As soon as the Log House Blueprint was set on the ground, it quickly showed a golden strand, connecting it to the nearest "source" of materials it needed.
However, Xu Tao couldn’t just go there as he was.
First of all, he couldn’t carry 200 pieces of wooden logs all by himself—neither could they all fit inside his SSR Storage Ring. Even if he emptied its current contents, there still wouldn’t be enough space to fit all those. Which meant he had to "drag" the items back here later on.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t capable of doing it. But the problem was that it would take time going back and forth. And seeing the golden strand head close to the mountains in the distance, just traveling back and forth would take up a large portion of the day.
He needed to do this more efficiently.
"I need extra hands...!"
Deciding so, he turned to where the other two were and shouted, "Pepe! Jehanne! Come over here for a moment!"
The two heard him loud and clear, and after wrapping up the battle they were having, rushed to where he was. Jehanne still looked the same, smiling thinly with her armor still untainted.
Pepe still looked the same too, though it seemed more energetic than usual.
"Your squire is quite a find!" Jehanne complimented as soon as they arrived. "He’s got the makings of a warrior! With just enough training, he’ll be strong...!"
But Xu Tao was confused. He didn’t have a squire or an underling, after all.
"I mean this little guy~!"
She exclaimed, picking up Pepe and pushing him toward Xu Tao’s face.
"Not only can he analyze what he can do instantly, he moves fast. Has guts. And doesn’t falter before an opponent stronger than he is...!"
"This guy...? Brave...?"
Xu Tao felt like they were talking about different things right now. The Pepe he knew was the one who’d hide behind him at the sight of a giant Sand Beetle. And the ones Jehanne was fighting earlier? They looked even scarier than those dumb beetles.
He turned to Pepe, who was still in Jehanne’s arms, and... noticed the dried-up tears across its "face."
It definitely had been afraid while moving with the little saint. But probably realizing he’d die the moment he left her side, he desperately caught up and did everything he needed to do in a flash to not get left behind.
A simple misunderstanding, it was.
"...You’ve worked hard, Pepe." Xu Tao, realizing its troubles, patted the creature gently—
"Anyway, enough of that. Jehanne, help me out. I need to carry 200 logs of wood from over there to here. Our home for tonight depends on this, so we need to make it fast."
—before switching straight to the main topic.
Jehanne craned her head up, looking at the sun. It was already halfway down from the peak, heading to the horizon—time-wise, about 2 to 3 P.M. They didn’t have a clock, so they couldn’t tell the exact time.
"I mean..." Xu Tao pointed his thumb at the Mud Hut he already finished. "If you don’t mind sleeping in this makeshift shelter, then I guess we can postpone it until tomorrow."
Jehanne stared at the Mud Hut, then back at Xu Tao, and finally grimaced at the hut one last time. "Let’s hurry with gathering the logs, then!" she exclaimed energetically.
"Good. Then, let’s follow this golden thread to the spot where we’ll gather the logs."
Just as he said that, however, Jehanne tilted her head in confusion, asking, "What golden thread? I don’t see anything, though...?"
At that moment, he realized.
It was only him, the Lost System’s User, who could see the glowing golden thread of light. It was weird knowing he could see something that the others couldn’t, but he didn’t let it get to his head.
"Then follow me, I guess?" he said, changing gears.
The three of them moved fast, running across the savannah as if they owned it. They weren’t afraid of getting hit by a surprise attack—after all, Jehanne’s senses could pick up monsters even if they were hidden 100 meters underground.
And of course, at their speed, Pepe was unable to catch up—thus, he had to be carried in Jehanne’s tight hug, like a plush toy.
Right then, she warned.
Although a moment later than her, Xu Tao also felt their presences after a heartbeat. Five of the Sand Bats, flying around the place, with two Rock Lobsters crawling right beneath.
All of those had an average level of 50—pretty weak, compared to the beetle swarm.
Without hesitation, he shouted, "I’ll take on the bats, you handle the seafood!"
The Sand Bats were creatures that... looked like bats made out of sand. Their very nature made them hard to kill. A simple slashing or piercing attack wouldn’t work. Their bodies would immediately "regenerate" the moment damage was inflicted.
You needed to "disperse" their sandy bodies in one strike—with a powerful blow that didn’t leave room for regeneration.
And unlike Jehanne, who only had her spear-flag as a weapon—a bad match against the bats—Xu Tao could use various Cultivation Techniques to fight. What he used against the bats was one that took advantage of their weakness—them being airborne.
"Nine Heavens Sword Technique, First Movement! [One Line Flash!]"
Loading an appropriate amount of Qi, Xu Tao slashed once across the air. As he did, a powerful shockwave flew forward, like an arcing light that expanded as it went further.
The five Sand Bats, despite their speed, weren’t able to evade an attack that came directly toward them. Even if they successfully evaded the slash itself, the shockwaves it left behind were enough to scatter their sandy bodies into nothing—effectively killing them indirectly.
All five fell, and without delay, turned to Small Loot Boxes along with a few notifications about their slaying.
When he returned his gaze downward, however, he was surprised that Jehanne had already cracked the two Rock Lobsters. Despite their hard carapace and consequently tough defense, they were no different than being naked in front of her spear!
And almost as if by reflex now, Pepe grabbed all the loot boxes instantly—their contents stored inside the Storage Rings hanging on his branch-like horn.
Their speed and coordination were perfect, allowing them to continue onward without trouble.
When monsters appeared, they handled them swiftly and carefully, without slowing down.
And finally, about fifteen minutes of running later, covering tens of kilometers in distance—
"It’s here!" Xu Tao exclaimed, sliding to a stop. "This is where we’ll get our materials!"
Before them, about halfway through the savannah and the mountain, was a lush forest. And in that forest, marked by the Lost System’s guidance—all the trees had trunks glowing gold.
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