Crystals of astonishing value, strange crystal people! (5400)

"Clatter~!"

In the blink of an eye, the encirclement formed by thousands of ice walls was complete. Those Crystal People, including Orkan's caravan, were also surrounded.

The surrounded Crystal People didn't just sit and wait for death.

They continuously swung their crystal-like arms to attack the ice walls, making crisp "Ding! Clack!" sounds.

However, their attacks were useless, only leaving a few white marks on the ice walls.

With Cao Xing's current mental power, these ice walls had seven or eight units of durability; with their attack power, it was impossible to break them in a short time.

Seeing that their attacks were ineffective, these Crystal People even thought about jumping out directly.

After all, these temporarily raised ice walls were only four or five meters high; with a running start, it was barely possible to jump over them.

Cao Xing naturally saw through the thoughts of these Crystal People.

The next moment, the set effect on his body was instantly activated.

Winter's Arrival!

"Whoosh!!!"

An intense chill instantly swept out, and the surrounding temperature plummeted by 30 degrees on the spot!

A thick layer of frost gradually covered the surface of the Crystal People's bodies, making their movements extremely difficult.

Under absolute low temperatures, even crystal creatures would be affected.

Including the merchant Orkan and his guards, they were now shivering with chattering teeth.

Meanwhile, Cao Xing raised his staff, and three huge icebergs appeared above their heads.

Then, a faint voice sounded.

"Alright, just stay put."

"If you move another step and get smashed into pieces, I won't care."

Upon hearing this, the group of Crystal People stopped immediately.

They also knew that with the strength of this Archmage, they had no hope of escaping.

Soon, they gathered together obediently.

Cao Xing also dispelled the [Winter's Arrival] set effect.

At the same time, Orkan and the mercenaries recovered from the terrifying chill.

Their bodies couldn't stop trembling, and their eyes were filled with fear when they looked at Cao Xing.

It wasn't until a moment later that the merchant Orkan gradually came to his senses, looking at him with shock.

"Lord Cao Xing, you are truly full of surprises."

"Not only is your territory so prosperous, but your own strength is also so powerful."

"I think no one in the entire Gale Snowfield is your match."

His tone carried a hint of resentment and helplessness.

A faint smile appeared on Cao Xing's face as he replied: "Just a small spell, nothing special."

"Then, Mr. Orkan, I will take these Crystal People away."

Hearing this, the merchant felt a toothache.

Clearly, his scheme had been seen through by Cao Xing.

Thinking about having to sell this batch of Crystal People for one million crowns, his heart and body ached!

This time, he really lost big time!

After returning to the Chamber of Commerce, because of such a huge loss, he would even have to suffer significant punishment.

But there was no help for it; since he tried to scheme against Cao Xing first, he could only admit defeat now.

"O-okay," Orkan said, looking troubled.

Cao Xing still wore a smile, then waved his hand.

Soon, a team of powerful warriors walked out from the territory and led these Crystal People away.

Then, Cao Xing chuckled and said: "Then, Mr. Orkan, we shall meet again next time."

"If you have any more high-quality slaves like this, remember to contact me again!"

Upon hearing this, the merchant's face turned extremely ugly.

Orkan said resentfully: "Okay, Lord Cao Xing, next time I have good slaves, I will definitely come to find you."

"Definitely!"

He bit the last word hard, his tone carrying a hint of unwillingness.

A moment later, he sighed helplessly and then left with his caravan.

His back carried a hint of loneliness.

After the Giant Chamber of Commerce left, the group of Crystal People were surrounded by a group of powerful warriors, standing awkwardly in place.

They were huddled together now, like walking crystals, which was quite artistic. Cao Xing looked at the group of Crystal People in front of him and asked: "Can you speak?"

At the same time, one of the elite Crystal People named Three-Leaf Stone stepped out from the crowd.

She stood tall, her body covered in crystal, refracting colorful lights.

Her arms were like slender crystal prisms, with smooth and rigid lines.

Under her distinctive face, she had facial features also constructed of crystal.

Then she spoke slowly: "We can speak, this Lord."

