This was the first time Bai Jie had used Mutation Venom on a non-human creature.
As the liquid, translucent but tinged with a pink-purple glow, entered the little snake's body, the snake's writhing intensified.
"Evil bug! Big monster..."
The cursing still echoed, but after only a few seconds, the little snake inexplicably quieted down, its entire body going limp as if drained of strength. Bai Jie even heard pleasant moans like "feels so good."
Confirming that the little snake had begun to undergo transformation, Bai Jie then placed the meteorite fragment in his mouth and absorbed the numinous essence.
The spirit devouring was complete after just a few minutes. The spider still felt no drowsiness, so he opened his Status Panel.
Name: Bai Jie
Title: ...
Race/Species: ...
Vitality: 64
Skills: Advanced Intimidation Lv.3, Stealth Camouflage Lv.3, Mutation Venom Lv.4, Egg-Laying Lv.4, Leg-Blade Slash Lv.10, Bite Lv.10, Razor Spider Silk Lv.10, Urticating Hair Poison Needles Lv.11, Poison Arrow Shot Lv.12 (MAX), Corrosive Deadly Toxin Lv.12 (MAX)
Talents: Poison-Refining Gu, Spirit-Devouring Body, Thunder and Lightning Dominion
Satiety: 76%
Body Length: Leg Span 86cm
"Although this meteorite fragment isn't as large as the one Zheng Yueling had, its numinous essence is even greater, causing my Vitality to directly rise by 6 points."
"Very good. However, it seems this little snake had already absorbed a portion of the numinous essence from the meteorite fragment, otherwise I could have become even stronger."
Bai Jie did not intend to absorb the little snake's numinous essence, even though absorbing it would not necessarily cause the other party's death.
If when the little snake first transmitted its voice to him, a slight interest had merely been born in Bai Jie's heart,
then when the little snake gifted him the meteorite fragment and begged for mercy, Bai Jie had already dismissed any thought of hunting it.
The first reason was - Bai Jie found this little snake extremely interesting.
The deeper essence behind this was that, ever since Bai Jie had reincarnated as a spider, he had never had anyone he could talk to normally.
Although Bai Jie could text Chen Zhang, he was fated never to reveal too much to Chen Zhang, and the experiences after becoming a spider could not be mentioned in a single word.
As for Lin Binbin as his Agent, that needed even less to be said. Bai Jie had to ensure that the master-servant power dynamic between him and Lin Binbin remained stable, fostering distance and a sense of mystery.
The second reason was - aside from the Blood-Shade Spider Queen, Zheng Yueling, and himself, the little snake was one of the very few creatures Bai Jie had encountered that possessed numinous essence within yet had not gone out of control.
Therefore, Bai Jie chose to inject the little snake with Mutation Venom.
The gold-and-white little snake opened its bleary, ruby-like eyes and awoke.
By now, the little snake had already been set down from Bai Jie's forelimbs and was lying on a rock beside the pool. But when the little snake saw Bai Jie, it surprisingly did not choose to flee.
The little snake asked in its crisp manner: "What did you do to me? I feel so comfortable, as if I've become stronger."
Gave you a dose of super-strength formula... the miniature figure in Bai Jie's heart silently snarked.
Target: Gold-Jade Spirit Snake (Awakened Form)
Vitality: 14
Body Length: 30cm
Status: Stable
(Faint Numinous Essence Reaction Detected)
To think that after being transformed by Mutation Venom, it had directly become an Awakened Form lifeform.
Bai Jie was rather surprised.
Moreover, the gold on the little snake's body now had a richer texture, and the scales all over its body glistened like jade with a spiritual luster.
Bai Jie was basically certain that the little snake had just completed its evolution.
The reason the little snake did not flee was, first, because it knew Bai Jie had given it tremendous benefits and most likely harbored no malice.
Second, it felt that the enormous spider before it was extremely powerful, and it had even developed a sense of closeness and attachment toward the spider.
"Anyway, thank you for everything. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now?"
The gold-and-white little snake carefully transmitted its voice, inquiring.
But in the next instant, it suddenly heard an incomparably enchanting yet noble voice: "Now, you can hear me speak."
