The three regular rhombus blue crystals were lying quietly at the bottom of the spring, and the intense energy fluctuations were coming from those three blue crystals.
Chen Mu carefully picked up the three blue crystals from the hot spring and carefully examined them in front of his eyes.
The blue crystals were in a standard rhombus shape, and the crystals were sparkling and translucent, without a trace of impurity, like the purest sapphire.
The largest of the three crystals was about the size of a fingernail, and the smallest was only the size of a soybean.
However, such a small crystal was emitting such a strong energy fluctuation.
One could imagine how dense the energy contained within the blue crystals was!
What those three blue crystals were wasn't among the materials Chen Mu knew, but even so, he knew he had picked up a treasure that time.
Materials that could be used to make cards had one common characteristic, and that was that they had to be compatible with energy.
Those three crystals themselves contained a terrifying amount of energy, and their energy compatibility was probably ridiculously high.
His perception swept the bottom of the spring, and there were no more blue crystals.
Chen Mu was about to leave when he thought about it and picked up a branch to stir the mud at the bottom of the spring.
As soon as he stirred, he felt an energy fluctuation.
Chen Mu was delighted, knowing there were more blue crystals at the bottom of the spring.
Sure enough, he found two more soybean-sized blue crystals.
Chen Mu's gaze was attracted to the black mud at the bottom of the spring. After that stir, the spring water wasn't muddy at all and was as clear as ever.
The black mud at the bottom of the spring was like a sticky gelatinous substance, clearly separated from the spring water. No matter how Chen Mu stirred, the black mud and the spring water wouldn't mix.
Thinking about how he hadn't detected any energy fluctuations from the blue crystals in the black mud, Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.
He used the Hundred Changes to shape the branch in his hand into the shape of a shovel, and he picked up some of the black mud from the bottom of the spring. The black mud didn't have any smell, and Chen Mu immediately put a blue crystal into it.
Chen Mu's face suddenly showed a look of surprise.
Sure enough, the incomparably intense energy fluctuations immediately disappeared!
The black mud could actually shield the energy fluctuations, which was like a treasure to Chen Mu.
He didn't hesitate to wrap each blue crystal in a thick layer of black mud, and all the energy fluctuations immediately disappeared.
Interesting!
Chen Mu showed an expression of interest.
He knew the blue crystals were certainly good stuff, but their intense energy fluctuations would make Chen Mu a target that could be sensed from a distance.
Chen Mu didn't want to lose his life because of those blue crystals.
Now that the problem that worried him the most had been solved by the black mud, how could he not be overjoyed?
He gently picked up a little of the black mud with his fingers. It was very delicate to the touch, and Chen Mu immediately determined that it was good stuff.
He then cut off a branch that was as thick as an arm, hollowed it out, and made it into a wooden tube. He filled the tube with black mud and carefully covered it.
He still didn't know what the properties of the black mud were, but just its ability to block energy fluctuations was enough to pique his interest.
He planned to bring the black mud back to study it.
Having done all that, Chen Mu left the hot springs without any reluctance.
Not long after Chen Mu left, a cold-looking card artisan appeared beside Mo Ta's corpse with dozens of people. The corpse in front of them shocked the group of card artisans.
After flying for about five hours, Chen Mu finally stopped.
As soon as he stopped, he opened [Thousand Mile].
Seeing that Chen Mu was safe and sound, Bogner and Xi Ping breathed a sigh of relief.
"Boss, are you alright?
What just happened? "
Bogner's gaze was sharp. Chen Mu was battered and exhausted, as though he had just gone through a bitter battle.
Chen Mu gave a brief account of the battle, which left Bogner and Xi Ping aghast.
Bogner said, "Do you want to transfer some people over?
Or call Xiaobo over?
Or tell Wei-ah? "
Chen Mu shook his head. "No need. By the time they get here, they won't be of any use."
He didn't know how far he was from the snow silkworm ravine, nor was he close to Zargan. Moreover, looking for a person in the vast jungle would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Suddenly remembering something, Chen Mu took out the stack of silver cards and said to Bogner, "Can you help me find out what these cards really are?"
Seeing their blank faces, he slapped his head and said, "Oh, right. Call Brenton over. He should know."
After a moment, Brenton was called over.
"You were looking for me, Boss?" Brenton was in high spirits, thinking Chen Mu had a mission for him.
Ever since he had joined the team, he had been idle. Apart from practicing perception, he had nothing to do.
Although he was getting pretty good treatment, he still wanted to have a chance to prove his worth.
"Do you know what these cards are, Brenton?" Chen Mu waved the silver cards he had taken from the bodies of the card artisans in his hand.
Brenton studied them for a moment and turned pale with fright. "A black-line silver-inscribed card!
This is a black-line silver-inscribed card! "
Bogner and Xi Ping looked at each other with serious gazes, and Bogner asked, "What is a black-line silver-inscribed card, Brenton?"
Brenton's face was a little pale. "The black-line silver-inscribed card is an identity card owned by some illegal organizations. Those illegal groups form alliances with each other to form a mysterious circle. The black-line silver-inscribed card is the identity nameplate of the members of those illegal organizations in that circle.
There is their specific information on it, which is their proof of identity. The black-line silver-inscribed card has the holder's rank and other information in that circle.
