Chapter 101: Abnormal Reproduction, Diamond Stone Giants

Talgon's steps were heavy and steady, its granite body crushing through the underbrush as it strode forward at a rapid pace, with no vegetation able to hinder its progress.

But this also left a clear trail behind it in the wilderness.

Using the cover of night, Garos silently followed the stone giant; his scales appeared in a dull gray tone under the moonlight, blending with the clouds, while the sound of his wingbeats was deliberately suppressed, moving without a sound.

Flight gave the dragon kind a unique advantage over giants.

The stone giant's senses were not sharp, and Garos concealed himself well, moving neither hurriedly nor slowly, never failing to remain undetected by the stone giant.

Just like that.

The giant and the dragon walked upon the earth and soared through the sky, respectively.

Time gradually passed.

After roughly five hours, the sky took on the hazy gray-blue appearance of dawn.

The terrain ahead began to change, with jagged rocky hills gradually replaced by flat, massive boulders, and the air was filled with a strange scent mixing minerals and sulfur.

The full view of the stone giant camp gradually unfolded before Garos's eyes.

This was a semi-open camp built against a mountain, its perimeter formed by a circular high wall of rough basalt blocks, inside which stood primitive stone houses built in an ancient style by stacking layers of rocks; both the high wall and the stone houses were exceptionally grand and massive, clearly the architecture of giant beings.

His gaze silently swept over those stone giants.

Garos's attention was drawn to the structure in the very center of the camp.

It was a circular pit about twenty meters in diameter, filled with a gray substance that looked like stone at first glance, but the occasional ripples that rose to the surface proved it was liquid.

"Is this thing... a Leyline Symbiosis Pool?!"

Garos pondered silently.

The reproduction method of stone giants is not normal biological reproduction.

They first select a suitable leyline node to create a Leyline Symbiosis Pool, then, through special means, choose minerals possessing 'spirituality,' carve them into rough humanoid forms, and place these rough humanoid forms into the Leyline Symbiosis Pool.

After the rough form is immersed in the pool water, the liquid mineral essence and energy within the Symbiosis Pool gradually permeate it, with a probability of awakening consciousness.

If it fails, it becomes part of the mineral essence.

Individuals that awaken consciousness climb out of the pool water, gnaw on parts of the bodies of older stone giants, thereby gaining a preliminary understanding of the world and the concept of their race, becoming new stone giants.

Due to differences in the rough forms and variations in carving.

The appearance and physique of every stone giant are somewhat different, their body textures vary, and the gap between individuals is huge.

The weak ones, stone giants formed from ordinary stones, are not even as good as a White Dragon.

However, stone giants formed from rough forms of special minerals that then awaken can possess astonishing talents; it is just that the more special and outstanding the mineral rough form, the lower the probability of awakening consciousness.

Garos noticed.

Several young stone giants were carving rocks.

They were not carving small, growing humanoid rough forms, but rather imposing figures no smaller than themselves, and inside the Leyline Symbiosis Pool, there were already some of these stone carvings.

These are the Great Stone Guards.

Stone giants are a race where every individual worships deities; they can create Great Stone Guards, which sacrifice their intelligence and long lives to grow rapidly and transform into weapons defending the clan.

Not just stone giants, but Great Stone Guards.

Outside the camp perimeter, there were also groups of monster kin such as rock lizards and pangolin beasts.

"The scale is not small, but not large either."

So far, Garos had not seen more adult stone giants.

At the same time.

When Talgon reached the edge of the camp.

An exceptionally burly stone giant walked out from the largest stone house.

Its height reached fifteen meters, like a small hill, with a crystalline body whose texture and grain were completely different from Talgon's, appearing constructed from diamond, exuding an overwhelming sense of invincibility.

This stone giant instantly caught Garos's eye, making his heart tighten.

"A stone giant elder, and a Diamond Stone Giant at that; this is a bit tricky."

