Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 261: Chapter 256: Storm Giant Squid

"You want a live Storm Giant Squid?"

Sea Wolf’s eyes went wide as he stared at Velin. His wine cup stopped mid-air, the liquid sloshing at the brim.

"Baron, do you have any idea how big those things are? Catch one? Not even the kingdom’s southern fleet would dare to dream of it!"

Barrett and Ola exchanged a glance; both seemed to have the same thought.

Tristan’s hand, holding his pen, froze. A drop of ink bled onto the parchment.

He set down his quill, his gaze shifting to Velin.

Velin raised his wine cup and took a small sip, his wine-red eyes reflecting the candlelight.

"I don’t need you to ’catch’ one."

"I need you to help me get some hatchlings or fertilized eggs."

"You... you want to raise it yourself?" Sea Wolf’s voice was a little hoarse.

"Raise it? No."

Velin corrected him.

"I intend to ’design’ a superior version."

The meeting room fell silent.

Sea Wolf’s mouth opened and closed like a fish dragged onto the shore.

He looked into Velin’s earnest eyes, and only after a long moment was he sure the nobleman wasn’t joking.

Unlike Sea Wolf’s shock, Ola and Barrett’s reactions were much calmer.

Ola grinned and muttered under her breath, "I knew it wouldn’t be that simple."

Barrett looked at Velin, his expression seeming to say, ’There he goes again.’

Since following their lord, they had seen far too many wild fantasies become reality.

As for Tristan, his mind was in turmoil. His family, as one of the Duchy’s top magical lineages, naturally dabbled in the modification and creation of Magic and Magical Beasts.

He understood better than anyone else present what this implied.

It was something built on the backs of generations of family prodigies and an astronomical fortune!

As a subordinate and an administrator, his first instinct was to dissuade him.

He almost blurted out, "The ecological environment, food supply, and energy consumption required to raise a Storm Giant Squid... we simply don’t have..."

However, the words caught in his throat.

He saw the matter-of-fact anticipation on Barrett’s and Ola’s faces, saw their trust in Velin.

Then, he remembered what he was sitting on—an Original Blood Crystal mine.

And just like that, Tristan started to feel a sense of anticipation as well.

Sea Wolf suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

"AHAHAHAHA!"

He slapped his thigh hard and shot up from his chair.

"You’re mad! The maddest nobleman I’ve ever met!"

Though his words sounded like a denial, his eyes flashed with excitement.

"But I love doing business with madmen!"

Sea Wolf paced back and forth in the room, his thick beard trembling with every movement.

He suddenly stopped, leaned close to Velin, and put on a sly, merchant-like smile.

"But speaking of which, Baron. If I really manage to pull this off for you, you think Miss Caroline might be so pleased that she’d just give me her flagship, the ’Siren’s Song,’ as a thank you gift?"

He waggled his eyebrows, his voice thick with teasing.

"After all, I’d be doing her most ’important’ partner a huge favor, wouldn’t I?"

The corners of Velin’s mouth turned up slightly.

"That will depend on whether the ’samples’ you bring back are worth a flagship."

Sea Wolf got the answer he wanted and grew ecstatic.

"Hahaha! Good! For those words alone, I’ll take the job!"

In the latter half of the meeting, the topic shifted to the immediate defense of Minas Tirith Port before the Storm Giant Squid could be obtained.

Velin led the group from the council chamber directly to the port construction site, where work had been halted.

Sea Wolf stood on the newly built dike, carefully observing the hydrographic features. His gaze swept over the distant sea, the reef clusters, and the changing tides.

A three-dimensional defense plan gradually took shape as he explained.

The first measure he proposed was to address the blind spots in underwater detection.

The plan was to sink several enormous bronze bells, engraved with Magic Runes, between a few deep underwater ridges on the outskirts of the port.

Any large creature moving stealthily would disturb the deep undercurrents, causing the bronze bells to emit a low hum.

This underwater sonar system would solve the threat of silent enemy infiltration.

Next, Sea Wolf pointed to an area where a whirlpool consistently formed due to the daily rise and fall of the tide.

His second plan was to lay a giant net on the seabed in that area.

The net would be woven from Refined Gold Thread and Magical Beast sinew, fitted with numerous enchanted barbs.

Once an enemy was lured there, a winch would tighten, and the net would trap the target to its death within the whirlpool.

The third plan made use of the marine ecosystem.

By periodically dropping special bait in the reef areas outside the shipping channel, they would attract and gather tens of thousands of a highly venomous creature called the "Spine-backed Sea Urchin."

These creatures would form a living barrier on the reefs.

Although it wouldn’t completely block the Multi-Armed Race’s invasion, any flesh-and-blood being attempting to approach the port from the flanks would first have to risk passing through this jungle of spines.

At the very least, it would slow them down.

This series of measures expanded the port’s two-dimensional defense into a three-dimensional system combining underwater early warning, terrain traps, and biological isolation.

The port, once a sitting duck, was thus transformed into a death trap.

After giving detailed instructions on improving several defensive fortifications, Sea Wolf’s tone shifted, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"However, Lord Baron," he said, looking at Velin, "the best defense is always a good offense. Just waiting around like this will only drain the men’s morale bit by bit. We need to strike first, show them what we’re made of."

Upon hearing this, a desperate longing flared in Barrett’s eyes. This was exactly what he had wanted to say but had been stopped by their lord.

Sea Wolf seemed to see through everyone’s concerns and continued to explain.

"I’m not saying you should charge into the deep sea to die. We have to fight smarter."

"We can send out a small team to ’patrol’ a few spots along the coastline, deliberately exposing a vulnerability. As soon as they take the bait, the ballistae hidden in the towers on either side can create a crossfire. We’ll take out a few of their Scout teams first and let them know this isn’t a place they can run wild!"

This proactive counter-attack strategy ignited Barrett’s fighting spirit.

Velin looked at the battle-hungry Barrett and nodded slowly, affirming his resolve for this tactic.

He knew very well that while waiting for the "samples," he needed not only a sturdy shield but also a sharp blade that could make the enemy feel pain.

「A few days later, at the gates of Minas Tirith Port at dawn.」

The two men said their goodbyes at the gateway of this burgeoning city; the mountain of affairs piling up in his territory made it impossible for Velin to leave.

The sea breeze, cool and briny, rustled the corners of their clothes.

"Baron, I have to warn you about something." Sea Wolf stopped, turned to look at Velin, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"That Storm Giant Squid thing... once it hatches, it can swallow half a day’s catch from the port in a single gulp. It grows incredibly fast, and its appetite is a bottomless pit. Can your little Grey Marsh Territory really afford to raise it?"

Facing the faint morning light, Velin nodded calmly, acknowledging the current predicament.

"Not right now."

"But soon, we will be able to."

Sea Wolf gave him a deep look, then grinned and asked no more questions.

"Wait for my good news, Lord Baron!"

With that, he didn’t linger. He turned and strode briskly in the direction of Shiyan Town, quickly melting into the dim light of dawn.

Velin stood in place for a moment before turning back toward the Lord’s Mansion.

His mind was already formulating how to elevate the entire territory’s productivity to a whole new level.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!