Chapter 401

Chapter 401

While the 'Blue Star---Dawn' front was witnessing an adrenaline-pumping battle in the Black Forest, Mr. Lorant, the owner of the pet shop, was at this moment under the Western Sea, his face brimming with surprise.

After an incredibly long search using various methods, including visual inspection, energy detection, and even having Val bump into the invisible presence with his physical body along the seabed, Lorant finally found the material he had been looking for, alongside Shenusk, who wore an equally astonished expression.

"Really exists?" Shenusk swam out from Val's back, his powerful fish tail propelling him slowly toward the seemingly empty area where, upon closer inspection, one could see subtle ripples in the surrounding water: "There really is such a transparent coral!"

Shenusk's expression was almost as if his worldview had collapsed.

Although he had been diligently helping Lorant sweep through this part of the seabed, deep down, Shenusk had always thought Lorant was engaged in a futile effort.

He was willing to accompany Lorant in this futile endeavor merely because he hoped Lorant could help the Merfolk leave the Merfolk Secret Realm.

Despite this, since he had taken on this task, Shenusk wanted to do it well. After aimlessly searching for some time, he drew up several plans to implement one by one.

It turned out that Shenusk's concerns were not unfounded; this area had previously been scanned by Famon's energy waves.

Yet, nothing like what they now saw had been detected.

Only after the two of them searched the entire sea area, thoroughly combing through every inch of the region Shenusk had mapped out, did they still come up empty-handed. Shenusk was truly worried, and the area they explored had already expanded so much that if they went any deeper, Lorant felt it might no longer be considered part of the 'Western Sea.'

After discussing, the two decided to return and conduct a second sweep, which is how they managed not to miss this long-sought-after object.

This transparent underwater coral was indeed something that could not be detected by energy waves.

It seemed as though it had no substance at all; even standing right in front of it, Famon's energy could not sense anything in the blank expanse of the sea.

The currents beneath the sea were like a raging storm, wildly surging without any pattern.

At that moment, a current of water, coming from nowhere, rushed straight towards Lorant and the others. They then saw this current collide with an invisible wall in front of them, instantly changing direction and surging upwards, sending the seabed sand swirling into the water.

Lorant, standing near the coral, naturally felt a surge of joy.

Although the transparent coral was now right before his eyes, Lorant's heart was still in suspense until he personally touched the coral. Only then did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

The ability chart gave him the correct feedback, confirming that Lorant had found the right thing and that his efforts had paid off.

This piece of transparent coral was quite large, about twice Lorant's height, and its width was even more astonishing.

It resembled a transparent screen, effectively blocking a stretch of sea spanning several tens of meters.

If it weren't for such a vast area causing some subtle issues in the water flow, Lorant might not have been able to find this coral.

The moment he touched the transparent coral, Lorant couldn't help but break into a relieved smile.

The materials needed for his S-class Beast, the "MagicEater Sprite," had finally been collected after such a long time.

Lorant was overjoyed. He clung tightly to one edge of the transparent coral, unwilling to let go, and excitedly waved at Shenuska, signaling for help.

Because of his overly excited gestures, the fragile store manager almost accidentally left the temporary oxygen protection shield prepared by Fa Meng.

The little fat dragon was startled by its unsteady owner and didn't even bother to maintain the cute swimming ring around itself.

The little fat dragon had put away its ability chart and was now sporting a cute yellow duck swimming ring, sunglasses on its head, and Hawaiian-style shorts on its chubby bottom, looking like it was on a beach vacation.

When it didn't need to move, the little guy would even hold an orange juice cup on Val's back, with a beam of sunlight-like light on its head.

Its strange ability always drew Shenuska's gaze whenever he first encountered it.

Over time, the merfolk warriors gradually became numb.

Life under the sea was somewhat monotonous, and Shenuska's greatest daily pleasure was seeing what amusing outfits Little Qing and Little Black were wearing today.

At this moment, Fa Meng was in such a rush that she couldn’t keep up her carefully put-together look. In an instant, she appeared beside Lorant, her tiny claws grabbing him to stop him from running off.

Val had a barrier that let Lorant breathe freely underwater. On Val's back, Lorant could do anything without a problem.

But when he left Val's back, he had to stay in the 'underwater bubble' Fa Meng made, which was like one of those bubble balls from water parks.