There was already a Diamond Stone Giant elder in the vanguard army; Garos could hardly imagine how strong the subsequent main force would be, or how vast its scale.

This made him feel a deeper sense of danger.

But gazing down at the giant camp, Garos vaguely felt something was wrong, though he couldn't figure it out in the short time.

He held his breath, suppressed all movement, and continued to observe and examine, scouting the situation of the stone giant camp.

On the ground, the stone giant Talgon knelt on one knee.

It used magic, its eyes flickering slightly, projecting a memory image.

Karu's unyielding face, the fat and muscular ogre warriors, and more than one warlock were all revealed in perfect detail.

Cracks appeared on Talgon's rocky face.

This is how stone giants express anger.

It spoke in a deep voice: "That group of filthy, humble ogres wishes for you to go personally."

The Diamond Elder felt no anger.

Its heavy body remained motionless, its eyes holding a wise, contemplative gaze.

"That Gluttony Demon is very clever; this is good, meaning it has more value to be subdued."

The Diamond Elder said slowly.

Its voice sounded like two diamonds grinding together, emitting a dull hum that even made the air vibrate slightly.

Gesturing for the granite stone giant to stand up, the Diamond Elder led it into the camp, walking into the largest stone house to discuss the matter of the Bone-Chewing Clan in detail.

In the sky.

Garos could not see the figures of the two most powerful stone giants.

He narrowed his eyes, counted the number of stone houses in the camp, then turned and left.

Soon after, a Level 9 Mammoth Beast, its eyes still lingering with fear and panic, charged from the distance toward the Stone Giant camp, its steps wild.

The monster kin raised in the outer perimeter rushed to resist first.

But due to the vast gap between the two sides, they could not stop the Mammoth Beast, causing huge chaos.

More Stone Giants walked out of the houses.

The Diamond Elder shattered the ground, his heavy and burly body leaping into the air, crossing hundreds of meters; his diamond body was like a cannonball, like a meteor, smashing directly onto the Mammoth Beast, snapping its tendons and breaking its bones, wounding it heavily on the spot, then adding another punch to kill it cleanly.

After a small setback.

The Diamond Elder returned to the stone house, while his monster kin devoured the Mammoth Beast.

High in the clouds, Garos watched this scene.

The Mammoth Beast was driven by him toward the Stone Giant camp, the purpose being to see how the Stone Giants would respond.

Garos took a small sip of Fairy Dust, and the whole world seemed to turn warm-toned; his mind instantly became active, and his thoughts began to spin at high speed.

He re-examined the details he had previously felt were off but had not immediately figured out.

"The Earth Vein Symbiosis Pool is the core of the Stone Giant clan, often existing in the rear main camp; it is impossible for a vanguard army to construct it."

"When encountering a Level 9 Beast disturbance, the Elder acted directly, rather than other guards."

"Among the Stone Giants here, I have currently seen only one adult Granite, one prime Diamond, and then three young men, plus a few insignificant juvenile and adolescent Stone Giants."

"A vanguard force for expanding territory would not bring such dead weight."

Garos narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing this Stone Giant force was somewhat strange.

Expanding the clan's territory?

No, the distribution of ages among their kin is uneven; they look more like refugees, wanting to take root here and settle down; the talk of expanding territory is just to bluff the Ogres.

Abandon the territory and give it to them?

That will not do.

A single Diamond Elder is not enough to scare Garos into abandoning the territory base he has cultivated and fleeing directly.

If he clashes with the Diamond Elder.

There is risk, and it is not small.

This is a powerful Stone Giant; he cannot be underestimated.

But compared to the subsequent impact of abandoning the territory, Garos weighed it seriously and felt he could bear this risk.

If a battle occurs with the Diamond Giant, he might get injured, but with his speed and burst, if he cannot win, he can ensure he is not killed by it.

"Three days from now, if it goes alone to the Chew Bone Clan, that will be my best opportunity to strike."

Garos spiraled upward into the sky and left the Stone Giant camp silently.

(End of this chapter)