Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 234 Animal Messengers
An emergency online meeting was convened on Earth, and Su Ming was quickly given a reply.

During the experiment, the core material, excited by a green laser, released light of a different frequency with extremely high intensity. The photosensitive elements on the instrument were completely burned out.

"We were wearing goggles, so why were we still burned?" Su Ming questioned.

“The goggles will filter out the laser wavelengths involved in the experiment,” Sang Zi explained, “but the light generated this time is a different frequency band.”

Su Ming paused for a moment, then said, "...Alright, let's resolve this."

"Didn't you even consider the most basic safety measures in the operating procedures you provided?!" Jin Rongjia threw the materials in his hand onto the table.

The experts exchanged bewildered glances, none daring to explain that this was standard laboratory procedure. With a 0.01-watt laser, as long as direct exposure to the eyes was avoided, no one would have imagined such a scenario.

The biggest violation they ever committed was someone putting their hand into a laser beam to see if they could remove spots on the back of their hand.

"What kind of situation is this, and you're still following conventional thinking? Are you all brainless?!" Jin Rongjia scolded. "Solve the problem first, then learn from this experience and develop countermeasures for similar situations in the future. Assigning responsibility and giving self-criticisms can wait!"

****
Youth Civilization Model Unit.

After tidying up the lab, Su Ming immediately went to check on Zi Jin. Her injuries were relatively stable, but her eyes were still painful.

Gerus explained that treatment needs to be done gradually, and one should not overdo it in a single session.

She put a blindfold on Violet to prevent her from being exposed to light during this time.

"It's not a big problem. I'll just rely on my omniscient vision for now." Zi Jin was very calm.

But Su Ming was still annoyed. He jumped off the train and saw that Hanster had finished replenishing the train's boiler water. White steam rose from the boiler and water pipes, some of it condensing into ice and clinging to Hanster's clothes.

Su Ming took a deep breath of the cold air and closed his eyes to calm himself down. What had just happened had left him emotionally disoriented, and he tried to regain his composure.

A chirping sound came from his feet. Su Ming looked down and saw a furry squirrel squatting on the snow, its black bean-like eyes staring straight at him.

Su Ming had sensed the little creature lingering nearby, but he hadn't expected it to approach on its own. Many small animals actually lurked in this snowfield, usually cowering motionless in their burrows in fear when the Youth Civilization passed by.

But this squirrel wasn't afraid at all; instead, it actively came to the human's feet, which was quite unusual. For small wild animals, a huge creature like a human should be something to be avoided at all costs.

Su Ming called to the White Skull, who immediately brought a handful of nuts and scattered them on the snow. The little squirrel immediately picked up the nuts and ate them with gusto. A small gold coin rolled onto the snow with its movement, shimmering in the sunlight.

Why is there a payment option?
Su Ming looked at the gold coin and noticed residual bloodstains on it. He focused his senses and discovered that the gold coin was emitting a peculiar aura.

Northern squirrels hibernate. To be suddenly confronted by a squirrel offering blood-stained gold coins is very strange!
Hansfield noticed it too. He walked over and looked at it, quite puzzled. "An animal messenger?"

"what is that?"

“It’s a nature-based spell that allows small animals to deliver messages,” Hanster replied, then looked around warily.

"[Violet, we have guests.]" Su Ming contacted the scholar and explained the situation. The girl immediately wrapped herself in a cloak, flew out of the carriage, and began to explore the surroundings.

Su Ming also took out his tablet and connected it to the radar. He continuously adjusted the parameters and performed a cross-scan of the surroundings.

Qiluo ran out, also wearing an eye patch, but only covering one eye. She looked around, "Strange, everything around seems normal."

Zijin returned quickly, spreading her hands at Su Ming, "I didn't find anything."

“Radar too,” Su Ming said.

On the snow, the little squirrel stuffed all the nuts into its mouth, bulging its cheek pouches, and then hopped away.

Su Ming stretched out his hand, and a small magic ball attached itself to the squirrel.

Tracking spell, 'Dark Beacon!'

****
Yunier took a sample bag and carefully put the gold coins inside.

This is a gold coin issued in the Star Empire's standard, and it is rare in the North. However, the weight of gold coins is standardized across the major countries of the continent, so it is not unusual for one to appear occasionally.

Qiluo hummed an off-key tune as she used her remaining eye to examine the gold coin closely.

"Ugh, what an annoying aura of the God of Nature." She pouted. "Su Ming, someone actually delivered a letter to you in this desolate wilderness!"

"Is it wrong for people to have lovers?" Newman retorted sarcastically.

He picked up the sample bag containing the gold coins and noticed a faint leaf-shaped engraving on the edge of one of the coins. "It really is a letter!" he exclaimed, puzzled. "How could anyone use gold coins to blaspheme the god of nature, Oby Hai?"

