Chapter 149: Chapter 120: Rainbow Coral! The Most Special Aquatic Pet Beast?
Arriving at the spot pointed out by Guan Lili and the others, Su Ping once again looked over this part of the Lingxi River.
Then, under Su Ping’s envious gaze, Dong Muyun said softly, "Yunning!"
Instantly, Dong Muyun extended her hand, and a mechanical voice came from the watch on her wrist, "Master, awaiting your commands!"
"Switch to single underwater combat form and detach for remote control!"
"Yes, Master!"
The mechanical voice replied. Then, with a faint electronic whirring sound, the watch detached from Dong Muyun’s wrist.
The next moment, a specially-shaped individual robot appeared and, with a PLOP, jumped into the water.
Dong Muyun, meanwhile, leisurely took out a tablet. After a few taps, the live underwater feed from Yunning appeared on its screen.
The deep underwater world appeared pitch-black. Fortunately, Yunning was equipped with an extremely powerful searchlight that illuminated everything in its beam.
Su Ping had never imagined that the Lingxi River connected to his home would be so deep.
As Yunning dove deeper, Su Ping could clearly see it had already descended more than thirty meters.
The surging undercurrents and the pitch-black underwater environment made Su Ping feel a sense of unfamiliarity and terror.
However, even more terrifying than the environment itself was what had now appeared before their eyes!
Su Ping had never, ever considered that the Lingxi River, so close to his home, would be teeming with such a vast number of aquatic Pet Beasts!
Yes, as Yunning continued its descent and finally reached the pitch-black riverbed, the surroundings were revealed to be filled with what could only be described as dense swarms of aquatic Pet Beasts!
Spiny Scaled Fish, Glint Fish, Rose Poison Stingray, Dual-Horned Tiger Fish, Ghostly Tuna...
Many aquatic Pet Beasts were identified by Su Ping in just this short time.
And these were only the ones he recognized; there were many more he didn’t.
The highest Level among them had even reached Commander Level.
This was effectively the apex for common aquatic Pet Beasts found inland.
But both Su Ping and Dong Muyun sensed that something was amiss.
The reason was simple: there were just too many of them!
Even though the Lingxi River wasn’t far from West Dragon Lake, the occasional passage of a few Pet Beasts would have been normal. But how many were there now?
A rough estimate suggested there were definitely more than a hundred, without a doubt.
Keep in mind, these were Ranked Pet Beasts!
Moreover, this was only in the area Yunning had explored, a section of water merely thirty to fifty meters deep.
Seeing this, Su Ping broke out in a cold sweat.
During the past month or so, he had played more than once with the little Paperman on the banks of the Lingxi River.
Although it was some distance from this spot, it wasn’t that far.
And while most aquatic Pet Beasts don’t leave the water, higher-Level ones could still fight on land.
If any of the Commander Level Pet Beasts they had just seen had appeared on the bank back then...
Su Ping didn’t dare to complete the thought.
Fortunately, they had discovered it now.
Dong Muyun, however, showed no surprise. Instead, a hint of excitement glinted in her eyes.
Such a bizarre scene definitely had a reason behind it!
Usually, even in the Pet Beast World, the principle of ’big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp’ applies.
Therefore, these Commander Level fish would not normally coexist in the same area with lower-Level ones. Otherwise, the latter would have already been devoured.
But now, while it couldn’t be called peaceful coexistence, at least no such rampant slaughter was occurring.
However, Yunning’s powerful searchlight did attract attacks from many fish.
Of course, for Yunning, which had reached Monarch Level, this was no threat. Several Low-level, less intelligent fish were lured in by the intense light and quickly dispatched by Yunning.
The higher-Level ones, seeing the newcomer’s ferocity, immediately turned and fled without a second thought.
Instantly, a clear zone formed in the chaotic underwater depths.
"Yunning, continue exploring ahead. Let’s see what’s really going on down here!"
Yunning, in its underwater robot form, moved swiftly forward, propelled by its arms and the mechanical fins on its body.
Finally, after it swam about another three hundred meters, a glimmer of light appeared at the edge of the searchlight’s beam, seeming to reflect it.
It was a splendidly colorful light.
The moment it appeared and interacted with the searchlight, it created an indescribable rainbow-like shimmer in the pitch-black water.
"What is this..." Dong Muyun murmured, then quickly instructed, "Yunning, keep moving forward."
The rapid current had no effect on the distant rainbow light. This time, even when illuminated by the searchlight, the schools of fish around the light showed no startled reaction, as if they hadn’t noticed anything at all.
They continued to circle that Rainbow Light, their swaying movements showing complete enthrallment with the object at the center!
Yunning loyally fulfilled Dong Muyun’s command. Carrying the searchlight, it moved slowly through the water, finally approaching within ten meters of the light’s source.
