Luo Yu took out his notebook and made a record.
Of the sixteen eggs, twelve had advanced talents and four had ordinary talents.
All four individuals with ordinary talents had "Thick Skin and Tough Flesh." They had inherited the Mercy Ink Fish's other talent and were the least gifted of this batch of Ink Fish eggs.
They could only be exiled to the pond to enjoy themselves with Great Emperor July.
Of the twelve advanced talents, nine were "Mercy," the very talent Luo Yu had set out to breed.
Two more had "Breeding Paragon," an unexpected bonus. He had not expected that talent to be hereditary as well. With them, Luo Yu could breed more valuable Ink Fish in the future.
The last one had "Indestructible Body."
[Individual talent]: Indestructible Body (advanced talent. The body possesses extremely strong defense and self-healing abilities.)
Clearly, the "Indestructible Body" talent combined the resistance to blows of "Thick Skin and Tough Flesh" with the healing properties of "Mercy," transforming the individual into a remarkably resilient creature.
However, this talent was not worth developing on an Ink Fish. Its greatest value was that it showed Luo Yu that two different talents could potentially combine into a new talent in their offspring.
"This has been a very rich harvest."
"The Breeding Paragon and Indestructible Body individuals were unexpected bonuses, especially since I only set out to breed more Mercy Ink Fish."
"Unfortunately, though, no 'dual-talent' individuals seem to have been born this time."
"Their two advanced talents were inherited separately by their offspring. None of the eggs had both 'Mercy' and 'Breeding Paragon.'"
For his first attempt at breeding Ink Fish, Luo Yu was already very satisfied with the results...
After checking the conditions in the ecological tank and making sure the Ink Fish eggs had a suitable environment for incubation, Luo Yu hurried off to cook for himself, July, and the Ink Fish...
The next day, just as dawn broke, before the post office's seagulls had even started work, Luo Yu set out for Lookout Moon Peak again.
Unlike yesterday, when he had searched aimlessly for mutated beasts, today he had a clear objective: find the nest of the wild Honey Water Bees.
Following yesterday's clues, he expanded his search around Ink Moon Pool. As luck would have it, it did not take him long to find a hive hanging completely exposed beneath a thick branch of a gigantic tree.
"So brazen?"
Hidden behind some bushes, Luo Yu was taken aback. Honey Water Bees were water-type mutated beasts, so they were not afraid of cold waves or rain, but with their nest so exposed, weren't they afraid of natural predators?
Wouldn't a passing petrel spell the end for them...?
But Luo Yu soon learned why this colony was so brazen. First, there were their numbers: Honey Water Bees swarmed the area, and each nectar-gathering team consisted of dozens of fist-sized bees. Of course, numbers alone were not enough. The key was that inside the hive, Luo Yu saw a queen bee of a very high level!
Level 11...
On Moon-Gazing Peak, that made her a local bully. Anyone looking to cause trouble would probably have to think twice, especially since the queen could command the swarm in battle... This was probably the largest Honey Water Bee colony on the mountain.
Luo Yu had not come to provoke them this time. He sat quietly to one side, counting bees, and the two sides kept out of each other's way. Honey Water Bees had a mild temperament, and as long as he did not approach their territory, they would not attack him unprovoked. By the time he finished counting that evening, Luo Yu had a basic grasp of the hive's situation.
"There are three with enhancement talents."
"The one I saw yesterday is here too."
The three had "Strength Enhancement," "Defense Enhancement," and "Five Senses Enhancement," respectively!
[Individual talent]: Strength Enhancement (ordinary talent. The toxin in its Poison Sting enhances the strength of other living beings.)
[Individual talent]: Defense Enhancement (ordinary talent. The toxin in its Poison Sting enhances the defense of other living beings.)
[Individual talent]: Five Senses Enhancement (advanced talent. The toxin in its Poison Sting enhances the five senses of other living beings.)
"There really is something special about Honey Water Bees as mutated beasts." When Luo Yu discovered the individual with "Five Senses Enhancement," he felt the day had not been wasted at all.
After all, most individual talents of mutated beasts only worked on the beasts themselves.
Only a very small number of individual talents could also affect other living beings.
From the standpoint of altruism, the latter were obviously more appealing.
If a Mercy Ink Fish was a "doctor," then an enhancement Honey Water Bee was a "coach."
The Honey Water Bee with "Five Senses Enhancement" was especially outstanding. If he caught it and had it give the little penguin daily "acupuncture" training, wouldn't the little penguin's sight, hearing, and sense of smell... all get a highly effective workout?
With enhanced vision, he could see faster enemies clearly.
With improved hearing, he could avoid attacks he could not see...
At the same time, strength and defense were both things the little penguin lacked.
If a large number of these Honey Water Bees served as July's sparring partners, how could his progress possibly be slow?
