"Have you heard? 'Miracle' Yano is back."
"He even brought back rare goods from deep in the swamp. The squad that went with him made a killing!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go make a quick buck while the Gray Scale Lizardmen are laying low!"
Similar conversations erupted in every corner of the Adventurers' Guild.
In the bustling, noisy hall, human Adventurers were gathered in small groups, excitedly discussing the rumors. A handful of Dwarves with booming voices drowned out the surrounding din, while in a corner, a Half-Elf Ranger quietly polished his Short Bow, his ears twitching as he clearly caught every word.
Just then, the heavy oak door was violently shoved open with a CREAK.
All the noise died down in an instant. A travel-worn figure stood silhouetted against the light at the entrance, his leather armor still caked with swamp mud. It was the man at the center of the rumors—Yano.
He ignored the dozens of eyes that instantly focused on him and strode steadily through the crowd, which parted automatically for him, heading straight for the quest counter.
THWACK!
A leather pouch, emitting a faint glow and a strange, pungent odor, was tossed onto the counter.
"The swamp specialties the Alchemy Association wanted. All here." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the hall.
The Guild clerk behind the counter paused for a moment, then opened the pouch and took a careful look. His eyes immediately lit up.
"Well... well I'll be, Yano. This is really Moonlit Moss."
He deftly counted out a small, heavy bag of Gold Coins and pushed it toward Yano.
Yano weighed the coin pouch in his hand, a hearty smile playing on his lips. He turned to face the hall full of Adventurers, who were holding their breath in anticipation. He raised the bag of Gold Coins high and declared, "Everyone, you've worked hard! Tonight at the Old Oak Tavern, the drinks are on me, and there's plenty to go around!"
As his words fell, the hall went completely silent.
And then—
Like a suppressed volcano suddenly erupting, a deafening cheer exploded, nearly blowing the roof off!
The Adventurers, who had just been scheming about how to get rich in the swamp, now looked at Yano with more than just simple envy. Their eyes burned with a thoroughly ignited, blazing desire!
'Damn!'
'We have to show those Gray Scale bastards what we Adventurers are made of!'
Yano stood there, his smile unwavering.
'This was all part of the boss's plan.'
'He didn't know why the boss wanted to deal with those Gray Scale bastards, but it was clear that the temptation of getting rich overnight was something these Adventurers, who dreamed of striking it rich all day, couldn't resist.'
Before he brought back riches from the depths of the swamp, the Swamp Forest on the other side of the Reed River had always been a symbol of danger and barrenness in the eyes of Adventurers. Only merchants, and the Adventurers hired to escort their caravans, would travel to the other side to do business.
But now, things had changed. The Swamp Forest had become a treasure trove in the Adventurers' eyes, and those Gray Scale bastards who once terrified him were about to face a horde of frenzied human Adventurers.
'No matter how sharp their claws or thick their Scale Armor, they could never stand against human greed.'
Yano tossed the coin pouch in his hand and turned, leaving with a cool air.
"Boss, my mission is complete."
...
"Plant this piece of Moonlit Moss under that tree."
"Wrong, not that tree. The other one, the one with no poison frogs."
"Yes, right there."
"Don't plant too many in one spot. We need to lure the Adventurers into exploring the swamp little by little."
Chen Yu bounced through the marshy woods, directing a swarm of bees to "decorate" the swamp's periphery.
This swamp was about to welcome a second wave of Adventurers from the Kingdom, so naturally, it needed to be decorated to look a bit more bountiful and leave a good impression on them.
As for those Gray Scale Lizardmen?
They had long since been scared off by the frenzied Adventurers, migrating south to seek help from the Jackal Wolfmen.
'A bunch of creatures that would even abandon their faith—how could they possibly have any loyalty to the land?'
Seeing the decoration work on the periphery proceeding in an orderly fashion, an idle Chen Yu began to patrol his Swamp Territory, lest the jackals and hyenas from the southern forest invade his domain without him even knowing.
