Above The Sky
Chapter 301 - 301 284 Active Metal Morien Steel 13

301: Chapter 284: Active Metal Morien Steel (1/3) 301: Chapter 284: Active Metal Morien Steel (1/3) [Brain-Eater Bug Nest Queen (Benign Mutant Species)]

[Second Energy Level · Larva · Keystone · Edible]

[Having undergone multiple artificial modifications of alien symbiotic life, its appearance is now completely transfigured, no longer retaining its original form.

Its primordial form was a brain stem slug capable of symbiosis with sub-intelligent creatures, endowing them with intelligence and evolutionary potential to connect with the Spirit Energy Network of the brain slugs.]

[After ancestral mutation, it achieves devouring assimilation by forcibly connecting to the neural network; the matron will undergo self-adaptive mutation and metamorphosis based on the location of the nest.]

[Current Form: Thunder, Fire]

[Contained Primordial Essence: 3209.5531 elite units]

[…]

Within the Foresight View, the queen’s shell resembled a blue crystal prism and glowed with a deep purple hue tinged with a faint cyan mist—this was a characteristic unique to those of the high order of the Second Energy Level and above.

And yet the counterpart was merely a larva, indicating that the matron in its complete form held the potential of the Fourth Energy Level!

If Ian hadn’t been afraid of exposure, he might have gasped in shock.

The matron’s strength was even more fearsome than he had imagined.

Reasonably speaking, shouldn’t this type of parasite be powerless without a host?

How could the matron itself be so strong?

No, that’s not right…

As everyone held their breath and hid in the passageway above the rift, Ian continued to observe carefully, with silver-green light flickering in his eyes.

He vaguely saw visions of the past…

A madman, and a harmless soft-bodied slug.

An advanced, bright laboratory, a lineup of genetic samples from formidable creatures.

“This life form must possess the ability to adapt to all harsh and extreme environments…

whether it be the seabed or lava, the high skies or the polar regions, in the center of thunderstorms or the void above the sky—it must have this ability!”

“Evolution is too slow, genetic modification too difficult; if so, then let it be mutation!”

“Through the fastest mutations, the benevolent mutant traits will be selected from the deaths of tens of millions of offspring, and then feed back to the Spirit Energy Network…

Thus, one day, it will be possible to accomplish the ultimate metamorphosis, transforming into the ultimate life form!”

“No matter what kind of natural disasters and apocalypse you face next…

life form destined to reach the future, you shall live eternally!”

Amidst the mad laughter, the feeble slug began to change, to transform rapidly.

No, it was a mutation.

Because of its simplicity, it could carry almost every mutation—the harmless soft-bodied slug, through repeated mutant generations, became a fierce parasitic predator.

And all of this was shattered by the combined wills of five beings.

The Spirit Energy Network shattered, and the Brain-Eating Bugs fell into silence.

Until decades ago, for some unknown reason, the swarm reformed the Spirit Energy Network and rebuilt the Worm Nest, leading to abnormal cooling of the ruins and causing a great storm decades later.

And that was the beginning of it all.

“Ian?

Are you okay?!”

Awakening from the vision, Ian heard Yisen Gard’s concerned voice, lowered to a whisper, “You are bleeding…

stop it quickly!”

Shaking his head, the youth regained his clarity.

He realized that blood had begun to flow from his nose and eyes again; fortunately, Yisen had noticed this from the start and used his wind-based Origin Quality to suppress the surrounding airflow.

Otherwise, the spread of Ian’s blood scent might have attracted the attention of the surrounding Brain-Eating Bugs.

With a single thought, Ian used the Primordial Seed to control the blood within his body.

He felt a wave of exhaustion as if he had just been in a great battle, “Phew…

Seems like I’ll have to be more careful in the future.

Foresight View is powerful, but the energy consumption after advancement is not to be underestimated.”

If a High Rank Sublimator at the First Energy Level normally has a storage of Origin Quality at least 1500 base units, then Ian probably has about 2000, placing him at the Peak of the First Energy Level.

That was already the limit of the First Energy Level.

Of course, that was far from his only trump card.

