bayedsolid Chapter 207 The Correct Use of the Time Badge
Chapter 207 The Correct Use of the Time Badge
Once the thought arose in Xu Si's mind, he couldn't suppress it any longer.
His gaze returned to the slightly wriggling fleshy base and the lush sweet potato vines.
The crimson light swirled deep within Star Pupil, making the trajectory of those pale blue energy streams clearer.
"The cost is being shifted..." he muttered to himself.
What he valued was not the time-freezing property; what use could a three-second time freeze be?
What Xu Si valued was the 24-hour "cost transfer".
If he succeeds as he envisions, it would mean that the caravan would have a relatively stable, or even rapidly replenished, food source during their migration.
This is far more significant than simply hunting a few more strange creatures.
"Red Hair, what are you muttering about?" Jiao Jiao asked curiously as she put away the contract.
"Are you thinking of some shady idea?"
"No crooked ideas, but one brilliant one." Xu Si glanced at her and turned to Dou Dou.
"DouDou, if... I mean, if I had a way to make these sweet potatoes grow faster, like... harvesting one crop a day, what do you think?"
"Huh?" Dou Dou and Jiao Jiao were both stunned.
Fu Xiaojian also turned sharply to look at Xu Si, seemingly forgetting the pain from the wound on his ribs: "Xu Si, are you serious?"
"It's just a possibility; we need to try." Xu Si didn't give a definitive answer.
He looked at Dou Dou, his tone serious, "I don't know how much risk there is, but there should be some."
He can't just say he can let the eerie die of old age!
DouDou's little face immediately tensed up.
She looked at Xu Si, then at the meaty base that held all their past hopes and food, her eyes filled with struggle.
Master Wei had also arrived at the entrance of the implant cavity at some point, and stood silently watching.
"What risks might Niu Niu face?" Dou Dou asked softly.
"Uncertain...it might put some extra burden on it, like...aging." Xu Si tried to be as straightforward as possible.
He can't bear the burden of aging alone!
"Huh? Even monsters get old?" Jiao Jiao asked, puzzled.
Fu Xiaojian and Dou Dou were equally puzzled, both looking at Xu Si with bewildered expressions.
"Maybe!" Xu Si wasn't sure either.
Since the feature is described in this way, it should happen, but I don't know exactly how.
"Is it a rare item?" Fu Xiaojian hadn't expected Xu Si to hide it so well. This kind of rare item that could promote plant growth was definitely not an ordinary rare item.
Xu Si didn't answer; whether it was important or not was no longer relevant.
Fu Xiaojian pressed his hand to his ribs and slowly exhaled.
He looked at DouDou, his tone calm: "DouDou, the decision is yours. NiuNiu is your partner, and we respect your choice. Even if you don't try, we will still take you away, and that won't change."
Jiao Jiao glanced at Xu Si, then at Dou Dou, and unusually refrained from interrupting or causing trouble, instead nervously biting her lip.
The implant cavity quieted down, with only the extremely slow, breathing-like undulations of the fleshy base.
The soft, white light inside the chamber illuminated everyone's faces, making their hesitation and weighing of options clear.
Master Wei suddenly took a step forward and stood next to Dou Dou, still without saying a word.
DouDou hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the lush green sweet potato vines.
Actually, besides Grandma Xin, she was the first person to notice that Niu Niu was gradually becoming weak.
If the growth period of the plant in the implantation cavity can be brought forward, would it slow down Niu Niu's weakness?
She bit her lower lip, raised her head, her eyes still carrying an undeniable childishness, yet she had already made her decision.
She looked at Xu Si, her voice not loud, but very clear.
Let's give it a try.
The little girl was struggling with her feelings for Niu Niu, even though Niu Niu had destroyed their village.
But in the end times, it gave them a home, warmth, and a place to rely on.
Xu Si stared at her with his scarlet eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay. I'll try my best to control it."
Without further hesitation, he activated the Time Badge pinned inside the Cloak of Concealment with his extraordinary energy.
"Time freezes"
This was the first time Xu Si had used such a high-ranking rare item.
In an instant, a time-stagnant space with a diameter of thirty meters was formed, and the time flow rate of one-fifth allowed Xu Si's star pupils and star veins to be brought to their fullest potential.
In those three seconds, Xu Si could see the delayed effect of the little girl blinking, the sweet potato's leaves slowly unfurling, and Fu Xiaojian's lips moving slightly without making a sound.
Even the flow of energy became crystal clear.
Three seconds passed in a flash, and Xu Si instantly activated 'cost transfer', with the target naturally being the sweet potato vines inside the planting cavity.
Almost at the same time—
Inside the implant cavity, Jiao Jiao suddenly exclaimed "Eh!"
She pointed to the nearest sweet potato vine: "Look! The leaves... didn't they move a little?"
It's not the kind of movement caused by the wind.
The thick leaves, at a speed visible to the naked eye, very slowly... unfurled a little bit. The curled edges seemed to be flattening out.
DouDou held her breath, squatted down, and stared wide-eyed.
Then, everyone saw it.
The previously slow, almost imperceptible undulations in the fleshy base subtly quickened in pace.
The sweet potato vines rooted on it seem to have been awakened from their slumber, each leaf beginning to greedily "breathe".
The veins of the leaves became clearer and greener, and the creeping stems seemed to extend and swell imperceptibly.
Most amazingly, near the roots of several sweet potato vines close to the center, a few small mounds of soil were slightly raised on the soft, brown base surface!
That's a sign that the tuber is starting to swell!
"It's growing...it's really growing!" Fu Xiaojian said in a low voice, his tone full of shock.
He had seen crops grow, but he had never seen such "eager" yet quiet growth.
There was no sound, no dazzling light, only a silent and steadfast prosperity being chased by time.
The price wasn't as severe as Xu Si had imagined.
Perhaps the 24-hour time limit is too long, or perhaps the time-freezing effect of Feature 1 is not very good.
However, at this moment, the optimal time balance has been achieved.
Xu Si was not relaxed at all.
24 hours.
This is just the beginning.
He didn't know what impact this continuous, subtle infiltration and transformation would ultimately have on the vortex cow.
However, the energy flow that the plants in his star-like eyes were drawing from Niu Niu did not increase.
In other words, the accelerated aging provided by cost transfer is something else entirely, and it's not about squeezing the potential of cattle.
Inside the cavity, the changes in the sweet potato vines became increasingly apparent.
In just a short while, some leaves have changed from light green to dark green, the stems have thickened, and the small mounds have risen to the size of a fist with clear outlines.