The voices of these Crystal People were very unique, like the crisp, pleasant sound of iron gently tapping on crystal.

Then, she bowed to Cao Xing, "I am very sorry, powerful Lord, we did not intend to run away."

"Please forgive us."

At the same time, the other Crystal People bowed in unison and said: "Please forgive us!"

The combat power Cao Xing had just displayed had already subdued this group of Crystal People, so they admitted their mistake straightforwardly.

He smiled and said: "I know, you were originally prepared to act in collusion with Orkan."

"After escaping from me, the Giant Chamber of Commerce would continue to catch you back, right?"

Hearing this, all the Crystal People trembled slightly.

Three-Leaf Stone said softly: "You are right, the Giant Chamber of Commerce released a positioning magic on us; no matter where we run, we will be caught back by them."

"We had no choice but to cooperate with him—"

Cao Xing nodded slightly; this was also within his expectations.

"Don't worry, since you have come to my territory, from now on you are people of my territory."

"No one can take you away."

These Crystal People looked at each other; they also believed that with this Lord's strength, the Giant Chamber of Commerce could not plot against this territory.

They responded in unison: "Yes, respected Lord."

Cao Xing first issued a recruitment invitation to them.

[Recruitment successful! Crystal People: Three-Leaf Stone / Phosphorus Stone / Flint… joined your territory, territory population + 134…]

After the recruitment was completed, the next step was to arrange accommodation for these Crystal People and test their so-called ability to produce crystals.

"Follow me."

After saying this, he walked towards the territory.

Following behind him was a group of shiny Crystal People, making crisp sounds as they walked, like a unique landscape, attracting many people's attention.

Crossing the city gate and returning to the territory, Cao Xing glanced at the remaining crystal resources in the territory.

[Frost-Flower White Crystal] * 9624

There were nearly ten thousand units left; it didn't look like much, but this was a staggering amount.

After all, even repairing the legendary weapon Magdale only required ten thousand white crystals.

This showed how precious this kind of crystal was.

He first took a piece of white crystal from his backpack and turned around to ask.

"Can you eat this kind of crystal?"

On the field, the pupils of these Crystal People suddenly emitted a strange light, and one could even feel their inner longing.

The Crystal Person named Three-Leaf Stone said: "We can, respected Lord."

"We haven't eaten crystals for many days, and the clansmen are already starving—"

Cao Xing scanned their panels and found that the satiety of each Crystal Person had indeed dropped below 60, and many had even dropped below 50, with negative status effects on their bodies.

A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, and he asked: "Do you need to eat crystals every day?"

The elite one named Three-Leaf Stone said again: "Replying to the Lord, we don't need to eat every day; occasionally eating some ordinary stones is also fine—"

"However, these ordinary stones can only be used to temporarily satisfy hunger."

"Eating them for a long time will not only damage our body structure, but even later, our bodies will turn into ordinary stones and we will never be able to produce crystals again—"

Cao Xing nodded slightly.

Then, he waved his hand and took out more than six hundred units of Frost-Flower White Crystal, saying: "Eat."

"Fill your stomachs first."

Seeing so many white crystals, a terrifying brilliance erupted in the crystal pupils of these Crystal People!

Clearly, these crystals were extremely tempting delicacies to them.

Plus, because Orkan wanted to save costs, he had been feeding them ordinary stones on the road, only occasionally feeding them some crystals, making them long for them even more!

The group of Crystal People thanked him in unison.

"Thank you, Lord."

Then, they each picked up a few pieces of Frost-Flower White Crystal and gnawed on them.

Cao Xing watched their actions.

He was also a bit curious about how these Crystal People ate stones and how they produced crystals.

Under Cao Xing's gaze, these Crystal People seemed a bit embarrassed.

One by one, they covered their mouths and put the crystals into their mouths.

Then they revealed mouths full of teeth.

Every tooth looked very sharp, as if constructed of pure diamond, and they crushed the white crystal with a light bite.

Suddenly, "Crunch~ Crunch~" sounds were endless.

