Chapter 46: Fishing
Jie Jie’s mind once again descended into that dreamlike space, retrieving the latest illuminated totem.
Indeed, it was the large monster totem. A ferocious fish-like face stared straight at Jie Jie.
The answer was clear now—what he had consumed earlier was not a lantern fish but a Lamp Fish Dragon.
A Lamp Fish Dragon, which greatly resembled a large monster, looked like a fish and had “fish” in its name but wasn’t classified under the fish-dragon species; instead, it belonged to the sea dragon category.
The body of the Sky Dog Beast inflated, with sharp spines piercing through its back. The massive purple disc opened its clear yellow eyes, forming a triangle with the hanging azure lantern.
A giant mouth, almost half the size of its body, opened wide, revealing rows of gleaming fangs, with long tendrils dangling from its chin.
Underneath its bulky body and enormous mouth were four stubby legs that clearly couldn’t support its weight.
It was undoubtedly the adult form of the smaller monster seen before.
Jie Jie shook his body, causing the lantern hanging from his head to sway as well.
This was the Lamp Sphere of the Lamp Fish Dragon, highly attractive to aquatic creatures. Not only did it draw prey, but it also lured larger monsters into conflict with the Lamp Fish Dragon.
At such moments, the Lamp Fish Dragon would—
“Sigh!”
The newborn bioluminescent microorganisms within the Lamp Sphere reacted, causing the small lantern to burst into light.
The flash wasn’t intense; after it passed, the lantern lost all illumination. This was likely because the microorganisms had just emerged and hadn’t yet proliferated significantly.
The four stubby legs abandoned their attempt to hold up the body. The round body of the lamp dragon flattened against the ground, turning around.
Jie Jie was searching for his baby dragon.
The four young dragons had grown accustomed to the frequent changes in their caregiver. Though they had been scared off, they hadn’t gone far, merely hiding among the sparse trees and peeking at Jie Jie.
“Grunt.”
He gently swayed the hanging lantern, drawing the attention of Iron Pot, who was most familiar with him. It approached first.
The Lamp Fish Dragon could conveniently lie at the bottom of the lake to observe and lure Water Dragons, arriving just in time.
By controlling the tendrils, Jie Jie hung a bag on the mustache of the Lamp Sphere and continued toward the lakeside… swimming in the form of a Lamp Fish Dragon.
The plump body of the Lamp Fish Dragon sinuously twisted across the shallow riverbed, moving forward gracefully, with half of its body still above water.
It was an experience both novel and no slower than walking.
However, when encountering aquatic beasts, Jie Jie could only watch helplessly as they fled; chasing them was out of the question.
The Lamp Fish Dragon wasn’t a monster that actively hunted. They typically employed ambush tactics.
They would hide their flat bodies beneath the sandy riverbed, changing their skin color to match the surroundings while exposing only the swaying Lantern Sphere and tendrils to lure aquatic creatures.
Jie Jie felt a weight on his back—it was the clever little egg flapping its wings and jumping onto him, treating him like a boat.
The spines on the back of the Lamp Fish Dragon could retract. When filled with water or air, his body could puff up like a blowfish, with the spines protruding outward.
But now he was in a flattened state.
After Porcelain Bowl became the first to do so, Iron Pot quickly followed, jumping onto Jie Jie’s back.
But the leader among the bowls and pots was never one to stay still. It moved closer to Jie Jie’s head, trying to bite the swaying Lantern Sphere.
“Boom~”
The tendril holding the Lantern Sphere swung, striking Iron Pot on the head.
This didn’t make it any calmer; instead, it began playing even more wildly with the tendril. The young dragon’s teeth had developed, but it would take much longer for them to be able to harm him.
Jie Jie turned his entire body, including his head, toward the shore, wanting Wooden Ladle and Basin to board as well.
The tendrils from his chin extended, attempting to pull the two dragons aboard, but they only retreated further.
The tendrils under the Lamp Fish Dragon’s chin lacked significant muscle structure, being soft and powerless, incapable of functioning as tentacle monsters.
Not having hands or claws was somewhat inconvenient.
During this time, Wooden Ladle and Basin failed to board, but Porcelain Bowl jumped back to the shore, leaving only Iron Pot playing around on him.
It was somewhat regrettable.
The relationship between the Fire Dragon siblings could hardly be called intimate. They would fight and steal food from each other when Jie Jie wasn’t paying attention, making it extremely difficult to strengthen their bond.
He had hoped the four fire dragons, with deep bonds and a sense of unity, could dominate the Ancient Tree area—
Regardless of whether they chose to come onto his back, Jie Jie carried them all the way to the lakeside.
The environment by the lake was excellent, lush with vegetation. Large groups of Herbivore Dragons gathered by the lake to drink water, and as expected, there were eggs buried in the sand.
This area didn’t have threats like Savage Jaw Dragons or Great Thief Dragons harassing them all day. The Water Dragons in the lake primarily fed on aquatic creatures, preying on Herbivore Dragons infrequently.
Herbivore Dragons wouldn’t calculate the survival rate of their young during the breeding season, nor would they know how many Herbivore Dragons died or fell victim to predators each year, nor could they assess whether their population was actually growing.
Nature’s instincts might not expand their population, but they ensured the continuation of the species, acting as a safety net.
As long as the Herbivore Dragon herd wasn’t severely harmed and their panic remained within acceptable limits, they wouldn’t migrate or flee en masse, staying to guard their eggs until the young hatched and integrated into the herd.
The Lamp Fish Dragon’s camouflage had triggered early, blending seamlessly into the grayish surroundings.
But the young Fire Dragons were restless, eagerly approaching the Herbivore Dragon herd, ignoring warning growls and attempting to prod them.
The intimidating presence of large predators was entirely absent in these young dragons, who fought individually. Only after being struck by tails or rammed did they retreat sheepishly back to Jie Jie.
The Lantern Sphere and tendrils flapped against the young dragons, signaling them to try again.
Meanwhile, Jie Jie submerged himself, lying in wait on the riverbed, slowly drifting toward the Herbivore Dragons drinking water by the lake.
Calculating the time, the young dragons were likely getting hungry but couldn’t find Jie Jie, forcing them to fend for themselves, either confronting the Herbivore Dragons or finding small animals on the ground to gnaw on.
The presence of Herbivore Dragons indicated that the area was relatively safe, and the biggest threat, the Water Dragon, was still his target.
Relieved, Jie Jie drifted below the riverbed near where the Herbivore Dragons drank water, looking upward as their lips touched the water. His whole body began to strain.
“Boom!”
Huge splashes erupted as the Lamp Fish Dragon surged out of the water, biting down on two Herbivore Dragons with its massive mouth while its bulky body crushed several others.
After swallowing the two Herbivore Dragons, Jie Jie dragged the injured ones underwater, tearing them apart and securing them with his tendrils.
Fishing starts with bait.
Blood spread through the lake water, attracting numerous carnivorous fish seeking food.
Among them were some extremely large Bite Fish, but these weren’t what Jie Jie wanted to catch, though they could serve as part of the bait.
Jie Jie drifted deeper into the riverbed, the meat chunks held by his tendrils moving along with him.
Though he couldn’t scatter bait everywhere, he could carry it with him.
The water stirred the strong smell of Herbivore Dragon blood, and a cute little lantern swayed among the many chunks of meat, resembling a beacon.
