Chapter 307: Names of Partners One, Two, and Three

Chapter 307: Names of Partners One, Two, and Three

The field of Life Domain study encompassed far too broad a spectrum. Even cultivating hybrid rice counted as Life Domain research, at least in this Otherworld. Experiments like transplants or grafting living things all belonged to this realm too. The categories were vast, with Annie mastering the overarching principles.

“You want to delve in from what angle? Plants? Or living things?”

“Li…living things, I guess.” Zheng Yichen rubbed the tip of his nose, sounding conflicted. He didn’t lack for food, so why study plants? Though he felt envious watching Annie pluck one of her own hairs and effortlessly transform it into a Vine that bloomed and bore fruit, that skill was directly tied to her unique abilities. Something others could hardly achieve in a lifetime.

“Living things, huh.” Annie nodded, finding nothing strange about it. Few people began their Life Domain studies with plants. In fact, some still believed Life Domain research solely meant creating grotesque abominations. Annie could only sigh; the bad always seemed to stick in people’s minds more than the good!

“There are many types of living-thing research. For instance, that Magic Eye you created back then was a kind of mutated living product. Also, for beginners like you or those without abilities like mine, Life Domain research is quite closely linked with Potionology.” Annie explained. “Without my capabilities, you’d need supplementary aids for most early-stage research if you want to proceed smoothly.”

“If you wish to progress rapidly, the best way is to start by attempting to create a Stitched Abomination…”

Zheng Yichen’s expression stiffened slightly. Start with something this intense right away? Since the Quest module appeared in the Magic Weapon Summoning Book, he’d occasionally browsed it and had already seen several quests related to Stitched Abominations. Was he supposed to make one now?

“Why so surprised? The Stitched Abomination symbolizes a basic foundation. Ignoring the shoddy, worthless imitations littering the place today, the original purpose of stitching was to create a lifeform possessing the characteristics of multiple different creatures. It used to be considered a sophisticated skill. But as its use evolved…” Annie trailed off.

“This method… you didn’t invent it, did you?”

“Of course not,” Annie waved dismissively. “The creation of Stitched Abominations predates my Awakening. It originated from some organization whose name I forgot… I think. Their fundamental goal was to create a perfect being.”

“Judging by your tone, were they successful?”

“Ah~ They succeeded. They succeeded in creating an existence that wiped out their own organization,” Annie answered casually. Zheng Yichen blinked. That sounded like the typical predictable storyline. “And now, that biological specimen resides preserved in my Workshop. If you want a reference, give me some Dragon Blood and I’ll let you see it.”

“…”

What the heck? One sentence was all praise about its might, and the next, that unnamed creature was reduced to a display piece?!

“To summarize, the stitching technique was once a closely guarded secret. After that organization’s downfall, it leaked out and became widespread, becoming cruder and lower-level. Nowadays, any patched-together creature gets called a ‘Stitched Abomination’. Who remembers that a true Stitched Abomination could utterly slaughter a High-tier Professional?”

A Ranked Practitioner would only be the most basic starting point.

“Even for the basics, you’ll need other foundational knowledge. Read these first.” Annie pressed her hand onto the empty space before her, and two incredibly thick books thudded onto the ground. “These summarize essential introductory knowledge I compiled. Finishing them is more valuable than wading through dozens of scattered books.”

Faced with books so thick they could intimidate a man to death, Zheng Yichen simply shrugged. He’d read plenty since arriving in this world – these were just two more. He’d find time… Yet, when he actually started reading, he realized things weren’t that simple! The content contained almost no fluff. Every single sentence demanded careful attention. “Oh, Crap! How long’s it gonna take me to get through something this dense?”