Simultaneously, the source of the light became clear through the relatively clear water.
It was located within a crevice in the riverbed, where an undercurrent flowed.
It was an incredibly large coral!
Easily over ten meters across, it was nestled in this crevice on the riverbed.
The coral glowed with a fluorescent light, beautiful and mysterious.
It wasn’t just the fish that saw it underwater with their own eyes; even Su Ping and Dong Muyun, observing from Yunning’s perspective onshore, couldn’t help but show looks of fascination.
This thing was too beautiful!
From any angle, it emanated a colorful, misty glow.
Combined with the schools of fish also illuminated in these brilliant colors as they circled the coral, the scene resembled a true underwater paradise.
But clearly, this thing was anything but paradise.
In fact, its essence wasn’t that of an incredibly precious resource at all. It was a Pet Beast!
Staring at it, Dong Muyun finally asked uncertainly, "Rainbow Coral?"
Her voice held an indescribable mixture of joy and shock.
Su Ping looked at her. He was still too young, and even with his current achievements, it was impossible for him to recognize all Pet Beasts.
This was especially true for aquatic Pet Beasts, which were incredibly numerous, with many still unknown.
Undoubtedly, the one before them was such a case!
"What is a Rainbow Coral?"
Pleased at this rare instance of the usually knowledgeable young man’s ignorance, Dong Muyun explained excitedly while watching the footage, "It’s one of the most special and precious aquatic Pet Beasts. Nominally, it’s a Water Element Pet Beast, but it’s a unique type combining Insect and Elemental characteristics. Its Racial Potential is extremely low, and it completely lacks combat abilities, yet it is extremely valuable!"
"Oh? Why is that?" Su Ping asked, his curiosity piqued.
In the Pet Beast World, there were countless magical Pet Beasts with all sorts of astounding abilities. Not all could be measured simply by combat power. And quite evidently, this Rainbow Coral was one such exception.
Because Dong Muyun had already begun to explain its purpose.
"The Rainbow Coral Worm is a very special kind of Pet Beast," she continued. "They possess no combat capabilities and can hardly even move without external forces. However, no Water Element Beast Tamer can resist the allure of the Rainbow Coral Worm! This is because the Rainbow Coral Worm creates such a Rainbow Light around itself, attracting schools of Pet Beast Fish. Furthermore, water touched by this Rainbow Light can effectively nourish aquatic Pet Beasts! This allows the fish to thrive without needing to consume large quantities of food. Moreover, rumors say that aquatic fish-type Pet Beasts spending extended periods near the Rainbow Light not only experience faster Level growth than usual but also have a chance to comprehend the Special Skill ’Rainbow Aurora.’"
Su Ping blinked, looking once more at the massive coral, easily over ten meters in size. The Pet Beast World was indeed full of wonders. There really were such special Pet Beasts?
At the same time, a burning desire surged in Su Ping’s heart.
However, what Su Ping didn’t expect was that there was even more.
Dong Muyun paused, then continued, "Additionally, the beautiful Rainbow Coral formed by the worm’s secretions is also an excellent material for Water Element Pet Beasts. If the Tianyun Group could obtain a Rainbow Coral Worm for Crescent Island, then its endeavors there would become smoother by an unimaginable factor!"
Su Ping narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is this thing really that rare?"
"Extremely rare!" Dong Muyun affirmed. "There are three reasons. First, the attracted fish schools can sometimes bring in powerful aquatic Pet Beasts. These Pet Beasts are very domineering. If the Rainbow Light cannot satisfy their hunger, they will directly consume the Rainbow Coral. Even a slight bump could cause its death.
"Second, unlike other coral worms, while the outer coral structure appears large, there is actually only one Rainbow Coral Worm inside. They are mostly solitary creatures.
"Third, and most importantly, is their method of reproduction. Generally, a Rainbow Coral Worm only reproduces asexually when the previous generation dies. Most of the time, it lays only a single egg, with an infinitesimal chance of producing two. However, despite the protection of the outer Rainbow Coral, any mishap can cause the fragile eggs or newly born Rainbow Coral larvae to die. Furthermore, the coral worm’s growth cycle is very short, with a lifespan typically only three to five years."
Dong Muyun recited these facts as if enumerating treasured heirlooms.
It was apparent that her earlier decision to send Lao Guan to Crescent Island for aquatic Pet Beast Cultivation was no joke; the Tianyun Group was indeed seriously pursuing this direction.
Naturally, they had thoroughly researched such a rare Pet Beast.
She didn’t notice, however, that Su Ping’s eyes were now shining as he gazed at the Rainbow Coral Worm in the footage.
If he could get this Rainbow Coral Worm into his artificial lake, wouldn’t the Heart of Woods have a new industry?