King of Beasts

“I have already notified Gu Qingyi.”

“Next, the Xia Country Alliance and the International Alliance will conduct another exploration of the deep sea.”

Manager Ying leisurely walked back and happened to see the black turtle trying to leave, being desperately held back by the dark crow.

“Alright.”

Lu Ran took a deep breath. He had been at ease for so long that he almost forgot that, in the context of spiritual energy revival, the greatest enemies were actually those ferocious beasts.

Previously, the evolution period was short, and the ferocious beasts had not yet become a climate.

But over time, humans would definitely be gradually outpaced.

It’s a matter of numbers.

Humans are just one species, while the concept of “ferocious beasts” encompasses all non-human species.

With such a vast base, even if each species produced only one chosen one, it would be enough to trouble humans.

Take the Star-Moon Continent for example. In the thousands of years of development history of the Beast Taming Empire, they have always been fighting against the forces of ferocious beasts. Just as one ferocious beast force is defeated, another rises shortly after.

Endlessly.

So, will blue star face the same situation next?

“Let’s hope for world peace. The only advantage blue star humans currently have is the ability to grow quickly through infinite city…”

“Tch,” Manager Ying said indifferently, “The world peace you speak of is merely human peace. Human hunting of wild animals has never ceased.”

“In my opinion, global evolution is fair.”

“But you don’t need to worry too much. Among us supernatural beings, there are also old and new grudges. Even if global evolution happens, humans will not immediately face immense pressure.”

“For example, if the rat species evolves, their first target wouldn’t be humans, but us.”

“And some friendly species will certainly choose to ally with humans for a better survival environment,” Manager Ying added.

“That’s true.” Lu Ran smiled. Oh well, why worry? He’s not the leader of the human race; why think so much?

He certainly wouldn’t risk his life to help if ferocious beasts invaded Neon Country or Sacred Eagle Country.

As long as the forces of ferocious beasts don’t mess with him or infringe on his interests, he won’t bother himself with them. Let the vested interests worry about it.

The fourth-generation beastmasters have their own advantages. They can develop slowly, with external pressures and international pressures all falling on the First Generation.

However, the problem is…

Green Sea City is a coastal city, and in Xia Country, the one managing the deep sea is Gu Qingyi, not some stranger.

Lu Ran rubbed his temples. Even if it was just to help Dr. Gu share the pressure, he needed to prevent the Fishman Empire from causing trouble on shore.

He might not have the strength now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. Lu Ran felt that he was growing stronger at a decent pace.

[I… really don’t want to fight anymore…]

“Don’t be like this, black turtle general. Green Sea cannot do without you.”

At this moment, the black turtle and dark crow were still arguing.

Lu Ran: “…”

General Ha, sudden death king, and cloud baby chose to watch the drama unfold.

In all honesty, the dark crow cared even more about the safety of Green Sea City than Lu Ran did.

After all, in its eyes, this was “its” territory.

“Alright, alright.” Lu Ran mimicked the dark crow using super beast mimicry and coughed:

“Since the black turtle is unwilling to personally engage in battle, I appoint it as the Grand Marshal of Green Sea, a general beast.”

“And you, because you’re under contract, can’t be considered a general beast anymore.”

“After this, I will select another water species to take up the role of ‘Green Sea Navy General’ to guard the sea region for the black turtle.”

“Black turtle, I’ll later provide you with resources for an awakening in the mental category. You’ll need to learn mental sensing. Your duty will be to command and manage the Green Sea Navy. How does that sound?”

“Brilliant!” The dark crow clapped its wings.

[Alright, let’s do it this way.] Not only humans prefer compromises; supernatural beings do too.

The old turtle reluctantly accepted the idea of “retiring behind the scenes” and “becoming the navy marshal.”

As long as it didn’t have to go to the frontline to fight, it was fine. It wanted to stay peacefully in Qingwu Lake.

“Indeed, its temperament is relatively cautious and steady, not suitable for charging as a general. However, as a marshal, it fits well.” Manager Ying, also watching the drama, quickly got engrossed.

Lu Ran: “…”

“Black turtle, dark crow, do you have any recommended beasts?”

“Those that are fierce in combat, water species.”

Lu Ran turned to ask the black turtle and dark crow.

“By the way, do you know of any supernatural beings like starfish, sponges, or octopuses from the sea?” Lu Ran continued to ask.

[Ah, unfortunately not.] The black turtle shook its head, [I’m not familiar with those.]

“Big king, I’m also not familiar with marine creatures,” the dark crow reported.

“What a pity!” Lu Ran said regretfully.

Then he spoke up:

“In that case, go to Qingwu Lake and catch a carp. Use the Soul-Calming Stone to test each one, and see whose soul talent is the strongest. This way, it can serve as an experimental subject for the Dragon Soul nurturing method and potentially leap over the dragon gate to enhance its potential, guarding the sea in the future.”

“Big king, you are wise!!” The dark crow exclaimed repeatedly.

[That sounds good.] The black turtle, eyes wet with relief, thought. It finally wouldn’t have to go to the front lines.

Becoming the navy marshal did elevate its position, but it also seemed to bring it closer to retirement!

Hopefully… nothing unexpected happens.

…

After getting the Flock of Crows to escort the black turtle away, Lu Ran and the others stood by the coastal waters, gazing into the distance, as if trying to discern the depth of the unknown enemy.

Nation-building…

The Fishman Empire, was it? Just wait. Once his dragon legion is assembled, he will certainly claim his share of the sea’s resources.

When it came to nurturing a dragon legion, Lu Ran preferred to cultivate a batch of Eastern Divine Loongs that could summon wind and rain, rather than giant Western dragons that breathed fire and spat lightning.