It was decided. He had to catch these three Honey Water Bees, put them to work for him, and make them the little penguin's coaches!
Of course, without a contract to bind them, they would not submit to Luo Yu easily. After catching them, Luo Yu could only confine them in cages. Fortunately, he did not need to worry about their cooperation. As long as they retaliated with their venomous stingers, that counted as cooperation. Their attacks were exactly what Luo Yu wanted.
"Could I have the makings of a capitalist too?" Luo Yu fell into deep thought.
Never mind!
The merchants on the island were all squeezing value out of mutated beasts. If he did not join in, how could he possibly compete with them?
Of course, Luo Yu was now stuck at the very first hurdle... how to catch them.
Although the three Honey Water Bees with enhancement talents were only level 1 or 2 themselves, these bees lived in a colony. Even when they split up to work, they did not stray far from one another. On top of that, the colony had a level 11 queen... Making a move would be a little difficult.
If he so much as alarmed one and it sent out a distress signal, a great swarm of Honey Water Bees would probably descend on him right afterward.
Luo Yu did not act rashly. After confirming their location, he immediately returned to the research institute to look for detailed information on this type of mutated beast.
"Honey Water Bee."
"Small bee-type mutated beast."
"Found it."
Father Luo and Mother Luo had studied a wide range of subjects. They had covered every mutated beast commonly found on Mirror Moon Island.
Of course, studying so many things without mastering them was also one of their shortcomings.
After leafing through Luo Shui's research notes on Honey Water Bees for a while, Luo Yu found the information he wanted.
The Honey Water Bees' weaknesses.
"Honey Water Bees build their communication system primarily on smell and pheromones, with sight playing a secondary role."
"They are active during the day, forming teams to gather nectar, and return to the hive at night to rest."
"1. Visual defect: Honey Water Bees cannot see purple clearly and will overlook purple objects."
"2. Olfactory weakness: the smell of swamp mud severely disrupts a Honey Water Bee's sense of smell, making it unable to distinguish friend from foe."
"3. The scent of the Dragon Snake Orchid plant weakens low-level Honey Water Bees, leaving their bodies powerless..."
In fact, humans did not necessarily have to use force to deal with some mutated beasts.
Wisdom was humanity's most powerful weapon.
Many biologists believed that no absolutely perfect creature existed in the world. Even some extremely powerful mutated beasts had certain weaknesses in their genes, and there was always something in nature that could counter them.
Finding these weaknesses and a way to exploit them could often allow a beast tamer to deal with certain mutated beasts without lifting a finger.
For example, when Luo Yu learned about fishing in this world, he discovered that its anglers were very particular about their bait.
Some miraculous baits not only attracted mutated sea beasts, but also weakened their entire bodies on contact, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness and allowing powerful sea beasts to be reeled in with ease.
Looking at the notes, Luo Yu muttered to himself, "If I put on a purple protective suit and smear swamp mud all over myself, I might be able to approach the Honey Water Bees safely without them identifying me as an enemy or an intruder."
"To catch the Honey Water Bees, I'll need the Dragon Snake Orchid. I can put its sap and broken branches in a sack, sneak up on a bee, and quickly slip the sack over it. The scent of the Dragon Snake Orchid inside will quickly make the trapped bee lose consciousness, stopping it from resisting and making it difficult for it to call its companions..."
Luo Yu felt it was worth a try. Of course, he dared to attempt it because he thought that even if he failed, he could have July dig a tunnel. They could hide underground for a while and be safe. They could not withstand a head-on clash, but digging was a divine skill for escaping.
Besides, Honey Water Bees were cautious. When faced with a troublesome individual, as long as their hive was not damaged, they generally would not fight to the bitter end. They were a species that would abandon ordinary bees and choose a strategic retreat to protect their base.
Having understood these habits of the Honey Water Bees, Luo Yu began preparing tools and materials, determined to capture them himself.
"Why are there people here?"
After spending two days preparing his equipment, Luo Yu returned to Lookout Moon Peak, near the Honey Water Bee hive.
When he arrived, however, he frowned slightly. On the path he had to take, a middle-aged man was wandering nearby with three boys and girls not much different in age from Luo Yu. He did not know what they were doing.
Judging by the group, though, Luo Yu thought they were probably a teacher and students from a beast-taming school...
A practical field lesson?
"Who's there?" Luo Yu's full gear had only been prepared to deceive the Honey Water Bees; naturally, it could not escape the perception of a sharp beast tamer. The man suddenly looked in Luo Yu's direction. Now that he had been discovered, Luo Yu walked openly out of hiding.
As soon as he emerged, the stench of swamp mud covering him assaulted the four like a biological weapon.
The three students took a small step back, pinching their noses as though facing a formidable enemy.
"Where did this wild man come from...?" One of the boys was startled at the sight of the foul-smelling Luo Yu.