Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

The previously announced Growth Skill was included in the update. This time, they added a host of experimental data, even including Lv4 data for reference. Not only could wheat, corn, and sweet potatoes be rapidly grown, but their nutritional content was also not significantly reduced.

Taking into account the Rune Energy consumption and satiety value, the authorities highly recommended the high-yield, easy-to-store giant pumpkin seeds.

In addition to grains.

In a vivid and expressive tone, the anchor, Wenwen, further explained that one could purchase a bag of Thorn Seeds from the Rune Store. When used on the walls of residential complexes or on self-built houses in towns, they would receive a growth-enhancing effect.

In terms of combat, besides comboing with the Entanglement Skill, the Growth Skill could also be used with Thorn Armor and Treant Summoning.

Overall, the authorities strongly recommended that every building and residential complex assign a sufficient number of people to master the Growth Skill.

Likewise, the next skill announced, the Water Creation Skill, was also on the list of recommendations.

It was, however, far more complex.

The Water Creation Skill didn’t create something from nothing, nor did it summon water from some ethereal plane.

It worked by extracting water molecules from the environment and gathering them along with any dissolved substances. If used in a primeval forest filled with decaying organic matter, the resulting water would be hazardous and undrinkable.

The toxins and pathogens alone would be enough to cause serious problems. A mild case would result in diarrhea, while a severe one could be fatal.

However, there was a solution.

Once the Rune Level reached Lv4, not only would the volume of water increase dramatically, but its purity could also reach that of distilled water.

Given that pure water doesn’t conduct electricity, its synergy with Thunder Element Runes would be poor. In combat, this would undoubtedly require the user to carefully manage the balance.

If one couldn’t manually control it, using it in combat would be an unprecedented debuff.

’Great. The RV’s freshwater tank is taken care of.’

Su Chen was quite satisfied. Relying on the rooftop rainwater collection system alone meant being at the mercy of the weather, and that water was mostly for flushing the toilet. For washing and bathing, it was much better to use purified water.

Furthermore.

The next skill announced was the Purification Skill. It could cleanse a person of negative effects like curses and attribute debuffs, and it could also be used to remove contaminants and pathogens from water and even soil.

Using it in tandem with the Water Creation Skill in the early stages would be a good strategy.

The other support Rune announced was also excellent for material forging and even construction.

The Shaping Skill!

Earth + Wood + Metal = Shaping Skill.

It allowed the user to take raw materials like wood, stone, bone, and metal and shape them into any desired object or component simply through willpower.

After this was announced, you could diagnose any Archer who wasn’t grinning from ear to ear with depression.

"What else is there to say? This is what it’s like when the heavens themselves decide to feed you. A salute to the meta pioneers!"

While the Archers were laughing the loudest, those who used firearms also reaped the benefits of this update.

However, the requirements for making bullets were significantly stricter than for arrows. Without factory assembly lines, and given their ammunition consumption, their only path forward would be to hand-craft their own bullets.

Inside a courtyard villa, Yan Ziqian had just been woken up. When he heard the news, his drowsy eyes instantly snapped wide awake.

’Then hand-crafting guns will be even easier!’

"Pang Peng, you’re in charge of acquiring the Rune Essence needed for the Shaping Skill. The more, the better."

He agreed immediately. For a social butterfly like him, this was no problem. Their team still had some spare Rune Essence.

Yan Ziqian continued, "I’ll take care of the bullet primers. Gong Jun, you’re in charge of the materials to hand-cast the gun frames."

"No problem."

Gong Jun was a graduate student pursuing his master’s in materials science, so the knowledge required to hand-craft firearms was simple for him. With the Shaping Skill, the task would be twice as easy.

In truth, the barrier to entry wasn’t high; the real difficulty lay with the bullet primers.

Take the top gunslinger on the US server, for instance. His firearm was 3D-printed. Meanwhile, the top gunslinger on the Japanese server had ordered parts online and assembled his by hand.

"Where’s Ruoruo?"

After waking up, Yan Ziqian realized his sister was nowhere to be seen.

"She went to Villa A16 next door to examine a body," Pang Peng replied.

"What’s going on?" Yan Ziqian frowned.

Although Yan Ruoruo wasn’t a forensic pathologist and lacked any professional credentials, she had dissected numerous cadavers as a medical student. Combined with her relevant knowledge, examining a body wasn’t a difficult task for her.

"They say it’s a locked-room murder. The doors and windows were sealed, and the deceased has no obvious external injuries. They just died, inexplicably. Some are guessing it was sudden cardiac death, but the Rune Essence in the victim’s mind vanished without a trace." Pang Peng’s expression grew solemn as he spoke.

’A stormy night, a courtyard villa, a locked-room murder... All the classic detective tropes were here.’

’Logically, Yan Ziqian knew it couldn’t have been sudden cardiac arrest. If it truly was a locked room, then it had to be a sinister plot carried out with rune magic.’

’Someone had used stealth to commit murder late last night and even stole the victim’s accumulated Runes.’

’If they couldn’t find the killer, and that person got a taste for it, none of them would be able to sleep soundly again.’

...

While listening to the broadcast, Su Chen finished washing up and checked his RV’s four-camera surveillance feed. The only person who had passed by since late last night was Liao Dahai.

Xiaoye had been unsummoned shortly after four in the morning, as the summoning Rune’s mana had completely run out.

During its watch, it had killed three monsters that strayed too close, and it had carried the Rune Essence they dropped into the fish bucket.

Something else had happened while he was sound asleep in the dead of night.

The Jade Pendant had finished its transformation.

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