Chapter 221: You call this research?

(The ending of chapter 143 felt off, I've already rewritten and revised it.)

The scholars of the Academy are all professionals.

After landing.

They then formed groups of three or five, brought professional instruments, first observed the activity level of the flock of birds, then began to detect and sample the surrounding environment.

Before the second batch of scholars arrived.

The first preliminary inspection report was already completed.

Although it was only a rough report, its content covered a wide range, and almost every step involved in the upcoming exploration had a simple numerical result.

Overall.

The most serious point was that the air in the underground mining area contained toxic substances, with trace components similar to Abyssal Power detected.

Regarding this report,

Luo De's response was to vigorously sniff his nose.

He had thought his earlier operation had already cleared the surrounding Abyssal Power, but he didn't expect any residue to remain here.

"This Luminite Stone is very useful."

Tighnari, who had also read the report, conducted a test as well.

The content was the Luminite Stone's ability to transmute Abyssal Power.

The result of this test

was that Luo De would leave behind a portion of the source of the Abyssal Power.

Under the effect of the Luminite Stone, Abyssal Power near it turns into a snowflake-like substance that drifts down.

And after testing,

Such transmuted black snowflakes, as long as they do not directly contact the body, cause no harm to humans.

Similarly,

Once ingested in excess, this black snowflake causes far greater erosion to the human body than the harm from the Abyss.

With this report,

Including Cyno and Tighnari, they all donned the prepared protective suits, wrapping themselves completely, with not an inch of skin exposed.

As for the Luminite Stone sent from Liyue, they used it as a miner's lamp, wearing it on the headgear that functions like a safety helmet.

This way, it neither affects illumination nor ensures that the pervasive Abyssal Power cannot find a gap in the Luminite Stone's light to sneak into the body.

However, the lady from Snezhnaya and Dada Liya paid no heed to Luo De's kindly shared test report, maintaining their original appearance upon entry.

Dada Liya, like Luo De,

This amount of Abyssal Power has no effect on him; compared to the burden of using Archon armament, he could even directly grab that black snow and make a snowball without any issue.

The lady, however, is far more extravagant.

She directly used elemental energy to keep the surrounding black snowflakes outside her body, dismantled the Luminite Stone lamp, and casually carved the Luminite Stone treasured by the Liyue people into a simple little ornament, which she hung on herself.

Such behavior wastes elemental energy and resources.

Naturally, this also aroused dissatisfaction among some scholars.

To their faces they dare not directly say that the lady still holds the identity of a Foolish People Executor, but behind her back they have plenty of criticism for her behavior that runs counter to scholarly professionalism.

As the only person in the team truly unaffected,

Once everyone had gathered,

Luo De then volunteered to be the vanguard, alone carrying the Luminite Stone lamp to the front of the cave to blaze a trail.

His idea was simple.

To consume the Abyssal Power ahead of everyone before they arrive.

It would be even better if Dada Liya didn't follow him step by step as he does now.

Of course.

Luo De isn't annoyed that he follows so closely.

Dada Liya gives him a decent impression, at least for now.

However, a decent impression does not mean Luo De can tolerate his incessant questioning, repeatedly asking him the same question without letting up.

"You really won't join us?"

Compared to the lady who gave up recruiting after Luo De's refusal, Dada Liya is more straightforward, with a thicker skin.

No matter how many times Luo De clearly refuses, after a short while he will come back to continue asking the same question as before.

Annoyed to the point of exasperation, Luo De simply ignored him and focused on seeking the Abyssal Power drifting in the mine pit.

As they went deeper,

the Abyssal Power in the underground mining area grew denser.

But this density differs from the merely diffused air at the mine entrance.

When Luo De advanced to the area marked on the map as the temporary main mining tunnel, the air here contained no detectable trace of Abyssal Power.

Instead,

there was black sludge spreading over the rock walls and the road.

Looking around, one could still see many monsters exhaling black mist inhabiting the black mud, appearing to treat these sludges as their nests.

"Want to have a match to see who can clear the monsters faster?"

Upon seeing these monsters, Dada Liya, whose mind was filled only with the Empress's orders and a desire to spar, immediately assumed an eager-to-try stance.

"You wait a moment."

"I want to conduct an experiment first."

Luo De frowned, placed the Luminite Stone lamp in his hand where it was, and warned Dada Liya, "You must absolutely not disturb me while I'm testing, otherwise we won't be able to stay friends."

He finished speaking.

Only then, under Dada Liya's dissatisfied gaze, did he alone come before the black mud.

Under the influence of the Abyssal power.

These monsters, which were relatively mild-tempered in the outside world, instantly became frenzied, rushing toward Luo De in a mad scramble, wanting to tear him apart in this underground space.

Faced with the surging tide of monsters, Luo De had no intention of striking them down; instead, he quickly grabbed the monster shrouded in the thickest black mist, then slipped away with a slick of oil beneath his feet, vanishing swiftly before the monsters.

As he left,

He still didn't forget to remind Dada Liya.

"I'm leaving."

"I'll be back later."

After both of them had left his field of view,

Those monsters that had lost their target chased after for a while, then all returned to their own black mud nests.

"What experiment are you going to do?"

Having returned to the quiet mine tunnel, Dada Liya curiously looked at the slime in Luo De's hand.

This is a rock-attributed slime.

It is the most common type of monster in the mining area.

Under normal circumstances.

The rock slime's aggressiveness is not particularly strong; most of the time it spends buried underground sleeping, only launching an attack when it senses a threat.

However, the rock slime that Luo De caught back,

Its aggression, however, was so intense that even Dada Liya couldn't help clicking his tongue; even when imprisoned, it desperately slammed against the cage, trying to attack the nearest Dada Liya.

However, Dada Liya had seen many such creatures that lost rationality due to the Abyssal power's influence, he showed no surprise; instead, he looked at Luo De with great interest, wanting to see what experiment he would use this thing for.

The frenzied monsters affected by the Abyssal power.

These have always been the experimental specimens appearing most frequently in the Snezhnaya laboratory.

Weapons and potions specially developed against the Abyssal power from these experimental specimens have also always been standard issue for the Snezhnaya troops that have long fought in the Abyss.

Before becoming an Executor, Dada Liya had once stayed for a long time in the Abyss's forces.

Naturally, he is very familiar with these things.

So he became even more curious.

Curious about Luo De, a scholar who is not particularly outstanding in Snezhnaya's official evaluations, what exactly he could study from this rock slime.

However, what happened next almost made him pop his eyes out.

Seeing Luo De, who said he wanted to do research, directly knead that frenzied rock slime into the size of a liquor-round ball and swallow it whole.

".?"

"You call this research?"

(End of chapter)