When Lorant entered, his whole body was wrapped up, and he had plenty of room to move inside.

Making a bubble that let him breathe and handled the crushing water pressure wasn’t easy for Fa Meng. The water pressure here was immense, and she had to stay alert to the waters around them, juggling multiple tasks. Therefore, she couldn't guarantee that the bubble would always intelligently follow Lorant, who had to stay inside the bubble and keep up with its slow pace.

If Lorant accidentally went outside the bubble, he’d be crushed into mush by the crushing water pressure.

After the little fat dragon steadied him, Lorant got a grip on his excitement and calmed down.

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot where we are. Since that's the case, let's quickly take this coral away. Once we have it, we can end this journey!" Lorant said, his face lit up with excitement as he touched the transparent coral.

The coral was firmly stuck to the seabed rocks and was huge. Lorant had trouble fitting it into his spatial ring.

His spatial belt and bracelet had enough space, but there were size limits for what could be stored.

So, Lorant was stumped by this oversized thing and had to resort to the old method of cutting the coral down and carrying it away by force.

Because it was hard to see in the deep, dark environment, they didn’t dare cut the coral, afraid they’d ruin this precious find.

Thus, Fa Meng and Shenuska worked hard underwater, cutting the rock connected to the coral down by two meters, successfully removing the entire rock connected to the transparent coral intact.

Fa Meng grabbed a sturdy, long rope from her codex, tied one end to Val's tail, and the other end to the junction of the transparent coral and the rock.

After tying the rope with two knots, Val swam upwards with all his strength, pulling the incredibly heavy rock towards the surface.

With a rumble, Val shook his head and tail, hauling the huge coral and rock upwards. As a big, high-level beast, the coral and rock were heavy but not too much for him.

At most, it was a bit strenuous when wagging his tail.

Along the way, due to the presence of the massive rock, many beast groups noticed them and swam over to attack.

That day, more beasts attacked them than in the past several days put together.

But what would be a hellish scenario for other practitioners was not a big problem for Lorant and Shenuska.

Excited after finding the beast, Lorant told Fa Meng to catch all the beast groups trying to stop them.

If everything went smoothly, he probably wouldn't be returning to the seabed for a long time, so taking some of his favorite aquatic beasts back as reserves was the most sensible choice.

Thinking about finally leaving the dark, lightless seabed, Lorant couldn’t help but hum a happy tune.

By the time they surfaced, all of Lorant's spatial items were filled with the hospitable aquatic beasts that had come to see them off.

Once they reached the surface, Lorant hopped off Val’s back, jumped onto a mysterious water scooter Fa Meng made, and zipped onto the beach. He then abandoned the scooter, leaped onto Lancelot's back, and hugged his neck to share the good news.

"Lance!" Lorant excitedly wrapped his arms around Lancelot's neck from behind, his legs jumping onto his back as he leaned forward to face Lancelot, who quickly reached out to catch the unusually lively young shopkeeper.

"What is it? Did you find the transparent coral? Why are you so happy?" Lancelot skillfully supported Lorant's legs to prevent him from falling off, tilting his head slightly to ask.

Seeing Lorant so happy, he already had a good idea, but he just wanted Lorant to say it himself to boost the boy's pride and make him even happier.

Lorant eagerly wrapped his arms around his neck and affectionately rubbed against his cheek: "Yes, we found it! That transparent coral is super big! It wasn't easy to find!" He said, gesturing widely in front of Lancelot.

Lorant himself didn't realize that his tone had become soft, with a slight lilt at the end that he would never have in front of others, clearly being playful.

Shenuska, emerging quietly from the water, couldn't help but show a fond smile as he watched the two cheerful young lovers.

How wonderful it is! Watching these affectionate young lovers always makes one feel as if they have returned to the same youthful and beautiful times.

Lancelot gave Lorant a piggyback ride and strolled leisurely back to their tent on the beach.

Lorant hugged the knight's neck, kicking his little legs playfully, and happily told him how he had shrewdly discovered such a big treasure today.

Listening to his exaggerated tale of his cleverness, Lancelot patiently nodded, playing the role of an attentive listener.

Since he had already found what he wanted, Lorant had no reason to stay here any longer.

