"Yay! Then let's go!"
The moment she heard there was good food to be had, March 7th tossed all her worries to the wind, grabbed Caelus's arm, and started running.
"I saw a stall selling Berrypheasant Skewers when we passed by earlier. I've been craving them!"
"Slow down, I still need to contact Uncle Yang and the others," Caelus said, letting March 7th drag him along while he pulled out his phone with his free hand to send them a message.
[Caelus: We've wrapped things up here for now. Where are you guys? Let's meet up, I'll fill you in on what happened.]
[Welt: Send us your location. We'll be there shortly.]
Caelus didn't send his location right away. He waited until March 7th had dragged him to a stop in front of a small food stall before sharing it.
"Proprietor! Three Berrypheasant Skewers to start!"
"Coming right up!"
After placing the order, March 7th eagerly scanned the menu hanging at the stall, seeing what other delicious things were on offer.
Caelus, meanwhile, took the opportunity to study the Brittle Bone Disease MOD he had just acquired.
Because the MOD he received was a standalone version, the sub-modules for Flesh Forging and Mechanical Power that were originally part of the Brittle Bone Disease pack weren't included. This meant he couldn't craft some of the exclusive Mechanical Power or Flesh-crafting organs using their original recipes.
However, the system had taken this into account and provided alternate recipes for these exclusive organs. For example, the Rose Quartz series of organs from Mechanical Power could now be crafted by mixing materials with certain real-world machines, but the materials themselves were rather difficult to gather. Things like "Iridescent Compounds" would require him to research how to produce them on his own.
Caelus took one look and decisively gave up on the path of mechanical ascension. At least for the short term, it wouldn't be able to increase his strength enough to help him fight Phantylia.
So, was there an organ he could craft quickly and easily that would provide a significant power boost?
You bet your sweet bippy there is!
Caelus immediately found the recipes for the Glutton King series of organs. The core component of this series was the [Glutton King], an organ that replaced the stomach. When inside the chest cavity, it would provide base attack power and health based on the hunger and satiety values of the various foods stored within.
It was an organ that was very easy to craft and obtain in the early game, and it remained relevant even in the mid-to-late game.
The only thing was, the organ needed to be evolved step-by-step. Caelus looked at the recipe for the most basic Stomach Template Organ and found that its recipe had also been modified. Now, it only required nine normal stomachs to be crafted directly.
As for the Organ Container needed for further evolution, that still required a Drop of the Departed and seven glass. The materials were manageable.
"March, wait here for me for a sec."
"What's up?" March 7th asked, confused.
Caelus just waved his hand without explaining. After telling her to wait, he immediately found a high platform, looked down, and confirmed that the height was sufficient to kill him if he took off his ticket. Only then did he set down a bed nearby and lie down on it.
After setting his respawn point, Caelus checked his minimap again. Confirming there was no one around, he took off the ticket pinned to his chest, deactivating his fall damage immunity. He then used a crafting table to make a Chest Opener and promptly removed his own stomach.
He had already confirmed that even if a Stellaron self-destructed, it would reappear in his inventory as long as he died. So, what about his own organs?
Caelus felt it was necessary to test this. If it worked, it would save him the trouble of finding a way to get eight other human stomachs. He could just be self-sufficient.
With all preparations complete, Caelus leaped from the high platform.
---o---
At the same time, directly below the platform was another world. Within a cool pavilion, a woman sat listening to a subordinate's report.
"Chief, the elixirs from the Alchemy Commission are being produced at an accelerated rate. My only concern is that if we increase production further, it will alert the other five commissions."
"No matter. Just continue to expedite the process. It is best if we have the required quantity before the day we agreed upon with that person. Otherwise, things will be difficult."
"Yes."
Just as the subordinate was preparing to leave, a black shadow fell rapidly from above his head and landed right in front of him with a heavy thud.
"Fuck!"
This sudden turn of events made him jump. The figure that had fallen crumpled to the ground, its body dissolving into a puff of green smoke. And even in "death," the person's eyes were still staring right at him.
"What's going on? People still use such an old-fashioned way to off themselves these days? And where did the body go? Am I hallucinating?"
Before he could figure out what was happening, another familiar black shadow fell from above, dying in the exact same posture as the one before.
Not long after, another shadow fell from above his head. Same posture, same method of death.
The Gardener of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus turned his head in a daze to look at the woman sitting behind him in the pavilion. Her eyes were covered by a layer of white cloth, so she couldn't clearly see what had just happened. She only knew that she had heard a series of thuds. She asked curiously, "Ziyue Ji, what just happened?"
"Chief... someone just committed suicide three times in a row... by falling to their death right in front of me..."
Thud!
"That makes four times... Chief."
The woman, addressed as Chief, revealed a look of bewilderment upon hearing this.
"Committed suicide four times? With the same method? The same posture?"
Thud!
"Yes, Chief. And that was the fifth time."
The woman was stunned. Had she misheard? Or was her subordinate under an illusion? But when had he been subjected to an illusion? Was there an enemy monitoring them nearby?
"Ziyue Ji, remember his face, and then go investigate!"
After giving the order, the woman stood up and left the pavilion. The situation was too strange; she had to leave first. She absolutely could not allow her identity to be discovered at a time like this.
"Yes, Chief."
Ziyue Ji did not leave. Instead, he took out the notebook he carried with him and began to sketch Caelus's portrait. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse each time, Caelus's suicidal rampage was still ongoing, giving him ample opportunity to capture his likeness.
---o---
Nine times later, Caelus had satisfactorily collected nine stomachs and crafted them into the template stomach organ. Next, he just needed to make a trip to the Nether to take care of a Drop of the Departed, and he could start evolving his Glutton King.
He did see two people below him when he jumped just now, but he was in a hurry to die and didn't check his minimap to see who they were. He figured they were probably just two passersby. Hopefully, he didn't scare them too much.