Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 343: Area 2

A few minutes later, they continued to Area 2 after passing through the huge door at the other end of the Area Boss Chamber.

Now bolstered with the four Aura upgrades after spending the 30,000 Dimension Essence for the [Disrupt Anchor’s Foundation] that the other three handed to him, they now feel more empowered as the Auras of Combat, Restoration, and Efficiency flowed into the interior of the Anchor.

But that’s where the good news ends.

Because only Area 1 had its data extracted, the moment they stepped into Area 2, they were walking into an unexplored territory. The minimap that was fully uncovered earlier had turned dark and they had to map every path they took.

If they ever encounter a new type of Decrint Tribe creature. They would also not be registered. Their estimated strength and how many roamed the place waiting to ambush them were also naturally obscured.

Due to that, they once again had to rely on the artifact that guided Jiang Jianxin’s exploration group previously for navigation.

The [Allseeing Compass]. An artifact bought from the Divine Convenience Store, which pointed to paths that would ultimately lead them to the Anchor’s core.

The air in Area 2 was noticeably cooler and drier than in Area 1, carrying a faint scent of petrified wood and dry dust. The cavern walls here were smoother, carved with what looked like rudimentary pictographs depicting hunting scenes and primitive rituals. The chilling sense from the foreign energy was still present, but it felt less oppressive, perhaps due to the newly applied Aura enhancements.

Lin Mo glanced at the system interface.

[You have entered Anchor - HLFB#0027]

[Area: 2 of 4]

[Threat Level: Unknown]

[Current Entities: Unknown]

[Environmental Hazard: Unknown]

[Note: Explore the place and defeat the Area Boss to extract more information about the Anchor, the creatures roaming the area and the Outer Realm they came from.]

As they stepped inside, Liu Xiaoyu and the Sword Fairy once again took the front while he and Xiaoping brought up the rear. With [Allseeing Compass] in her hand, Jiang Jianxin pointed her sword to where its hand was pointing.

For the first three skirmishes, all they encountered were the same skirmishers and bone-archers. But instead of surprising them, all three encounters were an ambush where they had been surrounded.

Nevertheless, with their current abilities, even Lin Mo didn’t need to pull out the [Celestial Duel Gear]. The Auras and the buffs from the [Card Talismans] were more than enough for them to dispatch the goblin-like creatures.

After that, they continued proceeding cautiously. Their footsteps are muffled by the dry dust on the cavern floor. The tunnels branched frequently, forming a bewildering maze of twists and turns, often ending in dead ends and more ambushes.

The pictographs on the walls became more frequent, depicting grotesque, green-skinned figures engaged in brutal combat against tall, long-eared beings.

"Long-eared? Do they also have a long-lived race?" Xiaoping whispered as he pointed at a new set of carvings they found at another dead end, where they unearthed a treasure chest. The Anchor-generated loot, which contained items from the Highland Realm.

Last time, Jiang Jianxin and her group looted a [Decrint Antidote Serum] and [Bonefang Dagger], both of which were now being analyzed by the Cerulean Sword Cloud Sect.

Lin Mo stepped closer, examining the pictographs. The long-eared beings were indeed depicted with slender bodies and a certain regal bearing, contrasting sharply with the brutish Decrint Tribe. Someone, it reminded him of elves. Another race commonly found in fictional fantasy worlds.

He couldn’t help but think that the Highland Realm might be home to that kind of fantasy world. Not a place filled with cultivators and immortals but a realm of magic, warriors, and fantastical races.

"It would seem so," Jiang Jianxin murmured as she also studied the carvings. "My master theorized that the Decrint Tribe was one of many species in their realm, likely a subjugated one, hence they were the ones sent to pave the way for their invasion of our realm. These carvings were simply a depiction of their history."

Liu Xiaoyu, meanwhile, was already prying open the treasure chest. "Ooh, what’s this? This is like the chest in the tower?"

The chest creaked open, revealing several crude bone artifacts, a pouch of oddly-shaped crystals, and a roll of tough, leathery hide etched with more pictographs.

[Item: Decrint Bone-Shaman Staff]

[Description: A rudimentary staff crafted from beast bone, imbued with a weak spiritual essence. Used by Decrint Tribe shamans for minor rituals and crude healing spells.]

[Grade: High Mortal-Grade]

[Item: Highland Crystal]

[Description: A raw crystal fragment saturated with the energy native to the Highland Realm. Can be used as a minor energy source or for rudimentary bone-crafting. Can also substitute spirit stones.]