The villa on the West Sea was still under construction. The floating octopuses, who were building a house on the beach for the first time, were not entirely comfortable with the environment and needed some time to adapt. They were gradually honing their building skills as they worked.

At this time, the small villa was just beginning to take shape and would take some time to be completed.

So Lorant left all five floating octopuses by the West Sea to continue building their own little cabin.

He extended an open invitation to Shenuska to visit the beach anytime. If he was willing to come, the floating octopus Kong Dao, who stayed here, would prepare a feast for him, including delicious barbecue, hot pot, and various uniquely flavored stir-fried dishes.

After spending some time together, Lorant found that this formidable warrior of the Merpeople was open to all kinds of food.

He could be said to be a very easygoing eater.

Kong Dao welcomed such a guest warmly, who gave good feedback on his dishes and wasn't picky.

Seeing people show happy expressions while eating the food he made was one of the reasons this floating octopus wanted to become a chef.

Before Lorant left, he saw Kong Dao holding Shenuska's hand with his tentacle, showing great reluctance to let go of this formidable Merpeople warrior.

Shenuska, who initially found the appearance of these less aesthetically pleasing creatures somewhat unacceptable, realized through this period of interaction that these creatures were actually very intelligent, possessing high wisdom and could even communicate normally with him.

To some extent, he thought these big creatures were more like a new intelligent race rather than mere pets.

Just like Fa Meng, who followed Lorant, their intelligence far exceeded the typical boundaries of 'pets.'

During the time Lorant left to take care of business at the Blue Star Pet Shop, Shenuska had also taken the time to learn about the specific information regarding pets.

If he wasn't very familiar with this new existence called pets before, now Shenuska was confident that his knowledge of pets matched that of any Blue Star enthusiast.

So he was even more aware that whether it was Fa Meng, who always followed Lorant, or the pets he encountered that were not listed on Blue Star's pet sales list, their exceptional abilities were beyond those of ordinary pets sold by Blue Star.

As for the pet that always followed Lorant or Lancelot, which he sensed to be very powerful, Shenuska could only roughly feel its strong energy.

As for the details of this pet, Shenuska didn't want to delve too much into it, as it was Lorant's own secret. Since the other party hadn't introduced the pet to him, Shenuska, as his friend, wouldn't easily cross the line.

However, Shenuska naturally had some slight conjectures. Perhaps the existence he sensed was another pet that Blue Star Pet Shop hadn't announced to the public. Judging from the energy fluctuations it emitted, it was also a formidable existence that couldn't be underestimated.

Then such a pet, which was always by the shop owner's side, was probably like Fa Meng, existing to protect Lorant's safety.

From his own perspective, Shenuska didn't think Lorant needed any other protection after having Fa Meng.

Judging from the powerful strength he could feel from Fa Meng, Shenuska thought that this seemingly harmless little fat dragon likely possessed strength on par with his own.

Fa Meng's aura is indeed deceptive, but one of the Merpeople's talents is a strong sense of crisis. As the strongest of the Merpeople, Shenuska has great confidence in his sixth sense in this regard.

He believes Lorant's personal safety is sufficiently guaranteed with the presence of this peculiar miniature dragon beast. However, it's hard to say, as Lorant seems like someone who lacks a sense of security, and it's understandable that he would want more safety assurances.

Shenuska briefly considered these thoughts and then dismissed them. He is not someone who likes to pry into others' secrets; he is merely curious in private.

So, although Shenuska was initially shocked by the somewhat unkempt appearance of the floating octopuses, he quickly adjusted and faced these large creatures calmly.

After enjoying Kong Dao's cooking for a few days, Shenuska even reached a point where he could consider the floating octopuses as brothers.

At this moment, a floating octopus and a Merperson held hands, tears in their eyes, both feeling a sense of reluctance to part.

The powerful warrior of the Merpeople kept making promises: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon! After I handle some clan matters, I'll return to accompany you in building the house!"

Kong Dao kept nodding. Cooking for its own kind was hardly a challenge or interesting for it. Compared to the meals for the beasts, Kong Dao clearly preferred the diverse and rich human cuisine.

The floating octopus's nerves are quite sensitive. Although it can't taste much, it can remember and recreate any praised flavor.

Thus, it doesn't hinder these beasts, whose taste buds are different from ordinary humans, from being competent chefs.