After days of exploration, he had already gotten a clear idea of the size of his Swamp Territory.
With the Oak Territory as the center, going deeper west into the swamp was the territory of Corrupted Crocodiles. Each of these crocodiles was a Bronze-tier magical beast.
'These swamp puppies aren't fast, they just take up space and block my way.'
To the north lay the hunting grounds of the Rot Moss Tribe's Lizardmen—a coniferous swamp forest where the trees were sparser and straighter. A clan of giant bears lived there, massive and sturdy creatures that could probably flatten a Slime with a single slap.
Heading south led to a stretch of Death Swamp, which perpetually emanated an ominous aura. Jackals and hyenas roamed this edge between life and death, surviving by scavenging carrion and occasionally hunting unlucky monsters that wandered in.
That was the Jackal Wolfmen's territory, and now, it was also the temporary home of the Corrupted Lizardmen.
And so, Chen Yu discovered that he was seemingly surrounded in the heart of the swamp.
To defend his position as the swamp's overlord and protect its peace and stability, he decided to borrow power from beyond this world.
Since it was still early, he returned to the Oak Territory and began his daily Talisman Drawing Skill practice.
He pressed the prepared leaves under a rock, took out a Poisonous Sting to use as a brush, and combined it with the improved Magic Ink. This makeshift set barely passed for the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone needed for talisman drawing.
The conditions were crude, but one couldn't ask for more in a swamp.
'When Yano left, he promised to find me some Magic Paper. I wonder if it can replace these leaves as talisman paper.'
But the Magic Ink Yano had brought back was actually usable.
All he had to do was replenish the Gray Gravel Crystals with Spiritual Power, grind them into a powder, and mix it into the Magic Ink to get the Spiritual Ink he wanted.
In his view, this Magic Ink was more like a vessel for mystical power—viscous and silky, it locked Magic Power in place like a net.
And after adding the Gray Gravel Crystal powder, he could displace the Magic Power within it.
To use an analogy, it was like swapping a Mage prisoner in a jail for a Cultivator.
It served the same purpose.
Chen Yu used his Gel to grip the Poisonous Sting, dipped it in some ink, and tremblingly drew the dao patterns of the Bedrock Talisman on a leaf.
Without a doubt, his attempt failed.
His half-assed Talisman Drawing Skill was clearly not enough to handle such difficult drawing conditions.
So, after failing more than ten times in a row, not daring to waste any more of the precious leaf talisman paper and Spiritual Ink, he immersed his consciousness back into the Void Profound Heaven to continue his practice.
It wasn't until noon that a panel notification popped up, pulling the immersed Chen Yu back to reality.
[Talisman Drawing Skill Lv. 1 → Talisman Drawing Skill Lv. 2]
—
Race: Hallucinogenic Slime
Level: Black Iron Lv. 3 [EXP: 16/30]
Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv. 4 [Spiritual Power: 0/40]
Status: Healthy [HP: 115/115]
Racial Talent: Devouring and Digesting Lv. 3
Other Talents: Acid Secretion Lv. 3, Toxin Resistance Lv. 3, Tough Shell Lv. 3, Hallucinogenic Factor Lv. 2
Skill List: Kaiyuan Treasure Scroll Lv. 5, Artifact Manipulation Skill Lv. 3, Little Arrow Skill Lv. 3, Sound Transmission Skill Lv. 3, Talisman Drawing Skill Lv. 2
Reputation Title: Slime Warrior (A Slime who has just started out)
—
'By my calculations, the sect's Scripture Pavilion should be open by now.'
Chen Yu tidied up his desk, stepped out of his thatched hut, and headed toward the sect's Chongshan Hall.
His Qi Cultivation had already broken through to the 4th Floor.
Most of his talents and skills had been leveled up, including the "Kaiyuan Treasure Scroll" which was maxed out at Level 5. It was time to go and receive the sect's advanced Cultivation Technique.
A book he had his eye on for a long time: the Civil Engineering Scripture.