Facing Da Bai Tu's question, Zuo Feng found it truly difficult to give a clear answer, as he himself couldn't perceive the future changes of those two Lotus Seeds.
He had no connection with the two Mutant, as if they had completely cut off his perception of the outside world.
However, he unexpectedly gained two super skills, clearly inherited from the abilities of those two Mutant.
But Zuo Feng couldn't use these two skills, which greatly puzzled him; perhaps this was related to the two Mutant being sealed and falling into a deep sleep.
He tried to sense the consciousness of the Mutant, but it was like looking at flowers through a fog, always unable to touch the core.
This feeling was like facing two closed fortresses; no matter how hard he tried to probe, he couldn't find a breakthrough.
Zuo Feng also wasn't sure if the matter had succeeded or not; he gently shook his head and asked the little one again, "Little guy, how many zombie crystals will it take to fully awaken them?"
When the little one heard Zuo Feng's question, its small body visibly stiffened.
It poked half its body out from Xiao Mi Tao's arms, its small paw first drew a huge circle, seemingly wanting to express an extremely vast quantity, its small face full of heartache.
But then, it suddenly clutched its small head and shook it vigorously, emitting urgent and frightened "squeaks," its small face filled with lingering fear and trepidation.
Its small paw waved rapidly in the air, first drawing a tiny dot (representing one zombie crystal), then its paw suddenly pushed, and that tiny dot instantly expanded into a huge vortex that almost swallowed everything, at the same time it made a movement of being scared and rolling backward, its small eyes wide open.
Finally, it desperately pointed its small paw at the runes on the stone coffin and made a "covering" gesture, as if to say: a tiny bit of zombie crystal can pry open the seal and create cracks, but to truly awaken them and make them break free from the seal, the energy required is far beyond their imagination!
Moreover, this process could be extremely terrifying!
The little one even covered its eyes with its small paw, as if just imagining the scene was unbearable for it, and it even vividly patted its chest, its face full of fear.
Zuo Feng's mood plummeted.
The little one's reaction clearly conveyed two pieces of information:
First, the number of zombie crystals required was probably an astronomical figure, far exceeding what they could currently provide;
Second, and more crucially—the process of breaking the seal might be accompanied by unpredictable and immense danger, possibly even a destructive outburst, definitely not a peaceful awakening.
"An unimaginably vast quantity... and an uncontrollable outburst..."
Zuo Feng's voice was almost squeezed out through gritted teeth, every word heavy as a thousand pounds.
He understood the little one's meaning.
This stone coffin and the Mutant' clothing were both a seal and a safety catch.
Forcibly opening them would have unimaginable consequences.
But Zuo Feng was unwilling to give up; at this point, he had already used two Lotus Seeds, and two skill slots were occupied, yet these incredibly powerful skills could not be used.
His gaze slightly darkened, his heart churning with unwillingness and deliberation.
Zuo Feng narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Is one 13th grade zombie crystal enough?"
The little one's small paw trembled, then it shook its head desperately, its small paw waving so fast it almost created afterimages; it first made a "ten" gesture, then repeated it ten times.
Zuo Feng's heart jolted; one hundred 13th grade zombie crystals?
This number made him gasp, one hundred 13th grade zombie crystals, that was an almost unattainable astronomical figure.
Don't look at him having traded these two Mutant from Wen Wudao for 100 13th grade zombie crystals, but that was all obtained through coaxing and tricking with supplies, and it was installment payments.
If calculated with zombie crystals, one 13th grade zombie crystal is equal to one million seven-line zombie crystals, and one hundred 13th grade zombie crystals are equivalent to one hundred million seven-line zombie crystals, this is a despair-inducing astronomical figure, even all the Seven-Bar Zombies in the world combined don't have that many.
Zuo Feng's fist slowly clenched, finally turning into a helpless sigh; it seemed impossible to awaken these two Mutant in the short term.
As for the future, as zombies continue to evolve, perhaps enough high-grade zombie crystals could be collected, but this would require a long time and a vast accumulation of resources.
"A long and arduous journey..."
Zuo Feng sighed helplessly, but the little one's explanation did relieve the girls; at least for a short time, they didn't have to worry about the seal being accidentally broken, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It seems we can only temporarily treat them as 'collectibles'."
Zuo Feng's voice broke the frozen silence, carrying a hint of self-mockery, but also an undeniable decisiveness.
His gaze swept across the girls' beautiful faces, finally resting on Da Yuanyuan, Da Bai Tu, and Da Mi Tao; after a slight thought, he spoke:
"Da Bai Tu, Da Yuanyuan, Da Mi Tao, these two Mutant will be entrusted to your care from now on; if there are extra zombie crystals, prioritize supplying them."
Logically, the ownership of these two Mutant should belong to the young married woman and Xiao Chu Niang.
But these two Mutant were truly too special, Mutant with thirteen vertical bars; if their ownership were truly determined, even in their sleep, the other girls would feel unbalanced, after all, everyone understood what this level of existence meant once fully awakened.
Although girls who had relations with Zuo Feng could command the Mutant he subdued, companion beast were closer to those they spent more time with, and companion beast were no exception even when facing Zuo Feng.
Therefore, Zuo Feng weighed his options repeatedly and finally decided to entrust the responsibility of care to the three girls to avoid disputes.
The three girls exchanged glances, all seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes; they had just been secretly worried about this issue, and now that Zuo Feng had personally arranged it, it was naturally for the best, and no one had any reason to object.
Da Bai Tu nodded with a giggle, and Da Yuanyuan and Da Mi Tao also revealed sweet smiles, their eyes sparkling with undisguised joy; no one knew if the sleeping companion beast had any perception of the outside world.
Moreover, Zuo Feng's decision was undoubtedly a form of tacit approval, signifying Zuo Feng's trust and importance he placed on them.
"Alright, let's rest first; there's still a lot to do tomorrow."
Now that things were settled, Zuo Feng didn't need to dwell on gains and losses; tomorrow he still had to arrange for five people from City E to become Super Individuals, so he might as well get some good rest.
Anyway, these two thirteen-bar Mutant wouldn't wake up or run away; future matters could be discussed later.
The next morning at ten o'clock, Pan Yeluo, Wen Wudao, Mo Tianya, Jun Moce, and Jun Moce's son, five people, arrived early at Firefly; after a brief handover, Zuo Feng entrusted the five to Professor Yan.
Their evolution matters were handled entirely by Professor Yan, while Zuo Feng and the girls carefully observed the four newly acquired mutated plants.
One of them was the black vine that Pan Yeluo had exchanged with Yin Jiu's life; its entire body was smooth like black jade, emitting a cold luster, and the vine had 99 new flower buds.
Each flower bud was like a tightly closed eye, as if waiting for some summons in its sleep, and its efficacy was temporarily unknown.