Above the mage!

Chapter 525 Water Spirit Lotus

After the capybara leader surrendered, the first thing Gaode had to do was to give him a name.

As an adult capybara, the leader of the capybaras is 2.5 meters long and nearly 1 meter tall at the shoulder. Compared to other aquatic animals, it may not be much, but compared to the little dumpling, it is quite large.

Its head is exceptionally round and full, and its streamlined body appears exceptionally light and agile, without any hint of clumsiness.

What's most special is that its nose is light pink, and its moist snout is gently twitching. Paired with its round, black eyes, it looks even cuter than a dumpling.

Yes, this is a female capybara leader.

"Look at your round head, I'll call you Yuanzi from now on," Gao De said, patting Yuanzi's head.

Yuanzi seemed to like the nickname, making soft whimpering sounds in her throat, and nuzzling her head against Gaode's palm.

Because it was underwater, these words were spoken through a telepathic connection.

Despite clearly not being able to hear anything, Tuanzi still vaguely sensed something and looked at Gaode with a thoughtful and suspicious gaze.

Gao De felt a little guilty and chose to ignore it, continuing to communicate with Yuanzi through their spiritual connection.

He was very curious about Yuanzi's origins and background.

Yuanzi is only in her early forties.

Compared to the lifespan of up to three hundred years for second-class capybaras, this age is considered to be in its prime, with unlimited potential.

Clearly, the young capybaras that Yuanzi was with were not her offspring.

Moreover, the fact that she was able to advance to the second tier at this age means that she must have eaten very well during her growth period, consuming enough high-quality food containing magic and blood energy.

For wild capybaras, this inevitably relies on the support of their "elders" and "groups," as it is unlikely they can do it on their own.

The same is true.

Through telepathic communication, Gaode gradually learned about Yuanzi's origins and story.

Capybaras are typical social animals. While the exact number of wild capybaras in the Great Swamp of Barrow County cannot be determined, it is certain that there are more than a hundred.

Yuanzi's capybara tribe was once a "major tribe" among them.

The group has over a hundred members, with more than thirty adult capybaras. The leader is Yuanzi's father, a powerful capybara who has already reached the third rank.

For this reason, Yuanzi was always able to eat blood food or aquatic magical plants that her father left her when she was a child, which were rich in energy.

However, her father's power was only relative to capybaras.

Although the vast swamp is not as teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers as the sea, there are still quite a few fourth-tier aquatic beasts lurking there, and in the deepest parts, there may even be fifth-tier aquatic beasts inhabiting the area.

However, under normal circumstances, these high-level water beasts will stay in their own territories and will not leave easily.

As long as they don't wander around and trespass into their territory, they generally live in peace.

The problem is that the Great Swamp has tributaries that flow into the sea.

Therefore, there are often "fierce dragons" from the sea that, at certain special times, venture into the great marshland along the estuary.

Yuanzi's clan encountered a "fierce dragon crossing the river".

According to Yuanzi, about four months ago, the weather suddenly changed, with strong winds, seawater backflow, rapid and fierce currents, and a surge in water level.

Seawater flowed back into the sea along the tributary that led from the Great Swamp to the ocean. The turbid seawater, mixed with mud, sand, and broken logs, submerged all the reed beds and shallows along the way.

Even human towns were washed away and destroyed, leaving the water surface in a state of utter devastation.

Of course, wind and waves are not a big deal for capybaras, after all, they are aquatic beasts with extraordinary powers.

Unfortunately, this storm also brought with it a "fierce dragon crossing the river".

It was a sea beast that was over eight meters long, with a body like a giant lizard, which had entered the swamp along with the overflowing seawater.

This sea beast was extremely ferocious. After intruding into the territory of the capybara clan where Yuanzi belonged, it launched an attack without warning.

Its strength is extraordinary; with a flick of its thick, pillar-like tail, it can send an adult capybara flying, and with a single open mouth, it can crush the capybara's skull.

Yuanzi's father, who is also the leader of the capybara tribe, led the strong adult capybaras of the tribe to desperately block them, while Yuanzi led the young capybaras to escape.

With a dozen or so young capybaras in tow, Yuanzi swam with all her might toward a direction far from the territory of her kind, not daring to look back or stop.

They hid in a secluded coral reef cave until the storm subsided before cautiously peeking out.

When Yuanzi led the baby pigs back to their original territory, all she found was a scene of devastation.

The bodies of the tribe members floated in the water, some mutilated beyond recognition, others covered in traces of venomous corrosion.

The sea creature was nowhere to be seen; it had most likely returned to the sea via a tributary after its meal.

