawn to Napier who was pretending to reach for the Fire Quartz. Napier used his agility to keep it busy while Mo Ling dealt with the last Lava Monster.
Being restrained individually was a common thing in the Dimensional World, so the cooperation of a team was needed. Teamwork was the most important thing in exploring the Dimensional World. Oscar discovered an interesting fact. These newcomers were said to have come from different cities and squadrons, and some even only met each other for the first time during the CHF.
Having been in the Holy Land for so many years, Oscar had good judgment. He could tell that their teamwork was not bad, but it still had areas to improve on. This could be helped with time. The problem was that they seemed to place a high level of trust in each other, often trusting their backs to their teammates.
In the Holy Land, this was not a good thing as betrayal was something that happened all the time.
Oscar was a little emotional. He founded the Wanderl.u.s.t Team because he couldn’t stand this happening. Many newcomers learned to be more ‘practical’ after the initial suffering in the Holy Land, but the people standing in front of him now hadn’t.
Sensing ground tremors, Oscar couldn’t help but frown. This was weird. This fluctuation, was it…?
“We need to leave now!!!” Oscar bellowed, but it was too late.
……
Katchirda Village wasn’t just an insignificant village anymore.
In a short period of time, the influence of this oasis Katchirda Village was rapidly expanding under the efforts of Gong Yi and Sister Hong. In Tutankhamun, the power of money was amplified. The tactics they used in the Federation were especially useful here in the Empire. This place was almost like a gold mine waiting to be discovered.
A month ago, it was officially registered as a ‘town,’ retaining the name Katchirda, the full name being Katchirda Town.
As dusk fell, the hustle and bustle of Katchirda Town had just started. The once villagers of Katchirda Town ate their dinner and bathed themselves carefully, wearing clothes they selected specially before leaving their house. The previously sandy road had become a st.u.r.dy concrete path that was very clean. No gust of wind could blow up even a grain of sand.
This was their road, a properly constructed road. They walked along it, feeling like they were embarking on a journey.
To these villagers who had been upgraded to citizens of the new town, their current life was like a wonderful dream. The once run-down Katchirda Town — that only had a few wells, a populus euphratica forest, and a small lake — was a thing of the past. The citizens treasured what they had now.
It was the same place with the same view, but after careful planning, it transformed to give off an entirely different charm. Previously, even if this place was a precious oasis, it was known for being a barren place with poor living conditions.
Now, who dared to say that it was a barren place? The citizens would give them an earful!
The sand dunes that looked different every day were named the Golden Dunes, and the small underground lake was called the Moon Lake. The populus euphratica forest had an even more remarkable name, now referred to as G.o.d’s Forest. All these places had dreamy names that triggered everyone’s imagination. They couldn’t believe that they had been so dumb in the past as to undervalue such a good place.
Several teenagers a.s.sembled into a neat formation quickly and ran along the road together in an orderly manner. Their footsteps were abnormally light; if one didn’t see this sight for themselves, even the blind would have trouble hearing these footsteps that blended into the sound of the wind.
Looking at this group of teenagers, most citizens had looks of envy and excitement on their faces. They envied them as they wanted to get a chance to train like this too, and they were excited as most of these teenagers were their descendants or were related to them in one way or another.
Reynolds was at the front of the group. He had such a cold and fierce expression that no one dared to look him in the eye. The name ‘Devil Reynolds’ was famous in Katchirda Town. Everyone stopped in their tracks subconsciously and greeted Reynolds politely.
Reynolds still had that cold look on his face, leading the group of teenagers to run further into the dark night.
The pa.s.sersby on the road quickly congregated inside different buildings. These buildings were newly built and functioned as shops that sold all sorts of stuff. The Katchirda Town citizens no longer left the oasis to hunt. As the oasis’s influence became more widespread, more foreigners came to Katchirda Town. They brought prosperity to the town and also became consumers there.
The Blissful Oasis was the most magnificent place here. It was the center of Katchirda Town’s nightlife.
Aristocrats from Tutankhamun who were hardly ever seen in public could be spotted hanging out there. The sound of gla.s.ses clinking against each other could be heard in all the rooms. Some tribal leaders who hadn’t met for years gathered here and enjoyed the luxurious lifestyle of aristocrats.
At the entrance, Sister Hong smiled and welcomed the arrival of aristocrats one after another.
The aristocrats were salivating at the sight of Sister Hong, but they didn’t dare to cross the line due to her ident.i.ty as a Federation citizen. Besides, a group of hired Amazon mercenaries was protecting Katchirda Town. The legs of the last aristocrat who caused trouble at the Blissful Oasis had been broken by them.