Chapter 157 Crystal Seeds
The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary
"Eggs of a monster?! Then why did Zeru ask me to plant them?" Jin was taken aback for a moment before Gold sniggered. "That is because that is how they grow. Many do not know the proper method of harvesting and raising these pretties."
"Actually, come to think of it, I still don't really know the whole story of why you guys attacked me," Jin asked Gold as he called the rest of the Jacks to gather once more.
"I can do the first part of the explanation." Zeru appeared from mid air and he immediately sat on the comfortable sofa in the front room of the mansion. To compensate for the fact that the mansion lacked the personal items to let it be called a home, it had space. Space for 20 to 30 odd werejackals to stay in. Some might say that it was merely a glorified hostel but it was the best Jin could do with limited amount of dungeon dollars allocated for the whole 'Sanctum of Worlds'.
"I initially asked Yun what kind of monsters Jin would like to have as part of his training. Instead of giving me a proper answer, she took a hat out and asked me to pick a random one. At first, I thought she was kidding, but she insisted that she had always wanted to try that out. So out of all the lots, I picked the Farming World and the eggs of this monster, which I believe Gold or the other werejackals would be able to explain better." Zeru gave a summary while the rest of the Jacks' higher ups like Brown, Grey, and Yellow sat beside him comfortably.
"The monster that those eggs hatch into are the ones you are currently wearing." Gold pointed at his storage watch and nodded his head as Jin looked at Gold with disbelief. "Yes, Living Armour. What you are wearing is just a fragment of it, a small sample of these monsters. If I am not mistaken, those bands were scraped off from a dying living armour, sufficient to retain its sentience and some of its abilities."
"Meanwhile, these little crystals seeds here are different. They can outgrow what you are wearing and create a living suit for you to wear in dangerous battles. That is why the Jacks were chasing these eggs down like crazy. As luck would have it, we managed to obtain this batch of eggs through a series of fortunate events. But I guess our luck ran out when we saw Zeru crashing into our caves." Gold said as Zeru chuckled.
"You mean there are monsters in the Farming World?" Jin thought the Farming World was just a place for people to farm.
"As you've said, it's the Farming World. Some people farm monsters for nefarious deeds, for taming purposes, or even just for farming purposes. These Living Armour eggs came about when one of our 'clients' thought that he could repay his debt since he had 'accidentally' found a series of quartz crystals despite it being the size of a seed. He did not know they were the eggs of the Living armour." Grey spoke and Yellow giggled.
"Later, we realised he was actually lying. He utilised a half broken living armour as the bed of his farming since he found out it was capable of growing these so-called quartz crystals. What he did not know was that these 'crystal seeds' die off if they are not kept properly. So people started to hound him." Yellow spoke further.
"Grey realised that these seeds were not ordinary. So he used a satchel bag of time stop to collect the remaining seeds. Oh if you are wondering, these satchel bags are quite common in our world since the preservation of our harvest is important. " Brown took his turn to talk.
"While we beat the shit of our client." Yellow laughed loudly and the rest of the werejackals in the front room joined in.
"Do you have any idea how to grow it then?" Jin asked as they returned the bag full of crystal seeds…or eggs to let Jin have a closer look at them once again.
"We initially found a manuscript on how to grow them, but since there are many people and monsters around us now, I think it would be better if we borrowed their expertise." Gold said honestly to Jin.
"You mean Shu?" Jin figured that they were talking about the ancient treant since he had the powers to govern the earth and soil around him.
"Not just that old cranky tree, but the little girl that was always with him too." Gold said as he took a piece of paper out and wrote something. After which, he asked Jin to follow him out of the mansion.
"Why would you need her for?" Jin then took his phone out to summon Shu and Ke Mi outside the mansion.
"You know how music helps with plant growth due to their vibrations that stimulate the growth? The concept is similar but Ke Mi's music has chi in it too. So while Shu helps with the fertilisation part, Ke Mi's music will nourish the crystal seeds." Gold explained to Jin and later reiterated the whole situation to Ke Mi and Shu.
"We can do that," Shu said as Ke Mi nodded her head willfully. She seemed excited to be able to help out in something.
"However, Boss. I need you to find these things in the Farming World when you have time. It would greatly enhance your living armour's capabilities. It is not urgent though, as the Living Armour Seeds takes time to grow." Gold took the paper he just scribbled on and passed it to Jin.
"A Horn of the Burning Lion Demon? A tail of the Water Snake Demon? Hoofs of a Lightning Goat Demon? What are all these for? Parts of a Chimera? Besides, how do you know about all this?" Jin couldn't fathom the kind of monster parts he needed.
"He might not look like it but Gold is actually a Scholar… before he turned to the client protection business. Also, if that's the case, I suggest adding the Gem Eyes of the Transforming Spider." Grey took the chance to add his piece.
"Any story behind that?" Jin asked but Gold smirked. "Enough stories for today, Master. By the way, good suggestion Grey. That one might be the easiest solution to donning his armour quickly." Gold patted Grey on the back and turned back to look at Jin with seriousness in his eyes once again.
"Do not underestimate these demons, more so the transforming spider. I have not seen the full extent of your new level of strength, or cultivation grade, as your world puts it. But from what I have deduced, you might be able to pull it off if Sir Zeru is with you. However, I suggest you try encountering them first to see if you can find their weaknesses." Gold warned Jin.
"For these battles, Jin, I will not be helping you out. Consider this as the next part of your training mission; a continuation of where we had left off from the crystal seeds." Once Zeru spoke, Jin's phone vibrated and he noticed a series of missions appeared in it. They were exactly the four monster missions he had to fight and complete.
"Do not worry though, I will not let you go in unprepared. When you are ready, either night or day, proceed to Panda Muscles and we will spar." Zeru said.
"At least, there is now a proper goal for my training." Jin left the Jacks' Home Instance and moved on to the final two home instances. The Star Crossed Lovers and the Deep Ones.
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