Master Of None

Chapter 2840: 2840. Scouted Herd

Sending out the scouts with this information was also pretty quick. Walker found that he and Midnight were left a little more free to start moving about and keep an eye out for odd happenings. Not a bad thing when taking in to account that they had not explored the water much and a few smaller islands were nearby.

The two right now had flown over to a small island with a species of monster that was the same as a walking stick that they had seen before. However, they copied coral that was out of the water to mimic. When the water came back in the tides, they would put out small strands of thread that let them anchor and float in the same spot looking like drift wood pieces. It was a brilliant way to survive.

The clear adaptation from trees as a place to hide to coral was amazing. The ways that monsters learned to adapt and survive when their environments changed here was a testament to how nature persists. Especially when taking in to account that these monsters were smaller and not considered predators.

This didn’t take their minds off of the potential for chimera core monsters being out in the world. It was pretty clear from what Walker had learned that they would most likely not have changed much in terms of their species. Mostly because they were a monster that consumed others and then built their bodies based on what they consumed.

It was much more like a golem than what they could call anything else. A golem that formed around an iron vein in the ground would naturally be an iron golem. Therefore, these chimera cores were just golems that used monsters as materials so to speak. A worrying potential.

Midnight flapped her wings and landed next to a rock sticking out on the shore. She snapped her large head in to the water since she was in her dragon form now and pulled out a long and thin fish.

’Spear head flounder

This monster lies flat to hide before darting upwards and piercing prey with its spearlike snout. It is very deadly due to its very close control and accuracy in its movements. It is even known to hide in one spot waiting for ideal prey for a week or more.

They need very little food to keep living due to their slow metabolism and hunting habits. However, they are considered a very amazing delicacy to consume since this makes their meat very tender and soft.

They are not overly hunted nowadays due to any predators being extinct or too far and between to be able to hit them properly. Therefore, their numbers have grown and are now an ideal food source for some flying monsters that used to avoid looking for them since they had other prey to hunt...’

Midnight seemed extremely happy to hear this as she made Walker store the body away for dinner later. He could only laugh at her gluttonous behavior since she immediately began to look for more. Unfortunately, she heard the familiar sound of Su moving through the air toward them. Her face didn’t look worried, but she had on some lighter armor made for swimming.

”I didn’t expect you to hunt us down while we patrolled some of the little islands. Did you manage to figure out anything more about the breakdown in orders being followed?” Walker knew that it had weighed on Su’s mind heavily so hearing her side of what she found could help her move past it.

”I came because I heard what you relayed to the scouts. But for the guards, a few have spoken out about the opportunity, there is a bit of concerning news related to that too.” She seemed more serious about that which made Walker worry even more.

”Back in Genesis, there was some betting going on. A few people believe that they can join the expedition and bet that they would be able to make enough fame from it that they could retire early or they could get a job doing nothing. That betting became the focus rather than the fame or the potential for another job. That is why there is a concern.”

Gambling wasn’t a huge popular leisure activity within Genesis. It was actually banned by the demi-humans in their cities unless it was directly governed within the coliseum. Otherwise, gambling was banned because it was a dangerous precedent and could lead to more trouble. For humans, gambling was private but more open.

Any other races gambling was less popular or not done at all. Although, a few of the elves were known to have long term bets with one another, often related to herbs, plants they groomed, or even related to bows they owned. It was different but very similar.

Now that all the races came together, measures to control gambling might need to be taken more seriously. ”I see how that could encourage chasing fame at higher risk. We will need to make sure that this is not a habit happening with adventurers either. Thank you for letting me know. I will try to get with some of the leadership and captains who have experienced gambling problems to guide them in creating a plan. It’s the same with illegal potions and medicines, we should treat it in the same way.”

Walker felt that this was the best way to manage the risks associated. The guards could not be using any illegal medicines or potions so why would gambling not fit that same box? Guards and officials should be banned from gambling altogether unless it was a special circumstance that might benefit the people as a whole and not cause any harm overall either. Like a larger coliseum tournament to donate funds toward certain projects that would build roads or improve living conditions. But that could all be ironed out later.

”What about the chimera core monsters that we learned about? Did you hear something?”

”That is exactly it. One of the scouts said they had documented a herd of steam bulls with several of them having eyes on the sides of their bodies. It was odd but they believed it to be a mutation or strange happening natural to the bulls. They did not appraise each bull and just generally appraised a few of the larger ones in the herd.”

She seemed worried from what she had heard about them and knew that Walker wouldn’t be searching for them if it wasn’t a risk to themselves and others. ”The scout was sent as a lead for a team to track that herd, the only issue is that they are heading toward the warmer western side of the continent. They are also moving quickly which might be because predators are following them that we have yet to spot.”

This meant it was a matter of time before there was an altercation between the herd of steam bulls and whatever predators they had. When that happens, the chimera core monster might get the chance to consume a new monster and grow even more than what they were now.

”Midnight, let’s head out.” Walker knew that Midnight was already prepared, but she was also looking at Su with excitement. ”Yes I will tell Su about the monster you hunted. I know she will try it with you once we get home. Mom should be excited to cook it too.” This got an approving huff as Su listened carefully to the earlier appraisal.

However, they couldn’t chat about it too much since the trio quickly moved through the air with Walker’s buffs. The area that they were heading was certainly warmer as the terrain was more open and rocky compared to the trees they had been around earlier or the open ocean where the salty spray could cool them off.

However, it was clear that the larger river broke off well enough in to small streams that came in to this area. Hence why the steam bulls might be able to easily develop their herd here. According to Su, they needed to consume lots of water because the fire mana within their bodies was pushing them to move and generate heat. They regulated the heat with water causing steam to roll off of themselves and also build up around their herd in general.

They were a part of the environment since they moved moisture around the open spaces feeding the grasses and bushes in a way. They were an important piece of how the plants here survived. It was interesting to know how it worked out that way.

The steam cloud from a distance was easy to spot though. Enough that any natural predator most likely did not struggle to fine them either. Then again, that just meant the steam bulls might have other ways of detecting predators and running away.

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