From that day on, Yuanzi became the only support for these young piglets.

As the only adult second-tier capybara, she gritted her teeth and took on the responsibility of leadership after her grief subsided.

She dared not stay in her original territory any longer.

On the one hand, she didn't know if the sea monster would return;

On the other hand, the entire population was almost wiped out, leaving only her as an adult capybara and a dozen or so calves. She had no strength left to occupy that once "treasure land".

If they encounter other water beasts that covet their territory, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Yuanzi had no choice but to lead her calves on migrations, searching for new, safe habitats.

They had been wandering for nearly two months, and were now far from their former territory, until they accidentally discovered this lotus forest hidden on the edge of a deep water area, where no animals roamed.

This lotus grove is very well hidden, surrounded by a ring of reefs. If capybaras weren't skilled at detection, they might not have been able to find it.

A greedy juvenile piglet secretly bit off a section of lotus root that was exposed in the mud and sand, and unexpectedly discovered that the lotus root contained powerful effects. After eating it, it could slowly increase their strength.

If a water beast with the potential to advance further consumes it over a long period of time, it can accelerate the advancement process.

From that day on, they settled down in this lotus grove.

Until the arrival of Tuanzi.

It's not some bizarre story, just the ordinary encounter of a group of water beasts.

"You must have come from that direction, right?" Gao De pointed in the direction of Auckland after listening to Yuanzi's explanation.

"How did you know?!" Yuanzi was filled with astonishment. She had never mentioned the location of the original territory to Gaode, and couldn't understand how Gaode could point it out so accurately.
Gao De revealed an expression of certainty; from the thoughts transmitted by Yuanzi, he felt that the more he heard it, the more familiar it sounded.

Four months ago, the storm and seawater flooding caused by the torrential rain and strong winds were exactly like the Catfish Cyclone in Auckland.

He just didn't expect that while the catfish whirlwind caused enormous damage to human towns in the Auckland region, it also had a huge impact on the aquatic creatures in the water.

After learning about Yuanzi's past, Gao De's gaze fell on the lotus root forest buried in the mud and sand, his eyes full of curiosity.

Under the observation of Mandora's magic eye, countless fine energy threads instantly appeared in his field of vision.

That was a faint magical fluctuation emanating from this lotus grove, spreading slowly like ripples in water.

Although not strong, it is exceptionally pure, carrying the unique gentle aura of water, completely different from the mixed energy of the surrounding waters.

Although Yuanzi ate a lot of good food under her father's protection during her growth period, she had only been at the second level for less than ten years.

Logically speaking, it would take at least several decades of accumulation before it is possible to reach the third-tier threshold.

The reason she is able to have the potential to advance ahead of time is mainly because when she discovered this lotus root forest, she ate a very special lotus root buried in the center of the forest.

That section of lotus root was twice as thick as a normal lotus root, about the thickness of an adult's arm. Its skin was not the usual brown, but had a faint golden sheen, as if it were plated with a thin layer of gold.
At the joints between the lotus root segments, tiny, diamond-like specks of light are embedded, shimmering faintly in the dim water.
What's even more peculiar is that when it was discovered, it emitted a rich yet not pungent fragrance that was refreshing and invigorating.

Yuanzi hesitated for a long time, but finally ate the special lotus root.

After she ate that piece of lotus root, a pure and enormous energy erupted within her body.

Although the energy was immense, it flowed slowly through her meridians like a gentle stream, continuously nourishing her.

Nourished and empowered by this energy, she gained the potential to advance to the third tier in just two months.

Thinking this, Gao De's gaze fell back on Yuanzi, having already activated the [Insight·Calculation] ability of Mandora's Eye.

Yuanzi could vaguely sense Gao De's spying, but since she had already chosen to submit, she had no reason to be defensive or resist, and let the feeling of being spied on sweep over her whole body.

The next second, an invisible canvas seemed to unfold in Gaode's mind, with countless pale blue lines appearing out of thin air, constantly intertwining and combining like intricate threads.

At first, it was just a blurry outline, but as the lines became denser, the 3D model of the circle gradually became clear.

This is not a simple copy of the shape, but a "data embodiment" composed of a massive amount of floating numbers, symbols and energy flows.

On the model's torso, a clear network of pale green veins is visible, representing the magic channels within Yuanzi's body. Each vein is marked with precise numbers: Magic Flow Rate: 1.87 units/second (Average value at peak Tier 2: 1.5-2.0); Magic Saturation: 92.7%.
Even the fur on its body surface and the muscle fibers throughout its body have corresponding parameter labels: Muscle strength: 3.8 units (average of third-tier capybaras: 4.5).
But this is only the basic step of "observation-disassembly-analysis"; the real key lies in "derivative calculation".

