The Natural Empire of the Oceanic Dragon

Following the two fishman warriors, they advanced thirty kilometers in a straight line, not far from where Attilan usually absorbed water elements. With the challenge level of nearby beasts, fishmen here were practically free meals.

Fishmen were cost-effective consumables, usable for twenty years with green, eco-friendly, low energy consumption. Yet, the old fishman commanded them to run to such dangerous places to collect river clams. The labor value lost from a single dead fishman could buy so much grain!

Besides wheat flour, the half-orc brought back wheat seeds from this transaction.

Attilan planned to cultivate farmland in the wilderness south of the forest to plant wheat. Actually, planting rice in this kind of land close to the lake, with abundant water resources, would yield twice as much.

But unfortunately, the half-orc hadn't found any rice seeds, hadn't even heard of rice as a grain. It was estimated that the entire continent didn't have rice, not even wild rice grass before domestication.

As for foxtail millet's predecessor, some dogtail grass was discovered.

Rather than domesticating dogtail grass, Attilan might as well optimize the existing wheat seeds.

Seed optimization was a long process. Unable to increase yield per acre, they could only increase the number of acres. As long as they cultivated two hundred acres in the wilderness, even if the fishmen's yield was only half that of the half-orcs,

they could not only feed the existing fishmen but also have some surplus.

The problem was that there were many races in the wilderness that lived by plundering. For example, many of the centaurs who helped Attilan transport grain were also plundering and being plundered.

The most numerous race in the wilderness was the gnolls, followed by the centaurs and minotaurs. Other races lived there sporadically, but their numbers were not as large as these three.

Gnolls didn't like to eat grain, but centaurs and minotaurs didn't mind. Two hundred acres of wheat planted by the fishmen would be like a gift from heaven to them.

Centaurs were swift in the wilderness, gathering intelligence on potential targets. Two hundred acres wasn't a small amount, and coupled with the irrigation ditches needed, the investment in this project was huge.

Attilan didn't want to lose money!

They arrived at the habitat of the river clams and the great black snake. It seemed the river clams and the great black snake weren't getting along. The great black snake kept swimming nearby only because it wanted to eat river clam meat!

A school of small fish was driven by the great black snake to the vicinity of the river clams. When the river clams opened their shells to catch fish, the great black snake shot out like a sharp arrow, trying to kill the defenseless river clams.

Fortunately, the river clams closed their shells in time, causing the great black snake to crash headfirst into the shell.

The river clams were too large. Eating plankton and algae couldn't sustain them; they had to prey on small fish.

Years of absorbing water elements had turned the river clams into magical creatures, much more tempting than ordinary creatures. No wonder the great black snake was unwilling to give up for so long.

The great black snake had its eye on the clam meat, and Attilan had his eye on the snake meat.

With a ghostly maneuver, Attilan circled behind the great black snake. The great black snake was still drooling over the river clams. Greed for food made the great black snake lose its vigilance.

It had been entangled with the river clams for a long time. The river clams weren't very lethal to it. The shell couldn't crush it to death, but instead gave it a chance to bite the clam meat and inject venom.

The great black snake was focused on finding an opportunity to inject venom when Attilan rushed out from the shadows and struck the great black snake's head with his claws, knocking it unconscious.

After pulling out the black snake's fangs, he turned to the fishmen and ordered:

"Carry the river clams and come back with me."

The four fishmen cut the aquatic plants, tied up the river clams, and followed Attilan back to GreenScale Town, dragging the river clams behind them.

Attilan didn't kill the great black snake directly because it was a magical snake that could be used to practice magical cooking techniques. Once a magical beast died, some of the magic within its body would dissipate.

There were some techniques in magical cooking that described how to process magical ingredients to reduce loss.

Of course, quickly eating a magical beast after killing it wouldn't lose much magic, but the nourishing effect was definitely not as good as making magical cuisine. Therefore, Attilan only knocked the great black snake unconscious first.

In order to safely send the river clams back to the river clam field, Attilan had to accommodate the fishmen's speed, giving the great black snake a few more blows to the head along the way. Finally, they returned to GreenScale Town.

"Meepo, look what good stuff I brought back!"

Looking at the black snake, more than three meters long, the half-orc couldn't hide the excitement in his heart as he stroked its smooth scales.

In order to maximize the preservation of the ingredients' magic, magical cooking required special cooking utensils that had been magically processed.

The half-orc sighed:

"I used up all my magic and only made a few pottery jars. They're perfect for making soup. We can try a few different recipes."

Magical cooking was actually similar to brewing magical potions.

The half-orc processed the snake meat and evenly placed it into the pottery jars. One only had lake water and snake meat, one had honey added, one had wood ear and mushrooms added, and the last was a big stew with all the suitable ingredients they could find.

With the magical snake cuisine prepared, Attilan's attention finally had time to focus on the big river clams. At this time, the river clams had been placed in a separate river clam field.

The old fishman looked at the river clams on the shore with some worry.

"What's wrong?"

"Dragon Lord, I'm just thinking that we must not let such big river clams die. I'm wondering how to provide them with the most comfortable environment."

Attilan nodded and said with a smile:

"I'm a druid, leave it to me."

Druids had spells to communicate with animals. It was impossible to communicate with ordinary river clams, but such big river clams should already have some ignorant consciousness; otherwise, the great black snake would have succeeded already.

Suddenly transferred to an unfamiliar environment, with shallow water, the river clams felt insecure. It was very panicked.

Attilan released a shimmering green light to soothe the river clams, using the Animal Conversation spell to tell it that it could stay here in peace, that someone would provide it with food, and that it only needed to nurture pearls.

Releasing goodwill calmed the river clams down. Attilan only wanted pearls; he didn't plan to eat the clam meat, and he even supported painless pearl removal.

When the river clams understood what pearls were, they became a little excited. They hoped Attilan could help them take out the pearls inside their bodies.

The process of nurturing pearls wasn't pleasant for the river clams. It was just that the river clams had no way to remove the impurities embedded in their bodies themselves, so they could only secrete a substance to wrap the impurities, which eventually formed pearls.

In fact, pearls were clam gallstones!

Under Attilan's comfort, the river clams slowly opened their shells. Quickly locking onto the location of the pearls, he gently hooked with his claws. The river clams didn't feel much pain at all, and a jet-black pearl fell into Attilan's hands.

"Perfect, too perfect!"

A pearl five centimeters in diameter, its jet-black surface shimmering with specks of blue light under the sunlight.

"Night Star! This name is a perfect fit!"

Before the shell closed, Attilan stuffed another grain of sand inside.

This time it wasn't embedded in the river clams' flesh. Attilan taught the river clams how to secrete nacre to wrap the sand, guiding the water elements to scour the pearl.

The pearls that the river clams nurture next time would be rounder and more magical.

Looking at the Night Star in Attilan's hands, everyone held their breath because it was so beautiful. The light had a soul-stirring feeling.

It was precisely because of this that Attilan realized the river clams weren't ordinary; they were mirages with illusion abilities!