Master Of None

The larger island that Walker had headed toward with Remey and Midnight was easily reachable, it was also clearly the larger island because it had been the tallest mountain at one time for this range of mountains.

However, it also had a lot more growing on it now that he was able to see it more clearly. So much so that even the coarse rocky sand had a lot of plants growing in it right up to the shore. Not only making it harder to come on to land from the water, but allowing for better hiding places for all kinds of medium or smaller monsters.

Although, Remey was already interested in what she could see. The plants growing in the coarse sand only seemed to be in the first layer of plants and not directly growing deeper on the island. Meaning that they needed to be closer to the saltwater and also needed to be exposed to more sunlight.

”That looks like a bamboo but it is thinner and has a duller green color, use your all around appraisal on it so I can get a little extra information before I start to cut it down and gather some.” Now Remey was giving him orders. Walker could only sigh since the three of them had just set foot on the small space between the water and plants of the island.

’Salt home bamboo

While it appears to be a water affinity plant, it actually is an earth affinity plant that gathers salt from nearby sources. It enjoys being near the saltwater since it can absorb the water and take in the salt tobe stored within the spaces of its fiber body. This also makes it ideal to be stored and dried for cooking.

Otherwise, it can be used to absorb salt from lands that have too much or areas that have been contaminated by salts. This will take time but the salt home bamboo growths rapidly under the proper care.

It is often eaten by monsters that lack salt and need it; however, it can also be used as a way to alter the pure water in an area as some ancient races used to do so to watering holes…’

Remey didn’t look as happy but Midnight appeared to be happy and used her hands to break a few and have Walker store them away. She fully intended for the salt home bamboo to be handed over to Walker’s mother so she could use it at her restaurant. They might just get to try something new and unique with a special ingredient holding special sea salt.

”There are caterpillars eating its leaves?” Remey looked at the small white and green striped caterpillars and found their slow movements to be more jerky like a golems than anything else.

’Salt golem caterpillar

These are small golems that feed on salt mineral deposits. While they are one of the smallest naturally forming golems in the world, they are also one of the slowest to advance to a larger stage. They will never progress to a butterfly form and fly however, they will eventually gather enough mana and salt to be able to grow in to a different form.

This form is unique to them in the fact that they alter their very core at the time and become almost an entirely different monster. This is due to them constantly absorbing the earth mana from salt and also focusing on the more volatile form of salt removing impurities from it. While they have short lives after they have changed their form, they are extremely dangerous to most people and hydrophobic.

Captured, these golems can be used to consume toxic plants that hold various forms of salt, they have never been kept as tamed monsters or pets but have a high potential to be used as such. They are also able to be killed and their small golem core can be used to make unique jewelry to create unique rune carved items that may regulate small rune formations or assist in controlling larger rune formations like a key…’

The uses seemed interesting, Walker grabbed a few of the small jerky caterpillars and broke their bodies killing them instantly. They were golems so the cores were the important part to grab. However, they were barely the size of a pea each.

Yet, he did dwell on the fact that they could grow to be extremely dangerous and they hated or feared water. It could spell some dangerous happenings later if anyone were to use water magic and they discovered these different forms that the salt golem caterpillars took on later in their life.

”So avoid any weird looking golem monsters that we think came from these things. Got it.” Remey shrugged while Midnight and her looked around even more. The two had become caught up on gathering some of the seaweeds they found on the coarse sands as the ships neared them.

It appeared that the ships were more than ready to send smaller boats out and that there were more of the aquatic forces in the water now. They might be finding corals and other important aspects right now, but that would be something Walker asked about later. He definitely wished to know what the underwater of such a larger mountain would be like here.

Caves had to exist here.

To consider an entire mountain range underwater or above it not to have a cavern would be foolish. Right now and right here, Walker was sure that within the area everyone had just arrived there would be more than one cavern which they could access.

This meant that the merfolk who wished to find a place to live in these, hopefully safer, waters, might be able to mine ores as they wished. It also meant that the dwarven golems made for underwater mining and exploration would be entirely perfect. Not to mention that the dwarven golems could be built with even more quality and focus for mining underwater in the future.

Not to mention what monsters might be inside these caverns. They would have been unable to be monsters that adapted to the situation over time. Mostly because some caverns had to have been cut off from the outdoors entirely. Meaning no air for them to breathe if they needed it.

That didn’t mean that some failed to adapt, it just meant that there might be entire cavernous areas with rotten or decayed monster corpses within them. Meaning the potential for undead to be down there too.

Walker didn’t want to consider this as much as he should right now. Caverns and exploring them along with mining ores from them was something to come later.

”Remey? Can you tell me if you see anything worth grabbing on the beach? Or can we explore the island a little more?” Seeing her shrug, Walker just nodded back and stepped in to the brush. He knew that the monsters he had seen so far were not much of a threat and he didn’t think that he would need to worry about them so much right this second.

It was nice being surrounded by different plants. Walker felt that he was sensing a different flow of nature compared to where he had been. The natural mana of this island untouched by intelligent races in so many years if ever was enough to understand that some places were better left unexplored. Not because they were dangerous but for the simple fact that it was peaceful.

The natural mana Walker brought in to his body was a bit stronger than normal, but it didn’t stand out. It did help his expand his mana scene and see more little monsters feeding on different plants. He even noticed a small mushroom like monster feeding on rotten twigs and leaves. The red cap oozing out a poison that he was sure would cause a horrid rash if anyone was foolish enough to touch it.

It was the little spiders he worried about most though.

’Great weaver spider

While it may appear small, it is about to wield its webs in incredible ways. It can even make false bodies out of them and cover itself like armor to fight medium sized monsters. This compared with its paralytic venom makes it a much grander predator than what many would expect.

It has a habit of wrapping its prey and storing them until they just begin to rot so it can more easily consume them. It also has a bad habit of gathering much more prey than it needs leading to webbed and trapped undead within its webs in many cases.

Otherwise, its threads can be gathered and used for special weaver silk fabric that is better at conducting mana…’

There were uses to these spiders, though. Very much worth researching.

…..

….

….

Please say no to piracy! Don’t take part in crime! Don’t patronize thieves!

Drop those golden tickets!