[Grand Marsh Crocodile under domination, can evolve]
Evolve?
Holding his muddled head, Liang Qu couldn't bother to examine closely, hurrying to the surface to catch his breath.
After gulping air for about half a quarter, he finally felt a bit better.
"It seems domination can't be used casually. Overuse might turn one into an idiot, and failure is even riskier."
However, the evolution option from the Marsh Cauldron intrigued Liang Qu.
The Grand Marsh Crocodile, already two meters in length, almost at its limit, could still evolve?
Communicating with it again, the Marsh Cauldron glowed with brilliance.
[You can consume eighty Water Essence to evolve the Grand Marsh Crocodile into a Hornwood Crocodile.]
Eighty points?
A lot or a little?
Liang Qu had no concept of this, especially since he didn't possess any Water Essence at the moment, so he could only set it aside temporarily.
After resting and diving back in, he eagerly checked the lotus roots suspected to be Treasure Plants, the main harvest this time.
Breaking off a section from the mud, Liang Qu fed a piece to the Pig Dragon nearby.
The Pig Dragon scratched the water with its little claws, shaking its head and swallowing eagerly.
Through their Spirit Link, Liang Qu sensed the Pig Dragon's joy, confirming that the lotus roots were indeed good without any poison; the crocodile resting here wasn’t a coincidence.
Having verified this, he no longer hesitated, breaking off a section, wiping off the mud, and controlling the water so it wouldn't enter his nostrils, before devouring it.
After such labor tonight, the pancake he had was long digested, and his stomach began growling again.
Had it not been for refining part of the Marsh Spirit, slightly enhancing his physical attributes, he might have returned to his initial frail state.
Liang Qu never wanted to endure such suffering again.
Hunger is the hardest thing to bear in the world.
The lotus roots deep in the water were different from ordinary lotus roots, lacking abundant sticky juice and lotus fibers.
With a faint freshness of water, their texture was more like an apple, surprisingly tasty, and he could finish a section in a few bites.
And as it entered his stomach, it turned into a warm current, healing the three fingers scratched during the use of domination at a speed visible to the naked eye!
It was indeed a Treasure Plant!
Liang Qu was overjoyed, but this Treasure Plant seemed geared towards healing.
He hadn't been injured, so the energy compensated for the deficits left by long-term hunger.
Even without a mirror, he could feel the enhancement in his vitality, no longer looking like a gaunt apparition that people avoided.
Unfortunately, he couldn't investigate further to see if it had other uses.
[Water Essence +0.1]
Water Essence!
Was this the Water Essence?
Liang Qu widened his eyes in disbelief at the prompt before him, never thinking that the Water Essence he'd yearned for was so easily obtained.
Having thought acquiring a healing Treasure Plant was already a surprise, he never expected it to hold even more surprises.
Wait, one section of lotus root gave 0.1; if he ate them all, wouldn't it be several?
Liang Qu was overjoyed and dug out a few more sections, eating them all at once.
But the experiment results were not as he hoped.
Water Essence could indeed be repeatedly obtained, but not from all lotus roots; only those near the Pig Dragon's resting place held any.
Beyond that, none did.
Close to twenty-three sections of lotus roots were useful.
Considering the two previously eaten, it equaled 2.5 Water Essence.
Alas, the volume of one lotus root was plenty, and he was already full after trying a few pieces.
"Let's see how much fusion rate increases with 0.2 Water Essence," Liang Qu thought.
So far, the Marsh Spirit Water Monkey provided substantial aid; refining just a part brought significant strength, transforming him from a fragile state to not worrying about hunger—what would hundred percent fusion yield?
As for the Pig Dragon's evolution...
As a fierce aquatic beast, its evolution was certainly desirable, but with the comparison to the lotus root, Liang Qu realized how exaggerated eighty points of Water Essence were.
Utterly insubstantial at present, he could only look for opportunities in the future.
With a thought, the Marsh Cauldron trembled suddenly, releasing faint blue light points.
A Spirit Monkey Phantom emerged behind him as the light points found direction, rotated in space, and integrated into it.
[Cauldron Master: Liang Qu]
[Refined Marsh Spirit: Water Monkey (White) (Fusion Rate: 5%↑)]
[Water Essence: None]
[River Affinity: None]
[Aquatic Beast Command: Grand Marsh Crocodile (Can Evolve)]
[Evaluation: The Water Monkey Marsh Spirit originates from the great Huai Whirlpool Lord, capable yet weak of fate for a minuscule character]
"Isn't it supposed to increase immediately?"
