Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 268: Chapter 263: Velin’s Reward

The docks of Shiyan Town seemed somewhat deserted in the cold wind of early spring.

Velin stood at the end of the pier, his black hair whipping wildly in the sea breeze.

Tristan and Barrett stood behind him. The former pulled his fur collar tight, while the latter squinted his one eye, gazing out at the distant gray sea.

"It’s here," Barrett said.

On the horizon, where the sky met the sea, a lopsided black dot was slowly growing larger.

As the ship’s silhouette drew closer, its wretched state was revealed to all.

It was Sea Wolf’s ship, the *Sealion*, a three-masted sailing vessel.

The hull looked as if it had been gnawed on by a giant beast. A gash ran diagonally from bow to stern, and beneath the splintered planks, the internal structures of the crew quarters and the carpenter’s cabin were clearly visible.

One of its three mainmasts was broken, and the remaining two were reinforced with cables and planks.

Its sails were in tatters, making it look like a ghost ship.

It was hard to imagine how this ship had made it back from the North Sea.

As the ship docked, a thick stench of blood washed over them.

Every crewman on deck was injured. Some had arms wrapped in bandages, others had gaping wounds on their faces.

But on every one of their faces was an expression that was both exhausted and elated.

Seeing Velin and his party on the pier, they began to wave their arms frantically and shout.

Sea Wolf was the first to charge down the gangplank. His leather armor was torn with several large holes, and he had a new scar on his face, but his laughter was louder than the cries of the gulls in the harbor.

"Baron, you owe me a massive favor!" Sea Wolf said, walking up to Velin and clapping a hand as large as a cattail fan heavily on his shoulder.

"That godforsaken place is more terrifying than the Abyss. We almost didn’t make it back!"

Velin ignored his minor impertinence, his gaze passing over him to the wrecked ship.

"Your crew seems happy."

"Of course they’re happy! We made it back alive! My mates have conquered the sea once again!"

Sea Wolf roared with laughter, then turned and bellowed at the ship, "What are you all fucking standing around for? Bring the treasure down for the Baron!"

A flurry of activity broke out on the deck.

The crewmen worked together on the winch, carefully hoisting a huge metal crate from the hold.

The crate was covered in waterproof and pressure-resistant Runes. When it landed on the pier, it made a heavy thud, and the entire wooden structure trembled.

Tristan and Barrett both crowded around it curiously.

"This is the Storm Giant Squid?" Barrett asked, looking at the massive crate in confusion.

"Alive? Impossible." Sea Wolf waved his hand, unable to hide the smug look on his face.

"An adult is bigger than my ship. The only way to bring one back alive would be to have the Sea God himself escort it."

He walked to the crate and gestured for his men to undo the latches.

"I couldn’t bring back an adult, but I found their nursery."

With a few sharp clicks of metal unlocking, the front panel of the crate was removed.

It was a transparent container carved from a single piece of Magic Crystal.

Inside the container, three enormous eggs floated silently in a deep blue liquid.

They were oval-shaped, with semi-transparent, grayish-white surfaces covered in intricate patterns.

Each was the size of a roundshield, and through their shells, vague shadows could be seen squirming slowly inside.

"Fertilized eggs," Sea Wolf said, his voice brimming with pride.

"I found this hatchery on the edge of a deep-sea volcanic zone. It’s full of hydrothermal vents and toxic plumes; even the Multi-Armed Race doesn’t dare go near. We lost twelve good men to snatch these three from hundreds of eggs."

Tristan sucked in a sharp breath.

’Twelve lives for three eggs? And this captain can still laugh?’

Velin walked to the crystal case, reached out, and lightly pressed his fingers against the cold surface.

[Inspect]

[Storm Giant Squid (Fertilized Egg)]

[Level: None]

[Bloodline: Dark Ripper (Silver Tier) 31%, Storm Sea Marquis (Golden Tier) 16%, Mixed Bloodline 53%]

[Abilities (Inactive): Tough Hide, Water Pressure Immunity, High-Pressure Ink Shot, Storm Summoning]

[Overall Evaluation: An excellent Deep Sea Predator with extremely high environmental adaptability, strong damage resistance, and potential for bloodline modification.]

[Generating Bloodline Optimization...]

[Possible Evolution Path 1: Dark Envoy. A combat form that perfectly inherits the Dark Ripper bloodline. It has an agile body, incredible speed, and dominion over the elements of darkness and water.]

[Evolution Method: ...]

[Possible Evolution Path 2: Deep Sea Lord. A Deep Sea Lord form that activates the Golden Tier bloodline. Possesses a more massive body and intelligence surpassing its predecessor, with greatly increased affinity for and control over storm and lightning energies.]

[Evolution Method: ...]

’Perfect!’

’This is the perfect base specimen, tailor-made for the "Leviathan Project"!’

’Phineas’s theories will work perfectly on this!’

"You’ve done well, Captain. Very well." Velin snapped back to reality and turned to Sea Wolf, his wine-red eyes shining with astonishing brightness.

