As for why that seed Crippled Monkey stumbled upon initially didn't show a panel.
He had already had a guess.
All seed-type Extraordinary Treasures were wrapped in a thin film. That seed back then was a single grain with no film around it—perhaps that's why no panel appeared.
"His luck was truly something."
Chen Fan screwed up his eyes. Green-grade seed-type Extraordinary Treasures typically had special planting conditions, like the "Eerie Flesh Mother-Child Seed," which required watering with Eerie Blood every two hours.
Yet he'd managed to grow the "Human-Blood Eerie Flower" without even knowing its planting conditions. Luck was on his side.
It seemed his luck in this life wasn't bad.
Countless people in the world work hard, but fewer than one in ten thousand achieve fame.
It's not that those who fail lack ability—sometimes it's simply bad luck.
Luck alone can't guarantee success, but it's one of the essential conditions for it.
Next.
He used two wooden sticks to pick up the flower from the edge of the field, spread the "Eerie-hide" flat on the barren ground, and applied slight pressure. Blood-red flower fluid, like real blood, began dripping down the stem onto the hide.
Before long, no more fluid flowed, and the once-vibrant flower instantly withered, losing all life.
Chen Fan crouched by the field, eyes fixed on the hide. As the flower fluid touched it, lines of text slowly appeared on the surface.
"Last year in the rain, our paths collided; since we parted ways, a full year has passed."
"In the cold pool's depths, white bones steeped in the midnight moon."
"Beneath embroidered robes, dark hair tangled in autumn's haze."
"Tearing skin to forge your armor, cutting soul as cloth to wrap new scars."
"Suddenly, heaven and earth commence clacking, as an Eerie Tide emerges across the wilderness, forming ranks."
"Turns out an old friend treading through the rain, meeting now with faces pale as snow."
"Rain erodes me a thousand times over, a lifetime spent waiting only for you."
Then, the Extraordinary Treasure's panel changed as well.
"Extraordinary Treasure Name": Eerie-hide.
"Extraordinary Treasure Tier": Green.
"Extraordinary Treasure Effect": A special hide crafted by a high-level Eerie Creature. Kept close to the body, it can block a fatal attack.
"..."
Chen Fan looked at the lines of text on the hide. With a blank face, he fell silent for a long moment, then let out a light sigh. Suddenly, he felt a headache coming on. Honestly... the sunk cost at this Station wasn't that high. It might be better to move out sooner rather than later.
The poem wasn't too hard to understand.
The general idea was,
The female Eerie Creature he killed had some intelligence. Last year, during the rainy season, she met another male Eerie Creature, and they developed feelings for each other. After parting during the rainy season, she tore off a piece of her own skin and, with some special methods, crafted this Extraordinary Treasure.
A defensive-type Extraordinary Treasure.
And that male Eerie Creature...
"Suddenly, heaven and earth commence clacking, as an Eerie Tide emerges across the wilderness, forming ranks."
Sounded like an Eerie King.
Not only possessing great strength but also commanding a large force.
This woman had been waiting in this wasteland for this male Eerie Creature. Maybe during this rainy season, the male would arrive with an army to marry her... but she was already dead by his hand.
When that time came...
Chen Fan glanced toward the warehouse. The female Eerie Creature's skin had been stripped off and stored away. A-Le's knife skills were good—the skin had been peeled quite intact. Would it be all right if he handed over that piece of skin? Sewn onto another female Eerie Creature, it might be just as well.
Eerie Creatures with intelligence were extremely rare.
And as for those capable of fashioning Extraordinary Treasures, this female Eerie Creature was the only one he knew.
If that Eerie King didn't care about this female Eerie Creature at all, he might escape this calamity. But given her looks and her ability to craft Extraordinary Treasures—she could make a perfect wife and forge Extraordinary Treasures for the Eerie King—by any measure, she didn't seem someone who would be neglected...
This is bad.
"You lovesick female Eerie Creature, if you were going to wait for your beloved during the rainy season, why didn't you just hole up peacefully?"
"Why did you have to come after me again and again?"
"Now look what happened."
"You've left behind a huge mess."
"Was it really worth it to charge into the camp to fight me over losing one subordinate?"
Much troubled, Chen Fan rubbed his temples. The Eerie King was most likely to return to the wasteland during the rainy season. With considerable strength and commanding a force, thorough preparations would be needed to deal with him. At the very least, the camp's current defenses wouldn't be enough.
However...
The other party might not even know where he was—after all, there were no eyewitnesses. Right, so in that case...
No, no, he was being silly!
His was the only camp in the wasteland, shining as conspicuously as a sun in the night. Unless the Eerie King were a complete idiot, he'd come looking for him the moment he set foot on the wasteland!
Forget it!
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
He took a deep breath, pulled himself together, and glanced toward the warehouse again. The female Eerie Creature had used just a piece of her own skin to craft such an Extraordinary Treasure, yet there was a complete set of her skin in the warehouse.
Once he found an Artificer in the future, he might be able to use this skin to forge a full set of soft armor for himself.
He casually tucked the Eerie-skin into his hemp shirt, pressing it against his chest.
It felt warm.
Quite comfortable, actually.
When he was young in his previous life, a girl once knitted him a scarf, which had warmed his heart throughout the winter.
Never thought that in this world, a female Eerie Creature would use her own skin to fashion chest armor for him. It was... kind of romantic.
Thoughtful of her.
...
Inside the camp.
Chen Fan stood on the wall of the Eerie Creature Farm, looking down at the Pseudo-Human Ghosts snarling and baring their teeth in the heavy rain below.
The wall was five meters high.
These Pseudo-Human Ghosts hadn't tried climbing by forming a human ladder. It wasn't clear whether they couldn't think of it or had too little time to consider. Ever since these Pseudo-Human Ghosts were captured, they had been copulating day and night without pause.
In the poem written by the female Eerie Creature, there was this line,
"Rain erodes me a thousand times over, a lifetime spent waiting only for you."
Erode.
It was not a pleasant word.
Perhaps...
The rainy season was also painful for Eerie Creatures?
Like sulfuric acid splashing on their bodies, causing unbearable pain, driving them to rampage madly during the rainy season?
Just then—
A-Le reported from the side, "Station Master, there were no major threats to the camp last night. I conducted some experiments and found that the young Eerie Creatures don't have Eerie Stones inside them. They only develop Eerie Stones as they mature."
"And this rainwater might be imbued with special energy."
"When I used planks to shield a few Pseudo-Human Ghosts from the rain, they immediately stopped mating, snarled fiercely at me, and prepared to attack."
"But as soon as I removed the planks, they resumed mating."
"Mm."
Chen Fan nodded lightly. "Well done."
Raising these Pseudo-Human Ghosts wasn't just about obtaining more Eerie Stones; more importantly, it was to learn more about Eerie Creatures. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.
From what could be observed so far.
The rainy season had a significant impact on Eerie Creatures, though its effects varied among different types.
For Pseudo-Human Ghosts, it meant uncontrollable mating.
For Flesh-Worm Ghosts, it meant uncontrollable migration.
For the female Eerie Creature, it meant pain akin to sulfuric acid corroding the flesh.
This might also be why the female Eerie Creature had crafted a sedan chair for herself.