Chapter 136: Dai'er

Seeing the dryad turning to busy herself, he pondered for a moment, then added:

"By the way, I brought back a little life this time that requires meticulous care. Given your current state, you should be able to take on the role of a caregiver, right?"

Ailan's vines danced nimbly, and a line of elegant text appeared on her leaves:

"Of course I can, Master. I am very happy to take care of a little life; you can trust me completely."

Luo En nodded, opened the specialized container, and carefully removed the little siren's crystal incubation pod.

Ailan immediately approached with curiosity, leaning in to observe the weak little creature inside the pod.

To Luo En's surprise, Ailan's reaction to the little siren was exceptionally gentle.

Her vines trembled slightly, and her eyes revealed a near-maternal tenderness and protective instinct.

"This little one..." The text on the leaves appeared somewhat urgent:

"Her condition is very poor; she needs her environment improved and nutrition supplemented immediately!"

Luo En was surprised by the depth of emotion Ailan displayed, but he also felt warmed by her concern:

"That's right, she does indeed need meticulous care. I'll leave her to you from now on, Ailan."

The dryad nodded solemnly, her vine-formed fingers gently touching the incubation pod.

The little siren seemed to sense something; she opened her eyes slightly and blinked at Ailan with a dazed expression.

"We need to prepare a better environment for her," Luo En mused:

"The most urgent matter at present is to resolve the severe malnutrition."

Ailan immediately offered a suggestion: "Master, why not let me specifically take care of this little life during this time? You can focus on your research into bloodline modulation, and I will ensure she receives the best care."

Luo En thought for a moment and agreed to this arrangement.

He understood Ailan's ability and sense of responsibility, and there seemed to be a natural affinity between the dryad and the siren.

This was perhaps because dryads originated from "Forest Nymphs" and sirens from the "God of Ocean Currents"; they both belonged to ancient mythological bloodline systems.

"If you are willing to take care of her, that would be even better," he said to Ailan:

"I do need to concentrate my energy on improving my bloodline modulation skills recently. With your help, I can focus on my experiments with peace of mind."

A line of text appeared on Ailan's leaves: "Master, do not worry. I will take care of her just as I would my own sprouts."

Luo En nodded and then turned his attention to the nine autophagic slimes.

"These will be my primary research subjects," he thought, planning his next steps:

"Through them, I should be able to master the basic principles of bloodline modulation in a short time, laying the foundation for successfully qualifying as a Bloodline Modulator."

To his surprise, Ailan even used her own vines to generate a special plant nutrient solution, dripping it directly into the water for the little siren to absorb.

This essence, derived from the dryad's life essence, had a magical effect on the siren's recovery.

"A wondrous maternal love," Luo En remarked, watching Ailan carefully tend to the little siren:

"This kind of emotion even transcends racial boundaries."

Ailan seemed to understand his sentiment; her vines swayed gently, and a line of text appeared on her leaves:

"There is a natural resonance between life and life, Master. She is very special and possesses a soul unlike any other."

These words left Luo En thoughtful.

He recalled the pair of water-snake sisters he had seen at the slave exchange last time; although they were also an aquatic race, their temperament was completely different from this little siren.

"Perhaps this is what is called being gifted," he mused to himself:

"Not only does she possess the rare growth talent of a 'Glutton,' but she also has an extraordinary spirituality in her temperament."

Over the next few days, Luo En devoted most of his time to researching the autophagic slimes.

He meticulously designed a series of progressive experiments, ranging from simple single-bloodline absorption to complex attempts at multiple fusions.

For every experiment, he recorded in detail key parameters such as the slime's color changes, stability, and energy fluctuation frequency, attempting to find the underlying patterns.

"The core of bloodline modulation lies in finding the balance point between the attributes of different organisms."

Luo En wrote in his notebook while pondering: "This is like a special form of alchemy, but the medium has changed from metals and minerals to life itself."

【Bloodline Modulation EXP +1】

【Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Entry 4/50)】

While Luo En was focused on his experiments, he did not completely abandon the siren to Ailan and wash his hands of the matter.

First, he created a suitable living environment for the sickly little siren.

According to the descriptions in books, sirens are semi-aquatic species that require both a water environment and periodic exposure to air.

They are born with the ability to sing, and their voices can influence the emotions of surrounding creatures.

High-stage sirens who achieve their racial extraordinary profession can even manipulate water currents through special melodies, forming deadly whirlpools or tsunamis.

More importantly, sirens are born with extremely high spell affinity, especially for water elements and sonic spells; they are a naturally spellcasting race.

Perhaps if he achieves a breakthrough in "Sonic Oscillation" in the future, he will have to find inspiration from this little one...

"This is simply a perfect combat creature."

Luo En mused: "There is no need for too much bloodline modulation; it is enough to let it fully realize its own potential."

