I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 102: Chapter 100: Mutated Swarm, Treasure Mine

Jiang Zuo knew these so-called "bandits" were most likely connected to Zhou Ruhai and his group.

As for building a wall for Wangxiang Sea City, the nations of Cyan Seagull and Flying Eagle would likely approve, since it would benefit their rule.

However, how much the two nations and the various gangs would each contribute was still a matter of negotiation.

Even if they reached an agreement, it would take a considerable amount of time to build the wall.

All in all, it was still too early for Zhou Ruhai and the others to make a move.

Jiang Zuo didn’t have time to pay it much mind. While he was keeping an eye on Zhou Ruhai’s affairs, he received a bit of good news himself.

Just over two years after upgrading his Mutation to Lv. 4, one of the Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles had mutated!

The one that mutated was one of the first two Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles.

’It mutated by awakening the bloodline of the Iron-Plumed Eagle. Its lifespan has increased to 120 years, and its body hasn’t grown larger—in fact, it has shrunk a bit.’

’However, its physical strength has increased dramatically, and its feathers are even more impressive, truly like iron plumes. Its Cultivation jumped directly from the Great Success of Bone Refining to Blood Exchange. After a while, it will probably reach the Great Success of Blood Exchange.’

Jiang Zuo reviewed the description of this mutated Seated Mountain Eagle and simultaneously activated his Pet Beast Diagnosis ability to observe the changes.

Its body shrinking instead of growing larger was not a bad thing for a Seated Mountain Eagle.

For avian creatures, a larger body meant a greater burden on itself.

With a smaller body but greatly enhanced physical strength and feathers, the mutated Seated Mountain Eagle’s combat power would multiply.

Both its speed and reaction time would be noticeably enhanced.

And just half a year later, the other eagle from the first batch of the Second Generation also mutated.

The effects of Mutation Lv. 4 seemed far more powerful than Jiang Zuo had anticipated.

However, Jiang Zuo knew very well that this wasn’t solely due to the effect of his Mutation Talent.

The Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles had, one could say, every possible condition favorable to their growth and development.

While still incubating in their eggs, their parents provided them with a massive amount of blood and qi, concentrating the vital energy of two eggs—and even that of the parents themselves—into one.

Before they even hatched, they were exposed to the purple Jade Stone.

After hatching, they ate the best sea fish and enjoyed the benefits of the purple Jade Stone.

Once they were a little older, they began practicing the Blood God Skill, training in daily combat to temper their bodies.

Under these conditions, and with the help of his Lv. 4 Mutation Talent, their mutation seemed only natural.

Since the growth trajectory of nearly all the Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles was identical, Jiang Zuo predicted that many more of them would mutate one after another.

Things went just as Jiang Zuo had expected.

Over the following year, the Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles mutated in succession.

With the exception of those that were still too young or hadn’t matured enough, there were no exceptions among those who reached the Great Success of Bone Refining.

As for their parents, however, although many had already reached the Bone Refining stage, not a single one had managed to mutate.

Jiang Zuo estimated that for a Seated Mountain Eagle, reaching the Great Success of Bone Refining was the foundation for mutation.

’If reaching the Great Success of Bone Refining is all it takes to mutate, maybe this whole flock of Seated Mountain Eagles I’m raising can all mutate.’

Jiang Zuo thought with a touch of optimism.

But he also knew that was unlikely.

The foundational gap between the first and second generations was too wide.

Many things couldn’t be compensated for later in life.

However, if the subsequent fruits they managed to snatch on the Mysterious Islands had a stronger effect, their chances of mutating would increase significantly.

Amidst the good news of the Second Generation Seated Mountain Eagles mutating one by one, Jiang Zuo was about to enter his twentieth year on Fire Mist Island.

Calculating the time, the sixth batch of Seated Mountain Eagles was about due to return.

But before their return, on this day, the four Seated Mountain Eagles from the first batch to return came one after another to inform Jiang Zuo that they had received a summons from the Mysterious Giant Tree.

’Finally! Then go ahead and set off with your children!’

Hearing this, Jiang Zuo’s spirits lifted.

Although the sixth batch hadn’t returned yet, Jiang Zuo estimated they were already on their way back.

This meant that there were six Mysterious Islands in that region.

One would open every two years, making it a twelve-year cycle.

Jiang Zuo had the four Seated Mountain Eagles from the first returning batch take their two mutated second-generation offspring with them.

Jiang Zuo had held back the two mutated second-generation eagles for many years. Even if the first generation hadn’t been summoned this time, Jiang Zuo would have had to let them go to the Mysterious Island anyway.

It just so happened that they could go together now.

The two mutated second-generation eagles were both at the Great Success of Blood Exchange, while their four parents were at the Bone Refining stage.

Looking out for each other, they would likely be able to compete for some good fruits this time.

However, there seemed to be rules for the competition at the giant fruit tree, and Jiang Zuo didn’t know how their strength would factor into it.

Logically, Seated Mountain Eagles with only Skin Refining strength could only compete for the lowest-level fruits.

After a successful competition, they would return to digest their gains, and in the next round, they could compete for higher-level fruits.

For the two mutated second-generation eagles, competing for the lowest-level fruits would be no problem at all.

He just didn’t know if, after competing for the low-level fruits, they would be able to compete for higher-level ones this time around.

But that was something they could only find out by trying, so Jiang Zuo didn’t overthink it.

Not long after they departed, the sixth batch of Seated Mountain Eagles returned.

