Chapter 102: Effects

Chapter 102: Effects

Chen Shouyi's heart pounded wildly.

This was Divine Marrow—though merely spinal fluid, and degraded at that—it was still the spinal fluid of a Deity.

From now on, his intelligence would largely depend on this.

...

He set the glass vial aside and picked up a small instruction manual, reading it carefully.

He found that consumption was simple: just dilute it with warm water and drink it.

The human body had an astonishing absorption rate for this substance. The moment it was swallowed, the body would absorb it frantically.

Putting down the manual, Chen Shouyi could hardly wait.

He grabbed a thermos and poured a small half-cup of hot water.

The water had been boiled the day before and had cooled to around 50-60 degrees Celsius, still slightly scalding to the touch. To be safe, he patiently waited a few more minutes until the cup no longer felt hot. Then, he picked up the small vial containing the Divine Marrow.

Peeling off the wax seal, he gently pulled out the stopper.

With a soft pop, an indescribable scent immediately wafted from the mouth of the vial.

It was slightly oppressive.

Like the low pressure before a summer storm, it felt as if something was clogging his chest, making him somewhat uncomfortable.

But slowly, a strange sense of hunger began to grow in him.

He had just eaten lunch at a buffet not long ago—there was no way he could still be hungry.

Yet, as he inhaled this scent, the hunger grew increasingly intense. His stomach even began to twitch slightly, an almost unbelievable reaction.

Not daring to delay, he immediately poured the Divine Marrow into the cup of water.

The liquid was slightly viscous, emitting a faint glow. As the scent spread, the hunger in his heart grew even stronger, his eyes practically turning green with desire.

Fortunately, his rationality remained intact, and the hunger was still controllable.

He vigorously shook the vial to drain the remaining liquid, then carefully poured water into it, rinsing it several times to ensure not a single drop was wasted before finally setting the vial aside.

Picking up the cup, he hesitated for only a moment before downing it in one gulp.

The warm liquid slid swiftly down his throat and into his stomach.

Chen Shouyi smacked his lips.

The taste was odd—not particularly pleasant.

He quickly walked to the bed and lay down on his back.

He had expected the effects to take a while to manifest, but to his surprise, within mere seconds, his body was flooded with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and euphoria.

His scalp tingled as if electrified, and every inch of his body felt indescribably comfortable.

But the sensation lasted only a few seconds before vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared.

When he came to his senses, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of loss.

Was that it?

He had just lain down!

He remained still for a while longer, but when no further changes occurred, he opened his Attribute Panel.

His Intelligence had directly increased by 0.4 points, reaching 13. However, his Agility, Strength, and Constitution showed no improvement at all.

While he felt joy at the sight, a faint disappointment also crept in.

This substance was of an extremely high grade. He could sense his body’s endless craving for it—not just one vial, but even five or six vials would likely fail to satiate him.

The real issue was that the dosage was simply too small for him.

Fortunately, he was already satisfied with such a significant increase in Intelligence.

He stood up, ready to test his own Intelligence. He glanced around, then picked up the Explorer Survival Manual he had received that morning and flipped to the first page, Chapter One: "How to Determine Direction in the Otherworld."

He read the first page at a steady pace, then quickly closed the book and shut his eyes, trying to recall what he had just read. Half a minute later, he opened his eyes again and compared his memory with the text. He found that while he was far from having a photographic memory, he could roughly recall the content without major errors.

Setting the book aside, he muttered, "What a shame it's so expensive. After spending a million on the Divine Marrow, I only have 500,000 left in savings. Looks like I need to make some money."

He took out the short-term intensive course admission ticket for "Otherworld Basic Intelligence Collection" and glanced at it. There was no start date written—evidently, he could attend anytime.

"Tomorrow, I’ll go check out the Jiangnan Martial Arts Academy."

...

Next, he released Shell Woman.

"Giant, what are you eating?" Shell Woman sniffed incessantly, her eyes darting left and right.

"Nothing!"

"You're lying! You must be eating something good—I can smell it!" She kept sniffing until she zeroed in on the water glass.

The next moment, she grabbed the glass—four or five times larger than her own body—and tilted it toward her mouth.

What incredible strength!

A few drops of water still remained in the glass, and she poured every last one into her mouth, shaking the cup afterward as if unsatisfied.

Before long, she began swaying unsteadily, as if drunk.

Chen Shouyi, alarmed, quickly snatched the glass back from her hands.

"Give it to me! It's mine!" Shell Woman laughed while tugging at Chen Shouyi’s clothes, her voice loud and her mind seemingly muddled. She could barely walk straight.

"It kinda smells like... Yatuo Flower," she mumbled hazily.

Yatuo Flower!

Chen Shouyi’s heart stirred. He suddenly remembered—wasn’t that the flower Shell Woman had mentioned, the one that had birthed her?

Ah, right… and then she ate it.

Could this flower have similar effects?

This was Divine Marrow—though degraded in essence, it was still extraordinary. If the Yatuo Flower had comparable properties, then it was definitely no ordinary thing.

And if that barren island beyond the Spatial Gateway in Dongning could grow something like the Yatuo Flower, then it probably wasn’t just any ordinary island. It seemed that whether or not he completed the exploration mission, he would have to make another trip there.

A few seconds later, once Shell Woman had sobered up, Chen Shouyi immediately asked, "You just said the Yatuo Flower has this kind of smell too?"

Shell Woman nodded, then after a moment, shook her head vigorously.

Seeing her utterly confused expression, Chen Shouyi said impatiently, "So, does it or doesn’t it?"

"A little bit," Shell Woman tilted her head, thinking. "The Yatuo Flower is sweet. This isn’t tasty. The Yatuo Flower was delicious—the best thing I’ve ever eaten."

And yet you were drinking it so eagerly just now.

"You’re the smartest. Think harder—aside from the taste, is there anything else similar?" Chen Shouyi coaxed.

"It’s a feeling… hard to describe," Shell Woman said.

"Think again!"

Shell Woman pondered for a while longer but soon grew impatient and said, "I don’t want to, I don’t want to! I want to watch Bei Qi!"

What a damn temper.

Thinking back to how obedient Shell Woman used to be—when he said one, she wouldn’t dare say two, and if he raised his voice or spoke harshly, she would tremble in fear—now she was practically an elderly man.

She wasn’t afraid of him at all anymore.

Seeing that he couldn’t get anything out of her, Chen Shouyi had no choice but to give up.

He turned on the computer, pulled up the animation for her, then scooped Shell Woman up and placed her on the bed.

She’s gonna end up nearsighted for sure!