Klee didn't have a big appetite. In fact, after eating the mushrooms Lu Heng had picked for her, she was already a little full.
Tartaglia was busy trying to comprehend the profound mysteries of the Yin-Yang duality and didn't pay attention to his frog.
The kind-hearted Klee took care of it instead.
"Froggie, eat this~"
"And this~"
The Crimson Calamity Toad accepted everything without hesitation.
Especially when Klee fed it a big bowl of mushroom soup.
They say all the nutrients are in the broth, and this bowl of mushroom soup was packed with immense energy.
As the toad drank, crackling sparks danced across its back.
Ribbit!
The Crimson Calamity Toad let out a croak.
A powerful aura erupted from its body.
Lu Heng set down his chopsticks, swiftly scooped Klee into his arms to shield her, then opened a small spatial rift about the size of his palm. He grabbed the toad and tossed it inside.
"What's going on?!"
Tartaglia was startled.
"That frog of yours seems to have touched the threshold of a god's power," Venti said gravely. "It's too sudden. If it breaks through here, the resulting energy surge could flatten this entire area."
"It's breaking through," Lu Heng explained. "Its card experience was almost full to begin with. Add in those mushrooms and a big bowl of soup, and it was bound to happen."
"It can actually happen like this?!"
Tartaglia wasn't worried about the toad being thrown too far by Lu Heng—he was just shocked that it was breaking through!
"This is one of the perks of pet cards," Lu Heng said with a smile. "If you want to level up faster, you can use card experience. But pets can also improve by eating or training on their own."
This situation was the latter—the Crimson Calamity Toad was breaking through naturally.
"I was planning to decompose more cards after dinner to push it straight to Tier 5!" Tartaglia laughed.
He still had a pile of undecomposed cards left, having paused the process when dinner was served.
But now...
"If I feed all my remaining cards to Froggie, would you feel pressured?" Tartaglia grinned at Zhongli.
Zhongli shook his head. "Not much."
Back during the Archon War, he had slain countless gods with a single thrust of his spear.
Unless Tartaglia could push the Crimson Calamity Toad straight to late-stage Tier 5 in one go.
But if he had that much experience, why not upgrade his own equipment instead?
"Alright."
Tartaglia wasn't too disappointed.
Not being able to pressure Zhongli didn't mean Froggie wasn't strong.
"Before coming to Liyue, I did some research. Take the Vortex God sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest, for example," Tartaglia said. "If Froggie reaches Tier 5, how would it compare to the Vortex God?"
Zhongli shook his head. "I'm not sure."
"It probably wouldn't be weaker than the Vortex God," Lu Heng offered his opinion.
Osial, the Vortex God, wasn't particularly strong among the gods.
Anyone who could be sealed with a single spear strike from Zhongli couldn't be that powerful.
"The Crimson Calamity Toad is a demonic beast with a formidable physique, but natural-born gods also possess strong bodies and divine authority. At early Tier 5, it would struggle against Osial at his peak. But now..."
After being sealed underwater for so many years, Osial's remaining power was probably negligible.
"Good enough."
Tartaglia was immediately reassured.
The next moment.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the sea outside the window.
A powerful aura was spreading from that direction.
Hundreds of kilometers away on the open sea.
The Crimson Calamity Toad fell from midair, its body rapidly expanding.
When it grew as massive as a mountain, it simply sprawled across the water's surface.
Boom—
Lightning crackled endlessly along its crimson skin, flowing through the patterns on its back.
Ribbit!
Boom!
The unrestrained aura of a Tier 5 entity erupted outward.
Terrifying bolts of lightning encircled the toad's body.
Zzzzt—
The powerful electricity struck the water, instantly turning the area into a pool of lightning.
After a long while.
The Crimson Calamity Toad finally shrank back to its normal size and began hopping across the sea toward Liyue.
Beneath Guyun Stone Forest.