He took out a large, specialized crystal tank and lined the bottom with blue sand and crystal fragments collected from a deep lake, constructing a micro-ecosystem that approximated the seabed.

Then, he placed a specialized enhancement rune at the bottom of the crystal tank, which, once activated, formed a stable micro-magic array.

This allowed for continuous purification of the water quality and provided moderate magical fluctuations, simulating the magic concentration of the siren's original habitat.

Finally, he carefully transferred the little siren into this new home.

As soon as the young siren entered the crystal tank, she seemed to sense a familiar aura.

Her tightly furrowed little brows gradually smoothed out, her body no longer curled up as it had been before, and her tail began to sway slowly.

"It seems the environment is suitable."

Luo En nodded with satisfaction, then took out various siren foods he had just purchased on the return journey from his pack:

Magical seaweed, phantom jellyfish fragments, micro-energy beads... all were high-nutrition, high-magic ingredients.

He carefully placed these foods into the crystal tank and watched the little siren's reaction with anticipation.

Sure enough, the little siren was immediately attracted by the food; she approached cautiously and then began to devour it hungrily.

Her eating speed was astonishing, as if there were a bottomless pit in her stomach; in the blink of an eye, she had swept away all the food.

After eating, the little siren's condition improved significantly; her skin tone changed from its original paleness to a slightly rosier hue, and there was finally a glimmer of spirit in her eyes.

"The 'Glutton' talent is truly well-deserved," Luo En whispered to himself, more certain than ever that this choice was absolutely correct.

Next, he began preparing for the experiments on the autophagic slimes.

"Since I am doing bloodline modulation research, I must start from the basics."

Luo En mused, opening the bloodline sample collection box he had meticulously prepared for this moment.

Inside were trace tissue samples from various creatures:

Fire lizard scales, wind fairy feathers, water-snake skin dander, and even some blood samples from himself and Andre.

Blood from dragon-kin and chimera bloodlines was undoubtedly the best material for advancement, but it seemed it was not yet time to use them.

The first experiment was simple: he took a small piece of fire lizard scale and dropped it into the container of the first autophagic slime.

The slime immediately extended a thin, long tentacle and rolled the scale into its body.

A moment later, the color of the entire slime began to change, gradually shifting from its original colorless translucence to orange-red, with subtle scale-like patterns appearing on its surface.

【Extraordinary Identification EXP +1】

【Current Progress: Extraordinary Identification (Proficient 17/100)】

Luo En recorded this change and then conducted a similar test on the second slime, but this time he dropped both the fire lizard scale and the wind fairy feather in together.

The result was somewhat unexpected:

The slime's color became extremely chaotic, with patches of orange-red and pale cyan alternating, and several bubbles bulging irregularly on its surface, clearly in an unstable state.

"Fire elements and wind elements are indeed in conflict; this direct mixing method is clearly unfeasible."

Luo En frowned and recorded the failure of the second experiment.

The third slime was used for more complex testing:

He attempted to have the slime absorb the water-snake skin dander first, and once it was stable, he added a small dose of fire lizard scale powder.

The result this time was much better:

The slime presented a stable cyan-green color with fine scale patterns on its surface.

Although there were trace amounts of orange-red spots in some areas, the overall structure remained stable.

"Interesting..." Luo En mused, quickly recording the results of this experiment:

"It seems that the order and ratio of biological absorption have a decisive influence on the final stability."

【Bloodline Modulation EXP +1】

【Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Entry 5/50)】

For several days in a row, Luo En focused on these basic experiments, meticulously recording the results and data of countless combinations every day, gradually summarizing some basic laws:

Bloodlines of similar attributes are easier to fuse, while those with opposite attributes repel each other violently.

Complex bloodlines require slow fusion; doing it all at once often leads to collapse.

Adding a "buffer" (such as certain neutral-attribute substances) can significantly increase the degree of fusion.

The earlier the biological growth stage, the higher the success rate of bloodline fusion.

Through intensive experiments on the autophagic slimes, he gradually mastered some key techniques:

First is "Bloodline Purification": extracting the most essential parts of biological tissue and removing impurities, which can significantly increase the success rate of fusion.

Second is the use of "Buffer Media": adding neutral-attribute materials between two repelling bloodlines can significantly reduce the repulsion reaction.

Finally, "Directional Guidance": using specific energy fluctuations to guide the bloodline toward the expected direction, rather than letting it grow freely.

Mastering these techniques allowed Luo En's bloodline modulation skills to improve rapidly, gaining 1-2 points of EXP almost every day.

【Bloodline Modulation EXP +1】

【Bloodline Modulation EXP +1】

【Bloodline Modulation EXP +1】

【Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Entry 12/50)】

"At this rate, I expect to reach the Proficient level within a month."

Luo En calculated the time: "Then, by learning some theoretical knowledge and completing 'Extraordinary Biology,' the conditions for advancing in the Bloodline Modulator branch will all be met."

