Above The Sky
Chapter 95 - 95 90 Reef-eater Otter

95: Chapter 90 Reef-eater Otter 95: Chapter 90 Reef-eater Otter Harrison Port is situated beneath the Great Rift Valley, along the Ivoke River, beside the Bison Mountain Range, and on the shores of the Southern Sea.

It is one of the few high grounds along the coast, easy to defend but difficult to attack.

At the same time, the surrounding land is extremely fertile, suitable for cultivation, possessing all the basic elements of a large city.

The sole reason Harrison Port has not developed into a major city of the Southern Territory is its remoteness—the area is separated from other major cities of The Empire by winding mountain roads, vast and precipitous rift valleys, swift flowing rivers, and jungles full of Cannibal Natives.

Indeed, the more remote the place, the more lucrative the trade.

The various rare catches from Harrison Port, the jungle herbs, and rock salt and rare minerals from the Bison Mountain Range are all special products that can be sold at high prices elsewhere.

In addition, fleets from Canaan Moore occasionally come here to peddle their goods…

And if one wants to buy the special products of the Elves, aside from crossing the towering Favette Mountain Range, the only other option is to smuggle them through the passes of the Karan Mountain Range.

This is not merely a matter of risking beheading but also of potentially freezing to death in the snow and winds of Karan’s Great Snow Mountain.

In contrast, at least there is an official road that can be taken through the hot and humid mountain jungles of South Ridge.

But even with so many advantages, apart from the powerful large caravan teams, ordinary small and medium-sized businesses dare not come to Harrison Port.

There’s no particular reason, mainly, it’s because of the Magical Beasts.

The deeper and more lush the jungle in remote mountainous areas, the more numerous and powerful the Magical Beasts, and the less they fear humans.

If one doesn’t have sufficient military force to guard against the Magical Beasts along the way and carelessly gambles on profit, the final result is definitely becoming the stomach contents of the Southern Ridge Magical Beasts.

Remote, with numerous Magical Beasts, and extremely difficult to develop—this is why Harrison Port remains a distant and remote port to this day.

However, conversely, if one has enough strength to hunt Magical Beasts, then the Southern Territory could also be considered a good place.

To the northeast of Harrison Port, there is an inner sea reef area where a large number of corals are exposed during low tide, forming a labyrinth-like group of reefs.

If someone accidentally enters during that time or intends to catch the rare fish within the reef group, there’s no chance for them to leave again.

Because in the area known as the ‘Fantasia Labyrinth Reef Cluster,’ there are over fifteen different types of amphibious and marine Magical Beasts.

Nestled within the dazzling coral fortresses are treacherous underwater cliffs, rift currents, and a dangerous magical plant called ‘Labyrinth Algae.’

Labyrinth Algae is a peculiar symbiotic algae that does not take root on the seabed but instead, lives in symbiosis with a lower-class Magical Beast, the ‘Fortifying Coral.’ This coral, capable of building up solid fortresses in the sea, provides it with a dwelling and nourishment.

Labyrinth Algae secretes neurotoxic mists that form sea fog, creating illusions to lure dangerous sea beasts away from the reefs, or to lead them into traps, turning them into its own sustenance.

Besides, Labyrinth Algae is the natural enemy of starfish.

It can extend its leaves into the stomach of a starfish and secrete venom, melting and absorbing it from the inside out.

The people of South Ridge have always treated the Fantasia Labyrinth Reef Cluster with respect and kept their distance, even going so far as to protect it.

Even though the area is extremely rich in resources and the core skeleton of the Fortifying Coral is one of the best materials for construction and even weapons, the reef itself is also a habitat and breeding ground for a large number of fish.

In the long run, destroying the ecological balance of the reef cluster is a loss not worth the gain.

However, occasionally hunting a few Magical Beasts can also be considered part of the natural balance.

Year 766 of Tyra, December 17th, in the afternoon.

Three months after the great storm of the Southern Territory.

At the interface of a flat sandy beach and the coastal jungle, behind a thorny shrub, a small figure is waiting.

The sea breeze near the shore blew past, and the damp, cold air made the leaves rustle.

Hidden behind the bushes, Ian disregarded the fine thorns on the leaves and branches around him.

Although the white-haired boy’s skin appeared delicate and pale, with a faint red hue, it repelled the thorns that could pierce the thick hide of beasts as if they had touched rock, their sharp tips slightly bending.

It had to be said that the seaside landscape of the Southern Ridge was indeed breathtaking.

Gazing at the distant seascape, clouds like willow strands drifted along the wind’s direction, slicing the azure sky, while at the horizon, towering cloud-mountains floated above the sea surface, reflecting the golden sunlight.

But the boy had now no leisure to appreciate the seascape, as his breathing slowed, his heartbeat decelerated, and his gaze was firmly locked on the distant sea area near the reef clusters, where a mass of dark ‘Reef-eater Otters’ could be seen.

The otters, having just returned from foraging, seemed quite lazy as they floated on the water’s surface, eating leisurely.

In a strict sense, Reef-eater Otters are not truly Magical Beasts.

Just like in the Tidal Fish Swarm where only the Fish King is a Magical Beast, among the otter colony only the strongest few truly enter the domain of ‘Reef-eater Otters’ and become Magical Beasts.

Ian could see clearly among the group of otters about one and a half meters long, there were a few giants over two meters.

They had sleek and tough fireproof, waterproof pelts, bones as firm as coral rock, and incisors that could crush steel.

These creatures, which resembled bears more than otters, were now floating comfortably on the sea surface, cracking open hard shells to eat the flesh inside.

True to their name, aside from ordinary seafood like shellfish and sea urchins, Reef-eater Otters also fed on coral reefs.

This is because their Demon-beast Transformation requires the skeletal system of the Fortifying Coral’s Reef Core, a special metal-cell matrix, and the corresponding materials to form.

To defeat the corals’ protector, Labyrinth Algae, Reef-eater Otters also possessed extremely strong detoxification abilities.

The most powerful among them could, in a short time, turn their skin nearly as hard as that of the Fortifying Coral skeleton.

In other words, they had Pure Rock Bodies with Iron Bones, immune even to the toxin of Labyrinth Algae.

Ordinary strong men armed with swords could not breach their defense.

This ability known as ‘Pure Rock Body’ was the target of Ian’s current objective.

One of his ‘Magical Medicine Ingredients’!

“The most powerful of those Reef-eater Otters, also the leader of the pack…

Hm, it’s a bit tough to handle, as it has no obvious weaknesses all over its body.”

Watching the group of otters floating by the shore through his ‘Clairvoyant Vision,’ Ian scanned over and could see vast swathes of ordinary gray-white otters, with only three shrouded in a blue mist, qualifying as Magical Beasts.

Among these three, only one was encased in the ‘deep blue’ that met his standards.

Generally, wild Magical Beasts would have many hidden injuries from years of fighting.

Even without those, due to unhealthy diets or innate imperfections within their Bloodline, most would have some spots that could be considered ‘weak points.’

His enhanced ‘Clairvoyant Vision’ would aid Ian in pinpointing those ‘weak points’ accurately.

Two months ago, after a prolonged period of weakness, Ian finally managed to stabilize his Spirit Energy once again.

The essence of ‘Clairvoyant Vision,’ a form of Spirit Energy, was the convergence of all Ian’s desires.

He longed to understand Tyra, this entirely new Otherworld.

Therefore, upon hearing names of places beyond Harrison Port, along with the great changes impending for the whole world, his Spirit Energy was stimulated and elevated by the expansion of his worldview, reaching the realm of a First Energy Level Spirit Energy User.