Liang Qu frowned slightly at the arrow above the fusion rate, but he was relieved to feel a stronger connection to water environments, suggesting the fusion would not take long.
The ease of gathering Water Essence was satisfactory; with time, he'd fill it up.
If White Streak Zhang Shun could stay underwater for seven days and nights, surely Liang Qu as a Water Monkey shouldn't find three days and nights too demanding?
With that thought, most of Liang Qu's anxiety about being in a strange world faded.
In his original world, no matter how indifferent people were, seeing someone starving would at least elicit a shared bun or two.
But here, resources were so scarce that apathy was the norm.
Lacking family or friends around, initial days were truly spent in restless apprehension.
A famously wise elder once said, living was about finding peace.
With his proficiency in water, Liang Qu now had a foundation.
As he surfaced to breathe, Liang Qu glanced at his newly recruited underling—the Pig Dragon!
With thick skin and durable scales, it showed no real damage despite a stone being hurled at it.
Now, still as obedient as a house dog, thanks to their Spirit Link, it was even more understanding.
Evolution aside, considering the sky-high eighty Water Essence, it was out of the question.
Nonetheless, as a Pig Dragon, it was destined to be a good hunter!
Yet...
Looking at the sluggish Pig Dragon, Liang Qu smacked his forehead: "Oh no, it's really going to hibernate!"
Both a boon and a bane.
The new underling, due to the cold, had sluggish blood flow and moved slowly.
Its transmitted emotion was lethargic—not incapable of bursts—but under normal circumstances, assisting in fishing would be challenging.
"Too cold to move, I'll call you The Immovable then. Just continue lying here as a guard, biting any small fish or shrimp that come to steal a bite!"
Named the Pig Dragon swayed its tail and dug into the mud.
When the water calmed once again, it appeared as it had initially, concealing the Treasure Plant beneath perfectly.
On the bank of Marshland River.
Liang Qu surfaced, looking around to confirm he was alone, then carried his yellowfish headed home.
Wild Marsh Yellowfish differed from sea fish of his past life; it didn't die as soon as it left the water.
Liang Qu tied its head and tail with reed leaves using the Fish Bow Technique, ensuring it stayed lively even out of water for a while.
On the way, Liang Qu felt carefree, believing he wasn't merely carrying a fish but a collection of precious copper coins.
Sure enough, having a special skill made life better.
Just hours ago, he felt isolated and uncertain, yet now, life didn’t seem as grim.
He was already better off than most ordinary folks in Righteous Prosperity City.
Eighty coins were no small change, yet with winter approaching, he needed two sets of clothes; his were tattered.
Then there were salt, rice, soapberries, a chair, a pot, and bowls...
Um...
Liang Qu suddenly felt eighty coins weren’t as ample.
But with an ability, life would eventually get better.
Yet another critical issue remained—no boat!
Those who fail to foresee distant concerns deal with nearby worries.
With the Water Monkey Marsh Spirit refined, his ability to stay underwater had vastly increased.
He could catch good fish without a boat, but without the cover of one, doing this so blatantly would arouse suspicion over time.
Even if gifted with a knack for fishing and knowledge of fish paths, such efficiency without a boat was dubious.
In his previous home, they did have a boat, but it was taken by a local ruffian, Scabby-head Zhang.
Scabby-head Zhang, known throughout Righteous Prosperity City as an infamous scoundrel, relied on a few days of learning boxing at a Martial Hall to bully, with no one daring to provoke him.
After Liang Qu's "father" passed, the family’s largest asset—an old black canopy boat—caught his eye.
Claiming Liang Qu’s father supposedly borrowed money for drinks from him and was paying back a debt, he seized it.
A fisherfolk’s boat is their lifeline, often where they eat and sleep.
Their home was simply four dirt walls because most belongings were on the boat!
Ridiculous, who would borrow money from a scoundrel for drinks?
Yet, fearing Scabby-head Zhang’s fists, no one was willing to risk trouble for an orphan and rejected the notion as mere whimsy.
Outrageously, Scabby-head Zhang returned again, claiming the boat wasn't enough for the debt and took all three measures of grain from the home!
This behavior, it was as if he intended to bully Liang to death!
"Find an opportunity to reclaim the assets; then I can disguise my special abilities. Once enough money is saved, I’ll learn martial arts from a town Martial Master to build a better identity, making life simpler."
Lost in thought, Liang Qu found himself at his doorstep, unaware someone was waiting there for him.
"Young master, have you considered the matter?"