Chapter 488

Chapter 488: Black Crystal Steam Spring

Over the next eight hours, the collection speed of black crystals showed an astonishing yet expected surge.

17 Worker Bees managed to gather black crystals worth 34,000 Black Flame Coins, averaging 2,000 coins per bee—equivalent to 20 Black Crystal Grasses or 5 Black Crystal Flowers.

This achievement came despite being unable to harvest the Black Crystal Tree itself.

However, the Worker Bees began sustaining losses during this period.

Every Black Crystal Vine had poisonous snakes or other magical beasts guarding it. When the Worker Bees tried claiming these energy sources, they faced fierce attacks.

Though Midi’s group launched cleanup operations around the Vines, their small team of four couldn’t eliminate every threat.

Many beasts escaped their initial strikes.

Not all Vines were located and secured either.

Returning beasts launched fiercer retaliations.

Worker Bees finding undiscovered Vines also drew attacks from alerted guardians.

By the eighth hour, nearly half the Worker Bees—eight in total—had been destroyed. One was ambushed while carrying Black Crystal Plants.

Had all bees survived, the yield might’ve broken through 40,000 coins.

"We’ve scouted nearly 100 kilometers. Expanding further wastes time, and these fragile Worker Bees need protection. It’s time to target the Black Crystal Tree itself," Midi declared.

Carrying 34,000 coins, Midi returned to the Dragon God Temple with newfound confidence.

"Impressive accumulation," remarked the Dragon Head, eyeing Midi. "Your exchange?"

Though initially only acquiring Worker Bees and Honey Pots, Midi had spent days planning his next moves.

The moment the exchange list appeared, he swiftly selected new equipment.

First came the 10,000-coin Harvester—a Black Crystal Tree harvester.

Though twenty times pricier than Worker Bees, Midi bought it without hesitation.

Simple Worker Bees worked early on, but their rising losses, low efficiency, and management hassles would eventually outweigh their cheapness. They’d become obsolete later.

The Harvester prepared for future needs.

For now, scattered Black Crystal Plants still required Worker Bees.

But Midi also bought 1,500-coin Soldier Bees—guard automatons to protect Workers.

Unchecked Worker Bee losses would’ve crippled operations.

Lastly, he acquired a 3,000-coin Flying Eye.

This automaton combined basic Black Crystal sensing (via compound eyes), Worker Bee gathering skills, Soldier Bee combat abilities, terrain mapping, and sustained flight at moderate heights—a true multi-tool.

Midi exchanged for the "Flying Eyes" so they could explore areas beyond a hundred kilometers in his place.

Though he couldn’t conquer the territory around the three Black Crystal Trees now, he predicted the war would expand far beyond this small area once other teams entered the Black Crystal Forest and competed for resources.

If the forest were truly this tiny, he wouldn’t even unlock the mid-tier exchange list, much less the high-tier one requiring a million points for the True Dragon Body Refinement Method.

Given the staggering million-point threshold, Midi guessed the Black Crystal Forest’s size likely rivaled the Forest of Gran near the Belmar Kingdom. Only a region as vast as a small nation could sustain a full-scale resource war.

Back at the base, Midi deployed all exchanged Worker Bees, Soldier Bees, and pricey Flying Eyes to aggressively gather resources. The 10,000 Black Flame Coin "Harvester"—a five-meter-tall beetle-like machine—was also activated.

The Harvester’s tentacles twitched, locking onto the base’s central Black Crystal Tree before charging toward it. Its shell then split open like petals, revealing intricate mechanisms. Alchemical arms extended like vines, coiling around the tree. Instead of cutting it down, the Harvester fused with the tree, forming a ten-meter lighthouse-like structure.

Within Midi’s Black Dragon Remnant Token, the Harvester count dropped to zero, replaced by a new entry:

Black Crystal Steam Spring ×1.

True to its name, this spring spewed steam that condensed into Black Crystal Trees. By sealing the spring, the Harvester ensured every wisp of steam was converted into Black Flame Coins.

Unlike the Worker Bees’ "hunting" method, the steam spring operated like automated farming—no collectors, guards, or risks. Simply guarding the spring generated constant income. Even Zaknavan, who rarely engaged in labor, grasped its immense value. Securing enough springs would place them in an Undefeated Position!

Midi hadn’t anticipated this secret beneath the Black Crystal Trees. Had he known, he’d have rushed to the Dragon God Temple at 10,000 coins instead of waiting eight hours. The spring’s presence likely explained the dense Black Crystal Plants nearby. But it wasn’t too late to exploit this discovery.

“Kill the Metal Tiger and Purple Gold Scorpion. Once we earn another 10,000 coins, get another Harvester!” Midi ordered. Despite the risks, no one objected after witnessing the spring’s benefits.

Meanwhile, the three other teams progressed in the underground Dragon Tower:

The Two-Headed Warwolves, demoralized after finding only ruined mechanisms and empty ruins from the fifth to sixth layers, focused on conserving strength to reach the lower levels.

The Death Scorpions initially thrived, claiming fifth and sixth-layer spoils uncontested. Simon optimistically declared them the deepest team, expecting treasures ahead. But from the seventh layer onward, they found only ruins—crushing their morale. Realizing they trailed Thor’s level-67 team heightened their tension.

Yet the most frustrated weren’t the prepared Warwolves or disillusioned Scorpions, but the Death Scorpions!

“The Tenth Level… has been explored?” Thor, the once-calm “Warrior,” finally frowned, his eyes glinting coldly.