"So there are limits to deprivation; that’s much more reliable."

Su Ran seemed to think of something, looking at Banana with a surprised expression, "There’s no explanation in the properties of this parasitic tree, how did you know about it?"

"The Elf Queen mentioned it before, how else would I know this parasitic tree is a treasure?"

Banana felt like the center of attention, and at this moment, you couldn’t imagine how thrilled he was.

"No wonder, with an NPC spoiling the plot, it makes your pet catching more targeted, and that does save trouble."

Su Ran nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "Banana, now that you already have the parasitic tree, do you plan to keep adventuring here or go train your pet?"

"Keep going, of course. I still have a pet slot open, maybe I’ll get an ultra-rare pet!"

At this moment, Banana was brimming with confidence, speaking with a newfound assertiveness, "This New Year’s event is so rare, happening just once a year. I have to cherish it, training pets isn’t that urgent."

"I think you should log off first, go have something to eat, then it won’t be too late to hunt for pets."

Su Ran didn’t know what to say when he saw how hard Banana was gaming; even Xue Wuqing was surprised by Banana’s fervor.

"Haha, Overturning Water, now that you mention it, I do feel hungry. Alright, I’m off to refuel! Oh right, thanks, Sister Wu Qing!"

After receiving the Pet Egg from Fu Xin, Banana finally relaxed, and logging off felt especially satisfying. As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished into thin air.

"Overturning Water, what are you going to do next?"

Xue Wuqing looked around the forest, finding it dark and eerily silent, with no desire to stay any longer, wishing she could leave right then and there.

"I plan to wander over the sea, try my luck; after all, both of us can fly. Whoever finds Pet Island first will notify the other."

Xue Wuqing’s idea was in perfect harmony with Su Ran’s. She responded affirmatively, no longer lingered, summoned her Pegasus, and left the place without even a word of goodbye, truly aloof as ever.

"Time to go!"

After catching a pet for Banana, Su Ran had fulfilled his task and felt no attachment to this Pet Island. He took a few steps through the void, leaving the forest, and decided on a direction to search for a new Pet Island, for the system had activated thousands of them; finding a second one should not be difficult.

However.

Just as Su Ran had flown to a high altitude and was about to leave, he unexpectedly discovered that the mountain began to tremble, thundering nonstop.

"What the heck is going on?"

Seeing this, Su Ran was even less eager to leave; he wanted to see what kind of commotion the mountain was creating.

Maybe...

An enormous opportunity might appear, and he could be the fated one!

As the earthquake continued for so long, Su Ran couldn’t help fantasizing in his mind, his gaze sweeping over the entire scene, waiting for the drama to unfold.

Finally.

Under Su Ran’s expectant gaze, a large, withered branch emerged from the mountaintop. After reaching a height of nearly ten meters, the ground became calm, and the growing branch also ceased to extend.

Uh.

Just a rotten piece of wood turning up, and it needs such a grand performance? The whole mountain is trembling along with it, what a joke, right?

It’s like constipation; after much strain, finally, a piece of wood emerges, and still, it’s a dead one. Su Ran found it hard not to make snarky comments...

However, considering the current situation, even a fool would know that this deadwood is definitely not as frail as it appears. It could very likely be a treasure—no way could he miss this rare opportunity!

Having made up his mind, Su Ran stepped into the air and quickly reached the mountain top. The closer he got, the taller the trunk of the deadwood seemed, and it exuded an almost tangible pressure that filled Su Ran with tension. He feared that some misfortune might occur, and that being careless here could result in a great loss.

Su Ran trusted the system could pull off a trick as random as giving birth silently, so he didn’t dare to take the risk with his own body and directly summoned his clone, the Dark Bone Lion.

With the Dark Bone Lion scouting ahead, Su Ran felt completely reassured. Sharing the line of sight with it was nearly like cheating, and even if it got killed, he wouldn’t feel heartbroken. All things considered, it was the perfect scout!

Steady as a rock!

"Strange."

As Su Ran controlled the Dark Bone Lion to approach the base of the dead tree, no danger appeared. Even when it touched the wood with its paws, it didn’t suffer any harm, which made Su Ran grow bolder. He flew directly above the deadwood to see what amazing secrets might be hidden within the tree hollow.

What puzzled Su Ran, however, was that the tree hollow was completely empty. One could see straight to the bottom, not even a blade of grass in sight.

"It’s really weird..."

Su Ran examined the dead tree from top to bottom, feeling a bit at a loss on how to proceed. However, he knew that with the dramatic entrance this deadwood had made, it must be hiding a treasure, simply yet to be discovered.

It was very likely to be a high-level wood-attributed Pet Egg, given that this was Pet Island, and the core focus here was still pets.

"If it really is a wood-attributed Pet Egg, I’ll save it to give to Banana!"

Su Ran could already picture Banana’s shocked expression and couldn’t help grinning at the thought as he began to work on the deadwood.

"Clone, charge!"

Under Su Ran’s control, the Dark Bone Lion, with an unrivaled momentum, charged at the seemingly fragile deadwood.

"Bang!"

A loud noise resounded, and the Dark Bone Lion was sent flying, rolling over the ground several times before coming to a stop.

"No way, it’s that hard?"

Su Ran watched the scene in astonishment, finding it hard to believe. He had assumed that a piece of deadwood couldn’t withstand the lion’s charge, yet not only did the tree endure it, but it also sent the lion flying with a fierce jolt, resulting in an initial setback.

Following that, the Dark Bone Lion tried everything possible; scratching, tearing, biting, and charging without restraint, yet none could shake the deadwood at all, making Su Ran completely give up on the clone. He had to step in personally.

"I have no idea what the system is playing at, not even setting up a Guardian Beast but just sticking a piece of broken wood here—you’d better give me a system prompt, right?"

Su Ran stubbornly used Ice Bullets, Fireballs, Poison Bone Piercing, trying everything, but still couldn’t take down the wood. This made him question his life’s choices—it was the first time he felt that wood could be so troublesome, quite the irony.

Having no alternative, Su Ran decided to use his trump card: digging!

As the saying goes, a fresh move can conquer all. With Su Ran’s digging skills, he truly had yet to meet his match.

A hoe in hand, I have the world... forget it, no more bragging. Better get back to digging the tree, because if even this doesn’t work, that’s going to be a real face-slapper.

With a heart full of hope, Su Ran put all his strength into swinging the hoe at the deadwood, as tough as steel.