Chapter 490: The Humming Tree

Splash!

The calm surface suddenly rippled.

A water beast appeared abruptly, its body hidden beneath the lake water as a dark shadow, darting toward the several floating Gem Berries, moving so fast it left a long trail of spray.

Almost at the same instant, Tuanzi, who had been lurking beneath the surface, reacted even faster.

Its eyes glowed sharp in the darkness, its body like a black lightning bolt, lunging straight at the water beast.

Water rushed past its sides, forming two white streaks.

But the water beast remained fixated on the Gem Berries, even mistaking Tuanzi for a rival thief.

Its first instinct was not to flee, but to accelerate, paddling furiously with all four limbs, charging straight to the Gem Berries.

Then it opened its massive mouth, revealing rows of sharp fangs glinting coldly under the moonlight, swallowing all the lustrous divine berries in one gulp.

But before it could savor their sweetness, Tuanzi struck like a cannonball, slamming its body into the water beast.

Boom!

The water beast was knocked senseless, its body flung uncontrollably through the air like a projectile, churning up a flurry of fine bubbles that bubbled upward with gurgles.

Tuanzi pressed its advantage, lunging again the moment the beast failed to stabilize, opening its jaws to sink its sharp teeth deep into the beast’s body.

Overwhelmed by searing pain, the water beast thrashed wildly.

Each struggle sent massive waves rippling outward, forming small crests on the lake’s surface that slapped against the surrounding water.

At that moment, Gao De, hidden nearby, had already cast [Water Shaping] to freeze the water, and with [Wolf’s Speed] enhancing him, he leapt across the frozen patches like a martial artist skimming the surface, swiftly reaching the battlefield and striking decisively.

He extended his palm toward the water beast and clenched it slightly.

[Tidal Net+].

Instantly, countless invisible giant serpents awoke within the lake.

The previously calm water surged violently, coalescing into thick, arm-sized whips, like resilient ropes, snapping inward with tremendous force.

They wrapped around the water beast, binding it from head to tail in a tight, multi-layered restraint.

Under the constraints of [Tidal Net+], its struggles became agonizingly slow, until it could no longer move, floating helplessly in the water, occasionally twitching.

[Tidal Net+] could only serve as a brief control skill against powerful water beasts.

But against beasts weaker than Gao De, it was extremely effective, capable of restraining them for extended periods.

Sea Sentinels often failed to kill water beasts not because they were too strong, but because they were too slippery—fleeing at the first sign of trouble.

Even with Sea Otter assistance and [Ocean’s Touch] boosting speed, water beasts familiar with the terrain could still easily escape.

[Tidal Net+] allowed Gao De to nearly eliminate this problem—unless the beast was stronger than him, it stood little chance of slipping from his grasp.

Seeing the beast now restrained, Gao De showed no mercy.

His magic surged rapidly, triggering another spell model.

The next instant, three blinding flashes erupted from his right hand.

[Magic Missiles].

Three magical projectiles, like glowing orbs, stood out vividly against the dark night.

They struck the immobilized water beast with perfect precision.

The beast let out a piercing shriek, utterly losing the ability to struggle—yet its life force was stubbornly strong, still breathing.

Gao De walked calmly to the beast’s side.

Under the faint moonlight, he examined its appearance.

Its body was rounded, about one meter long, resembling an inflated ball.

Its head was broad and flat, taking up nearly a third of its body; its mouth was enormous, with two rows of jagged, saw-like teeth interlocked, glinting coldly under the moonlight, radiating ferocity capable of easily crushing shellfish shells.

Now, that “bloody maw” struggled weakly to open and close.

On its back rose a tall dorsal fin, its spines hard and sharp like blades, extending from the center of its back to the tail, connected by a semi-transparent membrane.

“Sawtooth Puffer,” Gao De glanced and immediately identified the beast.

He frowned slightly.

Clearly, it was not the same Asmir Lake Serpent Monster the local fishermen had reported.

The vast Asmir Lake surely harbored more than one serpent monster; some simply hid deeper, were more cautious, and had not attacked villagers, so remained undiscovered.

Under Gao De’s “Gem Berry Bait,” he hadn’t caught the serpent monster—but he’d caught a first-rank Sawtooth Puffer instead.

