Chapter 335: Water-Condensing Pearl, the Magic Sea Clam!

"My lord, you summoned us; what are your orders?"

Evranta led the squad members into the living room, offered a respectful bow and greeting, and only then cautiously asked.

"This time I have no orders, but rather wish to ask you something. I heard that the Demon Swift Eagles have been acting rather abnormally these past two days; is this true?"

The Demon Swift Eagle squad members froze, then worry appeared on their faces. "My lord, you already know?!"

Immediately, Evranta stepped forward, half-kneeling on the ground. "My lord, it is we who failed to care for the Demon Swift Eagles properly; please punish us!"

Seeing this, the other squad members immediately half-knelt on the ground as well.

Clearly, everyone thought Gervas intended to hold them accountable.

After all, a Demon Swift Eagle was a mount worth at least fifty gold coins; even if they sold all of them, it would not equal the value of a single Demon Swift Eagle.

Gervas knew a misunderstanding had occurred, so he immediately stepped forward and helped Evranta up. "Who said I intend to punish you? I know you have always been very diligent in caring for the Demon Swift Eagles!"

"Therefore, I am merely inquiring about the situation now. As your lord, I happen to know a little about magical beasts; let us see if we can solve this!"

The squad members were both surprised and delighted.

Immediately, they all stood up again, while Evranta, eyes filled with gratitude, began to recount the sudden changes in the Demon Swift Eagles.

First, the Demon Swift Eagles became unusually irritable; except for their few masters, if anyone else approached, the Demon Swift Eagles would display hostility.

For instance, the servants who cleaned their coops and the serfs who delivered their food.

Secondly, during flight, they frequently changed direction on their own, becoming difficult to command.

Sometimes the knights had to pull with great force to bring them back on course.

"My lord, two days ago only one or two Demon Swift Eagles showed such behavior, but by this morning, almost all of them had become like this!"

"I originally intended to report this to you, but just as I returned, I learned from Steward John that you were summoning us!" Evranta finished reporting with his head bowed.

Gervas, however, smiled. "This is actually good news!"

"Good news?" The Demon Swift Eagle squad members froze, completely unable to understand their lord's meaning.

The Demon Swift Eagles had problems; how could this be good news?

"Of course it is good news, because this must be the time when the Demon Swift Eagles seek mates to breed; that is why they have become restless and disobedient!"

"This..." Everyone froze first, then joy appeared on their faces. "My lord, does this mean the Demon Swift Eagles are actually fine?"

"Exactly, the Demon Swift Eagles are fine; once this period passes, they will return to normal!"

"That is wonderful!" Immediately, the Demon Swift Eagle squad members beamed with joy.

"Of course, there is another method that can solve this faster and better!"

"My lord, what method is that?" Evranta hurriedly asked!

"That is to release them, allowing them to return to freedom!"

"Release them? This... My lord, what if they do not return..."

The Demon Swift Eagles had not signed a master-servant contract.

Just like the Fire Stallions, they were entirely maintained through captivity.

Although warhorses, once accustomed to captivity, also became obedient and did not run wild.

But with the Demon Swift Eagles, even Evranta and the others lacked confidence that they would return after gaining freedom.

"You must have confidence in yourselves! And also have confidence in your, uh, mounts!"

"You know in your hearts how well you have cared for the Demon Swift Eagles during this time!"

"Therefore, I believe you can boldly attempt this without any burden!"

"Go! Do not worry!"

Gervas knew his subordinates were worried, but he possessed information, so he was not at all concerned that these Demon Swift Eagles would leave and never return.

"Yes, my lord!"

Since their lord had spoken to this extent, Evranta and the others could only choose to obey.

Several people went to the Demon Swift Eagle quarters, offering final comfort and instructions to their respective Demon Swift Eagles.

Although the Demon Swift Eagles might not understand, no one wanted their partners, whom they had spent half a year with day and night, to leave and never return.

"Go! You must return! Do not disappoint us, do not disappoint my lord!"

Afterwards, eleven Demon Swift Eagles soared into the high sky, happily heading south.

Among them, one belonged to Gervas.

"Let us go to the dock!"

With the Demon Swift Eagle matter resolved, Gervas headed straight for the seaside.

The Water-Condensing Pearl was a fine treasure.

During the recent incident at the Griffin King's banquet, in the details Gervas heard, the Second Prince had produced a Water-Condensing Pearl to defeat the First Prince's Night-Glow Pearl.

Although the Storm Domain did not lack water, the Water-Condensing Pearl would certainly bring great convenience in daily life.

For instance, when the group traveled.

For short distances, it was fine; carrying a waterskin was enough for drinking.

But for long distances, such as when hunters entered the deep mountains.

Although there were water sources in the mountains, they were not available at all times and places.

Moreover, some water sources might not be drinkable directly; they needed to be boiled to avoid poisoning and illness.

The Water-Condensing Pearl, however, condensed water vapor directly from the air, and could be called the purest of pure water.

This way, the trouble of boiling water for disinfection was completely eliminated.

In less than twenty minutes, Gervas and his party, urging their horses on, arrived at the dock.

They did not choose to board the Black Pearl, as preparing to sail was too troublesome.

Instead, they chose the Black Dragon Warship, and Gervas's party swiftly headed toward Black Yangdao.

"My lord, ahead is Black Yangdao!"

"Thirty li to the southeast; there lies a coral cluster!" Gervas gave a brief instruction.

"Yes, my lord!" Old Jack, already accustomed to his lord's sea voyages in search of treasures, hesitated not at all. After confirming the direction, he turned the helm and sped full-tilt toward the southeast.

The distance of thirty li took little time under the warship's full speed.

The warship soon stopped in a coral reef area, the water as blue as glass.

Just like the coral reef cluster of the Blood Qi Fruit before, this reef was likewise a shallow-water region.

Some areas were merely a bit over one meter deep.

Lowering five small boats, Gervas's party ventured deep into the reef cluster.

Before Gervas could even order them to search for the target, Mi Gen suddenly exclaimed, "My lord, look! It's a Mana Sea Clam!"

It must be said that with magical creatures, once the exact location is known, finding them is truly no different from picking them up.

"Correct, this is our target for this time. All of you, dive into the sea and search. Remember: do not collect any smaller than two palms!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Immediately, subordinates one by one plunged into the water.

Of course, this search still relied primarily on Mi Gen and the other knights.

After all, a titled knight could hold their breath for over five minutes.

Ordinary people without long-term training found it very difficult to achieve that.

In just a single hour, Gervas had gathered a full seventy or eighty Mana Sea Clams.

Among them, more than ten exceeded one meter in diameter, and another twenty or thirty were the size of a millstone.

The remainder were all larger than two palms.

Clearly, this was a treasure trove of Mana Sea Clams that no other creatures had yet visited.

Moreover, according to Mi Gen's report, there were even more Mana Sea Clams in the deep water below fifteen meters!

It was simply too deep for easy diving, so they could only search in the shallow water!

"There is no rush for the Mana Sea Clams in deeper waters; later, when we have time, we can have Waga and the others come to help." Gervas did not mind; these Mana Sea Clams would hardly flee.

From now on, this place would be no different from Gervas's own vegetable garden.

"My lord, what effect might these Mana Sea Clams have? Their patterns seem somewhat different from those of the Night-Luminous Pearl Clam!"

Though Gervas knew perfectly well, he did not tell Mi Gen directly.

Instead, he said, "What kind of clam it is, we shall know once we open one!"