It made Cao Xing's teeth feel a bit sour, and he sighed inwardly: "Good heavens, these Crystal People have such good teeth!"

At the same time, a series of system notifications appeared.

[Your territory member: Three-Leaf Stone consumed Frost-White Crystal * 1, Satiety + 10 —]

[Your territory member: Red Stone used Frost-White Crystal * 1, Satiety + 10 —]

Seeing the system notifications, Cao Xing chuckled.

"So eating stones really does increase satiety, and it seems to increase by quite a bit, too."

Soon, these Crystal People quickly polished off all six Frost-White Crystals that Cao Xing had bestowed upon them.

Their satiety levels rose to over ninety, with many of them reaching the maximum value of one hundred.

Then, they patted their stomachs and said with embarrassed smiles, "We're full. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Territory Owner."

A series of system notifications regarding increased loyalty appeared.

The loyalty of each Crystal Person had increased by about five or six points.

Cao Xing nodded slightly and did some mental calculations.

It seemed that a single Crystal Person only needed to eat three white crystals a day to be full.

There were 112 of them here, which meant a maximum consumption of 336 crystals per day.

In other words, the number of crystals in his backpack was enough to support them for about a month.

If he mixed in regular stones for feeding, supporting them for several months wouldn't be a problem.

Cao Xing felt slightly reassured, though his eyes still held a look of curiosity.

He had only seen these Crystal People swallow the stones, but he didn't know how they digested them.

And how did they spit out the crystals?

A moment later, one of the Crystal People, about 1.2 meters tall and named Little Amber, suddenly clutched her stomach.

She looked at the other Crystal People and said incoherently, "I—I need to * %? —"

"Hmm?"

Before Cao Xing could react, he saw this Crystal Person suddenly squat down, covering her mouth.

"Clatter~!"

The sound of crystal fragments shifting rang out, as if she had spat something out.

A moment later, the Crystal Person slowly stood up, looking very embarrassed.

In her hand was a hexagonal crystal, intact in appearance, with a deep black surface.

A strange liquid still remained on it.

Before Cao Xing could react, over a dozen other Crystal People, having eaten their fill, seemed to have similar reactions.

They trotted off to the side and likewise squatted down.

"Clatter, clatter~!"

A series of strange sounds rang out, making one think of something rather peculiar.

A strange look appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

Before long, these Crystal People emerged from the corners one after another.

Cao Xing saw that each of them was holding a hexagonal crystal, ranging in color from deep black to white, and about the size of an infant's fist.

Clearly, these were the crystals they had produced.

Cao Xing roughly understood the principle: these Crystal People lacked reproductive and excretory organs; they possessed a highly unique method of 'eating' and 'metabolism.'

After the ingested crystals were digested, they were acted upon by some kind of power within their bodies, undergoing a special transformation and turning into these magical crystals.

They were then excreted through their mouths.

At the same time, those Crystal People holding the crystals looked at Cao Xing with embarrassed faces and said, "Lord Territory Owner, do you want these crystals?"

"Of course."

Cao Xing didn't feel any discomfort and reached out to take them.

[Obtained: Dark Crystal (Purple) * 13]

[Obtained: Shining Crystal (Gold) * 2]

Just as the system had introduced, the rarer the crystal, the lower the production probability.

Therefore, among this batch of crystals, there were only two [Shining Crystals], and as for the even rarer legendary [seven-colored crystal], there wasn't a single one.

He checked the attributes.

[Dark Crystal (Purple)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Item Attribute: Can be embedded in weapons or equipment to increase Charm by 2 points and increase the equipment's base attributes by 5%.]

[Shining Crystal (Gold)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Item Attribute: Can be embedded in weapons or equipment to increase Charm by 5 points and increase the equipment's base attributes by 10%.]

(Note: After embedding a Shining Crystal, the equipment's usage level requirement will increase by 10.)

(Note 2: Each piece of equipment can have at most 1 crystal embedded.)

"Good heavens! A single Dark Crystal can increase an equipment's base attributes by 5%, and a Shining Crystal can even increase it by 10%!"

What kind of concept was this?

