Richest Rag-picker

Chapter 495: Chapter 467: In Danger Again

Fang Chenyi looked at the magma before him again, his previous worried expression gone. In its place was a newfound confidence.

He had now thought of what he believed was a viable solution. All that was left was to put it to the test.

He scanned his surroundings. Seeing no reconnaissance vehicles in sight, and with the late-night darkness providing excellent cover, it was the perfect time to conceal his movements.

Fang Chenyi took a leap and jumped directly into the magma cavern.

Of course, he didn’t dare to jump straight into the magma itself. Instead, he landed on a small platform nearest to it.

The platform wasn’t large, only about one or two square meters.

But it was right next to the roiling magma. If he squatted down, he could reach out and touch it.

The jump looked effortless, but inwardly, Fang Chenyi was under immense pressure.

He was afraid that if he couldn’t stop his momentum and plunged directly into the magma, the Water Spirit Pearl might not actually be able to keep him separate from it.

Or worse, that it couldn’t withstand the true temperature of the magma. In that case, he’d be vaporized in an instant, without even a bone left behind.

As Fang Chenyi’s feet landed on the small platform, it wobbled violently, and his feet quickly sank more than ten centimeters.

In an instant, blackish-gray sediment submerged his feet.

It was clearly formed from solidified magma.

His heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly lifted one foot to check its condition.

However, when he saw there wasn’t a single mark on it, his heart, which had been in his throat, settled slightly.

He slowly squatted down and tentatively reached his hand toward the roiling magma.

He was still apprehensive; after all, this was different from the cooled lumps of magma that had splashed outside.

Those had already lost their original color and cooled down.

But this was different. This magma was still churning.

The magma here was like freshly smelted steel, perhaps even hotter.

Fang Chenyi remembered from a geography class that magma flowing on the Earth’s surface could reach temperatures of 900 to 1200 degrees Celsius.

In some cases, it could even exceed 1400 degrees Celsius.

And this churning pool in front of him, Fang Chenyi was certain, had to be at the highest end of that range.

He stared intently at the magma as he slowly extended his right hand toward it.

Half a meter, thirty centimeters, ten, five.

Finally, Fang Chenyi’s fingers made contact with the roiling magma.

The next moment, the heart that had been lodged in his throat finally dropped back into place.

The reason was simple: the moment his hand touched the magma, he felt no heat whatsoever.

No, that wasn’t quite right. There was some temperature. How to describe it? It felt like touching warm water, the perfect temperature for a bath...

He swished his hand through the magma a few times, as if testing the water in a bathtub. After a moment, Fang Chenyi slowly sat down.

Then, he lowered both of his legs into the magma as well.

SPLASH.

As his legs paddled in the magma, Fang Chenyi actually closed his eyes in comfort.

’This feels so damn good,’ he thought. ’It’s just like a foot bath.’

After testing it a bit more and confirming he was safe, Fang Chenyi finally gritted his teeth. He pushed off with his hands, and the next moment, his entire body plunged into the magma.

If anyone else had witnessed this, they would have fainted on the spot. It was, without a doubt, a terrifying sight.

However, for Fang Chenyi, who was now in the magma pool, the experience was the exact opposite. He treaded with his feet and paddled with his hands, feeling just like he was swimming.

"Heh, I’ll be damned. Besides it being a bit viscous, I really don’t feel anything else."

Fang Chenyi muttered to himself as he paddled about.

It had to be said that after his body was enhanced, his strength was already extraordinary.

Thus, the viscous magma didn’t impede him much.

He tried holding his breath, then dove headfirst into the depths.

Instantly, Fang Chenyi’s vision was filled with a world of fiery red.

As for visibility, it was practically zero. To put it simply, he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of his face.

Popping his head back out of the magma, Fang Chenyi muttered in exasperation:

"Damn it all, how am I supposed to find anything? It’s not pitch black down there, but I still can’t see a thing."

But after a moment of thought, he calmed down.

’This is magma, not water. Of course there’s no visibility.’

’As for the asteroid, it has to be at the very bottom.’

’As long as I pick a direction and keep going straight down, I should be able to find it.’

He took another deep breath and plunged back into the magma.

This time, he headed straight down. But a moment later, he made a miserable discovery: he had completely lost his sense of direction.

A wave of panic washed over Fang Chenyi. ’I might not be afraid of the temperature,’ he thought, ’but there’s no air in here!’

It was fine on the surface. Even if the air there was being incinerated, the Water Spirit Pearl somehow allowed him to breathe freely, though he didn’t understand the principle behind it.

He forced himself to calm down. Then, picking a direction he thought was up, he began to swim for his life.

One minute. Three minutes.

However, what felt like three to five minutes had passed, and Fang Chenyi still hadn’t broken the surface. His lungs were starting to burn, and real panic set in.

’What do I do? Am I going to die here?’

’Fuck! System, you can’t screw me over like this! If I die, you’re finished too, right?’

[Detecting Host’s query. The System will now provide clarification. Water Spirit Pearl: A Water-element Spirit Pearl. When worn, it can regulate the user’s ambient temperature and repel water. When swallowed, the user will master the Water Control Skill and be able to survive underwater.]

Perhaps having detected the danger Fang Chenyi was in, the System had actually provided another notification.

The notification left Fang Chenyi a little confused.

’What does that mean? "When worn, it can regulate the user’s ambient temperature and repel water." I already knew that.’

’But what about being able to "survive underwater" after swallowing it? Does that mean I won’t need to breathe in water?’

Fang Chenyi had a certain understanding of how his System worked.

He was certain that the System was telling him this now because it was directly related to his current predicament.

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