Chapter 176: Eye of Value

Although Su Li was not power-hungry, he felt an undeniable sense of satisfaction at this moment. He realized this was vanity, and no human was immune, himself included.

“No wonder people throughout history fought so hard to climb to the top, to gain power and status. It truly is exhilarating to be followed by a crowd.”

Su Li looked at the long line of rafts, packed with people who obeyed his commands and regarded him with awe. The feeling was indeed satisfying.

If the city hadn’t been flooded, he couldn’t have imagined being supported by over a hundred people, commanding a large group.

However, Su Li quickly reminded himself to stay vigilant. Everything was temporary. If a stronger person appeared, defeated, or killed him, all this would vanish.

“People always say the higher you climb, the harder you fall. I can hardly imagine what will happen if that day comes. If I don’t want to crash down, I must become stronger,” Su Li thought silently, subtly clenching his fists.

The crowd of over a hundred people arrived at the Purple Wind Building. Under Su Li’s command, they were divided into four teams. Two teams boarded the floating island, one on the left, one on the right, using rafts to push the island. Another group entered the water behind the island, swimming and pushing forward. The remaining team, positioned at the front, used rafts tethered to the island’s rock to pull it forward.

With combined force applied from all sides, the floating island began to move.

Just as Su Li had guessed, the floating island remained buoyant after the Blood Crystal Beast’s death. Although the surface was hard mineral, the density of the material below must be very low; otherwise, it wouldn’t float. The island’s weight was far less than it appeared. The force required to push it through the water was not as massive as initially thought.

Initially, everyone thought the huge island was immovable, but they realized it was much easier to move than imagined once they started.

The direct distance from the Purple Wind Building to the Golden Eagle Alliance was about six kilometers. Moving such a colossal island, though easier than expected, was still a monumental task. They spent a full two to three hours and were all exhausted by the time they reached their destination.

The Gold Eagle One A-Building, B-Building, and Shimao Center formed a triangle. Within this triangular area, there were two other shorter, 30-story buildings, with only their top floors visible.

Su Li used the location of the five exposed buildings to position the floating island about three or four hundred meters from the Gold Eagle One B-Building. He planned to use planks and ropes to construct floating bridges, linking the island to the five exposed buildings, thereby improving transportation between the three major towers.

However, this engineering project required sufficient manpower and time.

The floating island, formed from the dead Blood Crystal Beast, was unique. Once the people stopped pushing, it slowly stopped in place. Unless a massive force pushed it, it wouldn’t drift. This suggested that the floodwaters in the city were either not flowing or their force was insufficient to move the island.

By the time they finished, it was evening. Su Li returned to his new residence, the top floor of the Gold Eagle One B-Building, where he could survey the entire area.

The apartment was lavishly decorated. Su Li sank onto the leather sofa. Qi Mengyu, standing nearby, handed him a cup of hot water. Su Li was about to take a sip and rest when Jiang Shuijue rushed in.

“Brother Su, we have some trouble.” Jiang Shuijue rushed in, speaking with urgency.

Su Li, realizing the seriousness of the situation, immediately put down his cup. “What is it?”

Qi Mengyu subtly inclined her head and greeted, “Hello, Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Shuijue nodded at her in acknowledgment, then sat down. “I finally finished inventorying all the supplies and discovered a major problem. The Golden Eagle Alliance’s supplies are severely depleted. We might not last more than three days.”

Su Li stiffened on the sofa. “You’ve counted all the supplies? Including what we brought over and the resources controlled by Wu Feng at the Shimao Center?”

Jiang Shuijue nodded. “Yes. Wu Feng was very cooperative and played no tricks. I counted everything. We have 146 people across the three buildings. The other supplies are manageable, but the food supply will only last for three days, at most. And that’s even with the supplies we brought over. If we only relied on the remaining supplies from the Golden Eagle Alliance, they wouldn’t have lasted more than two days.”

Su Li said softly, “I think I understand why Ding Shijie was so anxious. Such a severe shortage of supplies would certainly lead to major problems.”

