Chapter 60: Food Crisis

Chapter 60: Food Crisis

As Baishi maneuvered through the rock, he felt like he was in an oven, struggling to breathe while enduring the intense heat from the surrounding rocks. In these conditions, he dared not speed up.

He suspected that there was a river of magma below, and his level IV [High Temperature Resistance] clearly wasn't enough to ignore the effects of magma. Therefore, he moved cautiously, inching toward the hotter directions.

Fortunately, the rock layer wasn't very thick, and it didn't take him long to pass through it.

Hanging from the rock wall and looking down at the churning lava below, Baishi muttered to himself, "Just as I thought!"

From what he could see, there was indeed a river of magma underneath Moon Island, which flowed beneath the central peak and into a cave.

The heat from the magma river, transmitted through the rock layers surrounding the cave, warmed the dark river above, which in turn fed a spring. This heated water, pushed by pressure, naturally created the hot springs above.

Baishi also guessed that the unusually lush vegetation of Moon Island had something to do with this magma river, which not only brought heat but also various trace elements.

However, these were not his primary concerns. What mattered was whether this environment was useful to him.

And it was—extremely so. First, the high temperatures in the cave were ideal for further enhancing his [High Temperature Resistance].

Moreover, the cave was filled with toxic gases, which could push his [Toxin Resistance] even further. Just a short exposure had triggered a poisoning alert on his panel, indicating how severe the environment was.

Additionally, the magma contained radioactive elements, which could aid the strengthening of his [Physique] and help him gradually adapt to various radiations.

If he couldn't return to Earth in the future, he could venture into the cosmos, but staying in the ninja world was out of the question—it was simply too small.

"Heh, I'm thinking too far ahead!"

Shaking off these thoughts, Baishi chuckled self-deprecatingly, marked a few spots on the nearby rock wall with the Flying Thunder God Technique, and then vanished.

······

Outside world.

Inside the training room.

Baishi's figure quietly reappeared, taking advantage of his still-poisoned state to initiate a new round of evolution.

After several months, the progress bar for [Toxin Resistance] on his panel began moving forward again.

A quarter-hour later, when the effects of the poison wore off, Baishi decisively shifted his evolutionary focus to the 'Special Enhancements' category, specifically on [Wood Release].

As the cooling essence continued to permeate, Baishi could feel his cells slowly changing, with the genes related to 'Wood Release' gradually becoming more active.

On his panel, this was indicated by the progress bar for [Wood Release] steadily climbing.

However, reaching the next level wouldn't be possible in the short term.

······

Time ticked by, and unknowingly, night had fallen.

Gurgle~~

With a stomach growl, Baishi finally woke up.

"I'm so hungry!"

He rubbed his stomach, got up from the training room, and headed to the living room.

As expected, a simple but plentiful dinner was laid out there.

He was about to start eating when his ears twitched, catching a sound. Frowning slightly, he called out, "Come in."

······

Outside.

On the mountain path.

Kamimura Takashi was pacing back and forth, inching closer to Baishi's residence and then hesitatingly retreating, clearly conflicted.

Just then, Baishi's voice suddenly resonated in his 'ear.' "Come in."

The simple directive startled Kamimura Takashi, nearly making his heart jump out of his chest.

Looking around and seeing no sign of Baishi, he realized that Baishi's voice had appeared directly in his mind.

Indeed, after Baishi's [Intelligence] attribute broke through 70 points, his mental power had increased significantly, easily mastering the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques, which he had scavenged from the Root Organization's secret vault.

The techniques he acquired were incomplete, and from the Yamanaka's techniques, he had mastered just the Mind Body Transmission Technique and the Mind Reading Technique.

What he had used just now was the Mind Body Transmission Technique—communicating over distances without any device or hand signs.

"This man is becoming more mysterious by the day!"

Muttering to himself, Kamimura Takashi straightened his clothes and then headed towards Baishi's residence.

······

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in."

The door creaked open.

Kamimura Takashi carefully walked in, seeing Baishi eating. He stayed silent, just quietly waiting at the side.

After a short while, Baishi finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and looked up at Kamimura Takashi, asking, "What's up?"

Six months ago, after Baishi became immune to the toxins on the island and surrounding seas, he had announced that the production of poison could cease.

Upon hearing this, Kamimura Takashi was initially very anxious.

After all, he had made many enemies among the other pirates, and losing his value to Baishi meant losing protection and facing inevitable retaliation.

However, Kamimura Takashi, having served in noble households, was clever.

Once, when Baishi came for a meal, he boldly offered to deliver meals to him.

Although Baishi knew Kamimura Takashi was leveraging his power, he didn't mind; having someone run errands allowed him to focus more on training and evolving.

Without much thought, he had agreed.

Since then, Kamimura Takashi personally delivered his meals daily.

He even made a sort of insulated box to keep the food warm, ensuring it wouldn't go cold immediately if Baishi was late due to his training.

Baishi was generally satisfied with Kamimura Takashi's service, but his behavior today puzzled him, prompting him to ask directly, "What's up?"

Upon hearing Baishi's question, Kamimura Takashi quickly replied, "My lord, there isn't enough food left on the island."

Hearing this, Baishi was initially taken aback, then realized.

'Ah yes, it's been a year already. Although these pirates have been using this place as a base for half a year, how much food could they have possibly stored?'

With that thought, Baishi said, "I see. You can go now."

"Yes!"

Kamimura Takashi bowed and left without asking how Baishi planned to solve the issue.

After he left, Baishi glanced at the time and murmured softly, "It's too late now, I'll handle it tomorrow."

With that, he returned to the training room.

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