His initial confidence evaporated, replaced by genuine worry. Though he had to admit the information inside was exceptionally valuable. After just a glimpse, he gained a good preliminary understanding of lifeform-related Life Domain knowledge. Combined with his Earth knowledge and comparing it to this world, a lot seemed like ‘nonsense’. But with the existence of Magic and Mana, these theories became entirely plausible. For instance, using Magic that affected Life Force to connect limbs from different sources. On Earth, rejection would be the primary concern. But in this Otherworld, with Life Force as a tangible, manipulable energy – rejection? What was that? Unreasonable? Precisely! Some things became completely unreasonable when supernaturally empowered. On Earth, ‘life force’ was a vague concept of vitality. Here, Life Force was a concrete, visually demonstrable power. This fundamental difference between Earth and the Otherworld was the very basis that transformed ‘nonsense’ into reality.

Of course, there were still overlaps. Genetic influences, for example. Without rejection, such influences became much more pronounced, though the Otherworld explanation favored terms like ‘assimilation.’

“Hmph, time to buckle down for serious study again.” Though the books were voluminous and finishing them would take a significant chunk of time, the knowledge inside was fascinating. Much of it, if disseminated widely in the Otherworld, would be considered taboo and swiftly banned as forbidden knowledge!

“Eww, Stitched Abomination? Captain, why pick such a nasty quest…” Lena wrinkled her nose as she looked at the employment quest Oss had selected from the Magic Weapon Summoning Book’s quest module.

“Reward’s good,” Wood, Partner Three, scanned the quest and nodded slightly. It was right along their path, and the difficulty wasn’t high – a task they could handle en route. Back before the quest module existed, they wouldn’t have bothered with such things… or likely not even heard about them. Even if they had known, without formally taking the quest, they might have hesitated about doing it while passing by. After all, just solving the problem on the spot didn’t guarantee payment, unlike with the quest contract. Locals might even refuse to pay. Though Wood knew his captain would probably do it anyway out of habit.

“Ah, the Magic Weapon Summoning Book. It’s at the heart of so many changes lately,” Rick, Partner Two, remarked with feeling. Just consider the upheavals of the past month—it felt like shifts destined for decades later, or even longer, had crowded into this very time. Many people were still trying to catch up. The sheer speed of this revolution compressed the timeline of events drastically. Naturally, he was all for these changes. He didn’t know how others were affected, but for their group? They were fantastic!

Just think: eating a refined, sumptuous lunch right in the wilderness—something unthinkable just a few months prior. Back then, it was hardtack, wild game if you caught it—a novelty for pampered Noble kids, but a tiresome routine for regular Adventurers like themselves. Given the choice, they’d always pick a proper meal. Now? Place an ‘order’ ten or twenty minutes before you want to eat. Do some quick tasks in the meantime, then find a spot to relax and feast. No need to wash plates afterward either; just return the tableware to the Pick-up Zone, and the ‘vendor’ would collect it. Fail to return them, though, and you’d forfeit the deposit.

That was just one feature—the food ordering. They hadn’t even started on the convenience brought by the Trading Module! While adventuring, loot was inevitable. While Expansion Pouches made carrying bulky items easier, the weight remained, a burden nonetheless.

Discard the loot? A waste. Hold onto it until they could sell it back in town? Often, the haul wasn’t worth the trip, making it a loss. That problem vanished now. Daily spoils could be listed in the Trading Zone during evening rests or breaks, ready for purchase. Now, plenty of merchants were constantly buying materials there. Prices were highly transparent, shielding sellers unfamiliar with market rates from being cheated. Buyers needn’t fear artificial price hikes either. As for unscrupulous merchants who couldn’t exploit sellers through lowballing anymore? The sellers themselves had zero complaints—in fact, they applauded the Creator for crafting this incredibly useful platform, delighting in seeing those shady traders get their comeuppance.

