Budding awareness

Centuries later, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast returned to the Paradise Lost Time-Space.

This time, as it passed through the Bronze Gate, it did not shatter the surrounding Stabilization Device one after another. Guided by Locke's will, the massive dark golden beast body slowly came to a stop, and the surging crystalline tide on its body gradually receded between its crystalline armor.

Saine approached its head and embedded an alchemical device, which had been adjusted several times, next to the black and red destruction patterns.

As soon as the device lit up, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast lowered its head.

This is still an action driven by the Destruction Mark.

Locke, however, was waiting for a different outcome.

He raised his hand, and a wisp of Origin of Emotion, completely different in nature from the surrounding Power of Destruction, gradually entered the depths of his head along the connection within his beast body.

It did not contain all of Locke's own memories, nor did it directly insert a part of his consciousness.

Those selected emotional factors first connected with the rules that the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast could already withstand. The Origin of Destruction that would have immediately rushed outward upon being triggered ultimately did not completely scatter these newcomers.

A faint blackish-red glow slowly settled within the dark gold crystal layer.

Over the past few centuries, Locke and Saine have solved many similar problems. After each readjustment, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast has to return to the Mother Time-Space to replenish the essence lost in the process.

Now, that power that had always been difficult to retain has finally changed.

Locke was the first to notice the difference.

He did not use the Destruction Mark again to make the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast bow down. Instead, after the surrounding crystal tide gradually calmed down, the beast turned towards him.

A regular fluctuation emanated from near the head, intermittently.

Very faint, and extremely blurry.

At the same time, the record in front of Saine showed fluctuations that had never been captured before.

Locke moved to the side, and the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast's gaze slowly followed.

A sealed high-level Destruction Crystals was transported to the other side by Saine. For this creature, its essence was clearly more attractive than the nearby operating machinery.

Its crystalline claws extended forward a short distance, then stopped.

Locke hasn't sent it to fetch it yet.

"Give it to me," Locke said.

After the crystal fell, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast absorbed it into its body. The black and red patterns that would only light up when it was under someone's command did not become stronger as a result.

Saine incorporated the two changes he observed into the Magic Cube.

"It's starting to remember things," he said.

Locke reached out and pressed down on a piece of crystalline armor on the forehead of the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast. The enormous creature let out a low roar, and the crystal tide that was about to surge outwards retracted along with his palm.

It wasn't that Locke increased the suppression.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast has finally developed a sliver of its own consciousness!

The next few encounters were even more direct than the previous ones.

An Engineering Fleet that had completed its maintenance passed by the vicinity along the designated path. The energy stored within the ships caused the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast's essence to become noticeably agitated.

It turned its head, and its crystal claws rose accordingly.

But when Locke sent that Emotion Power, it ultimately did not pounce on the fleet, but simply lowered its front paws again.

The Mechanical Being behind them maintained a safe distance. The damaged devices from earlier clearly prevented them from immediately assuming that the changes before them were absolutely safe.

Locke then pointed to another empty patch of starry sky.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast stood up and walked over.

One of the Space-Time Fluctuations, which was not yet fully stabilized, touched the crystal armor on its chest. The dark golden light dimmed slightly, and the creature stopped its reckless charge and moved to the other side.

Locke didn't give any more commands, but it already knew that the spot it had just been in would make it uncomfortable.

These reactions are far from being able to have a normal conversation with Level-12 Strong Practitioner.

But for a Destruction Creature, this is already a remarkably significant change.

Its Life Level remains at the Level-12 Mid-Stage. Its newly developed consciousness is not yet sufficient for it to comprehend the complex rules and connections within its body.

Saine did not stop recording because of this.

The individual consciousness that is gradually emerging from a body governed by extreme Destruction Rule is clearly different from the process by which ordinary creatures acquire intelligence as they grow.

Some fluctuations in the rules appeared only for a fleeting moment when that consciousness had just formed.

He had already kept the relevant data separately.

When Balhaine arrived, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast was lying in a patch of starry sky that Locke had stabilized.

