Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

"Don’t work yourselves up. All the powerful people around here are probably at the night market. They wouldn’t dare show their faces here," one man said, sticking his neck out.

In the uneasy atmosphere, one person slapped his thigh and cursed, "Damn it! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have traded for a Fire Element Rune. What damn use is it now?"

Su Chen and Yan Ruoruo were already gone. A moment ago, the petite receptionist had delivered some good news: someone in Trading Area No. 2 could fulfill his trade request.

Although the three trading areas set up to manage the crowd weren’t networked, there were still traditional, low-tech methods available. Copying the data to a USB drive or simply printing and distributing a list could achieve the same result, just with a bit of a delay.

To avoid wasting time going back and forth, they decided to just head over there. The sharp young receptionist, full of enthusiasm, led the way herself.

The problem with insects being drawn to light didn’t just plague the campsite. Here, they also primarily used fire pits to illuminate the surroundings. It was only indoors, where the light couldn’t leak out, that they used electric lamps or light-emitting objects charged by the Light Storage Skill.

Interestingly, there were far fewer mosquitoes and other bugs.

This was a difference that could surely be felt tonight.

"Many of the insects have been parasitized. They’re actively avoiding light now, because Light Element energy suppresses the activity of the mycelial spores in their bodies," Yan Ruoruo quickly concluded.

Hearing this, the young receptionist chimed in. "Just last night, some faculty and students from Dongfu University came to the border to test the effectiveness of the Light Storage Skill. They used Strong Light Storage Stones to lure and kill insects, while also adjusting the color of the light to test how strongly it attracted them."

The Light Storage Skill was one of the Rune Formulas released this morning.

It seemed the skill had indeed been thoroughly tested.

Based on the results, red light was the clear winner.

Su Chen recalled that most insects were sensitive to ultraviolet light. This meant they could find light sources for illumination that wouldn’t attract insects. Conversely, they could also use specific, intense lights to trap them for pest control.

If the parasite plague hadn’t ruined everything, this would undoubtedly be a steady and substantial source of income.

’I should have that agriculture expert set up this kind of trapping system in the future,’ Su Chen thought to himself.

Before long, they arrived at the original factory workshop in the creative park.

The site had originally been an old processing plant. After going out of business due to poor management, it had lain abandoned for many years before finally being revitalized as a cultural tourism project, attracting a large number of artisans to set up shop.

According to the brochure, it housed inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, smiths who forged ancient-style armor, and master artisans who restored relics for museums...

The wild part was that some of the sheet metal workers had stayed, switching careers to forge armor and cosplay props for young people. Unexpectedly, in the wake of the apocalypse, their skills had suddenly become highly sought-after once more.

Soon, Su Chen entered a private room by himself and met the other party for his trade.

The room was dimly lit, with only a single red, light-emitting crystal casting a hazy glow.

A man sat inside. A deep scar slashed diagonally from his left brow bone down to his cheek. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing a centipede-like scar on the inner side of his arm. They were clearly old injuries.

On the table before him sat six small vials, each containing a portion of Spiritual Dust Sand.

"Not enough."

Su Chen walked in and sat down directly across from him. He pulled three small vials from his pants pocket and placed them on the table as well. They contained one Lv4 Earth Splitting Skill, one Lv4 Mire Skill, and one Lv4 Earth Spike Skill.

These three skills formed a synergistic combo. He was offering them as a bundle, looking to trade them all at once for six portions of Spiritual Dust Sand and two Lv3 Runes.

Someone specializing in the Earth Element was bound to be incredibly tempted.

Only if that failed would he consider splitting them up to sell individually.

Unlike the powerful bargaining leverage that came with Fire Element Runes, Su Chen wasn’t going to push the price too hard. In truth, very few people were willing to trade two portions of Spiritual Dust Sand for a single Lv4 Rune.

He wouldn’t be attempting such a trade if it weren’t for the three-skill synergy.

The man across from him said nothing, merely raising his eyes slowly. His gaze was like a dull knife scraping bone, utterly devoid of emotion.

After a moment of silent consideration, he rummaged through the backpack at his feet, pulled out two more small vials, and placed them on the table. Then, he extended his right hand. The body language was unmistakable; he wanted to shake hands to seal the deal.

’A mute?’

Su Chen glanced at the deep, old scar on the man’s throat. His trachea had clearly been pierced by a sharp weapon in the past; his vocal cords had likely been destroyed by the force of it. A subtle pulse of Su Chen’s spiritual energy swept over him, revealing that the root of the man’s tongue had also long been severed.

’What kind of horrific torture did this guy go through?’

He raised an eyebrow, unconcerned with the man’s past. All that mattered was completing the final step of the transaction.

"Deal."

He reached out and firmly grasped the other man’s calloused palm.

The scar-faced man seemed to have sensed something a moment ago. His body had trembled slightly and his muscles had tensed. But as they shook hands, he felt the steady strength in Su Chen’s grip. He immediately pulled his arm back, shot Su Chen a meaningful look, and swiftly swept the newly acquired Runes from the table into his bag.

Then, without a word, he pushed the door open and left.

"He seems like a tough customer." Yan Ruoruo walked in from where she had been waiting outside. To ensure they weren’t overheard, she sent the message via Mind Transmission. She had noticed the man’s callused hands.

"He was probably part of some gang or something before all this."

The brief mental scan Su Chen had performed earlier had already registered the contents of the man’s bag: it was filled with vials of Rune Essence, two enchanted guns, and several magazines.

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