The gold-and-white little snake immediately froze.
It was the first time it had so clearly heard another creature's spiritual thought transmission directed at it.
And what was more, this tone of voice uncontrollably stirred a desire within it to get close to the other.
"Are you... big sister?"
"Why can I hear your voice?"
Bai Jie forcefully suppressed the urge to facepalm and said: "I gave you a bit of a fortuitous opportunity, which is why a mental resonance now exists between us, allowing us to converse."
The gold-and-white little snake raised its upper body, continuously flicking its pink tongue, its eyes brimming with adoration: "Wow, although I don't understand, big sister you're so amazing~"
Hearing these soft, boneless-sounding words and the drawn-out, lingering lilt, Bai Jie felt immensely satisfied.
But he did not forget to correct the little snake's mistaken form of address:
"My name is Bai Zhi. Do you have a name?"
The gold-and-white little snake replied foolishly: "A name? A name... it seems I don't have one..."
Bai Jie immediately seized the opportunity to interject: "In that case, I will bestow a name upon you. You'll share my surname. Let's call you 'Bai Huahua,' how about it?"
He would never admit that he enjoyed playing raising-sim games, and even less would he admit that he was terrible at naming things.
"Bai Huahua, Bai Huahua..."
The gold-and-white little snake murmured to itself, and then its ruby-like eyes suddenly lit up. Joyfully, it said: "I'll listen to big sister Bai Zhi."
Bai Jie: "Uh... how about this - why don't you call me Lord Bai Zhi?"
Bai Huahua: "Sure thing, big sister Bai Zhi."
Bai Jie: "I said, you may call me Lord Bai Zhi."
Bai Huahua: "Right away, big sister Bai Zhi."
Bai Jie: "???"
Suppressing the desire to crack open the other's skull and the thought of electro-grilling a corn snake, Bai Jie changed the subject.
From Bai Huahua, he learned that the reason she had been able to evolve to such a degree in this small stone pool was almost entirely thanks to that meteorite fragment.
Since Bai Huahua did not possess the "Spirit-Devouring Body" talent, she could only passively receive the meteorite fragment's radiation, or rather, its nurturing influence.
It had taken about half a month for Bai Huahua to grow to her current stage, which could be said to be neither fast nor slow.
Bai Jie asked her again how the meteorite fragment had appeared, and the latter only replied that the fragment's appearance had been without any warning at all, and she simply did not know.
Bai Jie roughly deduced that after the meteorite as a whole disappeared from the authorities' hands, it must have shattered into a great number of fragments that scattered to every corner of the city.
At the same time, Bai Jie also surmised that none of the fragments still contained the eldritch purple-light creatures, so it was apparent that the eldritch purple light had, for some reason, detached itself from the meteorite, yet would also gather the scattered meteorite fragments.
This point could be inferred from the presence of a meteorite fragment in Zheng Yueling's home.
"You can go back now."
Bai Jie had finished asking his questions, and seeing that it was getting late, decided to return to his base.
With a soft "plip," Bai Huahua dove into the pool, stirring virtually no ripples.
"Big sister Bai Zhi, will you come by this area again in the future?"
Bai Huahua's head poked above the water's surface, her snake body wriggling back and forth underwater.
What she actually wanted to ask was whether Bai Jie would visit her again.
"Perhaps." Bai Jie replied aloofly, then turned and left.
Bai Huahua submerged her face in the water, blowing tiny bubbles, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.
Suddenly, she heard that cool and clear yet charmingly magnetic voice again: "Tomorrow, I will still be hunting in this vicinity."
The gold-and-white little snake's eyes instantly regained their lively sparkle, and she swam back and forth within the pool, swaying.
...
On the way back, Bai Jie did not forget to bring along the "venomous bug snacks" he had bundled up earlier.
But what Bai Jie never expected was that these "venomous bug snacks" would ultimately not end up in his own mouth.
The moment he climbed up to the tree spider nest, the silk-wrapped bundle in Bai Jie's grip fell onto the floor web with a slap, and his entire body went rigid, like a sculpture weathered over a thousand years.
Reflected in his eyes were unmistakably three small, transparent golden spiders, each the size of a palm!