At the same time, the little siren's recovery speed also exceeded expectations.

Under Ailan's meticulous care, she not only shed her malnourished state but even began to show astonishing growth speed.

Luo En fed her large amounts of high-nutrition food at fixed times every day, almost three times the intake of a normal siren.

The "Glutton" talent finally began to take effect once she received sufficient food.

The little siren's body size changed slightly every day; after a week, she had grown from the initial twenty centimeters to nearly thirty centimeters.

Even more gratifying was that she seemed to have begun forming a preliminary sense of self-awareness.

She would actively approach the edge of the crystal tank, looking forward to the arrival of Luo En and Ailan, and would even imitate the rhythm of Luo En's speech with her childish voice, emitting wondrous resonant sounds.

When Luo En occasionally came to check on her, he could clearly feel the little siren's recognition and distinction between him and Ailan, and she would even perform some simple interactive behaviors.

Luo En mused with satisfaction, while recording an important discovery in his notebook:

"The growth speed of a siren has an exponential relationship with magic intake, not a linear one. According to the current feeding plan, she could reach the size of an adult siren within a year, whereas conventional farming requires at least five years."

………………

That evening, when Luo En was preparing to rest, a soft voice suddenly rang out from the direction of the crystal tank:

"Master..."

The voice was weak and childish, but the pronunciation was exceptionally accurate.

Luo En turned around abruptly, staring at the crystal tank in astonishment.

The little siren was lying by the edge of the tank, her large, azure eyes staring straight at him, the corners of her mouth curled into a shy smile.

"Master..." she called out softly again, her voice light yet exceptionally beautiful, like heavenly music.

"You can speak already?" Luo En asked in surprise, walking quickly to the crystal tank.

The little siren nodded shyly, her long silver hair dancing in the water: "Can... a little bit."

Although her pronunciation was not yet fluent, she could already clearly express simple meanings.

The speed of this language development far exceeded Luo En's expectations.

"Do you have a name?" Luo En asked, feeling an unprecedented sense of surprise.

The little siren shook her head, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in her eyes: "Master... give me... a name."

Luo En pondered for a moment and said softly: "Then let's call you 'Dai'er'; in the language of the ancient water-folk, it means 'Daughter of the Sea'."

"Dai'er..." The little siren repeated the name, a look of innocent joy appearing on her face: "I like... it."

Luo En reached out and touched the water surface; Dai'er immediately swam forward and pressed her tiny palm against his finger.

A wondrous connection was established at this moment:

It was not like master and servant, nor like slave and owner, but closer to the tacit understanding and trust between family members.

"From today on, you are my partner, Dai'er."

Luo En said with a smile: "I will help you grow, and you will help me, right?"

"Yes... Master!" Dai'er nodded vigorously, a determined light flashing in her eyes:

"Dai'er... will become... Master's... good partner!"

………………

That day, Luo En said to Ailan, who was silently tending to the little siren: "Her growth speed is astonishing."

"According to this trend, she might already be qualified to participate in the next Bloody Gladiator Tournament."

Ailan's leaves trembled slightly, as if she felt uneasy about the term "Bloody Gladiator Tournament."

Her leaves wrote in the air: "Does Master intend to let her participate in the tournament? She is still so small..."

"Do not worry," Luo En reassured her:

"I will not force her to do anything; I will only consider this choice if she is strong enough and willing."

He turned to the crystal tank, watching the little siren curiously touch the ripples on the water surface, as if playing some game only she understood, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

"More importantly, I hope she can become a partner, not just a combat tool."

Luo En said softly: "Once my modulation ability reaches a sufficient level, I will design a comprehensive growth plan for her, including memory editing and skill implantation."

"Memory editing?" A question appeared on Ailan's leaves.

"Yes," Luo En explained:

"Through a special mental connection, I can directly transmit the knowledge of swordsmanship and spells I have mastered to her, allowing her to master these skills without a long learning process."

Ailan seemed to fall into thought, and a moment later wrote: "Will this not hurt her?"

"Of course not," Luo En replied decisively:

"I will ensure the entire process is safe and harmless. In fact, this method is much gentler than traditional training and can save her from a great deal of pain and frustration."

"I believe in Master!" Ailan wrote on her leaves, then cast her gentle gaze back toward the little siren playing in the tank...

Days passed, Luo En's bloodline modulation skills steadily improved, while the little siren thrived under Ailan's care.

Watching this little life grow, a sense of indescribable achievement welled up in Luo En's heart; he felt as if he were playing a real-life version of a Pokémon raising game.

By the time of the Bloody Gladiator Tournament three months later, Dai'er might already be strong enough to contend with those adult combat slaves.

And Luo En had already seen a more distant future:

How powerful and loyal a partner a fully grown, unique siren would be.

But all of this had to start from the daily routine of fixed-time feedings and patient training.

(End of Chapter)