An unexpected bonus.

Though not the mission target, eliminating water beasts had always been the primary duty of Sea Sentinel mages.

Killing a water beast lurking in inland waters, ready to strike civilians at any moment, was eliminating a threat—and earned military merit.

Gao De drew Bei Feng, its icy chill sharp, and slashed down with one swift stroke, ending its life.

Blood began to gush from the wound, but was instantly frozen by Bei Feng’s extreme cold, crystallizing into crimson ice shards arranged neatly along the cut—strangely beautiful.

Gao De had no time to admire it; he turned his blade and cleanly severed the beast’s blade-like dorsal fin—the most valuable part, perfect to take back and sell at Walma Magic Materials Shop.

Next, he cut off the Sawtooth Puffer’s head—required as proof of kill; without it, he could not claim military merit.

Finally, Gao De sliced off a piece of the beast’s belly meat and tossed it to Tuanzi.

It was the tenderest, most flavorful part of the Sawtooth Puffer.

Tuanzi had been watching intently beside him the entire time Gao De carved the meat.

At the sight, its eyes lit up instantly; it thrashed its body, carving an arc through the water, leaping high into the air, its sharp teeth snapping shut precisely on the flying meat.

Then Tuanzi plunged back into the water, tail wagging happily, its teeth rapidly tearing apart the fish flesh, devouring it with loud, contented “wuu wuu” sounds, thoroughly delighted.

Gao De picked up the head and dorsal fin, returned to the small boat moored a hundred meters away, stowed the items, and resumed rowing.

The boat sliced through the lake, leaving a gentle wake.

The sky gradually changed—from deep black slowly turning blue, like a vast black silk dyed into profound indigo.

Then the blue softened into a gradient of orange-yellow, the horizon stained with fiery clouds.

Unnoticed, the red sun had risen.

Sunlight spilled across the lake, turning its once-still surface into glittering waves.

The lake turned pink-purple, then golden-yellow.

“That’s enough for today,” Gao De called out to the calm water.

The next instant, the still surface exploded—a nimble form burst upward.

Tuanzi surfaced with its round head, its glossy black eyes fixed on Gao De, brimming with intelligence.

After a night of patrolling, the only catch had been the Sawtooth Puffer.

The serpent monster remained nowhere to be seen.

By day, the serpent monster entered rest mode—unsuitable for further pursuit.

“I’m heading back. Stay here and play, but don’t wander too far. We’ll continue tonight,” Gao De instructed.

Splash!

Hearing Gao De’s words, Tuanzi responded immediately.

It leaped high, executing a complex mid-air flip, its body tracing a graceful arc; water droplets sprayed off its skin, sparkling gold in the sunlight.

Watching its excitement, Gao De sighed helplessly, said nothing more, refused to be the spoilsport “parent,” and resumed rowing toward shore.

Soon, Gao De reached the shore.

But he couldn’t leave yet—he still had to return the boat to the nearby fisherman.

Ordinarily, Gao De could use his mission status to request a boat free of charge from local authorities.

But yesterday, he’d been delayed by the Yili Egg, arriving in Broster City too late—the local officials had already “clocked out.”

Rather than disturb them for something as minor as borrowing a boat, he’d come directly to Asmir Lake.

Such a vast lake must host many fishermen; borrowing a boat from them shouldn’t be hard.

And as expected, scattered along Asmir Lake’s shores were numerous humble huts inhabited by fishermen.

Gao De knocked on a door at random; with his Sea Sentinel uniform and a bit of gold, he easily borrowed a small fishing boat.

Now standing on shore, Gao De quickly identified the direction and pinpointed the fisherman’s home where he’d borrowed the boat last night.

Gao De walked toward that house.

At the door, the fisherman’s two children played, wearing patched coarse cloth clothes, their faces flushed red from the sun, picking up pebbles to “attack” a small kingfisher perched on the eaves.

But their strength was weak, their aim terrible—pebbles either fell limp before reaching the eaves or were effortlessly dodged by the bird.

Chirp!

The kingfisher chirped mockingly at the two children.

The children exchanged glances; then the slightly older boy dashed inside and returned with a slingshot-like device.