Take Liu Muxue's ancient sword, which possessed over 7000 Attack Power and 2000 points of four-dimensional attribute bonuses.

After embedding one [Shining Crystal], it could increase Attack Power by over 700 and add 200 points to the four-dimensional attributes.

It could be said to be a huge improvement!

No wonder that guy, Sankan, said that one Shining Crystal was worth over several million crowns!

This thing certainly deserved that price!

Moreover, these Crystal People could also spit out… produce even more precious seven-colored crystals!

This made Cao Xing curious about how powerful the attributes of an even higher-grade crystal like the seven-colored crystal would be.

He first put all these crystals into his backpack, then looked at a tall Crystal Person in the crowd and asked, "Three-Leaf Stone, under what conditions do you Crystal People produce seven-colored crystals? And do you know what the effects of the seven-colored crystal are?"

That elite Crystal Person replied respectfully, "Respected Lord Territory Owner, the power contained in the seven-colored crystal is about twice as strong as that of the Shining Crystal."

"And the production probability of this type of crystal is completely random, so we cannot control it."

After listening to the explanation, Cao Xing was lost in thought.

Twice as much… that would be a full 30% increase?

That was quite formidable!

For example, the full [Ode to Light Set] that Liu Muxue wore was level 70 equipment.

If it were all embedded with Shining Crystals, it would become a level 100 set!

Even those legendary equipment with a fixed level of 70 could all be upgraded to level 100.

This kind of improvement could be said to be quite good.

Of course, the prerequisite was to have enough [seven-colored crystals].

He asked again, "Then how do you Crystal People reproduce?"

Cao Xing was already thinking about whether he could increase the number of Crystal People by accelerating their reproduction.

After all, no matter how low the probability was, if the population base was large enough, the odds could be raised.

Hearing this question, the Crystal People on the scene once again looked blank.

Clearly, due to cultural differences, they didn't know what "reproduce" meant.

It was still that Three-Leaf Stone who provided the answer.

"Returning to Lord Territory Owner, our Crystal People's method of reproduction is quite special, or rather, it cannot be called reproduction, but should be called splitting."

"Splitting?"

Three-Leaf Stone nodded gently, "Yes, after us Crystal People consume a large amount of crystals over the years, a crystal will condense on a certain part of our bodies."

"With the accumulation of time, this crystal continues to grow, and after about three months, it will fall off our bodies, forming a new Crystal Person."

'The new Crystal Person continues to grow by consuming crystals, until they become a large Crystal Person like us.'

A look of realization appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

It seemed that growing the scale of these Crystal People wasn't something that could be done in a short time.

At the same time, the Crystal Person named Little Amber next to her said, "Lord Territory Owner, here, here!"

Cao Xing cast his gaze over.

He saw this little Crystal Person, about 1.2 meters tall, pointing at her stomach, where there seemed to be a slight bulge, like a pregnant woman.

Little Amber said happily, "I already have a new Crystal Person in my stomach!"

"In another two months, this new Crystal Person will drop off, and grow up very quickly. It's very magical!"

Cao Xing's mouth twitched.

Although what Little Amber said was perfectly normal, when paired with her small body, he couldn't help but feel a sense of weirdness.

He didn't ask any more questions; anyway, he had learned about as much as he needed to.

"I understand. From now on, you will live in the territory."

"Do you want to live in houses, or should I arrange other accommodations for you?"

Three-Leaf Stone spoke up again, "Lord Territory Owner, we can live anywhere."

"Crystal People are generally not afraid of the cold, but of course, if possible—it would be best if you could build us a few stone houses."

Cao Xing looked into his backpack.

Come to think of it, he actually had the construction blueprint for [Basic Stone House], which he had obtained last time from the Wild Boar Tribe, and now it would come in handy.

"I see. I will have someone come over to build a few stone houses for you."

Soon, Cao Xing called the Arctic People Du An over.

"Du An, build some stone houses for these new members as their living quarters. Just build them in the second ring area of the territory."

"Yes! I will get right on it."

(PS: I'm going to catch a green snake tomorrow!)