Chapter 113: The Exchange

Chapter 113: The Exchange

Next, he began practicing other sword techniques.

His figure darted about, sword light cascading like a waterfall, stirring up clouds of dust.

His current physical prowess far surpassed that of ordinary barbarians, only slightly weaker than the previous barbarian tribe chief.

However, combined with the terrifying attack speed brought by the explosive power of the Martial Arts system, even if that barbarian tribe chief were still alive, he would be no match in close combat.

Two hours later, he finally stopped, utterly exhausted.

His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and thick steam emanated from his entire body, as if he had just emerged from a steamer.

With trembling hands, he picked up a large bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down more than half of it in one go.

"Giant, Giant, I found lots and lots of gold grains!" Shell Woman, seeing he had stopped, quickly flew over, eager to boast from a distance.

Chen Shouyi nodded calmly, indicating he understood.

There was no need for reminders—ever since returning to this island, Shell Woman had been extremely proactive in collecting gold grains for him. Over the past four days, she had already gathered another 750 grams or so.

At this moment, Chen Shouyi suddenly remembered something he hadn’t asked Shell Woman yet. He beckoned to her: "Come here, come here!"

Shell Woman obediently flew down and perched on his shoulder.

"Do you still remember where the Yatuo Flower is?"

"Yatuo Flower? The flower I was born from?" Shell Woman asked in surprise.

Chen Shouyi nodded: "Yes, that one!"

"Giant, do you want to eat it too? But there’s none left. There was only one, and I ate it all—roots, leaves, everything!" Shell Woman said with a hint of pride.

"I’m not looking for the Yatuo Flower to eat. I’m asking where it originally grew," Chen Shouyi said.

"I already told you, it was on this island! This is where I was born."

Chen Shouyi felt a headache coming on: "I mean the exact location."

"That was many, many sunrises and sunsets ago. I don’t remember anymore, and I don’t want to think about it!" Shell Woman said impatiently, clearly uninterested.

"Try to remember. There’s a reward," Chen Shouyi coaxed.

"Is it a large gem?" Shell Woman instantly perked up.

"It’s a small gem. The large gem and the extra-large gem are all gone," Chen Shouyi said irritably.

Shell Woman’s demands were getting increasingly outrageous. Just for answering a question, she wanted a crystal ball? Why not just rob him outright?

Shell Woman turned her head away, unconvinced. Last time, he’d said there were no extra-large gems left, but he’d still produced one.

Still, something was better than nothing. Reluctantly, she tried to recall—after all, those were memories from her infancy. She muttered to herself, "Where was it? Where was it?"

Then, with a kick of her legs, she soared into the air:

"Maybe here? Or there? Or over there?"

She circled the island in flight for over ten minutes before returning, panting heavily. "Giant, I remember now! It’s over there. Follow me!"

Chen Shouyi’s spirits lifted, and he immediately followed Shell Woman.

Before long, the two arrived at a concave depression slanting inward on the mountainside.

The concave depression had a diameter of about 2 meters and a depth of 1 meter, with a radiating circular shape around it, giving the impression of a meteorite impact crater left on the mountainside.

Chen Shouyi took a quick look and confirmed, "Is this the place?"

Shell Woman nodded vigorously. "This is where I was born!"

What a bizarre creature.

A layer of soil had already accumulated inside the depression. Chen Shouyi set his sword aside and began digging through the sand and dirt with his hands.

"Giant, what are you doing? Are you looking for my 'little brother's toe'?" Shell Woman asked, watching Chen Shouyi's strange behavior.

Perhaps from watching too many cartoons, she occasionally blurted out Chinese phrases that often left him utterly confused.

"Little brother's toe?"

"I am Bei Qi the pig, oink oink! This is my little brother's toe, oink oink!" Shell Woman suddenly imitated, even snorting like a pig through her nostrils.

What nonsense.

Seeing Shell Woman's silly, adorable expression, Chen Shouyi silently resolved to switch her to a more normal cartoon next time.

"No!" Chen Shouyi said firmly.

"Oh!" A hint of disappointment flashed across Shell Woman's face.

The island was mostly covered in coarse-grained sand formed from weathered rock, making the digging effortless. Within minutes, Chen Shouyi had reached the hard bedrock. He carefully cleared away the remaining dirt.

Looking at the perfectly bowl-shaped bottom, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but think it truly resembled a meteorite crater.

"If there's anything here, it must be at the center of the pit!" he thought to himself, then reached in to feel around.

The next moment, his fingers brushed against something smooth.

Chen Shouyi's spirits lifted. Carefully wiping away the dirt with his fingers, a glimmer of crystalline luster caught his eye.

But before he could dig it out, Shell Woman's eyes lit up, and she shouted anxiously, "That's mine! That's mine! That's mine!"

"Quiet. Let me take it out first," Chen Shouyi said as he gripped the mysterious object and pulled it forcefully from the crevice in the rock.

It was a cylindrical object, about 10 centimeters long. It wasn't a perfect cylinder—narrower in the middle and thicker at both ends. The top was oval-shaped, with a diameter of about 3 to 4 centimeters, while the bottom was flatter, measuring 5 centimeters in diameter, with a slight concave indentation at the very base.

After wiping away the dirt, its true luster was revealed.

What is this?

He frowned, feeling a vague sense of familiarity. One thing was certain—this intricate structure was definitely not naturally formed.

Chen Shouyi instinctively flicked it with his finger and was immediately surprised.

The object didn't make a single sound. Then, he picked it up and struck it against a nearby rock. Even when the rock shattered, the only sound came from the rock itself—the cylindrical object remained completely silent.

As a recently dropped-out high school student, Chen Shouyi knew that sound came from vibrations, and vibrations came from the deformation of the material itself.

No sound meant that during the impact, the object hadn't deformed in the slightest.

Looking at the cylindrical object with its still crystal-clear and smooth surface, devoid of any scratches, Chen Shouyi marveled.

"This material is probably far harder than diamond. But then again, it makes sense—this pit was clearly created by this tiny thing. If it weren’t so hard, it would’ve shattered long ago. How could it still be intact?"

"You’ve looked long enough! Give it back, give it back now!" Shell Woman, growing impatient, stomped her feet in agitation.

This was found in the place where she was born—it had always belonged to her since ancient times.

"One small gem!" Chen Shouyi snapped out of his thoughts and immediately made an offer.

"No, no, no!" Shell Woman shook her head furiously. She was absolutely furious. By the simple logic of size, the value was clearly unequal—this was practically cheating a child!

"Then three small gems."

"#@% Giant, you liar! This is mine! I was the one who brought you here! You can’t take my things unless you give me a large gem!"

Shell Woman shouted angrily as she flew forward, her tiny hands gripping the mysterious cylinder in Chen Shouyi’s grasp, as if trying to wrest it back from the Giant.

"Fine, I’ll trade it for a large gem," Chen Shouyi seized the opportunity to say.

"Giant, you’re not lying?" Shell Woman froze mid-motion, quickly seeking confirmation, her face already lighting up with delight.

"If you keep holding onto this ugly gem, I won’t trade with you anymore," Chen Shouyi feigned a cold snort.

Upon hearing his firm reply, Shell Woman let go as if electrocuted, terrified he might change his mind. Then, with an obedient expression, she fluttered back onto Chen Shouyi’s shoulder.

To her, this thing might look like a gem, but how could it compare to a pure, transparent, flawless, and perfectly round large gem?

……

Chen Shouyi toyed with the crystalline cylinder for a moment, snorted, and slipped it into his pocket. He had no idea what use it had, but one thing was certain—this was no ordinary object.