Chapter 640: "Cultivating" the Abyssal Demon Fish!
The reason Leon said that was because the reinforcements that were about to arrive gave him enough confidence.
A group of Druids in black-green robes quietly arrived at the underground fortress in the center of the lake.
Led by Elona, they negotiated with Leon at the fastest speed.
After inspecting the items they transported, Leon's eyes flashed with disbelief.
He led the Druids into the underground space at the center of the lake fortress.
The underground space was empty, except for a single elemental energy pool radiating with surging magical power.
However, the surrounding energy-absorbing magic arrays concealed the magical fluctuations and transmitted them to other areas of the dungeon at high speed.
The manufacturing facilities transported from Bay Territory operated using the energy transmitted by these arrays.
The only terrifying thing was the massive pile of corpses surrounding the array.
On closer inspection, they were the enormous skeletons of dead Abyssal Demon Fish.
The flesh and blood on these bones had been completely stripped, leaving only hollow and horrifying skeletons.
Dozens of Abyssal Demon Fish skeletons were piled up in every corner of the space.
After inspecting the surroundings and confirming the conditions were suitable, Elona instructed the Druids to unload the items.
The pitch-black wooden crates slowly opened, and a yawning Little Elephant stepped out.
He maintained his adorably chubby treant form, his big eyes curiously surveying the surroundings.
Noticing the giant pile of bones nearby, Little Elephant excitedly ran over, easily climbed on top, knocked on the thick bones, and shouted joyfully:
"Right here! The little ones are going to love this."
As soon as he finished speaking, a few nimble little treants popped out of his clothes.
They enthusiastically jumped onto the massive bones, looked at each other uncontrollably, and immediately started brawling with their fists.
"Hmm?"
A crisp questioning voice reached their ears, making them stop mid-swing and instinctively turn to look at Little Elephant.
"Still want to keep fighting?"
Under Little Elephant's gaze, they obediently spread out and each chose a giant skeleton.
Leon was initially confused but quickly witnessed something that shocked him immensely.
All six little treants sat down casually on top of the skeletons.
Dense and fine roots spread from their bodies, wrapping around the skulls of the skeletons.
The seemingly fragile roots easily drilled into the hard bones, densely penetrating inside.
The little treants looked ecstatic, as if savoring a delicious meal.
Their small bodies swelled visibly, and the spreading roots grew thicker and denser.
In just over ten minutes, the treants' roots had enveloped the ten-plus-meter-long skeletons of the Abyssal Demon Fish.
The whole scene was swift and silent, evoking a chilling sense of horror.
Seeing they had taken root, Little Elephant casually stepped into the elemental energy pool.
This pool had been prepared for him, a nutrient bath in exchange for thirty more years of labor for Bay Territory.
As he entered, a massive oak tree rapidly expanded to twenty or thirty meters tall, its crown filling the entire ceiling space.
If not for Little Elephant limiting the height, Leon suspected it might grow right out of the underground chamber.
The spreading roots completely enveloped the elemental pool, easily piercing the ground and expanding in all directions.
After about half an hour, the moving-in process finished. Little Elephant opened his eyes and looked at Leon with a blazing gaze:
"Release those collected Abyssal Demon Fish eggs into the hatching zone I set up, and prepare some live large fish."
Receiving the order, Leon naturally complied without question.
He followed Elona to the edge of the island and immediately spotted the incubator Little Elephant mentioned.
It was a large water area encircled by roots.
This area was full of tree roots, attracting all kinds of fish as if they were fatally drawn to it.
More interestingly, when Leon's staff released the Abyssal Demon Fish eggs—
The fish instantly swarmed and devoured them all before he could even react.
Just then, the loosely spaced roots at the edge suddenly closed in, sealing off all exits and trapping tens of thousands of fish inside.
Leon blinked in confusion, then turned instinctively to Elona as he watched the fish flee after devouring the eggs.
Confirming the life signals of the eggs were stable and intact, Elona shook her head and said with emotion:
"This is a special hatching method for Abyssal Demon Fish."
"The scent emitted by the eggs has an intense attraction for small fish, luring them to swallow the eggs."
"Once the eggs sense soft flesh and blood around them, they will hatch..."
Before Elona could finish, the once calm hatching zone suddenly became lively again.
Some fish darted around wildly, slamming into the roots like they'd gone mad.
Leon, sweating slightly, felt creeped out by the terrifying hatching method of the Abyssal Demon Fish.
Noticing Elona's calm expression, he couldn't help but curiously ask:
"So what's next? Do we just feed them regularly like other magical fish?"
Shaking her head, Elona pulled out a thick, brand-new copy of the "Abyssal Demon Fish Breeding Manual" and replied as she recorded observations:
"Abyssal Demon Fish are different from other magical creatures. Their bloodline and genes carry memory and thought."
"We won't raise the kind that follow rigid instincts. We'll only accept those that develop 'wisdom'!"
Memory and thought?
Develop 'wisdom'?
Leon, still confused, widened his eyes and waited for Elona to explain.
Splash!
A small splash erupted nearby as a half-meter-long fish floated to the surface.
Leon immediately looked over. The fish was dead, blood pouring from its mouth.
Its belly bulged slightly, as if something inside was wriggling.
Then, a bloody mouth full of sharp teeth emerged, chewing at the flesh.
Bloodstained tentacles reached out from the torn mouth, slowly wrapping around the nearby roots, fixing both itself and the dead fish in place.
This grotesque scene made Leon gasp, but Elona's calm voice rang out beside him:
"What we call wisdom isn't intelligence, but the will and restraint to suppress desires and control behavior."
Hearing this, Leon felt the explanation sounded familiar. He pondered briefly, then asked incredulously:
"Are we trying to domesticate Abyssal Demon Fish?"