Lorant smirked helplessly, wanting to expose the true intentions of the Merpeople's powerful warrior but decided it was better to save some face. After all, both the floating octopus and Shenuska understood each other's thoughts and had no objections.

After bidding farewell to Shenuska, Lorant eagerly returned to the beast pet shop with Lancelot.

He didn't pause for a second before rushing to his beast pet warehouse.

It took him a whole year to collect all the materials needed to breed this S-class Beast!

Now, with only a week or two left before the severe winter completely subsides, the cold season of this year has passed unnoticed while Lorant was submerged underwater.

If he couldn't breed this S-class Beast after such a long time, Lorant would really shed tears.

This is considered the greatest cost he has paid for breeding so far. Even Little Qing and Little Black didn't cost him this much.

After all, those materials were purchased by him, and apart from money and favors, he didn't put in much effort himself.

But this S-class Beast is different. Lorant personally traveled to many places, putting in a lot of effort to gather these rare materials.

His feelings for this beast are naturally different. If this little one hatches and doesn't meet Lorant's expectations...

As the saying goes, good things come in pairs, and when luck comes, it can't be stopped.

Lorant had this feeling today; perhaps it was really his lucky day.

As soon as he entered the beast pet warehouse and heard the crisp, delightful 'ding' in his mind, Lorant couldn't help but think.

He decided to mark this day on his calendar and celebrate it annually.

Once back in his familiar place, Lorant was in no hurry. He made himself comfortable in his rest room, sat on the sofa, and asked Bao Bao to brew him a fragrant cup of flower tea.

After settling in comfortably, he happily opened the talent chart in his mind.

The next second, Lorant's already high spirits soared even higher as he saw the newly added entry—an A-class Beast!

Every A-class Beast so far has been hard-earned and has brought about earth-shaking changes to Lorant and the world.

Whether it's the Ghost Spider, which is still one of the top fighters in the beast pet shop, the A-class Lightwing Butterfly with unparalleled auxiliary abilities, or the Holy Light Peacock with its unique healing capabilities, each of these powerful beasts has its irreplaceable role.

Not to mention the Wulu Shell, whose strength may be negligible, but its functionality is groundbreaking.

With these precedents set, Lorant naturally looked expectantly at the new A-class beast.

"Big Mouth Book"...................................a0005.

Before collecting all the breeding materials, the ability chart provided very limited information, just like the Big Mouth Book at this time, which only displayed a very simple description.

"A beast with strong learning abilities that can master multiple spells, its strength depends on the number and power of the spells the Big Mouth Book has mastered." Lorant murmured as he looked at the ability chart in his mind, feeling a surge of excitement.

According to the introduction, this was actually an A-class combat beast!

Given Blue Star's current situation, what Lorant needed most was a powerful beast that could be mass-produced. Such a beast would offer the best protection for the Beast Shop, allowing Blue Star to better defend the mountain pass in the Lopulo Mountains.

With the Ghost Spider currently hard to mass-produce and other combat beasts lacking sufficient levels and strength, the appearance of the Big Mouth Book was undoubtedly a godsend.

Lorant closed his eyes and marveled once more at his incredible luck today, then decided to strike while the iron was hot and proceed with breeding this S-class beast while his luck was still strong.

Though the chances were slim, perhaps his incredible luck today could bring another stroke of luck to the breeding process. Lorant couldn't help but think somewhat greedily.

Through the special FullShell, Lorant knew that A-class beasts also had unique bloodlines. So who could say that S-class beasts wouldn't have special bloodlines too?

For these beasts with unique bloodlines, Lorant felt he could never have enough.

Just like in a game, who would complain about having too many 'golden rares'?

Looking again at the materials required to breed this A-class beast, Lorant was even more thrilled.

This beast, called the Big Mouth Book, might not be a 'book-type' beast, but the materials required for its breeding looked very familiar to Lorant.

If a dragon bone were added, these would be the breeding materials for the Codex, just a lower-tier version.

Like the Codex, which required hundreds of beast hides, the Big Mouth Book also needed them.

However, the Big Mouth Book's requirements for the types and grades of beast hides were less stringent. It seemed that as long as they were beast hides and of sufficient size, they could be used, and the grade changes didn't seem to make a fundamental difference.

