mesbooks Chapter 93 Andy's Goal
Chapter 93 Andy's Goal
As Andy predicted, things unfolded exactly as they had imagined. With the crystal ball protecting them, the crystal-eating beetles seemed unable to sense them and allowed them to pass through freely.
Of course, the crystal ball is not without its drawbacks. When it enters resonance mode, they cannot make any big movements, otherwise the resonance will be broken.
They traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently, and with various "tricks" they devised along the way, the two of them had a smooth journey.
The crystal clusters deeper inside became even more intense in color, and in some of them, you could even see crystal nuclei gathered together, which were azure crystal nuclei.
Andy stood in front of a crystal cluster, and wisps of wind gathered in his hand, transforming into a sharp cutting tool that separated a deep blue crystal core.
He held the azure crystal core in his hand for a moment, then tossed it to Huang Hong and laughed, "Take a look. This little thing can sell for thousands of credits in the Mechanical Fortress. Some larger and purer ones can even fetch more than five thousand credits."
Huang Hong carefully observed the azure crystal core and suddenly discovered that it also contained a faint resonance power, and this resonance power came from the same source as the resonance power in the crystal ball in Andy's hand.
However, the crystal ball has clearly undergone extensive processing.
Seeing Huang Hong's gaze, Andy laughed and said, "Hong, you're really smart. You figured it out right away. That's right, the crystal ball in my hand is made of azure crystal cores."
The two continued forward, stopping to harvest crystal clusters containing azure crystal cores. They then split the azure crystal cores they obtained in half.
In truth, this distribution method clearly benefited Huang Hong, but it was Andy's own request, and Huang Hong did not object after a little thought.
In just a few hours, the value of the azure crystal cores they harvested exceeded 100,000 credits.
However, when they were harvesting a large crystal cluster, they encountered a small problem: a group of crystal-eating beetles came to their vicinity and began to gnaw on the crystal cluster.
The feeding method of the crystal-eating beetle is very peculiar. Instead of grabbing a crystal cluster and gnawing on it, they only nibble on the outer part. Rather than feeding, it is more like... pruning?
Although the crystal beetles couldn't detect the two people due to the shielding effect of the crystal ball, they were still able to touch them as their feeding range expanded.
Fortunately, their little tricks were designed to work in this situation.
Suddenly, a violent explosion was heard in the distance, accompanied by a rumbling vibration, which immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding crystal-eating beetles.
The squad of crystal-eating beetles near the two immediately stopped eating and quickly headed towards the direction of the explosion.
After the crystal-eating beetle left, the two continued to harvest the azure crystals at a leisurely pace, and only set off again after they had finished harvesting.
Using this tried-and-true method, the two made their way to the depths of the Crystal Cavern, where the crystal clusters were even larger and the quality of the azure crystal cores growing inside was even higher.
Of course, the crystal-eating beetles are also more densely packed, so even with various arrangements made in advance, it is still necessary to carefully plan the route of action.
Fortunately, Andy was clearly well-prepared, having thoroughly studied the habits of the crystal-eating beetle.
The two did not venture into the deepest part of the Crystal Cavern, but stopped at a more secluded location where there was a huge downward crack in the crystal wall.
Andy pointed to the crack, indicating that this was the passage to the fifth floor.
Without hesitation, the two jumped in.
There were no other monsters in the passage, and a few minutes later, they arrived in a completely new world.
The temperature on this level is extremely high, and the air is filled with a strong smell of sulfur. Obsidian pillars run vertically from top to bottom, lava rivers crisscross the area, and intermittent fire rain falls from the sky.
Andy took out the crystal ball, sighed, and said, "It's a pity. The resonance power in the crystal ball is limited and cannot support us to stay in the Crystal Maze indefinitely to obtain the Azure Crystal. Moreover, there are many mutated Crystal-Eating Beetles deeper in the Crystal Maze. The resonance power of the crystal ball may not be able to deceive them. Otherwise, our gains would definitely be greater."
With that, Andy tossed the crystal ball to Huang Hong and laughed, "Since your goal is to go deeper underground, then you can keep this. The resonance power inside is enough for you to escape the Crystal Maze when you return."
Huang Hong asked instinctively, "And what about you?"
He immediately realized it was a stupid question, and sure enough, Andy pulled out a new crystal ball and said with a grin, "Me? Of course, I'll use the new one!"
After the joke, Huang Hong said seriously, "Tell me your goal. Since you've shared such a huge amount of profit from the Crystal Maze with me, you must have something big planned for this, right?"
For other adventurers, the Crystal Labyrinth is not a good place. Although there are azure crystal cores there, the Crystal Devouring Beetles are extremely troublesome and will self-destruct in a chain reaction at the slightest provocation. Many powerful individuals have suffered losses in the Crystal Labyrinth because of this, not to mention that there are even more powerful mutated Crystal Devouring Beetles in the depths of the Crystal Labyrinth.
Holding the crystal ball is equivalent to having the right to move freely within the Crystal Labyrinth, even without going deep inside, only harvesting azure crystal cores in the outer and middle layers.
With the physical object in hand, Huang Hong was able to find a way to replicate more crystal balls, which would be equivalent to a continuous source of wealth.
There is never love or hate without a reason in this world. Andy was willing to give up such a great deal of benefit in order to get more help from Huang Hong.
After a moment's thought, Andy said, "Alright, I do need your help with something."
Huang Hong nodded slightly, waiting for Andy to continue.
Andy continued, "There's a lava rift on the fifth level. I need to go inside to retrieve some things, and I need you to help me draw the attention of the Flame Core Colossus to buy me some time."
"The Fiery Core Colossus?" Huang Hong asked, "How strong is it?"
Andy said gravely, "This is a level 16 monster!"
Huang Hong's expression changed slightly: "Level 16? Epic?!"
In this universe, play is the extraordinary, and the extraordinary is play.
Every 5 levels is equivalent to a qualitative change, which refers to various aspects such as bloodline race, life essence, soul level, and extraordinary profession.
Life forms exceeding level 16-20 are called epic life forms, representing a significant leap in power compared to life forms below that level.
Andy nodded, then shook his head, and said, "A monster is still just a monster. Although it's level 16, it's at most a pseudo-epic life form. The only thing to be careful about is that the Lava Rift is the home ground of the Flame Core Colossus, where it can unleash its full power."
Huang Hong's face darkened, and he looked at Andy with some hostility.
Andy quickly added, "Don't worry, don't worry, the Fiery Core Colossus isn't very smart and has an extremely bad temper. It can be easily provoked."
"You don't need to fight it head-on, just provoke it and buy me five minutes."