Above The Sky
Chapter 207 - 207 196 The Skilled Hunter Always Appears as Prey 33

207: Chapter 196 The Skilled Hunter Always Appears as Prey (3/3) 207: Chapter 196 The Skilled Hunter Always Appears as Prey (3/3) A captain with a soundwave-related heritage was indeed well suited for underwater exploration, and before long, the deck of the Reverence Light bustled with activity.

Master Gossay did not issue orders, it was actually Yisen Gard who was in charge of coordination—his command ability was actually quite impressive, the entire exploration team operating in an orderly and rational manner under his directives.

Soon, the four professionals responsible for diving and collecting had already donned their full set of diving gear, taken the Underwater Breathing Elixirs, and were ready to enter the sea.

And Ian?

Ian was happily skiving.

He was currently standing with Master Gossay, holding a steaming cup of strong tea in his hand, sipping it bit by bit.

As the professional with the second theoretical but actually the best practical alchemy and identification skills on site, Ian’s task was to wait for the collection of the Crystal Clams to finish and then carry out an expert analysis and retrieve samples.

And also, to find information about the ‘Deep Sea Crystal Dragon’.

Though Master Gossay’s foundational skills were much stronger than Ian’s, without relying on tools, he still couldn’t match Ian’s sensitivity, who had related Spirit Energy abilities.

This is the advantage of Spirit Energy Users in certain areas—their natural giftedness in relevant fields can transcend power levels.

The four professionals entering the sea included two Sublimators—one was the captain mentioned before, and the other was that Seaborn Swordsman.

The other two were a professional shell collector and a professional coastal explorer, both with extremely rich experience in underwater activities.

In their hands, they carried specially made artificial gemstone knives, with sharp Inscriptions that could fend off to some extent the corrosion of the Water Element Origin Substance, and were highly resistant to corrosion; the thin membranes between their fingers were very lightweight and did not affect the ability to grasp objects underwater.

Upon receiving the order from Yisen Gard, they entered the sea one by one, without any scramble for credit—all of them understood that in the sea, unlike on land, cooperation and one’s own life were the top priorities, rather than competition.

Plunge, plunge.

The first two divers entered the sea and returned in succession.

The Seaborn Swordsman and the explorer did not find the seabed basin where the Glinting Crystal Clams were said to gather, as mentioned by the captain, but they did confirm the situation of the underwater currents in this marine area, and they figured out the likely whereabouts of the Crystal Clams.

Then, the third explorer, the professional shell collector, brought back the first Element Crystal Clam—he had reached the periphery of the basin, but a current swept him away.

As an Ordinary human, he couldn’t withstand what might be the clams’ means of self-defense, so he could only catch a clam from the edge and regretfully return.

The captain, who had been successful on a previous trip, was the last to perform…

Entering the sea with a steady demeanor, after taking all the feedback and intelligence from the team members.

Minutes later, he surfaced with over a dozen plump Glinting Crystal Clams.

The exploration team’s mission was successfully accomplished; now it was Ian’s domain.

Activating Foresight View and already having prepared the instruments in the cabin, Ian surveyed the clam group in front of him and then selected the most color-mixed and rich one to start testing.

Glinting Crystal Clams were a new kind of shellfish similar to large-sized clams, with tiny, transparent crystals on the edges of their shells.

Those crystals were not pearls, but the ‘eyes’ of the clams, used to sense the surrounding environmental primordial essence, heat, water current, etc.—a multifunctional sensing tool that could also perform photosensitive detection by emitting light on its own.

However, for Humans, the greatest value of Glinting Crystal Clams lied in those high-purity natural Elemental Crystals used as eyes.

Elemental Crystals are a product of a pure Origin Quality organically combined with a material, more like an extremely special kind of plastic than a gemstone—it is hard and extremely resilient, with a strength far exceeding that of ordinary metal materials.

But no one used Elemental Crystals as a material for weapons; their real use was actually as fuel…

The energy supplied by Elemental Crystals of the same weight was incredibly vast.

Although there had been no specialized tests, even the Ether Furnace Core that Viscount Grant had damaged once had a specific impulse measured in thousands, and two fist-sized Elemental Crystals could power Aether Armament to operate swiftly for a considerable time.

“Elemental Crystals are rare indeed, the combined Elemental Crystals from hundreds of clams might not even match the size of a fingernail cap—but even so, this is a channel.

Moreover, if the related cultivation methods are mastered and the crystal hereditary traits optimized generation after generation, in a few decades, it should become a very excellent source of Elemental Crystals.”

Recording various data in his mind, Ian activated the Silver Chip—soon, as the flow of Origin Quality within the Mist Plate was selectively intercepted by him, bit by bit of analysis, almost all the information about the Glinting Crystal Clam leaped before his eyes.

[Glinting Crystal Clam (Deep Reef Marine Area Species)]

[Incapable Level·Lightly Injured·Ordinary·Edible]

[Inhabit stable areas at the junction of multiple Natural Spiritual Energy Fields, filter-feeding on microbes and algae in the sea, uses a special solution to dissolve rocks and reinforce its shell, the largest variant adult, ‘Labyrinth Species,’ can exceed three meters and is a high potential High-Level Magical Beast.

However, the formation of a giant variant adult is extremely demanding of the Spirit Energy Field, only possible within labyrinths.]

[The flesh of the clam is extremely tough, close to living metal, its eyes are high-purity Elemental Crystals, difficult to consume, only the adductor muscle has a crisp texture.]

[Contained Primordial Essence: 12.4053 standard units]

[…]

The various data and Ian’s own assessment results had little discrepancy, and the fact that Glinting Crystal Clams had a labyrinth variant species was not strange either, as their emergence was due to labyrinth mutations.

What is truly noteworthy is that it is a Deep Reef Marine Area Species, not a Noctilucent Marine Area Species.

With this thought, Ian switched to a few more Glinting Crystal Clams, testing them in turn.

The results were quite intriguing.

“Near Sea Species, Cuo Tan Cliff Species, Odell Reef Species, Fantasia Labyrinth Reef Cluster Species, Far Sea Sword Forest Species…

These Glinting Crystal Clams didn’t naturally converge here!”

After confirming this, Ian formed a hypothesis.

“How is it?

Did you find anything?”

Master Gossay approached with Yisen Gard, noticing that Ian frequently switched the clams he was identifying, clearly having discerned something.

And Ian nodded slightly, his gaze lowering intently on the clams before him, the translucent aqua brilliance gradually fading from his eyes, turning into a sharp green, “The Crystal Dragon indeed feeds on Element Crystal Clams.

I sense that these clams do carry a trace similar to the Dragon Scales; it often hunts here.”

“Even, it has fed here recently.”

The old man was a bit surprised but also pleased, for he hadn’t expected to find their target so quickly.

Yet, Ian’s next words made his brow furrow slightly, “But.”

That word always produces unease.

The youth lifted his head, making eye contact first with Master Gossay then with Yisen in turn, calmly saying, “These Glinting Crystal Clams, they haven’t been breeding naturally here.”

“Someone has been collecting them, engaging in ‘cultivation’.”

As to the identity of the person cultivating them, the conclusion was self-evident, and hence none among the old and two young present spoke up.

Instead, they looked up towards the direction of the shore.

In the midst of wind and rain, faint cries of distant sea beasts could be heard.

Those sounds were nearly imperceptible, but they were real and growing closer.

It was the Natives.

The Natives and the Magical Beasts would be here soon.