That evening, several campfires were scattered throughout the massive cave.
Matthew lay with his back against the stone wall, the campfire beside him radiating warmth.
He took a deep breath. The smell of burning firewood mixed with the dampness of the earth in the air, slightly soothing his exhausted body and mind.
Of course, the greatest relief came from the abundant spoils of war. His gaze swept over the two large cloth bags beside him, which contained his harvest for the night:
Twenty pounds of prime magical beast meat and about fifty pounds of giant bear meat.
“These twenty pounds of magical beast meat will be enough to sustain a month of hard combat technique practice...”
Matthew nodded to himself. As for the fifty pounds of giant bear meat, it was also a decent harvest.
As for the sharp claws and other materials, Matthew had no way to convert them into immediate combat strength, so he had asked Porter to exchange them for money, which would be sent to him later along with his share from the beast hide.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: 'The stronger one is, the more resources one can obtain.'
The last time he had just broken through 【Basic Swordsmanship】, he thought he had struck it rich after killing Brody and obtaining a few gold coins; now, with his strength close to the Brass Rank, the spoils he acquired were easily worth more than ten gold coins.
However, as his strength increased, the materials and money required for advancement would only grow.
Just the supply of magical beast meat alone was a significant expense.
After all, eating one pound of magical beast meat daily could sustain Matthew's energy consumption for an entire day, which amounted to nine gold coins a month!
If he advanced to the Brass Rank and the life energy within his body rose again, his demand for magical beast meat would increase further.
And if he encountered a bottleneck in his realm in the future, he would also need to prepare precious items like a "magical beast core," which would lead to even greater resource consumption.
He shook his head and stopped overthinking; after all, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
As a Black Iron Rank powerhouse, no matter how bad his situation got, it would never be as precarious as that of ordinary people who lived hand-to-mouth.
Meanwhile, Matthew suddenly thought of the crystal cluster he had obtained earlier in the goblin nest.
“A crystal cluster?”
According to Brody, this item was a crystal cluster meant to be fitted onto a staff, and that damaged staff was precisely missing this crystal cluster...
Now, Matthew's Spirit had reached 6.5, which was enough to wield a staff.
If he could repair it, his strength would definitely receive a significant boost!
By then, even this mountain giant bear would probably struggle to withstand two of his Energy Missiles.
“However, to repair the staff, I'll need to go to at least the county seat to find clues... In fact, a trip to the provincial capital or even the royal capital might be inevitable.”
Just as he was deep in thought, footsteps approached from a distance.
Porter's tall figure appeared in the glow of the campfire. He nodded to Matthew, a bright smile on his face.
“Not asleep yet?”
Matthew smiled and shook his head, quietly waiting for this future Silver Rank powerhouse's next words.
“Those arrows you shot earlier were truly beautiful. The timing and power were spot on, directly cutting off the giant bear's escape route.”
Porter's words carried undisguised admiration. “Such experience and decisiveness are not inferior at all to the Brass Rank archers I've seen before.”
After delivering his praise, Porter did not wait for Matthew to respond. He pulled a small cloth bag from his chest and casually placed it on the ground between them.
“This is some extra prime magical beast meat as my personal thanks to you. It's not much, but please take it.”
Hearing this, Matthew immediately thanked him solemnly, “Thank you, Lord Porter.”
He took the bag of jerky, and his estimation of this powerhouse rose another notch.
This entire routine was simply a masterclass in winning people over. First, a warm greeting, followed by generous praise, and finally, this tangible "thanks."
For a powerhouse with one foot already in the Silver Rank to be so meticulous and thoughtful toward someone who was outwardly just a Black Iron Rank, regardless of whether it was to win him over, this gesture itself was rare enough.
However, the premise of all this was that Matthew had fully demonstrated his strength in the previous battle; otherwise, none of this would have happened.
The two of them chatted a bit more about the county seat and the chamber of commerce.
During this time, Matthew did most of the asking, while Porter patiently answered his questions.
“When you arrive in Abilan County Seat later, you can come find me at the headquarters of the Horn Chamber of Commerce.”
After saying this, Porter turned and walked toward the campfire at the cave entrance.
Matthew watched Porter's retreating back, a trace of complexity flickering across his expression before returning to calm. He wasn't particularly surprised by Porter's actions.
He shook his head, pushing his distracting thoughts back to the depths of his mind.
The goodwill Porter extended was very clear to him; and where this goodwill came from, he understood equally well.
In this world, strength was the basis of any conversation, the foundation for winning respect and resources.
Just as he had realized when counting his spoils earlier that evening.
The stronger one was, the more resources one could obtain; and conversely, to become stronger, the resources required would only grow more massive.
Among these, "resources" represented many things, including how others viewed him.
Thinking of this, Matthew no longer let his mind wander.
He habitually calmed his mind and prepared to enter a state of meditation to digest today's fatigue and gains.
Just as he entered a trance and extended his Spirit, his heart tightened slightly as he suddenly remembered he was in the middle of the forest.
He instinctively wanted to withdraw his Spirit to prevent those violent energy particles from being absorbed by him.
However, the unexpected happened.
In his Spirit's perception, the energy particles that should have been violent and erratic in the forest environment actually appeared exceptionally peaceful and stable, flowing in an almost serene manner.
It was almost the same as the environment in Stone Mill Village, with the only difference being that the particles here were denser and richer.
If the sparseness of energy particles in Stone Mill Village was a "one," then the density of energy particles in this cave was a "ten"!
Matthew was overjoyed, immediately realizing that this was a rare "blessed land."
In the wild forest, energy particles were usually violent and unstable, making them difficult to absorb and convert steadily. Yet, the energy in this cave was so peaceful and rich, making it perfect for deep meditation.
After some thought, Matthew hesitated no longer.
He sat up and quietly moved a few steps deeper into the cave to ensure he wouldn't be disturbed or noticed during his meditation. Then, he sat cross-legged and slowly sank into a state of cultivation.
Calming his mind, he guided the docile energy particles to slowly flow into his body.
As this dense and pure energy was gradually refined, he could clearly feel the physical strength and energy consumed during the day rapidly recovering, and even his Spirit seemed to be nourished, becoming more condensed.
Rate on N.U.