The Storm Dragon's massive body slowly approached from afar. The Destruction Storm surging around her body caused the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast to raise its head first.

Dark Golden Crystal Tide gently rippled between the two colossal beasts.

Balhaine did not stop there. She landed on the other side, unfolded her dragon wings that she had just folded, and several crystals containing the Origin of Destruction fell in front of her.

She pushed one of the pieces towards the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast.

The other party first looked at the crystal, then turned to Locke.

Locke nodded.

The dark golden light finally swept over the crystal. The Destruction Storm beside Balhaine was not affected by it.

"This guy's been much quieter than before," she said.

She had certainly seen what this Destruction Creature looked like when it was without its mind. At that time, if Locke hadn't held it back, the two of them might have thrown the surrounding starry sky into chaos if they had gotten any closer.

Now, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast didn't even bother to fight for the other things she left behind.

After swallowing the crystal it had just obtained, it sent a low, resonant response toward where Balhaine was.

Balhaine raised his front paw and brushed aside a piece of shards that were falling between them.

Locke did not stop her.

Karuman, who arrived later, brought with him a different kind of power.

The sandstorm had already subsided before it even reached this part of the starry sky. The Sand Grains, tainted by the Power of Destruction, continued to swirl around Karuman's body, but no longer rushed towards the nearby Mechanical Platform.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast clearly sensed a source within it that was similar to its own.

The dark red and black markings near its head brightened up a bit.

Karuman stopped on the other side of Balhaine, first looking at Locke, then at the creature trying to recognize itself.

A fine stream of sand swept past it, gathering together the remaining fragments of destruction.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast didn't use its front paws to smash the sand flow. It even took the initiative to retract the crystal tide that was approaching Karuman, making room for him.

Looking at the several level -Level-12 Being before him, Saine temporarily stopped the device he was about to send over at the outer perimeter.

Such encounters are also worth recording.

Balhaine and Karuman, obviously, do not need to repeatedly determine the origin of each fundamental fluctuation like he did.

They quickly adapted to having another companion beside them. The formidable power they each carried continued to fluctuate, but they did not unleash it on each other.

In fact, these big guys do share a common identity.

They were all Locke's "mounts".

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast doesn't yet understand what this identity means. But it's gradually becoming able to distinguish who will harm it and who can stay by its side.

Once, as Balhaine was folding his dragon wings, the storm that had not yet completely dissipated swept past the front paws of the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast.

A few tiny crystal fragments immediately fell off.

A dark golden light suddenly surged forth. Balhaine turned his head accordingly, pushing the remaining storm to the other side.

"I'm not going to hit you," she said.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast didn't fully understand the meaning of those words. However, it had already recognized its opponent and didn't sense the continued attack coming from the receding storm.

Its front paws slowly lowered.

Karuman pushed the scattered crystal fragments between them back along a stream of sand. After looking at them, the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast didn't immediately swallow them, but instead pushed a small piece towards Balhaine.

The Storm Dragon paused for a moment, then took the crystal shard.

Locke, in the distance, never repressed the Destruction Mark. The two behemoths, which would have easily continued their conflict if their forces had clashed, actually stopped on their own this time.

After Balhaine and Karuman left, Locke had the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast walk along the route that had been laid out earlier.

This time, it doesn't have to wait for the Destruction Mark to come directly before each turn.

When a certain Stabilization Device emitted vibrations, it even paused briefly, waiting for the Engineering Fleet to complete the replacement before continuing forward.

The Mechanical Being responsible for maintenance soon discovered that they needed to evacuate far fewer times than before.

Saine delegated some of the adjustments to the Engineering Legion in the rear.

They plan to add more devices in an attempt to keep the creature outside for longer.

Locke walked up to the Crystal Tide Wrath Beast and patted its gradually stabilizing crystal armor.

"Next time, I'll take you to see other places," he said.

The Crystal Tide Wrath Beast lowered its head. The subtle consciousness that could recognize Locke slowly responded along the black and red stripes.