[Item: Decrint War Scroll (Fragment)]

[Description: A fragment of a Decrint war scroll, depicting their brutal tactics and primitive rituals. Contains fragmented knowledge of their Boneforge technology and their territorial expansion.]

[Note: Can be combined with other fragments to reconstruct complete knowledge.]

"Mhm. It seems like this Anchor is also generating items from their realm. It’s quite magical. Maybe they’re supplying Anchor with it?" Lin Mo scanned the items as his mind processed the purpose of having chests like this in a labyrinth-like place that they’re using to link their realm to the Realm of Nine Heavens.

It’s like they’re intentionally giving away items to the explorers. If that is so, what’s the purpose?

"Oh... I may be overthinking this but the likely reason for the Highland Realm to fill an Anchor with treasure chests is to also use them as a link to our realm." He mused.

The Sword Fairy looked at him with a thoughtful expression. "A link? How so, Shopkeeper?"

Lin Mo tapped his chin as he explained, "Think about it. If these items are being generated from their realm, and they contain their native energy, then anyone who touches them, studies them, or consumes them is essentially exposed to their realm’s essence. It’s like a subtle form of spiritual colonization, or perhaps, a way to acclimatize our realm to theirs, making future invasions easier."

He might not be someone who spent his previous life studying every obscure knowledge, it’s like a logical explanation for something like this.

Liu Xiaoyu shivered. "That sounds... creepy. Like, we’re picking up their trash, and it’s actually infecting us?"

"Not necessarily infecting but certainly influencing. The more we interact with their realm’s energy, the more our realm adapts to them, making the boundary between realms thinner, the foreign energy less... foreign."

Xiaoping picked up a Highland Crystal. "But these can be used as energy sources, Shopkeeper Boss. And they can even substitute spirit stones. Isn’t that good for us?"

"Indeed, Xiaoping," Lin Mo agreed. "Every coin has two sides. These are valuable resources for us, especially for cultivators seeking to understand and perhaps even harness foreign energies. But it’s a controlled exchange, orchestrated by them. They’re giving us a taste, a small sample, perhaps hoping to entice us further, or to subtly weaken our realm’s natural defenses against their energy."

Jiang Jianxin’s eyes narrowed as she picked up the Decrint War Scroll fragment. "This implies a level of foresight and planning beyond mere brute force. Interesting. They are subtly preparing the ground. It also suggests that the foreign energy we’re absorbing in our body every time we defeat a green-skinned creature makes us adapt more to their realm’s energy. Does that mean we can truly come to their realm instead? Reverse the situation where we’re the ones invading."

"Exactly, that’s likely possible. Although it’s a mystery why they’re invading the Realm of Nine Heavens, we have no choice but to adapt quicker than anyone else to repel them" Lin Mo affirmed. "Which is why understanding these items and their properties is crucial. We better collect them, analyze them, and ideally, turn their own tools against them. Xiaoyu, Xiaoping, take note of these. When we get back, we’ll prioritize analyzing the ’Highland Crystal’ and the ’Decrint Antidote Serum’ that Elder Shi acquired. If we can understand their energy, we can find a way to more easily neutralize their influence, or even harness the foreign energy for our own benefit."

"Got it, Boss!" Xiaoyu said, carefully picking up a Highland Crystal and examining it. "So, are we taking these back to the store?"

"Every single piece," Lin Mo confirmed. "No item from a Fractured Plane or Outer Realm is without value, even if it’s just for study. Now, let’s proceed. We still have three more areas to clear before we reach the Core."

Jiang Jianxin nodded while the other two put everything they got from the chest in their spiritual pouches.

As they resumed their journey, the ambushes continued. And each time they would repel them.

Apart from the skirmishers and bone-archers, a new type of Decrint Tribe creature started showing up. Something like a goblin shaman. They wielded a staff and cast spells by incantation.

Their addition was still not enough to deter their group’s advance because, unlike the tower, which generates those shadowy creatures for trials and challenges, the strength of the foreign creatures inside the Anchor wasn’t increasing. They’re all living beings who probably had a life back in the Highland Realm. Their strength lies in their own advancement.

Soon, after around thirty minutes of exploring the place and facing various dead ends, they arrived at another wide chamber that was more likely to be the Area Boss Chamber.

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