The reason was simple. With the appearance of the weather elf, even if it didn’t have legion traits, it could still become the core of a legion. If there was a group of Divine Loongs that could summon wind and rain to cooperate with it, flooding a country would seem very achievable!

A weather legion! Compared to the dark crow’s celestial regiment, this goal was clearly more defined and much more feasible.

Finally, in the deep sea, he planned to establish a Dragon Palace City!

This time, the black turtle also brought back an important piece of intelligence and achieved a great merit. Since it didn’t want to fight, he might as well let it become the Turtle Prime Minister and enjoy its retirement…

…

During the waiting period for the Evolution Secret Realm, Lu Ran encountered a small incident.

First, Lu Ran went to Qingwu Lake to select a king carp. Then, he personally stayed by the coastal waters to see if any creatures from the Fishman Empire would invade.

However, after that mermaid attacked and failed, retreating in disgrace, several days passed without any sign of a counterattack.

This made Lu Ran feel quite bored.

He wanted to capture a mermaid alive to inquire about the situation with the Fishman Empire.

If there were “mermaids,” Lu Ran guessed that without waiting for the Fishman Empire to attack the land, the surface would directly enter the “great maritime era.” A bunch of old perverts would go to capture mermaids as pet beasts.

Boom!!!

In Green Sea, on thunder island.

After several consecutive days of being struck by lightning for training, combined with the pendant from the divine deer, the sudden death king underwent a period of rapid growth in physique, which then gradually slowed down.

Lu Ran knew that for the sudden death king at its current level, the development of the red trait had probably reached a bottleneck.

Continuing further, although improvements would occur, there wouldn’t be significant progress in a short amount of time. This kind of development could only be achieved over months.

Heavenly thunder body forging + thunder blessing + divine deer pendant allowed the sudden death king to train its red lightning trait to a level that would normally take years in just a few days.

As the opening time for the first Evolution Secret Realm drew closer,

International news outlets also began their countdown.

[Only 5 days left! Evolution Secret Realm opening for the first time, which ten will receive the Star Blessing slots?]

[Eagle Federation’s Dinosaur Life Research Institute announced it’ll conduct the second dragon transformation experiment in the Evolution Secret Realm!]

[Famous second-generation beastmaster Phoenix stated he’ll be nurturing the strongest new pet “Phoenix” with special resources obtained from the Legendary Secret Realm.]

[Lately, Dr. Lunbo, a giant in evolutionary studies, auctioned an evolution method called “wisdom grass” in Eagle Federation. It is rumored that this method can grow a plant organ called ‘wisdom grass’ on the animal’s head to enhance intelligence. The method has reportedly been purchased by a mysterious buyer.]

[Shock! A female billionaire from Rui Country is seeking a mate for her beloved dog to give birth to a high-quality pup, offering an exquisite resource as a dowry!]

While nurturing the sudden death king and the weather elf, Lu Ran kept an eye on the world’s trending news.

Finally, during a period of boring waiting, he encountered a big piece of news.

It wasn’t something he saw online but was instead brought to him by Manager Ying.

“The Fishman Empire has news, both good and bad. Which do you want to hear first?” Manager Ying gracefully stepped towards Lu Ran in the void of thunder island.

Her gem-like eyes fixed on him.

“Stop playing around, just get to the point,” Lu Ran said. “Start with the one related to me.”

“That would be the good news,” Manager Ying said. “The mermaid that was sent to occupy various sea regions is just a prince of the Fishman Empire. It has dispatched many subordinates to seize marine territories everywhere. Your area in Green Sea is just a trivial spot.”

“Even if they failed, it’s likely they won’t pay too much attention to it in the short term. They’ll probably focus on easier targets first.”

“So, after a while, once they’ve taken the easier targets, they’ll eventually shift their focus back to the territories they previously failed to conquer, right?” Lu Ran asked.

“Indeed, that’s a possibility. If they intend to land, these coastal waters, despite not being rich in resources, are still key areas,” Manager Ying shrugged.

“And the bad news?” Lu Ran inquired.

“The bad news is not directly related to you but involves the international beast taming alliance. They’ve uncovered the origins of the Fishman Empire, and it’s quite worrisome.”

“In ancient times on Blue Star, ‘fishmen’ truly existed as a species. The king of the Fishman Empire is similar to me and might have survived from ancient times.”

“Although we don’t know the exact level of this entity, a creature like this will undoubtedly be more challenging to deal with than marine creatures that just recently evolved and gained resources like ‘exquisite resource’ and ‘epic resource’…” At this point, even Manager Ying revealed a wary expression.

“Furthermore, it’s unclear whether its offspring are newly created or also ancient survivors. But the fact that it’s defaulting these territory seizures indicates significant ambition.”

“In the future, humanity might have to face ancient enemies!”

“Ancient creature!” Lu Ran was stunned. “Damn, there’s another one like you who can survive for ages.”

Manager Ying: ?

“Hmph,” Manager Ying pouted. “I call it exceptional talent. The Fishman Empire, just by the name, sounds like trash.”

“So, I won’t bother finding a master to guard Green Sea. I’ll leave it to you, Manager Ying. You’re just a cat; I hope you don’t run away when you encounter fish,” Lu Ran said seriously. “To them, it’s just like catching small fish.”

“No, my advice is to quickly find the divine deer and cling to it! I’m very weak!”

Lu Ran and Manager Ying engaged in a heated argument.

Meanwhile, in a distant deep-sea kingdom,

An order was issued.

“The failed attack is tolerable; abandon that region for now.”

“Hmm? The lord of that sea region is a powerful turtle species with a stone tablet on its back?”

“A stone tablet… What species is that? It sounds interesting.”

“Go, send more people. Invite it, I want it to submit to me and become my general. Such a strong warrior is too good to waste in such a small sea region!”