With this “weapon,” their confidence soared.

The older boy picked up a pebble, pulled back the slingshot with all his might.

The slingshot’s rubber band—of unknown material—was incredibly elastic, stretching nearly three times its length without snapping.

Bang!

The pebble shot out like a bullet, accelerating with startling force.

The kingfisher had already sensed danger; before the boy released, it flapped its wings and took flight.

The pebble struck the corner of the eave with a dull thud.

Immediately, a middle-aged woman’s voice rang from inside, sharply scolding the two children.

The two little rascals hung their heads in shame.

Chirp-chirp-chirp!

The kingfisher flying in the air chirped louder, as if mocking them.

Gao De watched this lively scene and found it amusing.

He quickened his pace and called out loudly from outside the house: “Uncle, I’ve come to return the boat.”

Soon, a dark-skinned man hurried out, jogging briskly.

Gao De handed him five silver dragon coins, then pointed toward a nearby shore: “This is the boat fee we agreed on last night—I’ve moored your boat over there.”

“Thank you, Master Mage, thank you, Master Mage,” the dark-skinned man accepted the five silver dragon coins with some nervousness, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

Gao De waved his hand, signaling the man not to bother.

As he turned to leave, he caught sight of the boy’s slingshot and noticed the rubber band seemed unusually special—especially after seeing how far the child had stretched it.

A slingshot’s power depends on the tension of the rubber band and its rebound speed.

Greater tension allows it to launch heavier projectiles; faster rebound imparts higher initial velocity—the heavier the projectile and the higher its initial speed, the greater the impact.

“This slingshot’s materials are good,” Gao De remarked casually. “Using such fine stuff to make toys for children—you’re quite generous. But the power’s too strong; kids play recklessly, and this could be dangerous.”

Given what he’d just seen, if that pebble struck a person, disaster would follow.

At Gao De’s remark, the dark-skinned man looked at his two children, his face darkening, then hastily explained with a pleading tone: “This slingshot wasn’t made by me—it’s what they built themselves.”

“Earlier, when I repaired the roof, I collected some bee-humming resin to waterproof it. I had some left over, and they took it to make the rubber bands.”

“Bee-humming resin?” Gao De paused, his gaze fixed on the rubber band of the boy’s slingshot.

“You mean this rubber band is made from resin?!”

He had assumed it was some kind of animal tendon.

“Yes, Master Mage—it’s made from bee-humming resin,” the dark-skinned man nodded quickly.

“Bee-humming resin? Could you tell me more about it?” Gao De’s eyes gleamed.

Though he didn’t understand why Gao De was interested in the resin, he had no time to ponder—he quickly recalled everything he knew about bee-humming trees and spoke nervously:

“Bee-humming trees are a unique species native to our area. When the wind blows, the trunks emit a sound like buzzing bees, so we call them bee-humming trees.”

“The trunks are full of hollows rich in resin. We peel back the bark, hang containers beneath, and collect the resin oozing from the holes.”

“Once hardened, the resin becomes extremely smooth—water droplets slide off instantly—and it doesn’t crack even in winter. That’s why fishermen use it to coat our roofs against rain.”

“Also, we’ve found it’s highly resistant to stretching—even pulled two or three times its length, it won’t snap. It also dampens vibrations and noise.”

“So we often soften it and make pouches to hold spears, preventing clattering and reducing vibrations.”

“Oh, and one more thing!” The dark-skinned man paused, then added quickly: “This resin also bonds furniture—ants and insects won’t even approach the glued joints.”

As the dark-skinned man spoke, Gao De’s eyes grew brighter.

“Where can I find bee-humming trees?” he asked.

“Just go that way—there’s a grove of them right there.”

“Bee-humming trees are noisy—when the wind blows hard, they’re unbearable. And their wood is full of hollows, useless for construction or anything else. No one values them.”

“We used to have many, but one by one they were cut down. Only this small patch remains—because fishermen needed the resin for roof waterproofing, so we kept it.”

The dark-skinned man spoke timidly, clearly puzzled why such a noble Mage would care about their “poor folk’s tree.”

After all, in his mind, only the impoverished lived in shabby homes that needed extra rainproofing—and only they used bee-humming resin.

(End of chapter)