After Xiao Yi brought the wheelchair up to the second floor, Xu Zhi carefully examined the room once again to ensure that there were indeed no signs of anyone living there. Then she closed the door and took out her game console.
She didn't intend to send Xiao Yi away to hunt or search for the black fruit right away. Although she was indeed pressed for time, she knew the importance of prioritizing tasks. Being in an unfamiliar place, it was natural for her to keep Xiao Yi around for a while longer.
Moreover, she had an appointment later.
"Search this building to see if there's anyone else here."
Xu Zhi didn't let Xiao Yi go too far. Even at Xiao Yi's current speed, Xu Zhi could quickly reach her if she encountered any danger within the building.
While Xiao Yi was clearing the building and the dog was still hunting, Xu Zhi didn't even start to tidy up the room. Instead, she immediately took out her game console and began controlling the dog to hunt.
The hunting process was unexpectedly smooth. The prey came one after another, almost all of them were asleep, and they were easily taken down. Within half an hour, Xu Zhi had already controlled the dog to kill four prey.
And Xiao Yi returned to the room at this moment.
"Xu Zhi pressed the option to continue searching for prey and looked up at Xiao Yi, asking, 'Is there anyone else here?'"
The large snake shook its head in a human-like manner.
"Alright, stay here and keep watch."
After that, Xu Zhi continued to look down at the game console, where a new round of hunting had just ended.
What caught Xu Zhi's attention was a faintly glowing item that appeared in the pixelated screen, amidst the corpse of the prey. Subsequently, a line of text floated in the center of the screen.
【Your spirit pet has hunted down a sleeping prey that exceeds its level, and made an unexpected discovery.】
【Truly amazing, your luck seems to be extraordinary.】
As this line of text appeared, a similar line of text appeared in the lower left corner of the screen, reminiscent of the kind that would appear when picking up items in other games.
【Energy Core +1】
Upon seeing that line of text, a surprised expression appeared on Xu Zhi's face.
So... I got another one?
She quickly opened her inventory and indeed, besides the gray 【Moth】 attribute core, there was now an additional pale yellow core.
She selected the core, and a single character appeared next to it: 【Blade.】
"Ah... This time it wasn't me attracting it, right?"
Xu Zhi immediately thought of her two spirit pets, both of which possessed the 【Blade】 attribute.
【Attributes have their strengths and weaknesses, and most of the time, creatures can only awaken the attribute that best suits them.】
【However, this does not mean that every creature can only possess one attribute. Generally speaking, there are no more than three attributes present in a creature's body, but the conditions for awakening a second attribute are extremely stringent.】
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【This core did not appear solely due to your attraction, but it was not entirely unrelated as well.】
【It was drawn to your spirit pets, but in a sense, since your spirit pets are one with you, can it not also be said that it was drawn to you as well?】
【Now, do you wish to learn about the knowledge of the Blade attribute?】
"Of course."
Xu Zhi really wanted to suggest to the narrator to skip the options directly next time.
【Blade: The Code of War and Resistance】
【It embodies brute force, betrayal, cunning, and pain. Its elements can be that of conquest and domination, struggle and resistance. Its defining characteristics are cunning, bloodthirstiness, and a certain subtlety within its violence.】
【You have now gained a basic understanding of the Blade attribute. Other attributes will be unlocked once you possess the corresponding attribute cores. As for the specific functions of the attribute cores, please explore them yourself.】
It's quite a fitting attribute for her spirit pets...
But the concept of "conquest and domination" left her a bit confused.
However, the timely arrival of this attribute core gave her a crude idea about how to utilize it.
This 【Blade】 attribute core would serve as a good experiment, but she had to wait until she finished her conversation with the elder sister.
Xu Zhi directly extracted the core into the real world and placed it in her pocket. Then, she continued controlling the little dog on its hunting spree. After another hour, thanks to the fact that most of the prey didn't have time to resist, the little dog had surprisingly risen to level 8.
Looking at the refreshed evolution point progress bar, Xu Zhi sighed. She still needed to manually level up the dog by two more levels to unlock automatic hunting.
Looking at the screen, she saw the gray dog, whose size was now close to a Tibetan mastiff after the upgrade. She thought for a moment and said, "Might as well give you a name now."
After a brief half-minute of reflection, Xu Zhi came up with a name for her second spirit pet.
"You shall be called Gouzi from now on."
The large dog on the pixelated screen couldn't hear her words. It simply stood there, idly wagging its tail, unaware that it had been given a rather casual name.
Xu Zhi checked the time and realized that two hours had already passed, which was the time she had agreed to meet the sister.
"Let's go, Xiaoyi. Let's see if that young lady has returned."
She didn't use the wheelchair this time, as it was indeed inconvenient without an elevator.
As she climbed the stairs, she suddenly thought about Gouzi's size, which was now comparable to a Tibetan mastiff. She contemplated that if Gouzi grew even larger, it could probably be used as a mount. Then, when she needed to go out, why would she even need a wheelchair?
Xu Zhi's frail body made her feel a bit breathless after climbing just one floor. She stood outside the door, took a moment to catch her breath, and then knocked on the door.
Soon, a voice from inside the door replied, "Who is it?"
Xu Zhi realized that there was indeed no problem with her ears. Even through the door, she could recognize that this voice was indeed the one she had heard two hours ago.
"Sister, I'm here to meet you as we agreed."
She replied in a sweet and obedient tone, sounding like a well-behaved child.
The other party remained silent for a moment, and Xu Zhi heard footsteps approaching the door. She stepped back slightly, and Xiaoyi, beside her, hissed and kept a close watch on the door.
Soon, the door opened, revealing the young lady she had seen in the morning. She still looked the same, but her sportswear was covered with dirty blood stains. It seemed she had just returned home and hadn't had time to change her clothes when the knock came.
With that amount of blood loss, if it were her own blood, she probably wouldn't be able to stand.
"Did you go hunting just now, sister?"
Xu Zhi smiled and asked, and the other party didn't hide it, nodding and giving a subtle glance at Xiaoyi, her expression tense. She was probably still wary of this strange girl and the large snake.
But since she had chosen not to flee and had opened the door as agreed, even if she still had her guard up, she didn't intend to create any conflict. So, the woman stepped aside slightly, making way for Xu Zhi to enter.
"Come in and take a seat. I'll go change my clothes."
She gestured at the bloodstains on her clothes, which were indeed quite prominent. Xu Zhi also noticed that the woman's fingers were heavily callused, unlike her own delicate and tender fingers. They looked quite strong and suitable for holding a knife.
"Thank you for having me."
Xu Zhi politely entered and sat down on the couch. Seeing this, the woman hesitated for a moment but then decided to bring her a glass of mineral water in a paper cup before going to change her clothes.
"Thank you." The girl spoke in a soft tone, sounding quite vulnerable if one didn't see the large snake coiled at her feet.
Only, although she behaved very well, she didn't reach out to touch the glass of water from start to finish.