Chapter 715, The Fairness of World Mechanics

Translator: Silavin

 

Now that Hou Zhiwu had been brought in, the problem of the Falling Star Dust could be solved with ease.

 

This place harboured no Monster. After all, something as formidable as Falling Star Dust would spell instant death for ordinary Monsters upon contact with just three pieces. Naturally, Monsters would not seek death by wandering around here.

 

Lu Changkong and the others clustered around Hou Zhiwu as they approached. There was no need for excessive caution. They simply needed to cooperate with Hou Zhiwu to properly distinguish which were Inert Falling Star Dust and which were Falling Star Dust.

 

To avoid accidentally touching the Falling Star Dust, Lu Fan recalled Xiao Ye and his Divine Bone Clone, following behind Hou Zhiwu.

 

“Master Hou, it’s all up to you now.” Lu Changkong said respectfully, standing guard beside Hou Zhiwu.

 

Since this was the Far North, the temperature had dropped to an extremely low level. With Hou Zhiwu’s Endurance Attribute, he could barely withstand it. This whole time, his entire body was shivering.

 

The Fire Element Mage from earlier quickly casted a Fireball in his palm, providing some heat for Hou Zhiwu, which made him feel slightly better.

 

Hou Zhiwu’s voice trembled as he spoke, clearly indicating that a single Fireball was not enough to make him feel comfortable.

 

“D-don’t worry, I have come here before. This time, crossing the Falling Star Ice Lake should be faster than last time.”

 

Without further delay, perhaps eager to leave this place as soon as possible, Hou Zhiwu stepped forward and began using his Skills on the Falling Star Dust, examining whether it was genuine Falling Star Dust or Inert Falling Star Dust.

 

Hou Zhiwu’s method of identifying their nature was not solely based on his Detection Skill. If his Skills could directly reveal the true identity of the Falling Star Dust, the entire process would be much simpler.

 

In reality, Hou Zhiwu’s identification of Inert Falling Star Dust relied on their many characteristics. The Skills he used were not a direct Identification Skill, which revealed an object’s information. But rather, he merely enhanced his own perception, which allowed him to observe minute details of objects.

 

Using these Skills combined with his understanding of Inert Falling Star Dust, Hou Zhiwu could distinguish between Falling Star Dust and Inert Falling Star Dust based on their subtle differences.

 

Identifying a single piece of Inert Falling Star Dust took approximately three minutes. It was not exactly a fast process. Moreover, the proportion of Inert Falling Star Dust among the Falling Star Dust was quite low.

 

Only after examining the fourth piece of Falling Star Dust did Hou Zhiwu breathe a sigh of relief, placing his hand directly on the Falling Star Dust. Immediately, the Falling Star Dust burst like a bubble with a ‘pop’ sound and dissipated completely.

 

Clearly, this was an inert piece that could be directly touched and eliminated.

 

With one Inert Falling Star Dust eliminated, everyone could advance a few metres.

 

Hou Zhiwu then continued his observations, searching for other Inert Falling Star Dust to eliminate along the way, carving out a path across the Falling Star Ice Lake.

 

Lu Fan could not understand how he was distinguishing the Inert Falling Star Dust. This was natural though. If he could also identify Inert Falling Star Dust, Hou Zhiwu would not be called a Map Surveyor.

 

The rest could only be left to Hou Zhiwu; the others could not help whatsoever and could only follow.

 

Following behind everyone, Lu Fan grew bored and began studying the Falling Star Dust around them, wondering if he could find a faster way through.

 

He carefully sensed each one and discovered they looked like stars while containing the Lightning Element. Yet, they bore no resemblance to the Starry Sky Dragon or Blue Dragon Bloodlines.

 

Originally, Lu Fan thought that if the Falling Star Dust were related to stars or the Lightning Element, bringing out Xing Chen and Bao Bao might allow them to absorb or clear it, greatly increasing everyone’s speed of progression.

 

But now, it seemed this idea was futile. Even if Bao Bao and Xing Chen were summoned, they would probably be blown to smithereens by the Falling Star Dust.

 

Perhaps only when his Pet Dragons matured to the Eternal Phase and could influence Map Mechanics would they be able to pass through this place unharmed.

 

With one method failing, Lu Fan began considering alternatives. He suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He remembered that Xiao Cui possessed a Skill called Jade Mirror Image.

 

After continuous Level Ups, this Skill could grant Lu Fan or other Pet Dragons eight Mirror Image Projections with 75% of their base strength. It was an incredibly powerful ability.

 

Moreover, Xiao Cui’s own Attributes were high. If the Mirror Image Projections disappeared, she could continue summoning Mirror Image Projections without any problem, as it would not drain her Mana Pool.

 

[What if we use the Mirror Image Projections to clear these ‘mines’?]

 

With this idea, Lu Fan summoned Xiao Cui, having her create eight Mirror Image Projections of herself, that charged toward a piece of Falling Star Dust.

 

Strangely, when the Mirror Image Projections collided with the Falling Star Dust, they passed straight through as if the Falling Star Dust did not exist at all.

 

This greatly puzzled Lu Fan. Since the Mirror Image Projections had physical form. So, why could they not trigger the Falling Star Dust?

 

Hou Zhiwu, who had been identifying Falling Star Dust, noticed Lu Fan’s actions and reminded him. “It’s useless. Only Players or wild Monsters can trigger the Falling Star Dust. Skills like that cannot trigger the Falling Star Dust to explode. Similarly, Summons from Summoners work the same way.”

 

Lu Fan scratched his head and laughed bitterly. “I see. This Map Mechanic is truly troublesome. It seems the only way is to work hard like you, distinguishing which pieces are inert to cross the Falling Star Ice Lake.”

 

Hou Zhiwu showed no pride, nodding and saying matter-of-factly. “From the current situation, that’s indeed the case. Perhaps this world is inherently fair. Some people lack the talent to have Combat Specialised Professions, yet this world won’t let them become truly useless.”

 

“World Mechanics always feature elements that allow such people to realise their life’s value. For instance, Alchemy, Potion Synthesis Skills, and so forth. These all require constant exploration into the unknown to achieve results. They are perfectly suited for people like us who lack any talent for combat but still wish to contribute to the world.”

 

Hou Zhiwu’s words brought Lu Fan sudden clarity. It seemed this was truly the case.

 

Though this world revered those with Combat Specialised Professions and everyone aspired to become one, it was undeniable that some tasks simply could not be accomplished by those with only strength. Sometimes, only those with special Enhancement Specialised Professions and Lifestyle Specialised Professions could handle them.

 

[Perhaps this too is part of the fairness of the World Mechanics?]