"No, for truly intelligent beings, we use the word 'accept.'"
"If they are willing to integrate into Bay Territory, obey our laws and rules, learn and practice our values, then we will bring 'them' in."
As Elona spoke, her eyes sparkled with hope and joy—clearly pleased with the hatching results.
Rubbing his nose, Leon mumbled, finding it hard to accept the terrifying appearance of the Abyssal Demon Fish:
"What if they refuse? Or pretend to accept?"
Leon was okay treating Abyssal Demon Fish as magical livestock.
But the idea of them joining Bay Territory and even fighting alongside him worried him greatly.
Elona chuckled softly and replied with calm confidence:
"That's simple—just monitor whether they're lying! Isn't that your specialty?"
"Also, during cultivation, we try to awaken their wisdom while making them recognize reality."
Hearing this, Leon relaxed a bit and grew fond of the evaluation protocols he usually disliked. He asked with curiosity:
"Can we really change their nature? After all..."
"Drow elves aren't born evil. There are bad apples among regular elves too. A worldview forms through environment and education."
"If we provide Abyssal Demon Fish with good growth and education from the start and they still don't awaken 'wisdom,' then it means they want to die."
"Do you still get the creeps from ordinary magical creatures?"
Meeting Elona's clear gaze, Leon finally relaxed completely.
Thank goodness! Thank goodness!
With his thoughts straightened out, Leon quickly accepted the idea of reforming the Abyssal Demon Fish into 'Murlocs' who could be educated.
Ordinary Murlocs had more of an employment-type relationship with Bay Territory.
Bay Territory guaranteed their safety and provided food.
In return, they worked and occasionally helped in battle.
They didn't possess true awakened wisdom, just acted out of instinct and habit.
Only those Murlocs who "figured it out," learned to think independently, and were discovered through Bay Territory's training, were truly acknowledged.
Even if these Murlocs weren't "smart," or couldn't handle complex thoughts, Bay Territory still accepted their existence.
Once they made great contributions, they'd get a chance to be enhanced and start the glorious path to becoming Dragonblood Murlocs!
Even the more extreme folks in Bay Territory wouldn't dare object under strict law.
Ensuring unity among all races was the core condition for Bay Territory's rapid development.
Here, every race's children could receive the best upbringing.
Even the current batch of Abyssal Demon Fish would be well cared for.
Just like what Little Elephant was doing now.
After these Abyssal Demon Fish hatched, Little Elephant didn't let them fight in a brutal survival of the fittest.
Instead, he crafted small individual spaces to protect each greedy little creature.
In child form, Little Elephant shuttled through the hatching area, inspecting the newborn Abyssal Demon Fish.
"Next, we need to guide their thinking and memory correctly and instill strong values and worldviews."
Seeing the senior Druids swiftly installing magic TVs, Leon's lips twitched involuntarily.
To him, all of this seemed just too fantastical!
But Elona's special breeding team handled it with flying colors.
Besides installing magic TVs, they broadcast Bay Territory's "parenting courses" to the young fish.
Worried the fish wouldn't understand, they also installed enchanted "Language Comprehension" magic translators throughout the area.
This "thoughtful" care gave Leon a peculiar feeling.
"If I had received such good education before, would I be even stronger now?"
He quickly shook his head, setting aside the unrealistic fantasy.
He focused on training the new Dragon Warriors and sent more out to explore the surrounding underground areas.
The Lord valued this region highly. Intelligence showed it lay deep within the ruins cluster, with ruins in all directions to excavate.
But before making any moves, production and development had to be secured.
A busy week passed.
Leon fully explored the area, built 12 outposts, and constructed 4 passes and fortresses.
The massive underground area of nearly 50,000 square kilometers was now fully under Bay Territory's control.
When he returned to the central lake dungeon to assign new personnel and resources, he saw an even more fantastical sight.
In the newly expanded hatching zone—
Before 8 glowing magic TVs—
Some Abyssal Demon Fish, now over a meter long, lined up obediently in two rows, staring at the screens with three wide eyes.
Even more incredible, several fierce staff were teaching them to pronounce words in the common tongue.
A few particularly clever Abyssal Demon Fish could already say one or two simple words.
"Study well and improve every day!"
The clear, pleasant voice shocked Leon deeply.
His gaze swept past the isolated section of the hatchery, where hundreds more Abyssal Demon Fish were feasting.
They showed no interest in the oversized magic TVs overhead, preferring to chase prey in the larger pool.
Leon saw Elona humming a tune, walking along the slender tree roots above, carefully observing the fish below.
Suddenly, Elona stopped, crouched with a smile, and let out a few eerie, mournful calls.
Leon felt the sound was familiar. Then a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Isn't that the language of the Abyssal Demon Fish?"
"You need to teach that too?"
"Teachers really are amazing..."
Elona stretched out her hand and waved to a still little Abyssal Demon Fish, saying:
"Hello there, what do you want for your next meal?"
Splash!
The meter-long Abyssal Demon Fish suddenly leapt from the water, baring its mouth full of fine sharp teeth and biting toward Elona's hand!
Thud!
Elona expertly slapped the fish's belly, sending it crashing back down.
Her hit wasn't light—the fish flipped over, belly up, completely unconscious.
Elona shrugged nonchalantly and said to Little Jixiang beside her:
"See? These little guys are sly. Don't let them trick you with pity."
"Don't hit their heads or they'll go dumb..."
"You've gotta be ruthless. Otherwise, they'll never learn..."
"If it happens more than three times, mark them. They're hopeless. Release them later after sorting..."
"..."
Leon watched Elona and Jixiang head toward another little Abyssal Demon Fish, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Are all teachers this scary?"
"If this is how Abyssal Demon Fish are 'cultivated,' it might just work..."