Volume 1: Hell-Tier Lord World Chapter 116: Synthesis Scheme for the Mosquito Swarm

With the completion of the town quest, Chen Gu noticed a box with rustic patterns had appeared near the carriages used for constructing the warehouse.

This was the reward for his efforts: the Resource Synthesis Cabinet.

By placing identical fragments into this cabinet, every ten fragments could be synthesized into one complete unit of material. For instance, ten bone fragments could be combined into a single unit of bone. Naturally, it could also be used to upgrade the quality of materials; ten units of common stone, for example, could be fused into a single unit of refined stone.

This was a valuable asset. In the future, whenever Chen Gu lacked specific materials, he might be able to craft them simply by gathering enough fragments. It seemed like a fairly decent reward.

Chen Gu nodded in satisfaction, checked the progress of the warehouse, and then turned his attention elsewhere. At that moment, he noticed something was off with Pan. By his calculations, Pan should have already located Changfeng City by now, yet he had not returned. Instead, the number of farms in Chen Gu’s territory interface was steadily increasing.

He had gained eleven operational farms, each providing him with 30 units of food daily, including wheat, pumpkins, chickens, rabbits, pigs, and sheep. To Chen Gu, however, this was neither here nor there; 30 units of food were only enough to feed his soldiers for a single day.

Why would Pan set aside the task he had been given to take over these farms? Chen Gu was bewildered, wondering if it was finally time to implement his "Brain Bug" communication plan. If he had a "Brain Bug phone" or something similar, he would know exactly what was going on with Pan.

In reality, Pan was nearly delirious with joy. In Chen Gu’s eyes, he had simply captured eleven operational farms, but for Pan, he had acquired seventy-three new scarecrows and over seven hundred crows. Furthermore, Pan had discovered a new unit type within the farms: rats.

This was something Pan had never anticipated, though it made sense. The farms had been operating for years, and while certain tasks were automated, there was no one to handle the harvested grain. As a result, a massive population of rats had thrived. Since the undead generally held no interest in rats and had no desire to raise them as undead minions, the farms had become infested.

Seizing the opportunity provided by the scarecrows, Pan had selected a batch of combat-ready rats from the population, ignoring the common ones. Even so, he had amassed eight hundred rats, each the size of a cat, with combat capabilities equivalent to weakened skeleton soldiers. This thrilled Pan, as he finally had a force numbering nearly a thousand. He believed that if he led a thousand rats into battle, Chen Gu would surely promote him to the rank of combat hero, rather than keeping him as a mere carriage driver. Driven by this ambition, Pan wandered further and further off course, moving steadily away from the direction of Changfeng City.

Chen Gu, unable to reach Pan, had no time to leave. The remnants of a Level 9 city were not easily cleared, and he was currently focusing all his attention on the large quantity of building stones. Once he finished cataloging them, he would need to consider how to modify the "Natural Magic Mark" city heart. This would take a considerable amount of time, and he had no spare energy to worry about Pan.

Kebas, however, returned early. Looking at the few vampires Kebas had brought back, Chen Gu asked, "Have you finished clearing your side?"

"Not yet. I’ve sent the burrowing worms to clear the area, and all the supplies are stacked near the floodplains. As soon as we head over, we can build the new city there. That region has enough space to support a Level 9 city. We can use it to build a fortress to defend against enemies, allowing us to control the battlefield and establish a new rear base. Once Pan reports back on the situation at Changfeng City, I can depart. By the time the new city is built, we should be able to take Changfeng City as well. That would give us a Level 7 city; with two cities forming a front and rear, we can secure our supply lines. Once the resources here are sufficient to support a million-strong army, we will march on the Black Fortress."

Chen Gu nodded as he listened to Kebas, but at the end, he added, "Our short-term goal is to reclaim the Holy City."

Kebas said nothing more. He felt little attachment to the Elven Holy City, especially since his own Wuchaocheng had been so severely ostracized. He did not have strong opinions on Chen Gu’s goal.

Chen Gu turned his focus toward the vampires. "A swarm of mosquitoes."

After observing the vampires for a moment, Chen Gu reached out and pulled out their fangs. Kebas’s swarm of mosquitoes descended before him, allowing Chen Gu to begin the synthesis.

[Mosquito Swarm (Legion Grade)] + [Vampire Fangs] = [??? (Success Rate: 13.11%)]

"The success rate isn't high. Are these truly vampires? They don't seem to harmonize with your swarm."

"They are vampires; I even resurrected one specifically to be sure," Kebas insisted.

"Perhaps I chose the wrong component. If the fangs won't work, let's try the vampire claws." Chen Gu drew his sword and severed a vampire's hand.

He shook his head again; the success rate remained below 15%. While Chen Gu could force the synthesis, he was unwilling to do so. Such a low rate indicated that the materials were incompatible—or at the very least, not a good match. Of course, it was also possible that the low success rate suggested the resulting pet would be of extraordinary quality, but based on the nature of the mosquito swarm, that seemed unlikely.

"Don't worry, I'll try the vampire heart next. If that fails, I'll use the entire vampire. We'll find a combination that works eventually."

Kebas nodded, though he remained puzzled. Both species thrived on blood, so why was the compatibility between the mosquito swarm and the vampires so low? Neither of them realized that while their shared affinity for blood was an advantage, the fact that vampires could transform into bats—the natural predator of mosquitoes—was the very factor dragging the success rate down.