Free Web NovelChapter 144: Chapter 136: Struck It Rich
"Jingjing, can you get those Crystal Stones out?"
Ever since Jingjing finished her description, Tang Mo had been plotting to get her hands on these Crystal Stones.
’Since I’m already here and I’ve seen these things, it would be a crime not to take some with me.’
"Mmm, I’ll try."
Jingjing still had a small knife and a little bag from when it helped Tang Mo collect Crystal Cores from the bodies of mutant beasts.
"I can do it! It’s really hard, but Jingjing is strong!"
Jingjing held a freshly cut piece of Crystal Stone, its voice filled with excitement.
In truth, the Crystal Stones growing here were unusually sturdy. If Jingjing hadn’t been strengthened by its recent ordeal, it might not have been able to cut one off so easily.
"That’s great. Cut off a few more and bring them out for me to see," Tang Mo said, a hint of delight in her voice.
With the sudden, pleasant surprise of the Crystal Stones, Tang Mo could no longer afford to leave the two guards to their own devices.
Tang Mo crept toward the sand dune. The two men from Sand Town were already leaning against each other, dozing off.
She pulled a baseball bat from her Space and brought it down on each of their heads.
The space inside the sand dune was small, but Tang Mo still bent down and tied their hands and feet with strips of cloth, blindfolding them for good measure.
Tang Mo had been precise with her strikes—just enough force to knock them unconscious without killing them.
After finishing, Tang Mo nodded in satisfaction. She then walked to the edge of the quicksand to wait for Jingjing to emerge.
It was easy for Tang Mo to say, but she’d forgotten that Jingjing had to use every ounce of its strength just to get down. It had no idea how to get back up.
On its end, Jingjing found cutting the Crystal Stones easy. It stuffed its small bag full, tucked some more into its fur, and grabbed another piece in one of its little paws. Only then did it run back to the spot below the hole it had fallen through and start trying to figure a way out.
But as soon as it stood beneath the opening, the mysterious suction force appeared again. A moment later, Jingjing materialized right in front of Tang Mo.
"That was fast?" Tang Mo hadn’t expected Jingjing to be out so quickly.
Jingjing paused for a second, then dumped all the Crystal Stones from its bag and fur onto the ground. It began gesturing wildly, explaining to Tang Mo what was down there and how it had just "swooshed" right up.
After listening, Tang Mo casually picked up a Crystal Stone from the ground and examined it closely.
The Crystal Stone Jingjing had cut was about the size of Tang Mo’s palm. She placed it in her palm and easily absorbed it dry.
Its purity was much higher than that of a Crystal Core, which meant the strain on her body was significantly lighter.
She carefully observed the small pile of Crystal Stones.
Jingjing had said the Crystal Stones below came in three colors: crimson, light blue, and white.
Since Jingjing couldn’t tell the difference between the colors, it had simply cut a few of each.
Tang Mo picked up the Crystal Stones one by one, feeling the energy within each.
She finally determined that the energy concentration varied between the three colors of Crystal Stones.
The blood-red ones had the highest energy purity, reaching 97%, with only 3% impurities.
The light blue Crystal Stones were next, with 90% purity.
And the White Crystal Stones had the lowest purity, at 80%.
Still, even the 80% purity of the White Crystal Stones was far higher than that of the Crystal Cores from mutant beasts.
By this metric, the energy purity of a Crystal Core was 60% at most, which explained why they placed such a heavy burden on the body and hindered one’s progress.
Once she figured this out, Tang Mo’s eyes shone even brighter. She stored all the Crystal Stones in her Space and gave Jingjing a new task.
A moment later, Jingjing plunged back into the quicksand. This time it was much faster, reappearing before Tang Mo in less than three minutes, clutching a Blood Red Crystal Stone that was nearly half as tall as a person.
Tang Mo was much more satisfied this time. ’Now this is a more appropriate size.’ fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"It’s too small. Get a bigger one."
With that said, Tang Mo kicked Jingjing back down into the quicksand.
And so, Jingjing continued to haul up Crystal Stones at a rate of one person-sized Blood Red Crystal Stone every three minutes. freёwebnovel.com
Soon, a small mountain of Crystal Stones piled up in front of Tang Mo.
Meanwhile, Tang Mo sat off to the side, sipping milk through a straw as she shouted words of encouragement to Jingjing.
Before she knew it, the sky was beginning to lighten with the dawn.