“Perhaps they don’t see it as blasphemy,” Su Ming said. “Using gold coins might be a way of showing piety!”

“Kid, normally we have to use wooden products,” Newman said. “They’re cheap and they prevent the letters from being intercepted en route.”

This reason was undeniable. Zi Jin reached out her hand to Su Ming beside her, gesturing for him to hand her the gold coins.

Lacking proprioception, omniscient vision cannot be fully replaced. While violets can perceive their surroundings, they have limitations in terms of detail and distance.

Su Ming took the gold coin back from Newman and gently placed it in the scholar's slender palm.

Newman wanted to say something, but wisely kept quiet.

“There are traces of memory on it,” Zijin said after concentrating on her senses. “It should be a picture. It would be best to find a follower of the God of Nature; they should have a way to decipher it.”

Su Ming subconsciously looked at Qi Luo, who immediately stomped her feet in dissatisfaction, "Why are you looking at me? I am a pure believer of the Moon Goddess!"

“Don’t expect anything from her,” Zijin told Su Ming. “Obai Hai’s doctrines clash with those of the Moon Goddess.”

Oberyn Hae advocated that the laws of nature should not be interfered with, while the moon goddess, who also possessed natural attributes, championed active intervention.

Such systems, which are clearly similar but diverge in detail, are most likely to cause serious conflict.

Just like football fans and basketball fans each advocating that their favorite sport is the greatest, it won't cause any serious consequences. But if fans of two derby football teams were to clash, the scene would absolutely erupt in excitement.

This is yet another blind spot in Su Ming's knowledge.

****
"But how did they get the squirrel to find Su Ming?" Hanster asked. "As far as I know, nature-type 'animal messengers' can only send small animals to and from fixed locations."

So their first suspicion was that the messenger was spying nearby. But they had already searched the surrounding area thoroughly and found nothing.

“There’s another possibility,” Yunier suddenly said. “For example, if this gold coin was given by Su Ming, then we could use ‘Return Items’ to guide the ‘Animal Messenger’.”

Su Ming shook his head. After arriving in the North, all his valuables were obtained through "zero-yuan purchases." The only time he used gold coins was to buy milk powder in Turkmen City. However, at that time, he used the local gold coins of the Cold Mountain Kingdom given to him by Catherine—the Star Queen, who was on the run, and acted with great caution.

However, Yunier was clearly the most knowledgeable, and everyone turned their attention to this junior clerk.

“Ah, I follow the doctrine of the God of Nature,” Yunier explained, glancing cautiously at Kira. “On Brown Gold Island, there are many believers like me, and we sometimes exchange messages in this way.”

Qi Luo immediately took a step away from her and snorted, "As expected, it's a heretic trying to poison this beast with food!"

Gerndahl smoothed things over, saying, "Doctrine disputes should not involve believers in general!"

“No, I think she’s just still upset about the food incident,” Su Ming said, exposing her ignorance.

Yunier wore a helpless expression. Ever since she saw the unicorn, she had quietly put away the oak leaf badge she always wore.

Although the two factions are indeed at odds, the Moon Goddess has few followers, while the God of Nature has many followers but no formal church organization.

Generally speaking, neither side will take it too seriously.

****
It was too cold outside, so everyone returned to the warm carriage.

Hanster brought over a bowl of popcorn and handed it to Qiluo. The unicorn immediately stopped its muttering, and the carriage was filled with the crisp sound of crunching, the sweet aroma of butter filling the air.

"Don't these spells require mental energy?" Su Ming asked, voicing his doubts. He carefully examined Yunier, confirming once again that this quiet scribe was just an ordinary person.

“All that’s needed is a very low barrier to entry,” Yunier explained softly. “The blessings of the God of Nature extend to all living beings, and even ordinary people like me can benefit from them.”

Violet handed over the gold coin, which Yunier accepted. The junior clerk held the coin with both hands, her brow furrowing slightly. "However, this is the first time I've seen a 'message' written in gold—how should we interpret this 'naturalness'?"

“Yunier, the wind weathers rocks, and rain carries gold dust into rivers. Is this considered natural?” Violet asked, her voice gentle, like flowing spring water.

"Wind, frost, rain, and dew, of course!"

"You pick fruit in the wild, is that natural?"

"The interaction between plants and humans also counts!"

“Then,” Violet continued, “gold prospectors use simple tools to pan for gold fragments from the mud and sand—that’s only natural!”

“The rise and fall of all things is natural,” Su Ming said, only to find that Zi Jin had already used magic to silence him and even glared at him.

"Don't go into too much detail; she's just an ordinary person." Violet said with displeasure, "Do you think everyone is like you, drained of their essence and still alive?"

Are you insulting me or praising me?

Yunier closed her eyes, focusing intently on the gold coin in her hand. Gradually, a faint luster appeared on the surface of the coin, as translucent as a dewdrop in the morning light.

(End of this chapter)