Chapter 263: Salt-Baked Clam
Chapter 263: Salt-Baked Clam
The six or seven-meter-long Moon Clam lay sideways on the grass. It didn’t move a muscle, like a strange turtle that had pulled in its head and legs.
This comparison wasn’t perfect, but its pose was no different from a scared turtle. It just relied on its super tough, no-weak-spot shell to withstand everything.
Gao Jing put away his Barrett M107A1 and walked in front of the Moon Clam.
Even lying down, it was about a meter tall. Its shell, as white and smooth as jade, shimmered with a faint watery glow. It was lovelier than any precious stone in the world.
Gao Jing reached out and gave the shell a hard slap. It felt like hitting a huge rock.
The impact stung his palm a little.
According to the Hunter’s Atlas, a Moon Clam’s shell’s size and thickness were linked to its grade.
The higher the grade, the larger the clam and the thicker its shell, so naturally, its defense was better.
But how to deal with this thing?
Gao Jing looked up at the sky.
His first thought was the old tactic he used against Giant Warriors: fly high and drop rocks!
But after thinking it over, he decided against it.
Given the Moon Clam’s shape and hardness, dropping rocks would probably just drive it deeper into the mud. Smashing the shell was probably impossible.
Besides, the Great Swamp was full of birds. Flying high wasn’t a smart idea!
After weighing all this, Gao Jing temporarily shelved the rock-dropping plan.
Unless he was completely out of ideas, then he’d try it later.
A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he calmly circled the Moon Clam.
The Moon Clam gave no reaction at all.
Gao Jing abruptly stopped. His right arm shot up.
A Flame Blade instantly formed. Swathed in scorching flames, it slashed fiercely down onto the Moon Clam!
Thump!
With a muffled thud, the blade’s light shattered, scattering sparks. A straight slash mark appeared on the top shell, along with a scorched, yellowed spot.
After breaking through to the Great Totem Warrior level, Gao Jing’s strength had climbed a big step. Though he hadn’t yet achieved Beast Spirit Fusion, the power of his Totem Combat Arts was no longer what it had been.
This slash was many times more powerful than before, yet the damage to the Moon Clam was still almost nothing.
And then, ripples of light spread across the shell like clear water soaking into it. In an instant, the slash mark and scorched spot vanished completely, restored to perfect condition!
This showed just how strong the Moon Clam’s self-healing power was.
Gao Jing guessed it wouldn’t be long before this thing’s internal injuries were healed too.
Taking this lesson, getting another sniper shot opportunity later wouldn’t be easy at all!
Thoughts racing, Gao Jing dismissed the Flame Blade.
He backed up several big steps, leaving plenty of space.
The next moment, Gao Jing waved his hand.
Dozens of tons of coarse salt materialized out of thin air, covering a large area before him in a thick layer!
Gao Jing quickly moved around to the other side of the Moon Clam. He bent down, put his arms under the thick shell, and lifted with both hands.
“Up!”
He roared lowly. His arms suddenly bulged as he activated the power of both his Titan Totem and the Savage Bull Armlet.
He lifted and flipped the Moon Clam over, landing it perfectly on the pile of salt!
Gao Jing straightened up and waved his hand again.
Another dozens of tons of coarse salt transferred from his Storage Space, covering the Moon Clam completely, burying it!
Then, Gao Jing poured several large buckets of strong liquor over it.
Using the sky as the lid and the earth as the pot, he intended to cook this Moon Clam into a giant dish.
Salt-Baked Clam!
Way back when Gao Jing browsed Kuaivin, he’d seen videos people posted about catching razor clams at the beach.
Find the mud hole where the razor clam hides, pour some salt inside, and the razor clam crawls out on its own.
It’s snatched away easily.
This works because shellfish and soft-bodied creatures can’t survive in extremely salty conditions.
Gao Jing figured he’d try this trick on the Moon Clam, which lived in freshwater.
And he’d throw fire into the mix!
He ignited the strong liquor soaked into the coarse salt.
He’d already planned: if the liquor’s firepower wasn’t enough, he’d bring out the high-energy fuel!
Whoosh!
Flames shot into the sky. The salt cracked and popped.
This time, the Moon Clam could no longer just lie there.
It shook violently inside the salt pile, trying to shake off the burning coarse salt pressing down on it!
But Gao Jing was ready. With a thrust of his hand, he released a huge rock, weighing dozens of tons, onto the Moon Clam!
This was one of the rocks he’d stored in his Storage Space specifically as a weapon against Giants.
Now, it found a perfect use.
The Moon Clam was instantly pinned down, immobilized!
It tried to open its shell, but the coarse salt, mixed with alcohol, immediately seeped inside. Like acid, it burned the clam meat, causing intense pain and injury.
It also stopped the clam from using its special ability to resist the high heat!
Gao Jing’s “Salt-Baked Clam” tactic was a lucky accident.
Hunters in the Great Wilderness had never thought of using salt against a Moon Clam. Salt was precious in the Great Wilderness, not to mention this kind of “pure, fine” coarse salt.
They had their own ways to capture Moon Clams.
So, Gao Jing’s method was definitely unique, and it worked shockingly well!
Fearing a death struggle, he poured more buckets of strong liquor to keep the fire burning fiercely.
At first, the rock pinning the clam kept trembling. But within minutes, it stopped.
A strangely fragrant scent wafted into the air, drifting straight to Gao Jing’s nose.
Gulp!
He couldn’t help but swallow.
He actually felt hungry.
Had this giant dish really cooked?
Gao Jing wasn’t sure. So, he waited until the fire had completely died down before reaching out to return the rock to his Storage Space.
Then he poured more liquor and set it burning again, all while watching the Moon Clam.
The Moon Clam didn’t move at all. Its shell was open just a tiny bit, causing the top half to bulge up slightly.
Under Gao Jing’s watchful eye, the shell baked by the fierce flames slowly opened to about 45 degrees, revealing the slightly shriveled clam meat inside – still steaming hot!
Done! Completely done!
This time, Gao Jing knew for sure. Not only was this Moon Clam dead, he’d cooked it thoroughly through.
The fragrance in the air was so strong, his mouth watered uncontrollably!
Swallowing his saliva yet again, Gao Jing walked over. Bracing against the heat, he drew his dagger and cut off a piece of the scalding hot clam meat.
He couldn’t wait. He popped it straight into his mouth.
Fresh, sweet, springy, juicy, smooth, tender, with a bit of saltiness… a burst of amazing tastes exploded in his mouth instantly.
He nearly swallowed his own tongue!
He knew from the Hunter’s Atlas that Moon Clam meat was edible.
But he’d never imagined it would taste this good. Better than any Wild Beast or Monster Beast meat he’d ever eaten.
Plus, the clam meat was rich with Spiritual Energy.
One bite down, the meat dissolved and digested fast. The Spiritual Energy spread warmth through his stomach – intensely satisfying!
Its nutrients and energy nourished Gao Jing’s body at top speed.
It even made the level he’d just broken into feel more solid and stable!