Over the centuries, the erosion of seawater had worn down the stone spears, yet they remained like steel nails, pinning a massive creature in the dark depths.
Here, there was no sky—only the eternal silence of the abyss.
Occasionally, in the dead of night, undercurrents would stir, carrying the mournful curses of the defeated.
The Vortex God had been sealed here for untold years.
It could barely even struggle anymore.
It remained silent as always.
But suddenly—
Zzzzt—
Electricity coursed through the water, spreading aimlessly.
It was followed by an overwhelming aura.
"?"
(For the most thrilling novels, head to FlyLo Literature!)
Startled by the sudden shock, Osial jolted awake.
An entirely unfamiliar presence... A newly ascended god?
What was the meaning of shocking him like this?
[...014504419 FlyLo 220530140]
In the night sky.
The Jade Chamber trembled slightly.
"What's happening?" Ningguang stared toward the horizon.
The god-like aura was so immense that the grand Jade Chamber felt as fragile as a leaf boat in comparison.
From the sky came a deafening—RIBBIT!
Everyone in Liyue Harbor could hear it clearly!
"That sound... a frog?"
Ningguang recalled the intel on her desk.
The moment Tartaglia appeared in Liyue, investigations had begun.
The Crimson Calamity Toad he often carried was also a subject of interest.
Tartaglia never hid it—in fact, he loved showing off its potential when asked.
So information about the toad wasn't exactly a secret!
"It's already comparable to a god?"
A god... Who could face a god without trembling?
Only those with equal power could remain calm, right?
Ningguang's heart was in turmoil.
The card shop had opened at noon.
But Ningguang hadn't gone immediately.
Was it because she was busy?
She was busy.
But were any of her tasks important enough to delay a visit to the card shop?
The real reason Ningguang hadn't gone right away was that she was counting her cash!
Other high-ranking officials in Liyue who knew about the shop had the same idea.
Would they just stroll in with pocket change to draw cards?
This wasn't some casual test—of course they needed enough funds before going!
The distant aura gradually faded.
Ningguang relaxed and decided to rest. She would wake up early tomorrow to visit the shop.
...
The Crimson Calamity Toad's overwhelming aura sent countless Liyue citizens into panic.
Even after its presence vanished, unease lingered.
Docks, streets, teahouses, restaurants—everywhere, people whispered nervously.
The Crimson Calamity Toad hopped from the water to the docks, then weaved through streets and crowds, heading back toward Liuli Pavilion.
The terrified citizens had no idea that the source of that terrifying aura was the red-backed frog that had just passed them by.
Outside Liuli Pavilion.
"Everyone full?" Tartaglia asked.
"Full, thanks!"
Venti felt like he had recovered a fair bit—his energy was returning.
"Thank you for the meal." Zhongli was also in good spirits.
"Let's head back to the shop first. I'll decompose the rest of my cards, then we can... work off the meal!" Tartaglia was beyond excited for the upcoming "digestion exercise."
This was his long-awaited chance to challenge Morax!
He was practically vibrating with anticipation.
They made their way through the streets back to the shop.
By then, the Crimson Calamity Toad had also returned, hopping inside.
"Froggie's back~"
Klee waved cheerfully.
Ribbit ribbit ribbit.
Though she couldn't understand it, Klee could tell it was happy too.
"Have fun, you two."
Tartaglia's focus was entirely on the card decomposer.
The progress bar might have been slow, but it was tangible improvement!
Progress—so satisfying!
After feeding the last batch of cards into the decomposer and converting them into experience for his equipment...
21%!
Tier 5 was a massive leap—even 20% was nothing to scoff at!
"Every 10% counts as a minor breakthrough. You're now at the second minor stage of Tier 5," Lu Heng said with a smile.
"I feel powerful!"
Tartaglia fastened the equipment to his waist.
After stretching, his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
"Where do we go?!"
"Sure."
The energy from the mushroom soup was immense.
Zhongli hadn't fully digested it either—some exercise would do him good!
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T/N:
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