If he used the Ancient Dragon Core, along with the coordination of the Silver Chip, Ian could raise his Origin Quality limit close to 3000 base units and continuously recover at a high speed.

Together with the physical quality bonus of the Sand Armor Apprentice, that was the confidence he needed to challenge Patrick.

But just now, when he used Foresight View to observe the Brain-Eater Matron, he instantly burned through more than 200 base units of physical strength.

In an instant, consuming one-tenth of his physical strength, no other activity could compare, which is why Ian’s body was overloaded in that moment.

“When I looked at Andor before, the maximum consumption was only a few units of basic Origin Quality…

It seems that the target of observation also possessed Spirit Energy and its strength far surpassed mine.

If I advanced to the Second Energy Level, where the basic Origin Quality transforms into elite Origin Quality, I guess the consumption would be much less,” he surmised.

Gathering his spirit and suppressing minor injuries, Ian continued to observe the Brain-Eater Matron in front of him, his gaze curious, “A benign mutant…

Looks like it’s similar to the mutants I encountered before, but they all have features of benign mutations?”

After this incident, the trio had cooled down and could seriously observe this obviously troublesome creature.

“This queen has some similarities with the Sea Demon Worms at Whale Song Cliff, and its surface shell also shares some features of the Crystal Dragon,” observed Master Gossay, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he peered intently through a small telescope, “What is behind this nest?

It’s actually providing the matron with such a massive amount of energy…

Look at the fluorescent flesh and blood beneath its shell; it’s rapidly developing…

Wait, is this just a larva?!”

Soon enough, Master Gossay came to a conclusion, filled with astonishment, “Though it hasn’t reached the Peak of the Second Energy Level…

this is enough to prove it has the potential of Fourth Energy Level!”

A Magical Beast of the Fourth Energy Level, each one a named behemoth with its own lair, was an existence that could cause headaches even for an empire.

In this relic, they expected Crystal Dragons and Frost-Seduction Moths, but there was also a parasitic creature with the potential of the Fourth Energy Level?

“Master, did you notice it?”

Yisen Gard was also using a telescope, and as the young man adjusted the lens and focused, he could see more details clearly, “Look, where the blue crystal shell meets the nest, something is squirming…

I’m not quite sure what that thing that seems like both metal and crystal gel is.”

“Oh?”

Master Gossay adjusted his position and then paused.

After a moment, the old man’s tone became excited, “By the Light of Huai Guang, is that, is that Living Metal?!”

“This is Morien Steel!

The essential material needed for high-grade Aether Armament, Morien Living Steel!”

“Oh?”

Since Ian had just been resting his eyes, he hadn’t joined the observation immediately, and although he didn’t have a telescope, his Spirit Energy and Silver Chip were even more potent.

He also noticed the writhing metal gel and sensed the deep purple glow with tinges of blue.

A thought crossed his mind, “Why is there Morien Steel here?

It seems that the crystal plating on the matron’s body must be the effect of the Living Steel.”

Morien Steel, also known as Living Steel, is a semi-transparent metal crystal that is very hard, yet under the influence of Spirit Energy, it possesses surprising malleability.

The largest source of Living Steel in Terra World is located in Falling Star City along the northeast coast of the continent and in the Questheaven Realm of the Dwarves.

As naturally gifted Spirit Energy creatures, the Fae have an innate sensitivity to Living Steel.

The Dwarves, on the other hand, simply inherited it historically; their ancestral homeland sits over the largest vein of Living Steel on Terra.

It is said that among the Fae, a wealthy and skilled group uses pure Morien Steel for their bodies; they call themselves ‘Iron Fairies’ or ‘Silver Fairies’, a very special high-order lineage within the Fae.

In the Dwarves, there is the ‘Ironmaster’ lineage.

The Unyielding Fortress’s Third Energy Level Stone Lord drew inspiration from it and thus also needs highly purified Morien Steel as an indispensable enhancement for their Magic Potion.

—This place, there’s actually Morien Steel…

And here I thought I’d have to look elsewhere or pay a hefty price to obtain it.

I never expected to have the opportunity to acquire it during this expedition.

With that thought, Ian nodded slightly.

Today should be the easiest day for him to get his hands on this rare material!