"Caw!"
The remaining black falcons fled in panic, sensing that the humans below were not easy targets, and kept their distance.
"What a perfectly executed spear throw," Zhao Pu exclaimed in admiration, having clearly seen how fast and accurate that spear thrust was.
Qin Ziwen was also inwardly amazed. Du Yu had mentioned he was skilled with blades and staffs, but he never expected his spear technique to be this impressive as well.
Perhaps spears and staffs, both being long weapons, shared some common principles.
The five of them climbed up to the entrance of the mountain cave, hearing the cacophony of bat calls echoing from within. Du Yu's brow furrowed.
If countless bats swarmed down, he couldn't guarantee he could protect everyone unscathed.
From his perspective, this cave was very dangerous.
If it were his former self, he would absolutely avoid this place, as there were plenty of other prey around, no need to clash head-on with bats.
But after hearing Qin Ziwen say there was something essential to retrieve inside the cave, Du Yu quickly calculated in his mind and then said, "Let me go."
"No, it's my turn today," Zhao Pu laughed heartily, taking the motorcycle helmet from Deng Guang's hands and putting it on his head. "Don't you dare argue with me."
Qin Ziwen stood at the cave entrance, peering inside.
Deep within the cave, he saw a point of blue light.
A blue card?
He couldn't help but try to recall. Were there blue cards?
Building Cards were gray with a metallic sheen, Resource Cards were silver with black borders, Blank Expansion Cards were white, while special terrain like sand would have corresponding patterns on the front of the expansion card. Enhancement Cards were green, and Function Cards were red crystalline.
Currently, the most valuable were the red Function Cards. Based on his estimation, it took about one hundred points of evaluation to obtain one red Function Card. Next, both green 1-star Enhancement Cards and small special terrain expansion cards required fifty evaluation points.
But a blue card was something he was seeing for the first time.
Zhao Pu, carrying a flashlight, walked deeper into the cave along the passage.
The cave was quiet, with thick layers of bat guano piled on the ground. Even with the helmet on, he could still faintly smell the stench.
The ground was somewhat damp, with thin streams of water trickling along the cave edges.
The deeper he went, the wider the cave became.
Finally, he reached the altar.
Strangely, the altar's surface was clean, not stained with a single speck of bat guano.
Climbing onto the altar, he walked over and retrieved the card. Zhao Pu let out a slight sigh of relief; half the task was done.
Suddenly, he turned his head. He heard something from deeper inside the cave, a low, rumbling sound, like thunder or an earthquake.
Zhao Pu's expression changed. Not daring to delay, he hurried back.
He didn't even dare point his flashlight toward the depths.
He walked faster and faster.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"
The bat colony overhead suddenly erupted into chaos.
Dense swarms of bats flapped their wings. Overhead, by his ears, there was nothing but the sound of countless wings beating.
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Zhao Pu could even hear a bat flying right over his head.
His foot stumbled, and he nearly fell.
Condensed breath fogged up the visor.
Fortunately, for some unknown reason, these bats didn't attack him; they just flew past him.
Finally running out of the cave, Zhao Pu looked up at the dense swarm of bats flying into the sky, panting heavily. He bent over, clasped the helmet with both hands, and took it off.
"I got it, I got it."
Zhao Pu handed the card to Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen, his expression grave, gently patted Zhao Pu's shoulder. "Let's go."
The five of them quickly made their way down the mountain.
Zhao Pu was still shaken. "Just now, those bats suddenly started flying everywhere. Several flew right over my head. I almost thought they were going to bite me."
Qin Ziwen said, "It wasn't random flying everywhere. It was when you were taking the item, a sudden cry came from deep within the cave. Then those bats got scared and flew out."
Zhao Pu's pupils contracted.
"That was a cry?"
Qin Ziwen looked back warily at the cave behind them. "Yes, you were inside the cave, the echo might have distorted the sound. We heard it clearly at the entrance. It was definitely the cry of something."
He had originally thought the guardians of this high-level altar were this bat colony.
Now it seemed the bats were just the gatekeepers. There was something else inside.
However, that thing didn't seem particularly interested in them, just like how people don't deliberately target insects by the roadside.
Qin Ziwen said, "I took a card yesterday. For today's turn, I'll use the contribution points Xiao Wu and I accumulated earlier. Xiao Wu, this card is the Advanced Building 'Celestial Star Arrow Gallery'. I'll compensate you with a card of the same level later."
Qin Ziwu immediately became wary. "What? Are you trying to split up with me, to kick me out?"
Qin Ziwen shot an exasperated glance at his younger brother. "What's wrong? Everyone else has their own Home. Don't you want to set up one?"
Qin Ziwu quickly shook his head. "What would I need a Home for? It sounds troublesome. I think things are just fine the way they are now."
He looked at his older brother. "Bro, do you remember when we played house as kids? You said you wanted to be the emperor, and I said I wanted to be the great general."
Qin Ziwen didn't press the issue. "Tell me when you want to build your own Home in the future."
He lowered his head to look at the blue card in his hand.
It had the same texture as the gray Building Cards, but the color was completely different.
An azure metal card, its surface shimmering with blue light particles.
More importantly, the information the card transmitted to him was: 【Advanced Building Card】Level 1 Celestial Star Arrow Gallery.
Advanced Building Card...
Just from the name, one could tell it was a higher-tier card above Building Cards.
Because they were more familiar with the route now, when the group returned to the residential complex, the sky was still bright.
It was just past six o'clock, the busiest time in the complex.
This time of day was when the day's hunting and gathering were done, a brief period of relaxation after dinner.
Reaching the building, the group of five split up first.
"Let's go up first." They had obtained many Building Cards, but an Advanced Building Card was a first.
Perfect timing to see the effects of this advanced building.
Back home, he took out the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and received the prompt.
It required a 50*10m blank area.
Qin Ziwen was instantly dumbfounded. This building needed an area of five hundred square meters?
Even the farmland was only 400 square meters.
Moreover, the dimension requirement was too specific: 50 by 10 meters, essentially a rectangle.
Qin Ziwen frowned. If using Micro Expansion Cards, it would require 5 cards. Even with Small Expansion Cards, it would need two, plus they'd have to relocate some existing buildings to free up enough space.
The area required for this Advanced Building Card was just too large.
Fortunately, the only hard requirement was the area; there were no height restrictions or other strange construction conditions.
In his view, a requirement that only involved area was the easiest to handle.
"Sir, you're back!" Li Tieshan came out from the blacksmith shop, holding a model of a long blade in his hand.
There were still many rough spots in the details that needed polishing, but the general shape and outline of the blade were already clear.
It was the monastic saber Li Tieshan was forging according to Du Yu's specifications. "Take a look. If it's too heavy, I can reduce some weight."
Du Yu took the monastic saber. This eight-jin heavy saber felt weightless in his hands. He executed a few beautiful flourishes with it and casually remarked, "No need. The weight is just right."