He turned to Tristan.

"Captain Sea Wolf and his crew, for their reward..."

Sea Wolf and the crewmen on deck all held their breath, their eyes burning with anticipation.

Wasn’t this the moment they had all risked life and limb for?

Velin paused, then changed his tone.

"Golden Suns alone cannot express my admiration for your bravery."

"For warriors who have conquered the deep sea, money is an insult to your achievements."

Sea Wolf froze.

All the crewmen present were stunned as well.

’What kind of talk is that?!’

’An insult? Who said that? Please, feel free to insult us!’

Many of the sailors were screaming internally.

Velin, naturally, was unaware of their thoughts and continued.

"I will give you something better."

He held up one finger.

"A promise."

He then held up all ten fingers.

"Ten spots. I will allow you to select ten men from your crew to participate in the Grey Marsh Territory’s ’Foundation Strengthening Plan’."

"’Foundation Strengthening Plan’?" Sea Wolf was completely baffled; he had never heard the term.

But behind him, the color drained from Tristan’s face.

He cried out, "My Lord! This... This is too..."

"Too generous, isn’t it?" Velin interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over the equally confused sailors.

"The ’Foundation Strengthening Plan’ is the Grey Marsh Territory’s unique bloodline purification technique. It means breaking free from the shackles of mortality and allowing those with potential to become true Transcendants."

"It also means that ten among you will be given the chance to change your destiny."

The dock fell silent.

The confusion on the sailors’ faces turned to suspicion.

’A bloodline ritual?’

Of course they knew about them; quite a few men on the ship had awakened their bloodlines.

’But with this bloodline business, you either had it or you didn’t. What was all this talk about "purification"?’

A one-eyed sailor curled his lip, his eyes full of doubt.

As men who spent their lives at sea, they had seen every scam in the book.

"Lord Baron," Sea Wolf’s tone grew cautious. "This... opportunity you speak of, we don’t quite understand. You know we’re simple folk; we only believe in what’s tangible."

"I understand." Velin didn’t explain further. He beckoned with his hand.

From his retinue, two burly guards stepped forward and stood at Velin’s side.

"Tell Captain Sea Wolf what you were before joining the plan," Velin instructed one of them.

The guard stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice.

"Reporting, my lord. Before the plan, I was a farmer. No one in my family for generations has awakened a bloodline."

Velin looked at the other one. "And you?"

"Reporting, my lord. I was a refugee who fled here. I was starving to death, let alone having any sort of bloodline."

Sea Wolf and his crew frowned, unsure of what Velin was up to.

"Show them."

The two guards exchanged a look. One stepped forward, planting his feet firmly on the deck in a horse stance.

[IMMOVABLE BULWARK]

With a low shout, a powerful, earthy-yellow aura erupted from his body, coalescing into two translucent energy shields in front of them.

Although the power seemed nascent to the seasoned Sea Wolf, its purity and the standard of its execution were undeniable proof of a genuine Level 4 Knight!

The sailors on deck collectively took a step back, the suspicion on their faces vanishing into thin air.

The one-eyed sailor’s jaw dropped, his eye bulging as if it would pop out of its socket.

’Th-this is real!’

’These two unremarkable-looking guards are actually bloodline users!’

’A farmer and a refugee... they were actually granted the power of a bloodline!’

’Since when did this kind of technology exist in the world?’

Sea Wolf’s breathing grew heavy. He stared at the two guards, then whipped his head back to Velin, his mind racing with calculations.

After this adventure, there were just over thirty men left alive on the *Sealion*, twenty-two of whom were bloodline users.

’Ten spots...’

’That means I can have ten more Transcendants among my crew!’

’I’ll have a warship with a fully Transcendent crew!’

’If I can also get my hands on a "Song of the Sea Siren"... I’ll have the most powerful armed merchant ship in these waters!’

’I’ll be able to venture into more dangerous seas, hunt for more precious treasures, and earn ten, a hundred times more Golden Suns than before!’

’The legendary Captain—Sea Wolf!’

"Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!"

Sea Wolf was dazed for a moment, then burst into a wild laughter a hundred times louder than before.

As he laughed, his one eye reddened, and his laughter became tinged with a sob.

He stopped laughing, took a step forward, and gave Velin a solemn bow, placing his right hand over his heart—a sailor’s gesture of highest respect and gratitude.

"Lord Velin," he said, enunciating each word.

"I, Sea Wolf, have roamed these seas for half my life, and you are the most generous noble I have ever met."

"On behalf of all the brothers of the *Sealion*, living and dead, I will remember this kindness!"

"In the future, if you have any task, be it for escort or for treasure hunting, you can come find me, Sea Wolf, at any time."

"And for the sake of our friendship, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount!"

As he finished, a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eye.

Velin accepted this promise with a smile.

"Barrett."

"Here!"

"Mobilize the Security Department’s First and Third Squads. Highest alert. Escort this crate back to the territory."

"Yes!"

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