This was definitely good news for Lorant. His frontline in the Black Forest was clearing an astonishing number of beasts every day. As long as he needed them, those beasts could become his material source at any time, without the need to set up recycling points in the Pokara Mountain camp as before.

Now, Blue Star could be self-sufficient for such a demand from Lorant.

In addition to beast hides, a paste made from a precise mixture of various beast bloods and plant saps was also needed.

Lorant didn't even need to look to guess the breeding process of this beast based on these materials.

With the experience of breeding the Codex, breeding the Big Mouth Book felt quite familiar to Lorant even before he started.

After reviewing all the required materials, Lorant found that except for the specific complete skeleton of a high-level beast, which was somewhat difficult, all other materials were already available in the Beast Shop.

Lorant nodded silently, suppressing his excitement, and decided to postpone the breeding of this beast for now.

Now was the perfect time to prepare more materials, as this A-class beast was currently the only A-class beast Lorant could mass-produce. As long as there were enough materials, he could breed them in batches.

The breeding process of the Big Mouth Book didn't require much help from live beasts. The only live beast needed was a powerful level twelve beast, which naturally wasn't available in the Beast Shop, but fortunately, there was one still alive in the Beast Tower that could be used.

Moreover, this beast naturally existed in the wild in groups like the Bloodsucking High Spider. As long as their lair could be found, they could be captured all at once, and then the Beast Shop could truly mass-produce powerful A-class combat beasts.

Lorant fantasized about his future wonderful life, completely unaware that his thoughts about a level twelve group beast lair, which all practitioners avoided, were inappropriate.

Thinking of this, Lorant almost wanted to immediately send his employees out to find the lair of this powerful high-level beast and notify all the Lopulo Mountains to help him keep an eye out for this powerful beast.

Of course, he didn't have such authority before.

However, times have changed, and now Blue Star is one of the guardians of the Lopulo Mountain Pass, officially joining the ranks of the world's rulers. Having such authority is no longer an issue.

Nevertheless, these are matters to be considered later. For Lorant, what he most eagerly anticipates and urgently wants to see now is undoubtedly his S-Class Beast.

Frankly, if he delays any longer, the Watchers' Council will set out to hunt the Giant Sandworms!

He cannot stop the Giant Sandworm hunt again. Previously, Lorant had already asked Michael to help him delay the operation once. Although Michael did not ask why Lorant wanted to postpone the Giant Sandworm hunt, repeatedly asking for such inexplicable favors is inappropriate.

Michael agreeing once was already a favor to him; asking again would be excessive.

Moreover, for those unaware of the inside story, the Giant Sandworm matter itself cannot be delayed. Each day of delay increases the danger posed by these Legendary Beasts.

But Lorant truly cannot let Michael and the others hunt the Giant Sandworms.

If they are unlucky enough to kill the Giant Sandworm he has already subdued, Lorant would be too late to cry.

Therefore, Lorant plans to wait until his S-Class Beast is bred, use the materials from the Giant Sandworm he has on hand, and then join the formidable warriors of the Watchers' Council to hunt a Giant Sandworm in the desert.

Opportunities to hunt Legendary Beasts are rare.

With this in mind, Lorant entered the breeding chamber.

Since he unexpectedly collected all the necessary materials, the breeding chamber was not prepared in advance.

However, on his way back, Lorant contacted Kong Yi to start preparing the materials. So when Lorant pushed open the door, Kong Yi was still busy tidying up the beast breeding chamber.

With its eight tentacles, it carefully placed the huge Giant Sandworm Egg horizontally on a nest made of sand and Windroll Grass leaves.

Nearby, thick rockwood had already been cut into rectangular blocks the length of Lorant's palm, about ten by ten in width and height, neatly arranged on a table.

After setting up the Giant Sandworm Egg, Kong Yi carefully used its tentacles to lift the ring of teeth pulled from the Giant Sandworm's mouth and placed the teeth into a shallow pool of liquid as high as when it was laid flat.

The liquid in the pool was crystal clear, almost too clear to seem like a liquid, clearly having been meticulously processed.

"Everything is ready!" Lorant looked at the breeding chamber with satisfaction, now quite confident in Kong Yi's work.

With it by his side, it could definitely replace ten assistant apprentices.

Every time Lorant visited the mage team, he would see Monroe, Kimberly, and others frustrated by clumsy apprentices, always making him appreciate his foresight.

