Du Yu said, "Sir, we’ll know once we go and see for ourselves."

"Alright. Let’s not bring too many people this time."

Qin Ziwen then set out with the Beaked Eagle, Du Yu, Shi Hu, and Zhang Meng, taking a flashlight with them.

The group of four, plus the Beaked Eagle, arrived outside the cave the Giant Rock Dragon used as its entrance.

A day had passed, and the fire on the ground had long since died out, leaving behind a thick layer of ash.

Zhang Meng took out a shovel and cleared the ash away, revealing a massive cavern entrance.

Qin Ziwen took out a solar-powered flashlight, switched it to its highest lumen setting, and shone it inside.

The pitch-dark cave was instantly flooded with light.

The flashlight beam revealed yellowish-brown sandstone, similar in color to the outer walls of the chasm.

A great slope stretched downward from where they stood.

At the bottom lay a wide platform, and from the distance came the rushing sound of an underground river.

"What does it eat?"

Qin Ziwen scanned the area with his flashlight but found no signs of life in the subterranean space.

’A creature as huge as the Giant Rock Dragon can’t possibly survive on dirt, right?’

...

"Sir, it looks like it really does eat dirt."

Zhang Meng crouched down and touched the grayish-brown mineral-rich mud before him. Its color was completely different from that of the surrounding walls.

On the surface of the mud grew many dark brown things that resembled moss or fungal colonies.

There were also many bite marks on its surface.

Judging by the size of the bite marks, they must have been made by the Giant Rock Dragon that lived here.

They were now at the edge of a cavern, having walked seventy or eighty meters deeper into the underground space.

This mineral-rich mud had a yellowish hue and was soft to the touch. Its surface was covered in dark brown moss, making it look like a pile of moldy cakes.

Qin Ziwen looked around. Based on the footprints on the ground, the Giant Rock Dragon must have lived here for a long time, surviving by eating this mineral-rich mud.

’Does eating this stuff make those crystals grow on its back?’

Qin Ziwen frowned, deep in thought. If eating this mineral-rich mud could make Earth Spirit Source Stones grow on one’s back, then this mud was an incredible treasure.

He used Insight on the mineral-rich mud on the ground.

[Soul-Sucking Fungus: Long-term consumption of this fungus allows it to draw upon the body’s Spiritual Energy and condense it into Source Stones of a corresponding attribute.]

The result of the Insight astonished him.

Because what Insight had identified wasn’t the mineral-rich mud itself, but the moss-like things growing on it.

’So that’s it.’ The things on the Giant Rock Dragon’s back weren’t something it created itself, but came from a peculiar life-form in nature.

"Sir, look over here!" Du Yu’s voice suddenly called out from the side.

Qin Ziwen looked where Du Yu was pointing and was astonished.

In the spot Du Yu was pointing to, a symbol resembling an anchor was embedded in the wall. It emitted a fluorescent glow, pulsing faintly like a breath.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Ziwen used Insight on it.

[Anchor Point discovered. Analyzing with Insight... Insight failed. Insufficient Authority.]

Qin Ziwen froze, staring intently at the deep blue, menacing-looking anchor emblem.

’Insufficient Authority?’ Qin Ziwen understood the meaning of those two words.

He then thought of the Giant Rock Dragon living here and the Earth Spirit Source Stones growing on its back, which forced him to consider far greater implications.

’Perhaps the Earth Spirit Source Stones growing on the Giant Rock Dragon’s back weren’t a coincidence. And perhaps this Soul-Sucking Fungus growing on the mud wasn’t a native organism at all.’

’No wonder so many Marvels could grow on the Giant Rock Dragon’s back.’

He led the others to explore the cavern for a while longer. Besides signs of the Giant Rock Dragon, they also found small insects like blind spiders and cave crickets near the underground river.

The pitch-black underground river wound through the cavern like a satin ribbon.

The Giant Rock Dragon, presumably, was not adapted to water, so its territory was confined to this single large chamber.

"Let’s go."

Qin Ziwen turned and left.

As for the Soul-Sucking Fungus, he decided not to collect any, since they hadn’t brought the right tools.

He would wait until next time, when they could bring the proper tools to collect a sample.

...

As they returned to the Gated Community, Qin Ziwen could hear the sound of many people cheering from a distance.

As he got closer, he overheard their discussions and realized that news about the Qin Alliance’s Card rental program had spread.

It had sparked discussions among many of the Gated Community’s residents, and some members of the Qin Alliance were cheering ecstatically.

They were all asking those around them how to apply for a Card.

Upon seeing Qin Ziwen, even more people crowded around, all trying to curry favor with him.

"Chairman Qin, what about me? Am I a good candidate?"

"Chairman Qin, is your younger brother still single?"

A crowd of people surrounded him, blocking his path.

Zhao Pu, who was handling registrations nearby, saw the situation and hurried over to break up the crowd.

He then escorted Qin Ziwen to the fifth floor.

"Dr. Zhao," Qin Ziwen called out. Zhao Pu turned around.

Qin Ziwen handed him a Level 1 Tailor Shop Card. "Thanks for all your hard work lately."

Zhao Pu quickly waved his hands in refusal. "Chairman, I can’t accept this. The Alliance has a reward system now, and I’ve already received a Card through it."

"I know. This is a personal gift, unrelated to the Alliance. It’s also what I promised you before."

Zhao Pu fell silent. He gave a deep bow.

"Thank you, Captain."

He had barely stepped into his Home when Jia Liangcai followed him inside and reported in a low voice, "My Lord, the Student Union member who discovered the Giant Rock Dragon’s nest wishes to cash in the favor you promised him."

"Of course. What does he want?"

"He wants to join the Qin Alliance."

Qin Ziwen waited a couple of seconds. When nothing else was said, he asked in surprise, "That’s it?"

"That’s all."

Qin Ziwen became thoughtful. "Alright, let him join then. If he hasn’t activated a Home, give him one of the Card rental slots."

"Understood." Jia Liangcai took the hint and excused himself.

After sitting for a while, Qin Ziwen suddenly had a thought.

He went to the storage warehouse and took out the Earth Spirit Source Stones.

After counting them, he found there were a hundred and thirty-two Earth Spirit Source Stones in total.

They were of various sizes and had been distributed across the Giant Rock Dragon’s back.

The largest were comparable in size to basketballs, while the smallest were only as big as fava beans.

Only Earth Spirit Source Stones with a diameter greater than 20 centimeters qualified as Level 1 Marvels according to the Home’s assessment.

Sixteen of the Source Stones met this standard.

He picked up two Earth Spirit Source Stones of similar size. ’Cards can be combined,’ he thought. ’I wonder if Marvels can be upgraded the same way.’

As he brought the two Source Stones together, the Home’s small orb of light appeared.

[Authority of the Lord of the Homeland is greater than Level 1. Marvel Synthesis function can be enabled.]

[Combine Earth Spirit Source Stones?]

Qin Ziwen silently consented.

In the next moment, the two Earth Spirit Source Stones in his hands merged, fusing into one.

The combined Earth Spirit Source Stone was now an intermediate size and had become more translucent. Within the transparent crystal, several new golden threads had appeared.

He repeated this process, eventually combining all sixteen Earth Spirit Source Stones into a single one.

[Level 5 Marvel] Earth Spirit Source Stone (Can be embedded in a mineral resource node)

Inside the basketball-sized, pale yellow crystal, hundreds of thin, straight, golden threads were interwoven.

...

...