Gao De's mind stirred, and he focused his attention on the core goal of "advancing to the third level".

The data flow around the model suddenly accelerated, and countless pale green dots representing magic appeared out of thin air, surging towards the interior of the model like fireflies.

About three breaths later, the deduction ended, and a stream of emerald-green information froze above the model, clearly presenting the result:

[Target: Success Rate Analysis of Advancing Yuanzi (Peak Second-Tier Capybara) to Third-Tier]

Base success rate: 21.3%
Advantages: Magic flow rate meets standard (+15%), magic saturation meets standard (+15%), residual special energy in the body (+8%).
Disadvantages: Insufficient muscle strength (-12%), insufficient blood and qi (-8%), impact of hidden injuries (-3%), low environmental magic concentration (-6%), poor mental stability
The final result was exactly as Gaode had predicted.

Yuanzi is still too young. Although she made rapid progress after consuming that special lotus root, her foundation is ultimately not solid enough.

Muscle strength and blood gas concentration, which are basic indicators that require long-term accumulation, are far from meeting the standards of a third-class capybara.

In addition, the lack of environmental magic and even unhealed hidden injuries naturally result in a low success rate for advancement.

In fact, Yuanzi herself knew this and wanted to find other external help.

Unfortunately, the help this lotus root can provide is limited.

After consuming that special lotus root, eating other lotus roots was just like eating ordinary lotus roots; she felt no benefit whatsoever.

Gaode, on the other hand, seemed confident and reassured Yuanzi.

Based on the results of his calculations, he already had a general idea: first, he would help her recover from her internal injuries, and then he would provide her with a large amount of high-level blood food to improve her health.

In addition, we will combine the training methods from Biboting to improve her physical fitness and muscle strength, and finally arrange a good environment for her.
After checking the condition of the lotus root, Gao De came to the lotus root forest, gently dug away the surface mud and sand, and then gently placed his palm on a complete section of lotus root. [Appraisal+] was already cast.

A wisp of pale green magic, like a fine spider web, slowly seeped out from his fingertips, seeping into the rough skin of the lotus root and spreading along the pores and textures inside the nodes.

No immediate feedback was received; only a blurry flow of turbulent energy was observed.

This thing seems to be something special. Gao De understood this in his heart.

For the [Appraisal+] skill, the higher the level or the more special the extraordinary item, the more mana the appraisal skill requires and the longer the information feedback delay.

He didn't stop casting spells; instead, he increased the intensity of his magical output.

One mark, two marks, three marks... As his mana was depleted, he finally felt a faint "response" in his mind, as if he had caught a few fragments of information through a thin veil.

Once one thing leads to another, fragments of information begin to emerge and flood into Gaode's mind.

Water Spirit Lotus: An extraordinary aquatic magical plant, enriched with the essence of water energy, nurturing a second-tier plant.
The lotus root is called "Water Spirit Lotus Root". It is a second-tier extraordinary aquatic magical plant with two characteristics: the enrichment of water energy and the nurturing of essence.

The water elemental energy is concentrated in the seven orifices and nine holes of the Water Spirit Lotus, which can actively absorb the free water elemental energy in the water and transform it into pure energy that combines vitality and magic, which is called "Water Spirit Essence".

The essence of water is nourished by the water lotus root, which contains abundant and gentle water essence that can be directly absorbed and utilized by water beasts to solidify their foundation for advancement.

Although the information identified was not particularly detailed, Gaode has already realized its value.

However, after the piglets have been eating it for a while, there isn't much fresh lotus root left.

He gently stroked the cool, translucent lotus root, and with a slight thought, he used his magician's hand to thoroughly dig through the mud and sand, breaking off a complete section of the lotus root.

The lotus root section is about the length of a forearm, with a pale blue sheen on the skin and a faint glimmer of flowing water visible inside.

With a gentle shake, you can feel the essence stored in the internal pores rippling slightly.

This is a good thing. Take a piece back and show it to Flora. Maybe it can create a real lotus forest.

Moreover, according to Yuanzi, the lotus root she consumed was definitely not an ordinary fresh lotus root.

This suggests that the Water Lotus Root should have an advanced form.

It might be an extremely old lotus root, or it might be a mutant that has absorbed special energy. He couldn't make an accurate judgment at the moment.

But Flora can.

It's even possible that Flora could develop a method for cultivating the advanced form of the Water Lotus Root, given her abilities.

At that time, I will be able to use the advanced form of the Water Spirit Lotus to cultivate a powerful capybara clan.

(End of this chapter)