The Floating Octopuses he cultivated in advance have each become capable of handling tasks independently, especially in the beast repository. Thanks to the Floating Octopuses, Lorant can now fully enjoy the life of a hands-off manager.

He entered the breeding chamber, moving the surrounding counters and spare materials aside to make space.

Fortunately, the breeding chamber of the beast shop was well-designed during its construction, with ample area and height, and even the door was designed to retract completely into the ceiling. Otherwise, this large Transparent Coral would indeed be difficult to bring in.

Fa Meng sat cross-legged on the Codex, draped in a peculiar red cloak, one hand extended and the other drawing circles, as if performing some peculiar ritual.

Lorant glanced and realized that this little one was imitating the spellcasting movements of a peculiar mage for some reason. He twitched his mouth and turned his head away, not wanting to watch this dramatic little fat dragon.

Fa Meng used meaningless but cool movements to secretly use its energy to float the huge Transparent Coral, carefully moving it from the corridor without letting it bump into the surrounding walls and furnishings, nor letting it collide with anything nearby.

After all, this complete coral is invisible, and if it were to fall somewhere, its fragments would be hard to find.

Moreover, no one knows if the Transparent Coral breaking would affect the breeding of the MagicEater Sprite.

Fortunately, with Fa Meng's help and the baby also carefully assisting with silk, they successfully transported the Transparent Coral into Lorant's breeding chamber.

With all materials ready, Lorant stood in the center of the breeding chamber and took a deep breath.

Centered around him, all the materials in the breeding room were clearly placed in the four major directions of east, west, south, and north.

The Giant Sandworm’s teeth were placed in the southern direction, while the other three directions were arranged according to their origins.

Against the western wall was placed the transparent giant coral, to the north was a large table of cut rockwood, to the east stood a tall piece of reef, and beside Lorant, a Giant Sandworm Egg laid horizontally on a special cushion occupied the central position.

The south symbolizes slaughter, which is why the Giant Sandworm’s teeth were placed there, regardless of where they were obtained. It didn’t matter which legendary beast’s teeth Lorant had chosen; the placement remained the same.

After completing these arrangements, Lorant had someone close the breeding room door, leaving him alone inside.

Even Fa Meng and Bao Bao obediently waited outside, as the next steps required Lorant to complete them alone.

He touched the string of blue gemstone necklaces around his neck, which Lancelot had specially modified into a men’s style. Since Lancelot gave him this set of jewelry on his birthday, Lorant wore it whenever he thought of it.

The blue gemstone jewelry provided a calming and comforting effect, which Lorant greatly appreciated.

As for the bracelet, it had never left his wrist, along with his spatial bracelet.

Earlier, Lorant had deliberately worn the entire set of jewelry here, as he hadn’t forgotten that the day he received this jewelry was the same day he first discovered the breeding path for this S-class Beast, the MagicEater Sprite.

In Lorant’s view, this S-class Beast, the MagicEater Sprite, was inevitably linked to this set of gemstones, even if there was no direct connection. A bit of superstition never hurt anyone, right?

Calming his mind, Lorant turned and picked up a crystal dagger carved entirely from blue crystal from the table, aiming it at the Giant Sandworm Egg beside him.

Lorant had collected a significant number of Giant Sandworm Eggs in the desert, and he had carefully preserved all of them.

The shell of these monster eggs was not hard; it felt like a layer of thick, flexible leather. Ordinary blades would simply bounce off, leaving no mark.

However, this Giant Sandworm Egg was specially selected by Lorant as the roundest and most plump egg from the batch.

After being removed, this egg was immediately placed in a specially formulated medicinal liquid.

This precious medicinal liquid, which was carefully prepared, needed to be changed every three days to ensure the vitality of these monster eggs. The Giant Sandworm Eggs themselves were not fragile; even if left unattended, as long as the temperature wasn’t extreme, they would remain intact.

Otherwise, the Giant Sandworms wouldn’t have laid them in the desert and left them to fend for themselves.

After being treated with the medicinal liquid, the Giant Sandworm Egg took on a translucent milky white color. More importantly, its shell hardened slightly compared to a typical Giant Sandworm Egg, while also losing some of its flexibility, making it more convenient for Lorant to use.