Chapter 1436: 1436. Fishing

Noah's knowledge of the magical beasts' field fused with his superior awareness as he studied the bottom of the pond through King Elbas' lenses. The faint red light radiated by the Bloodline Inheritances distracted him, but he didn't forget about his task.

His studies and instincts allowed him to create a few valuable theories about that environment. The environment didn't carry traces of battles, so the Bloodline Inheritances had to be an inborn feature of that mysterious species.

Those creatures had to be very smart and feel intense emotions to give birth to such a spectacle. They also had to die often and control their hunger to preserve the lair.

Many names appeared in Noah's mind. Details of species that he had only heard in legends and old reports came out of his mental sea and created a list of possible creatures that could inhabit that environment.

The Kesier Apes were the most intelligent species he knew, but those creatures wouldn't live underwater. The answer was somewhere else, inside knowledge that his lower plane had never managed to offer.

The faint lights didn't manage to illuminate the pond's bottom, and its murky waters also hindered Noah's inspection. However, the countless clues that he found as he explored that environment eventually led him toward a specific type of creature.

'Can they be crabs?' Noah wondered as the pond filled his vision.

Crab-type creatures were the only magical beasts that fit those criteria. They were relatively easy to kill, and innate weaker power prevented the appearance of restrictions on their fertility.

The only variable that he couldn't confirm was their intelligence. Noah had eliminated other impossible candidates when he created his hypothesis. Crab-type creatures were quite clever among the marine species. They lacked the innate stupidity that often afflicted other stronger beasts.

Once Noah set his mind on a conclusion, he began to memorize the aura radiated by the murky waters. His mind became a vortex that absorbed every sensation released by the pond.

King Elbas needed to adapt his ropes to those creatures' aura, so Noah had to obtain a perfect image to grant him a chance to succeed in the mission. Stealing from rank 8 creatures was something that any rank 7 cultivator would deep as idiotic, but the duo was willing to risk their lives to seize those resources.

An intense joy filled Noah's mind. He felt almost high as those feelings fused with his mental sea and went through a thorough series of examinations.

Noah had interacted with Bloodline Inheritances in the past, and he had even felt the strong emotions carried by the magical beasts. They had always been negative sensations. It was simply easier for them to mark the flesh and blood of their specimens.

That was his first time seeing Bloodline Inheritances created from positive emotions, but that discovery fit his hypothesis. It explained how those creatures had created that environment without having been in dire situations for a long time.

'It feels like a drug,' Noah thought. 'This aura makes me tired but active at the same time. It's an addicting feeling that fills the entire pond. I wish I could taste its waters to understand its true effects.'

Noah and the others didn't dare to touch the pond. The creatures inhabiting its bottom were giving the group the chance to leave the area, and even the rank 8 leader didn't seem interested in them.

However, the pond was their home, so they would probably attack the group if something happened to its waters. Those creatures would protect their lair.

Noah remained above the pond until he felt that he couldn't learn anything else. It would soon be up to King Elbas whether he could seize the crystals hidden at its bottom.

Noah returned to his companions and took out a strand of dark-brown mental waves that he handed to King Elbas. Words were useless in that situation. The Royal needed to feel what Noah had sensed during his inspection.

The Royal took out his portable habitation after he received Noah's conclusions. King Elbas needed his labs to create an item that could help them in that task. Any other place wouldn't give him the same success rate.

Noah, Don, and Jordan flew toward the other side of the pond while King Elbas was busy with his inscriptions. They needed to prepare for the worst, which involved creating a series of traps that could slow down an eventual outbreak of the pack leader.

The trio didn't even think about killing it. The leader was a rank 8 creature. Their attacks would probably not affect it at all. Creating traps was the only possible plan in that situation.

Noah's expertise allowed the trio to create traps that targeted the common flaws of crab-type creatures. They had poor senses, and their legs were easy targets. It was only a matter of exploiting those weaknesses without enraging the leader enough to make it pursue the group to the other side of the Immortal Lands.

Months of preparations went by. Noah and the others dug countless holes in their escape route and filled them with different traps.

The holes near the pond featured the sticky saliva of the Mountain Lizard. Instead, those deeper in lands featured proper disposable weapons that Noah didn't hesitate to place there.

The group even eradicated trees to create natural hindrances. They would use everything they could to slow down the possible outbreak of the leader. Even the shortest delay could help them survive.

King Elbas eventually came out of his habitation and joined the rest of the group. He added many layers of inscriptions on top of the traps, and he gave his companions his creations so that they could inspect them.

Noah found a long golden rope in his hands. The item didn't seem to have anything peculiar. It didn't even appear as an inscribed item, but he could sense that its toughness was off the scale.

Noah placed the rope on the ground, and its color changed. It became azure, like the terrain of the Immortal Lands. Then, he tested in a green spot in one of the nearby areas, and its color changed again.

The ropes did what King Elbas had promised they would do. They fused with the environment and radiated little to no aura. Only a second inspection would reveal their fundamental nature as inscribed items.

After the group completed their defenses, they dug an underground structure to have more chances to escape. Once everything was ready, the four took one rope each and took cover.

"The ropes will naturally attract the Bloodline Inheritances," King Elbas explained. "The longer they remain inside the pond, the more crystals we will get. Still, I don't know for how long they can trick the leader. I simply can't evaluate the power wielded by rank 8 creatures."

"Are we really going to do this?" Don asked.

"I have the best chance to survive anyway," Jordan replied.

"It was about time we messed with rank 8 creatures," Noah added. "I was getting tired of fighting against weak beasts."

After the four exchanged a glance, they threw their ropes toward the pond and ducked. The items didn't even cause ripples on the water. They directly fused with the pond when they touched it.