Su Li paused. “Then, immediately organize people to collect supplies from all directions. And send people into the water to search the submerged floors. There must be vacuum-packed food left behind.”

Jiang Shuijue frowned. “I already spoke with Wu Feng and the others in detail. They’ve already done all of that. They have basically collected everything that can be found within a few kilometers of here. They also searched several submerged floors. But diving any deeper is too dangerous. Even Ding Shijie didn’t dare to venture too deep. And even if they find some, it will only buy us a little time. It won’t solve the food problem for over a hundred people.”

Su Li rubbed his brow. He looked at Jiang Shuijue. “Shui Jue, I remember hearing you mention a Sea Cow Beast that is edible and has no side effects. Is that true?”

Jiang Shuijue’s eyes brightened. She smiled. “I’m glad we thought alike. I actually came to talk to you about the Sea Cow Beast.”

“Oh? Tell me more. How do you know the Sea Cow Beast’s meat is edible? Has someone eaten it?” Su Li was curious.

Jiang Shuijue explained, “I once killed a monster and acquired a special ability called ‘Eye of Value.’ The ‘Eye of Value’ has no offensive power. Its only function is to sense the value of monsters: the value of its meat, its bones, its hide, and so on.”

Su Li was surprised that Jiang Shuijue possessed such an ability. The “Eye of Value” was similar to his “Peering Rune” but had significant differences. His “Peering Rune” provided data on monsters and Wielders, while Jiang Shuijue’s “Eye of Value” sensed their commercial value.

“I use the Eye of Value to observe the monsters. In fact, many monsters’ meat is edible, but they all have various side effects. For example, some serpentine monsters’ meat can be eaten, but it paralyzes the nerves. The more you eat, the worse the paralysis, leading eventually to complete paralysis. Some crocodile monsters’ meat can be eaten, but it causes strong hallucinations and is highly addictive. Even rat monsters’ meat can be eaten, but according to the Eye of Value, the meat is bitter and carries a risk of plague infection.”

Su Li had only considered eating the meat of Spiritual Source Beasts if supplies ran short. He was shocked to learn that monster meat came with so many horrible side effects, some of which could be fatal.

“So, the Sea Cow Beast’s meat has no side effects?”

Jiang Shuijue affirmed. “That was a few days ago, before I even knew you. Tao Bingjun was still the leader of the Purple Wind Building. Brother Mingfeng, Brother Ling Yi, and I went out. We ran into Tao Bingjun’s group and, while there, we encountered a Sea Cow Beast. My ‘Eye of Value’ is still fragmented and imperfect; I can’t read the value of high-level or very powerful monsters. But I can read most ordinary monsters, including their names, and the value of their meat, blood, and bones.”

Su Li nodded slightly. Her “Eye of Value” was indeed similar to his “Peering Rune.” His rune was also fragmented initially.

“The Sea Cow Beast is the only monster I’ve seen that has no side effects. According to the data from the Eye of Value, the Sea Cow Beast’s meat is tender and highly nutritious. A small piece can provide enough nutrition for a whole day.”

Su Li’s eyes shone. “That’s incredible! If we can find a large number of Sea Cow Beasts, we won’t have to worry about food shortages.”

The corpses of Spiritual Source Beasts don’t rot. If they found the Sea Cow Beast and killed them, the meat could be stored indefinitely. Furthermore, a small piece was sufficient for a day’s nutrition. This was clearly the best possible food source.

Jiang Shuijue said, “I came to you to discuss hunting the Sea Cow Beast. I still remember the approximate area where we encountered the monster. Unfortunately, it escaped at the time. According to the data I saw, the Sea Cow Beast is a gregarious creature and never wanders far from its nest. This means that the area where I encountered it must be close to its nest. If we search there, we shouldn’t have any trouble finding the Sea Cow Beast’s nest.”

“However, food wasn’t scarce at the time. Plus, a lot of things happened over the next few days, and I didn’t get a chance to search for the nest. But now, we have a severe food shortage. The only solution is to find the Sea Cow Beast’s nest. If we can kill the Sea Cow Beast, the food problem will be temporarily solved.”

(End of Chapter)

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