Just as they were settling into the Trading Zone and food-ordering features, the Mercenary Quest Module arrived. It left them briefly stunned again, like kids presented with new toys. They studied it, experimented, absorbed—unknowingly wasting an entire day. After all, this ‘web-like’ environment was utterly novel to Otherworld inhabitants and highly addictive. Even a simple page could keep them occupied for ages. For someone proficient, it could be frustrating to watch newcomers hunt-and-peck keys, achieving typing speeds dozens of times slower than possible. How could it be so difficult? It seemed easy… Anyway, the dazzling array of quests initially made their heads spin. Apart from the first few days of volatility as people learned the module’s convenience, things stabilized remarkably once quests cycled once. Not just this time. During a mission just days ago, they’d conveniently completed several newly appeared quests en route. What used to be the time for one quest finish could now, with some luck, yield several completions and correspondingly greater rewards!

So, some quest concerning a Stitched Abomination? No big deal. As long as it wasn’t beyond their abilities and lay along their path—easy profit! After finishing, submit the required quest item directly through the Magic Weapon Summoning Book. The submission process itself had safeguards. The entire handover was recorded. If a Mercenary Guild staffer overseeing the interface pocketed the goods and withheld payment, they could be reported. Should the Mercenary Guild fail to punish such conduct, the Creator would step in, with potentially graver consequences. Of course, if the mercenaries tried deceit, the Creator made it clear: while you possessed rights, they weren’t grounds for recklessness. Everything had balance. With the imposing Creator’s rules in place, absolutely fair to both parties and meticulously crafted, no one dared contravene them. Many even felt the Creator’s approach was remarkably generous and fair. Anyone else, they reasoned, wouldn’t bother creating such a perfectly equitable system—anticipating both recognized and unforeseen issues.

Thus, fans emerged.

“I used to admire many heroes,” Gale, Partner One, clenched his fists tightly, visibly moved. “But the Creator is someone I genuinely revere! He accelerated the world’s rhythm, a world-changer!”

Initially, he’d seen the Magic Weapon Summoning Book merely as a tool to call Magic Arms. Its subsequent version, featuring the Magic Weapon Forum, earned his respect—it genuinely brought people closer, unlike the act of summoning weapons which only intensified battles among Magic Weapon Summoners. Then came Trading Zone features: the various function modules completely shattered his worldview. He’d never imagined commerce and dining could operate this way—or that Mercenary Guild tasks could be so effortlessly accessed and submitted. These developments felt like they extended his lifespan, freeing up vast amounts of time. No longer wasted seeking shops or laboriously traveling between quest areas and the Guild, or searching for new tasks in an endless cycle. The time saved allowed him to pursue countless other endeavors.

“Maybe he has an agenda, too,” Lena remarked coolly, folding her arms.

“Even if he does, he meticulously fulfilled his end before pursuing any reward,” Gale insisted with deep feeling. “The rules within the Magic Weapon Summoning Book are no simple afterthoughts. He surely invested immense effort…”

“Tch, whatever you say. Our perspectives differ,” Lena waved her hand dismissively, ending the conversation. Gale didn’t take offense. They all knew Lena’s background. The Magic Weapon Summoning Book’s new features inevitably affected the upper echelons, potentially forcing rule modifications. But for grassroots folk like them? Convenience reigned.

“Alright, enough talk. Let’s finish this quest,” Oss intervened, familiar enough with his partners’ tendencies to gently steer from potential friction. “After this one’s done, my sister should be back from the Sanctuary Church. Good timing to go see her.”

“Um, Captain… about your sister,” Wood voiced concern hesitantly. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your own path? We know you’re a Demon Sword Cultist now—and we accept you. But your sister’s involved with the Sanctuary Church, and they… they target Cults.”

Oss’s expression grew resolute. “My fate’s set. Why should my choices interfere with hers, become an obstacle to her future path?” He shook his head firmly. He wouldn’t dictate his sister’s choices; instead, he’d support them more intensely.

Partners One, Two, and Three scratched their heads in helpless frustration. It wasn’t their first plea to Oss, yet the outcome never changed—utterly futile. His reasoning always held water, leaving them without a counter.