Of the three Seated Mountain Eagles in this batch, only two returned; the other one had died.

Jiang Zuo quickly absorbed their experiences.

The experiences of all six batches of Seated Mountain Eagles on their respective Mysterious Islands converged in Jiang Zuo’s mind.

’Six islands, six similar sets of remains, and six giant trees bearing different fruits.’

’The biggest difference, and the strangest part, is that the basically identical giant trees grow different kinds of fruit.’

Jiang Zuo pondered this continuously.

These islands and giant fruit trees could not possibly be natural formations.

They were deliberately created by someone.

He didn’t know what kind of major figure had done this, but they must have had a goal.

What benefit could they gain from expending so much effort on this?

’Nutrients?’

A scene surfaced in Jiang Zuo’s mind: piles of avian corpses beneath the giant tree.

Those birds couldn’t resist the summons of the Mysterious Giant Tree. As long as they kept going, they would sooner or later die beneath it.

As for the fruits that grew, were they specifically meant to improve the quality of the nutrients?

Then why was it split into six islands?

Was it because one Mysterious Giant Tree needed time to digest?

’Hmm... if that’s the case, six identical Mysterious Giant Trees would be better.’

That way, the birds wouldn’t need to be fixed to a specific island and could switch at will.

In other words, the six Mysterious Giant Trees on the six islands actually had different functions?

Cultivating fruits of different attributes?

After all, Jiang Zuo was someone who had read countless novels and played numerous games in the modern world.

He naturally made the connection to different attributes.

’But that doesn’t seem quite right either. It looks like the seventh type of fruit at the very top of those Mysterious Giant Trees is the same color, doesn’t it?’

Jiang Zuo tried hard to recall.

Not all of the Seated Mountain Eagles from the six batches had noticed the very top of the Mysterious Giant Tree.

Only three of the batches had ever observed it.

’That’s right! The seventh-colored fruit at the very top of the Mysterious Giant Trees is always black!’

Jiang Zuo carefully confirmed this after reviewing their memory-images.

The six different Mysterious Giant Trees had six different colored fruits below, all varying from one another.

But the black fruit at the very top was the same.

And there was only one on each tree.

However, in the images from these Seated Mountain Eagles, no bird had ever managed to successfully compete for the black fruit at the top.

The highest they could reach was the sixth type of fruit on the level below.

’The black fruit... could it be that only birds at the Innate Martial Artist level can compete for it?’

From Skin Refining to Innate Martial Artist, there were exactly seven levels.

But if a creature could already cultivate to the Innate realm, what use would competing for this fruit be?

Could it be that eating it allowed a Mortal Beast to ascend and become a Spirit Beast?

Regardless, there seemed to be no trace of humans on those six Mysterious Islands. He felt he could make some plans for them.

He had been taming Seated Mountain Eagles for twenty years. The strongest was already at the Great Success of Blood Exchange, and he would soon be able to raise one to the Meridian Passage level.

After Meridian Passage, raising one to the Grandmaster level wouldn’t be difficult.

When that time came, a large flock of Grandmaster-level Seated Mountain Eagles plundering the Mysterious Islands together would surely be able to acquire some benefits.

At the very least, bringing back more fruits shouldn’t be a problem.

As for the grand scheme of the powerful figure who created the Mysterious Islands and Giant Trees, Jiang Zuo could investigate that slowly.

...

The construction of Wangxiang Sea City’s wall, after a period of wrangling, had already begun a year ago.

With no one causing trouble, the construction speed was actually much faster than Jiang Zuo had anticipated.

After all, in this era, manpower was the cheapest resource.

In just one year, the main wall was already completed, and parts of the side walls had also been built.

In two more years at most, the entire wall would be finished.

But as they say, secrets don’t stay secret for long.

The news that Zhou Ruhai and his people were preparing to establish their own rule in Wangxiang Sea City had somehow begun to spread quietly.

Although Zhou Ruhai and his group vehemently denied it, the situation had already begun to subtly change.

"That’s right, the news must be true! Otherwise, there’s no reason for Zhou Ruhai and the others to spend so much money building a wall for Wangxiang Sea City!"

Deep in a mine shaft, Yu Xuemei said with certainty upon hearing the news.

"I always felt there was something strange about the way these gangs were acting. So they were planning something this big."

"It looks like we have to speed up our plans. Otherwise, once they start a war, never mind that we might get conscripted. Once the fighting is over, even if we dig up that super-valuable mine Dad told us about, we won’t be able to keep it or take it with us!"

Yu Yunhui sighed.

The two siblings were on Fire Mist Island, following in their father’s footsteps by helping to survey mineral deposits.

Their parents had been in the Jade Stone and ore business for a long time and had gradually learned this skill.

That night, Wei Jichang had sought out their parents to have them help survey an underground mineral deposit.

Their parents lived up to his expectations, successfully discovering an extraordinary type of ore.

Then, not wanting the news to leak, Wei Jichang murdered them to silence them.

But the siblings’ parents were old hands and had secretly made preparations.

Before sending his two children onto the ship, their father had told them that what he had discovered by following the clues was merely the dregs of a treasure lode; the real treasure was hidden elsewhere.

They had originally planned to find a chance later to search for it themselves, but who would have known that Wei Jichang, thinking he had found the real treasure, would decide to kill them to keep it secret.

When the two siblings returned to Fire Mist Island, they had two goals: one was to get revenge on Wei Jichang, and the other was to find the treasure mine their father had spoken of.

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