Chapter 2746: Trade and Advancement (42)

Penglai Town.

Phoenix Chant Tower.

Gu Qing's room.

Zhuang Ya talked at length without pause.

Zhao Chi listened in silence.

The angle Zhuang Ya was presenting was the first time he had heard it.

He did not interrupt.

He listened as Zhuang Ya continued: "The undead race I mentioned — for them, some genetic improvements don't manifest immediately. They have to go through a refresh. In other words, after the improvement, the existing group can't take effect; only the newly born will show the new genetic effects."

Gu Qing said, puzzled: "You mean… our appearance increase is similar to this? But the new sisters who arrive every day still have an appearance of 6."

Zhuang Ya said: "So I'm guessing — could our refresh factor be death?"

"Death?" Gu Qing bit her finger, thinking carefully.

Zhao Chi asked: "You mean, because you died, you were refreshed in some way? But I never gave you any genes that improve appearance."

Gu Qing looked up at this: "No, my lord, there are quite a few."

"Quite a few?"

"Yes." Gu Qing said: "For example: Soft Body, Lubricated Skin, and Extreme Desire Body Fragrance, as well as the combo effect of Extreme Desire Body Fragrance — they're all related."

"These can increase appearance?"

Gu Qing smiled: "What does my lord think a woman's appearance is related to?"

Zhao Chi answered as a matter of course: "Of course looks — eyes, nose, lips, whether the features are pretty, whether they're harmonious, that kind of thing."

"Nothing to do with skin?"

"Skin…"

Zhao Chi looked at Gu Qing and Zhuang Ya's fair, dewy, lustrous cheeks, and could only nod: "Definitely related."

Zhuang Ya smiled: "So it's at least related to the Lubricated Skin gene."

Zhao Chi nodded: "Mm… yes. What about the other two?"

Gu Qing explained: "My lord's concept of appearance may be a bit limited. Actually, appearance doesn't only refer to the face — appearance includes a person's features, physique, bearing, and also figure."

Zhao Chi said, surprised: "Is that so?"

Gu Qing smiled: "If a woman's body is soft and graceful, and she also has a soul-stirring body fragrance, wouldn't that increase a woman's charm?"

"That definitely would."

Zhao Chi had to admit it.

Gu Qing smiled: "So you see, these three genes I mentioned are all related to appearance. But the sisters' appearance still hasn't changed — still only 6 points. But compared with women outside who also have 6 points in appearance, does my lord think the two are at the same level?"

Zhao Chi nodded: "Mm… definitely not… At the very least, ordinary women simply can't compare with our Taoyu race's skin, and the body fragrance also comes from a genetic attraction — it's an even deeper expression of charm. As for Soft Body… I personally think it's also an indispensable expression of feminine grace."

Gu Qing's question — Zhao Chi didn't even need to think about it.

Originally, the Taoyu race's base appearance was already 6 points.

That was already class-bellevel looks.

On top of that base, if the skin became extremely smooth and lustrous, the body became soft and graceful, and on top of that an absolute body fragrance was emitted…

How could it possibly be the same as before?

It absolutely exceeded 6 points.

According to this reasoning,

the Taoyu race now truly deserves the 7-point appearance condition, and can indeed have +1 appearance applied to everyone.

It's just that most people's data hasn't refreshed yet.

Gu Qing said: "So I think it really might be related to the refresh Zhuang Ya mentioned."

Zhuang Ya nodded: "Right. After you improved these genes for us, my lord, we couldn't directly reverse the attributes — only after dying and reviving would the attributes be expressed."

Zhao Chi asked: "But if that's the case, why do the women who newly join every day still have 6 points in appearance? Do they have to die once?"

Zhuang Ya shook her head: "I don't know that. After all, it's all just speculation. But next time, if any sisters are sacrificed, once they revive we can verify it."

"Mm…" Zhao Chi nodded.

What Zhuang Ya said had some logic.

But of course there were also contradictions.

Verification wasn't actually difficult — as long as a female soldier died, it could be done. But Zhao Chi couldn't just kill female soldiers directly; he could only wait until later when one of them was killed in action.

But even if the verification succeeded, then what?

Could he really let all the female soldiers die once, just to raise the appearance attribute by 1 point?

Raising appearance was indeed good.

At the very least, it was pleasing to the eye.

But there was really no need to make them all die for that.

Other lords might be able to, but Zhao Chi couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.

If only there were a better method…

He'd ask Li Ruanyu and the others tomorrow.

Zhao Chi was hesitating whether to go to the front line tomorrow.

The front line was still in a stalemate.

That was certain.

Now both sides were evenly matched, basically each waiting for an opportunity.

The bigger the battle and the greater the numbers, the more no one dared to act rashly.

Whoever loses patience first will be far more likely to reveal a flaw.

It's possible that the outcome of an otherwise normal war starts from that very flaw.

So from every angle right now, the two sides must remain locked in a stalemate for a while.

A stalemate is extremely common in war.

One could say it's an everyday occurrence.

Moreover, a war can drag on for years, and stalemates lasting several months are everywhere.

Right now the stalemate has only just begun a few days ago.

However, Zhao Chi didn't want to set out for the front lines just yet.

After all, that was the front line.

Relatively speaking, the rear was of course much safer.

It wasn't that he feared death, but that right now he truly had no great use.

Even counting his hidden strength, he was still only a mid-tier combat power on the level of a captain.

Given the situation on the front lines, a captain really couldn't accomplish much.

Better to wait here another two days, and use the Taiyi Wheel fragments twice more.

At the very least, complete both staves.

And he also needed time to finish gearing up.

Even if the war on the front lines erupted now, he could still join in as part of the reinforcements.

When the time came, he would certainly take part in the fighting.

But joining as reinforcements would let him seize the initiative.

On the front lines, he'd most likely be on the back foot.

The reasoning was sound, no doubt about it.

But Zhao Chi couldn't bear to part with the two blueprints either.