Chapter 32: Walnut Boat

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The wooden boats of this size weren't huge vessels, but they could comfortably accommodate seventy or eighty people. And with three such boats, there was enough room for everyone in the group.

Everyone looked up in awe, letting out a long 'wow'.

Even though they already knew Sun Fuping was the Imperial Advisor and possessed extraordinary methods, everyone was still astonished by the sight.

He Lingchuan, however, overheard Zeng Feixiong murmur, "So that's Profound Crystal? First time I've seen it." His voice was filled with surprise.

"It's green, so it's just a low-grade Profound Crystal," He Lingchuan said casually.

Nian Songyu overheard this remark and immediately turned to ask, "Do you have any mid- or high-grade ones?"

"No, of course not!" He Lingchuan chuckled awkwardly. If he admitted it, wouldn't it be confiscated?

But he really did have some.

Inside He Lingchuan's storage pouch lay a Profound Crystal, deep green in color, of better quality than the one Imperial Advisor Sun used to power the Walnut Boats.

Profound Crystal is solidified spiritual energy from heaven and earth, typically formed only during periods of spiritual energy outbursts. Humans collect it, then purify and refine it, or add various materials to transform it into different forms and grades of Profound Crystal.

This substance has many uses: it can replenish the true essence of mages and demons, power automatons and puppets, drive formations, and so on. These three humble-looking Walnut Boats required a significant amount of Profound Crystal to operate.

It had been a long time since the last major spiritual energy outburst, so Profound Crystal was becoming increasingly scarce and valuable. Imperial Advisor Sun casually used it to power the Walnut Boats, while He Lingchuan only possessed one, a significant gift he had received from an envoy of the former Northern Demon Kingdom for helping with a task.

One person casually used a luxury item, while the other treasured it as a rare possession. The difference in their status and wealth was immediately apparent.

While He Lingchuan observed carefully, Nian Songyu was asking the sand bandits, "Do you have any other tricks that could help?"

Situ Han, who was also admiring the Walnut Boats, shook his head vigorously at the question. "There are too many people; our crude methods probably won't be much use."

Nian Songyu had only asked on a whim, not truly expecting them to have a good solution. He Lingchuan, however, chuckled and said, "Didn't you bring your scent balls this time?"

"We did," Situ Han mused, glancing at Sun Fuping and feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's just... it's not exactly high-brow!"

"Saving our lives is what matters," He Lingchuan replied. "Whether it's refined or not isn't important."

Nian Songyu asked Situ Han, "Is it useful? Effective?"

"It usually works well," Situ Han said, patting the boat's hull. "How do we get this treasure moving?"

Nian Songyu didn't hide it from him: "Profound Crystal."

That meant every second was burning money. Situ Han thought for a moment. "If we're lucky, perhaps the two sirs won't need to expend any Profound Crystal."

Even Sun Fuping became interested. "Oh?"

Profound Crystal was rare; it was best to conserve it when possible. This item had a price but no market; ordinary people couldn't buy it even with silver.

Situ Han humbly emphasized again, "If we're lucky!"

"Give it a try," Nian Songyu said calmly. "If it doesn't work, you'll be delaying official business, and I'll throw you overboard to the monsters."

"Why did I even open my mouth?" Situ Han thought, wanting to slap himself a few times. "Alright, everyone, please cover your noses."

Cover...?

He Chunhua saw his eldest son and the bandits raising their face coverings to cover their mouths and noses, so he followed suit.

Situ Han gave a command behind him, and the sand bandits brought out a box. When opened, the box was lined with soft padding, and in the center sat a bulging, bubble-like object.

Nian Songyu peered at it, unable to understand. "What is this?"

"Commander Nian, have you never seen a pig slaughtered?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "This is a pig's bladder; it inflates when you blow into it. It's not nearly at its maximum size yet."

Seeing his smug expression, He Chunhua couldn't help but inwardly grumble. This fellow had enjoyed the best of everything in Blackwater City since childhood, a textbook rich second-generation heir, a noble young master. By rights, he shouldn't have encountered a pig's bladder. Yet, he was truly too mischievous; he used to love filling pig bladders with water, hanging them from old trees on the main street, and if he disliked someone, he'd send an iron skewer flying when they walked under the tree...

Nian Songyu, accustomed to a life of luxury and fine dining, would never have seen such a thing. He rarely even ate pork, considering it an inferior meat. Hearing this, he frowned in disgust. "What's it for?"

"It's well-sealed, otherwise, we'd harm ourselves first," He Lingchuan explained. As he spoke, the sand bandits produced a large piece of cured meat, tied it with a thick rope, then untied the constricted opening of the pig's bladder and poured its contents onto the cured meat.

It was a viscous, dark green liquid that didn't bubble, though it occasionally seemed to emit a wisp of white smoke.

The moment it was exposed to the air, everyone's sense of smell was instantly assaulted.

The odor was like severe athlete's foot festering for a month in an unventilated boot, mixed with the accumulated body odor of half a year without bathing, and topped off with the unique stench brewed over years from decaying fish and shrimp piled in the dark, hidden corners of a smuggling dock.

It was a master blend of foul, musky, and pungent, a truly distinctive and potent stench.

Soldiers in the army who didn't cover their noses in time retched violently.

The most terrifying thing about this smell was how it indelibly imprinted itself on your memory the moment you inhaled it, making it impossible to forget.

Affected by this, even those who had been holding back could no longer endure it, clutching their stomachs and vomiting in unison.

Fortunately, the sand bandits quickly threw the cured meat into the sand, then scooped up some sand to cover it. With the strong desert wind, the stench dissipated within moments.

Everyone gasped for air, never having appreciated the simple act of breathing so much.

Nian Songyu's face changed color. "Absurd! What on earth is this thing for?"

He, too, felt nauseous and suffocated, having to exert extreme self-control to avoid vomiting. But when he turned and saw He Lingchuan's gleeful expression, he strongly suspected this little scoundrel was seizing the opportunity to mess with him!

With such a stench, who wouldn't be affected?

"Just watch," He Lingchuan said calmly, gesturing towards the sand pit where the meat was buried.

Everyone looked and saw, with the sand pit as the center, numerous ripples appearing on the sand, varying in depth, but all rapidly extending outwards. Clearly, many creatures had been hidden beneath the sand, and the stench from the cured meat had sent them fleeing in terror.

Not only for humans, but that substance was also highly effective against mutated monsters and demons.

Indeed, because their sense of smell was more acute than humans', the spiritual and physical trauma they suffered was even more severe.

"It can scare off even exotic beasts, not bad. What else is it used for?" This trick still surprised Sun Fuping. He had never considered a gas attack when planning, and it seemed that rural folk's crude methods could sometimes be quite effective.

"This alone is far from enough!" Nian Songyu cracked his knuckles. These sand bandits knew He Lingchuan and his father; were they conspiring against him?

Seeing Nian Songyu's displeased expression, Situ Han, not understanding the reason, said, "Wait, just wait a little longer. The key to crossing the desert is coming!"

"Coming?" What was coming?

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