Chapter 313: The Bonded Stone Giant!

Mi Gen and the others no longer refused, but knelt on one knee to solemnly thank him.

"Enough, go break through now!"

Gervas said nothing more.

He knew the nature of his subordinates well.

So he didn't need them to swear oaths of gratitude right now.

Moreover, since arriving in Stormhold, Mi Gen and the others had worked hard and earned their merit; ten gold coins were nothing.

And taking this Blood Qi Fruit during breakthrough will raise their cultivation limits—perhaps all of them will become Silver Knights in the future.

Upon receiving Gervas's order, Mi Gen and the others each took a Blood Qi Fruit and went to the cabin to begin their breakthrough immediately.

Gervas, meanwhile, instructed Old Jack to sail south along the coastline.

The next two pieces of intelligence held the real treasures.

About an hour and a half later, the nearby coastline began to show clear changes.

Previously, although the shore had some rocks, the land beyond still held soil and vegetation.

But here, vegetation vanished entirely.

Not even trees, let alone decent patches of weeds, could be seen.

All that met the eye was gray-white rock, stretching endlessly to every horizon inland.

"This place is strange—everywhere else is lush green, yet here not even a weed grows, only a few mosses!"

With Mi Gen and the others in the cabin for their breakthrough, Mi Ke and the others were assigned to guard Gervas's safety.

Seeing the endless gray-white rocks in the distance, Mi Ke and the others felt a chill run down their spines.

Because in this world, strange regions meant danger.

"My lord, should we turn the helm and move farther from the shore?" Old Jack also sensed something unnatural about the coast.

"No, drop anchor—we're going ashore, because this is our destination!"

"What? This is the destination?" Clearly, no one had expected this to be where Gervas was headed.

Gervas had no intention of explaining yet why no trees grew here—it was because Stone Giants, when gestating, required ample sunlight and moonlight.

If trees took root, the gestation zone would be ruined.

So the Stone Giants used special methods to suppress vegetation growth in this area.

Everyone was astonished, yet.

But their lord's order had been given; no one dared delay.

Soon, sixty men remained aboard the warship, while the remaining two hundred went ashore.

"My lord, there's magical fluctuation here—faint, but definitely not natural!"

Wood, the mage, sensed magical energy the moment he set foot on land.

"Wood, don't worry—Zhui Yue has confirmed there's no major danger here!"

"Also, I need you to use your spiritual sense—if you detect an area with unusually intense magical fluctuation, notify me immediately!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Wood didn't know what Gervas intended to do.

But he obeyed Gervas's orders without question and began carefully sensing his surroundings.

Searching for the Stone Giants was indeed more time-consuming than finding Blood Qi Fruits.

Because the area was vast, Gervas's group could only conduct a blanket search.

Even with Wood, a novice mage, whose perception range reached over fifty meters,

it was still like trying to drain the sea with a cup for a region stretching over ten miles in length and width.

Fortunately, the intelligence provided one crucial detail.

That was: Stone Giants had distinct human-like forms.

Relying on this, Gervas focused only on finding rock formations at least three meters tall that resembled human shapes.

After an hour and a half, Gervas's group had screened at least a dozen rock formations resembling human shapes, yet none showed strong magical fluctuation.

Though a few had fluctuations twice as strong as surrounding areas, such levels were weaker than even a Magic Herb Fruit—clearly not a Stone Giant on the verge of birth.

"My lord, look ahead—there's a massive rock, doesn't it look like a crouching human?"

At that moment, Mi Ke and the others spotted a human-shaped stone on a distant rock mountain.

Gervas looked—and it truly resembled one, especially the contour of its nose, which was already eight-tenths similar.

"Let's go take a look!"

More than ten minutes later, the group reached the foot of the rock mountain.

"My lord, there's intense magical fluctuation here!"

To their delight, they had finally found something.

In fact, even without Wood's warning, Gervas himself could sense the magical fluctuation—he'd consumed the Wisdom Fruit and possessed spiritual sense too.

At this point, he could almost confirm the stone on the mountain was his target.

Gervas led his men straight toward the summit.

When they reached ten meters from the rock, the magical fluctuation rivaled that of a beast emerging ahead.

"How is this possible?" Wood's face was filled with disbelief.

After all, ahead was merely stone—yet it emitted such violent magical fluctuation, comparable to a second- or third-tier beast, utterly defying understanding.

"Wood, don't be shocked. Look around—everywhere is rock, not a single tree grows. Add to that this stone's human-like shape—haven't you thought of anything?"

Seeing Wood's stunned expression, Gervas decided not to hide it anymore.

"Thought of what?" Wood blinked, then began to think.

Just seconds later, Wood's eyes widened suddenly, "My lord—you mean… Stone Giant?! This… this can't be!"

Clearly, Wood had the knowledge—he simply hadn't considered it because Stone Giants were too rare, too elusive, and he'd never dared imagine such a thing.

After all, Stone Giants were as scarce as War Trees.

And their gestation sites were always remote, untouched by human footsteps.

Those discovered by humans were few and far between.

This was evident from Wood's expression now—more astonished than before.

"Wood, nothing's impossible! This is a newly gestated Stone Giant—and without Zhui Yue, we'd never have found it!"

"A real Stone Giant? And just born? My lord, congratulations!" Wood's shock faded, replaced by excitement.

He nearly couldn't resist stepping forward to touch the miraculous being.

To witness such a wondrous creature with one's own eyes was a stroke of fortune.

Splash! Splash!

At that moment, the newly born Stone Giant, sensing the commotion around it, began to tremble slightly.

Its state was like a chick about to hatch—on the very brink.

Gervas didn't hesitate.

If he waited until the creature could move, the bonding difficulty would be far greater than now.

Gervas stepped forward, pulled out the Bonding Scroll, dripped blood onto it, and released it in one fluid motion.

Soon, the scroll's purple light enveloped the human-shaped rock.

Unlike the golden suppression used when bonding the griffin, this Stone Giant showed no such submission—it resisted.

Fortunately, its consciousness was still weak. Gervas rushed forward, climbed atop the Stone Giant, and whispered, "Don't resist. I'm not your enemy. I won't harm you. I'm here to help you—I can protect you, I can help you grow stronger!"

The dazed Stone Giant, unaware of the world's cruelty, immediately weakened its resistance.

Hum!

A low hum sounded—the Bonding Scroll seized its chance, its light fully sinking into the Stone Giant's body.

In Gervas's mind, the next instant, a new sensation appeared.

Gervas smiled faintly, "Stone Giant bond—established!"