Without a black-line silver-inscribed card, one can't participate in a lot of the circle's activities, including trading goods, buying intelligence, and so forth.
The members of some of the larger illegal organizations all have a black-line silver-inscribed card. "
After a slight pause, Brenton's expression softened a little as he continued, "The black-line silver-inscribed card has another use, which is for the Black-Line Star Listing.
No one knows who made the Black-Line Star Listing, but it announces the latest rankings every month.
Everyone agrees with the Black-Line Star Listing, which is recognized as the authoritative gray card artisan ranking list.
Those who can get on the list are all card artisans with black-line silver-inscribed cards and above. Not one of those aces isn't an ace!
The number of aces on the list is a measure of the strength of an organization, and the high-ranking solitary card artisans are the targets of every organization's competition to recruit.
It was rumored before that Moon Frost Island was very interested in Yangshan Fei, the solitary card artisan ranked ninth on the Black-Line Star Listing, but Yangshan Fei unceremoniously refused. "
"Three-star?"
Chen Mu suddenly remembered that the black-line silver-inscribed card he had searched for on Mo Ta's body had three stars below it. He found the card and asked, "Is it a three-star black-line silver-inscribed card like this one?"
On the screen, Brenton's eyes were wide open, and his face was full of shock as he stammered, "This … this … is a three-star black-line silver-inscribed card?"
"If it is the black-line silver-inscribed card you were talking about," Chen Mu said.
"Wow!
That's great!
Is this the result of your battle, Boss?
Good lord, the bounty for every ace on the Black-Line Star Listing is sky-high.
Oh, oh, oh!
I adore you so much!
You can certainly rank among the top 100 on the Heavenly Drum Roll, Boss! "Brenton's eyes were shining, and he was so excited that Chen Mu wondered if he might faint at any moment.
"The Heavenly Drum Roll?" Hearing another unfamiliar term, Chen Mu was a little puzzled.
Brenton rushed to explain, "The card artisans on the Black-Line Star Listing are all engaged in illegal businesses, such as assassinations, looting, kidnapping, and the like.
The Heavenly Drum Roll is a ranking of card artisans engaged in legal businesses in the Heavenly Drum Village District. "
"Oh."
Chen Mu showed an expression of understanding, and he suddenly thought of a question. "Which list is a little more authoritative?"
"The Black-Line Star Listing is a little more authoritative. The card artisans on the Black-Line Star Listing are all vicious and wicked people, and they've experienced more battles.
Most of the card artisans on the Heavenly Drum Roll are from academies, and many people think it's overstated.
But the rankings on the Heavenly Drum Roll are still quite useful, even though the various academies dominate most of them.
The top 300 on the list enjoy very generous treatment no matter where they go.
A three-star black-line silver-inscribed card!
It could very well be among the top 100 on the Black-Line Star Listing. You're too strong, Boss! "The more Brenton spoke, the more excited he became. His gaze toward Chen Mu became more and more heated.
That dark-faced big fellow's power was indeed overbearing. If he were to be said to be among the top 100 on the Black-Line Star Listing, Chen Mu wouldn't doubt it.
"You can check out the information inside the black-line silver-inscribed card, Boss. It has ranking information inside!" Brenton urged, looking a lot more expectant than Chen Mu.
Chen Mu inserted the black-line silver-inscribed card into his apparatus.
Mo Ta was ranked 89th on the Black-Line Star Listing in April. He was a member of Constellation and one of the seven captains.
"Constellation..." Brenton, who had just been inexplicably excited, abruptly turned ashen and terrified.
"What's Constellation?" Bogner asked aloud with a frown when he saw Brenton's expression change.
It was only after Brenton's stuttering explanation that they understood what Constellation was.
Constellation was one of the most famous illegal organizations in the Heavenly Drum Village District, and it was also one of the most powerful.
Among the top 100 on the Black-Line Star Listing, there were four from Constellation, which could be seen.
Especially their leader, Wen, who was ranked 15th on the Black-Line Star Listing and was a true ace.
No one knew what Wen's real name was. Not only was he the most powerful card artisan in Constellation, but he was also the most mysterious person.
His black-line silver-inscribed card was six-star.
Next was Yuchi Bai, the captain of the first small team, who was ranked 41st on the Black-Line Star Listing and had a four-star black-line silver-inscribed card.
Mo Ta, the captain of the third small team, was ranked 89th on the Black-Line Star Listing and had a three-star black-line silver-inscribed card.
Jin Yin, the captain of the seventh small team, was ranked 93rd and had a three-star black-line silver-inscribed card.
On the Black-Line Star Listing, the top 10 black-line silver-inscribed cards were seven-star, the 11th to 20th were six-star, the 31st to 60th were four-star, and the 61st to 100th were three-star.
Among the captains of Constellation, none of them wouldn't be an ace who dominated an area. But under Wen's command, they were all docile and obedient, willing only to be captains.
Seeing Brenton's trembling appearance, Chen Mu knew the guy probably wouldn't be able to give any constructive advice.
However, at the same time, he was shocked that Constellation's deterrence was so powerful!
"If that's the case, then Constellation should be a first-rate organization. Now that they've run off to plunder the snow shuttle ships, could there be some mystery in it?"