Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Morning.
Li Yue’s face was flushed as she lay under the beast-skin quilt. Her ears perked up at the exclamations coming from the hall.
Her curiosity was piqued, and she murmured to herself, “Should I go out and see what the crystal fish looks like?”
The white-haired girl had only ever read descriptions of the crystal fish from the Moon Lake Tribe’s bounty postings. She had never seen one in person.
“I’ll just take a look.” Unable to resist her curiosity, Li Yue got up, tidied herself, and tiptoed to the door.
Peeking her head out, she saw Mu Liang and Mino talking by the large bath tub in the corner of the hall.
Mu Liang sensed her presence and turned to wave her over. “Li Yue, come meet our new family member.”
“Oh, coming.” Li Yue bit her lip, her face tinged with red as she moved toward them.
At that moment, refusal wasn’t even an option in her mind.
As Li Yue approached, Mino scooted closer to Mu Liang, leaving space for her.
“Thank you,” Li Yue said softly.
“N-no problem,” Mino stammered, nervously waving her hands.
Li Yue smiled faintly before glancing down at the half-metre-long crystal fish in the bath tub. Her usually calm expression turned to one of surprise.
Was the crystal fish supposed to be this big?
This didn’t match the descriptions from the Moon Lake Tribe’s bounty at all.
Wasn’t it supposed to be the size of a palm?
Mu Liang noticed her astonishment and teased, “Not quite what you expected, is it?”
“Not at all—it’s far too large,” Li Yue replied, unaware of the mischievous glint in his eyes.
“I’ve always been curious—what does the Moon Lake Tribe offer as a reward for the crystal fish?” Mu Liang asked.
After all, the crystal fish could condense water, making it as valuable as a treasure trove in the wasteland.
Water could be used as currency in this world, and it was universally accepted.
“A seat among the elders of the Moon Lake Tribe, one-twentieth of the water produced by the crystal fish, a large house, twenty slaves, and ten thousand pounds of dried meat…”
Li Yue furrowed her snowy-white brows as she recited the bounty’s details in her cold voice.
“Enough. You don’t have to go on,” Mu Liang said, rubbing his temples. The Moon Lake Tribe had certainly spared no expense.
Even he found the bounty tempting, let alone others.
Mino, meanwhile, was dumbfounded. Her blue eyes stared blankly at the crystal fish in the bath tub as her mind fixated on the phrase
.
“So now you see why the crystal fish will attract many prying eyes,” Li Yue said, noting Mu Liang’s troubled expression. A faint smile curled her lips before she quickly composed herself.
Her tone turned serious as she warned, “Especially the elder’s seat in the Moon Lake Tribe. That represents a position of authority over tens of thousands of people, sure to attract ambitious and capable individuals.”
“It seems I’ll need to make some extra preparations,” Mu Liang said, deciding to revise his plans.
“What? Are you still planning to go to the Moon Lake Tribe?” Li Yue froze, taken aback by his response.
She tried to persuade him earnestly, “Bringing the crystal fish there will be dangerous. There’s no need to go to the Moon Lake Tribe. You could visit another tribe instead.”
“Another tribe? Are there any larger than the Moon Lake Tribe?” Mu Liang asked curiously.
“Yes. If you travel east for about twenty days, you’ll find the Golden Lion Tribe,” Li Yue replied, pointing in the direction of the Rock-Armoured Turtle.
“Twenty days? That’s too far.” Mu Liang shook his head after some thought.
He needed a large number of ferocious beast crystals urgently and didn’t want to waste time on a long journey.
As long as he had enough evolution points, the Moon Lake Tribe wouldn’t pose any threat.
“It’s precisely because it’s farther that it would help avoid the most dangerous period,” Li Yue argued.
Her intention was to have Mu Liang avoid the initial fallout of Blood Beard’s loss of the crystal fish.
If the major powers believed the thief had fled far away, he could return to the Moon Lake Tribe after some time had passed.
“Sometimes, danger is an opportunity,” Mu Liang said, patting her shoulder before turning toward the table.
“Ugh…” Li Yue sighed in frustration, knowing her efforts were in vain.
This peculiar man was just too stubborn.
“It’ll be fine, really,” Mino said timidly, seeing Li Yue’s helpless expression. “We should trust Mu Liang. He’s really amazing.”
“It’s because he doesn’t know what he’s up against…” Li Yue began, but the worry in Mino’s blue eyes stopped her mid-sentence.
She pressed her lips together and changed her tone. “Yes, Mu Liang is truly incredible. Nothing will happen to him.”
“Hehe… I’ll go make breakfast,” Mino said, smiling in relief as she skipped off to the kitchen.
“When did I become this naïve?” Li Yue muttered to herself, staring at the crystal fish in the bath tub. Its rippling water reflected a blurry image of her face.
In just two short days, she felt like she was no longer herself.
The white-haired girl had always prepared for the worst—an attitude that had kept her alive until now.
“…”
Mu Liang, observing her despondent figure, couldn’t help but think,
He understood, though. His true capabilities were his secret, and it was natural for others to feel concerned.
He called out, “Li Yue, come here. I need your help.”
“What is it?” Li Yue asked, snapping out of her thoughts as she approached the table.
Holding up a piece of beast skin, Mu Liang asked, “Do you recognise these characters?”
Li Yue leaned closer, scanning the text.
She tilted her chin slightly and said, “Of course. These are beast-shaped characters.”
“They’re also called pictographs?” Mu Liang asked, surprised.
He hadn’t expected oracle bone pictographs in this world to be referred to the same way.
“They’ve always been called pictographs. Anyone with basic knowledge knows that,” Li Yue said, rolling her eyes.
She couldn’t understand why he was acting so dense today.
Mu Liang chose not to explain further and shifted the topic. “What does it say?”
“Hmm… let me see.”
Li Yue took the beast skin and studied it, her snowy brows furrowing as she tried to decipher it.
Muttering softly, she said, “Too, too… Oh, it’s
.”
“…”
Watching her struggle, Mu Liang immediately understood.
He squinted and said, “Li Yue, you can’t read, can you?”
“…” Li Yue stiffened, gripping the beast skin tightly.
Her expression remained calm as she retorted coldly, “Who says I can’t read? Of course I can.”
“Oh, really?” Mu Liang raised an eyebrow.
He pointed to three characters on the beast skin and asked with a sly smile, “Then can you tell me what these say?”
“Of course I can.”
Li Yue’s lips twitched slightly, her tone less confident. “The first one is…
.”
“I recognise the other two as well. Don’t rush me; let me think.”
“I’m not saying anything,” Mu Liang said, smiling faintly.