Luo Yu searched diligently as he wandered through the Ghost Sea, diving into the dark waters from time to time. He discovered that the Ghost Sea didn't seem to hold pet beasts of exceptionally high species rank. Most of what he saw along the way were Common Species, with perhaps a single Monarch Species interspersed among hundreds of Common Species...
Yet the Monarch Species seemed to be the upper limit. He had not spotted a single Abyss Species, let alone a Cataclysm Species.
*I suppose that makes sense. Abyss Species and Cataclysm Species are inherently few in number to begin with...*
*And dead ones must be even rarer.*
From the moment the torrential rain fell until now, he estimated that only several dozen Cataclysm Species had ever appeared on Earth.
Still, not a single one of even the Monarch Species ghost sea beasts was an easy customer; their obsessions were bizarre and difficult.
He had not seen a single ghost with both a high species rank and a simple obsession.
*Where on earth are you? A ghost with a high species rank, great talent, and an easy obsession...*
*Of course, as long as the obsession isn't completely outlandish and is actually feasible, being a bit difficult isn't a problem.*
*After all, once their obsession is fulfilled, ghost sea beasts seem to have a small chance of evolving. If an obsession is too mundane, it probably wouldn't trigger an evolution.*
*In other words, it's best if the obsession involves 'growing stronger' or some 'grand ambition.' That way, the ghost pet beast will have far greater potential!*
Take two inkfish ghosts, for example. One had the talent of being a lecher, obsessed with having a harem of wives and concubines; the other had the Clean Freak talent, obsessed with purifying the Abyss. Once both fulfilled their obsessions, the latter clearly had a much better chance of achieving evolution and soul sublimation.
Before long, Luo Yu found a mutated beast that met all his criteria!
It was a starfish drifting through the dim, lightless water.
Half of its body was light, half was dark, and its surface was indistinct, as if flickering with black and white lightning.
[Species]: Annihilation Star Spirit
[Attributes]: Ghost, Light, Dark
[Species Rank]: Middle Monarch Species
[Life Level]: Level 1
[Species Abilities]: Annihilation Shadow, Destructive Light Orb
[Individual Talents]:
1. Obsession (Special talent: possesses a powerful obsession. Once fulfilled, soul power increases dramatically, with a small probability of soul evolution.)
2. Demolition Master (Advanced talent: one's abilities possess an unstable explosive quality, enhancing destructive power.)
3. Light Element Affinity...
4. Dark Affinity...
Dual Light and Dark attributes paired with three advanced or special talents—it was practically perfect.
Moreover, when Luo Yu checked the starfish's obsession, it was remarkably straightforward.
As a master of oceanic demolitions, it had been a mutated beast with an intense lust for battle, challenging opponents far and wide until one day it lost control of its ability and accidentally blew itself to smithereens.
Before it died, the Annihilation Star Spirit's greatest regret was that it had never managed to blow up an unattainable Abyss Species while alive.
In other words, its obsession was simply to blow up an Abyss Species.
It was crude and direct.
It felt both incredibly difficult and yet not difficult at all.
It was difficult because an Abyss Species was currently out of reach for Luo Yu as well. But it wasn't difficult because the goal was so crystal clear and highly actionable; once they had sufficient strength, it could be completed almost immediately, which was far more realistic than landing on the moon.
What made Luo Yu hesitate, however, was that although its obsession was related to growing stronger, it didn't seem particularly tied to evolution.
Even if it blew up an Abyss Species, there didn't seem to be any catalyst to trigger an evolution.
*No, not this one.*
Luo Yu soon shook his head. He couldn't let himself be blinded by the words "Monarch Species."
It was only a Monarch Species!
He had already mastered a stable path to evolve into a Monarch Species.
If he gathered a hundred inkfish with Light Element Affinity and Dark Affinity, paired them with the Coordination Master talent, and used fusion evolution, couldn't he create a similar pet beast?
Why fixate on contracting this one?
It lacked rarity and wasn't irreplaceable.
Besides, ghost pet beasts had their levels reset to zero after death, and they couldn't grow in the world of the dead. Once reborn into the living world, they had to be trained from scratch. With attributes as rare as the Annihilation Star Spirit's, it was bound to be a resource sink, and unlike Honey-Water Bees or rock sheep, it couldn't generate resources of its own... Contracting it simply wasn't cost-effective.
Luo Yu pressed on without looking back, even if it meant missing his chance and never encountering it again. Sure enough, moments later, he came across an even better prospect.
[Species]: Mermaid
[Attributes]: Ghost, Wind, Water
[Species Rank]: Middle Monarch Species
[Life Level]: Level 1
[Species Abilities]: Whirlwind, Rainstorm...
[Individual Talents]:
1. Obsession...
2. Alluring Body (Advanced talent: possesses a beautiful physique capable of generating mental charm, making enemies reluctant to harm it.)
3. Mercurial (Advanced talent: when mood undergoes drastic swings, the power of weather-type abilities increases substantially.)
This was a mermaid with a blue tail, its eyes closed in slumber within the Ghost Sea. It was breathtakingly gorgeous, leaving Luo Yu momentarily mesmerized and lost in thought.
Weren't mermaids supposed to be transformed humans?
At the very least, there was no record of a living mermaid ever being contracted. How had it become a ghost sea beast upon death, suddenly eligible for a contract?
*A mental-oriented talent like Alluring Body...*
*And a weather-boosting talent like Mercurial...*
From the perspective of talents, it was outstanding. More importantly, this mermaid was strikingly beautiful. Who wouldn't want a mermaid to tow their boat?
However, upon reading its obsession, Luo Yu's brows knitted tightly.
Its obsession was to regain its human form and reunite with its human wife and children.
*It looks this gorgeous, and it turns out to be a male mermaid?!* Luo Yu was exasperated.
Then again, the term "mermaid" simply referred to a beautiful fish-person; it didn't necessarily mean it was female.
"You just missed your chance to get out of here."
Luo Yu walked away without a backward glance, unable to bring himself to accept a male mermaid.
Unlike an octopus or a turtle, a mermaid's human traits were far too pronounced.
Luo Yu could tolerate a male octopus ghost latching onto his arm... but a mermaid? Even going to the restroom in the future would feel awkward beyond belief.
Besides, god only knew how to turn a mermaid back into a human.
Luo Yu continued his search. He felt as though he had returned to the state he was in when he first transmigrated, when he had put in just as much effort to track down a starting pet beast with top-tier talent.
He calculated the passing time as he searched. Along the way, he spotted many decent ghost sea beasts and was tempted several times to just settle for one of them.
Unfortunately, none of them gave him that sense of destined inevitability—that feeling of "it has to be this one." It always felt like something was missing.
Subconsciously, he kept comparing them to the Water Demon Beast, which could be customized through fusion evolution. At the very least, aside from serving as a ship spirit, they shouldn't be inferior to the Water Demon Beast in every other aspect, right?
Luo Yu realized that he didn't care all that much about a ghost sea beast's species rank. What he valued more was the uniqueness of its species and talents, as well as the nature of its obsession—specifically, whether there was potential for it to take another step forward.
Before long, the one-day limit was drawing near.
Anxiety crept into Luo Yu's heart. He debated whether he should turn back and contract one of the decent Monarch ghosts he had seen earlier.
Or perhaps...
Give up on this trip to the Ghost Sea altogether.
After all, he shouldn't contract something just for the sake of making a contract.
Even if he passed on this opportunity, that didn't mean he would never encounter the Ghost Sea again... As long as one was lucky enough, mysterious seas could be encountered more than once.
*Maybe I should just go back and contract that sponge from earlier...* On his way here, Luo Yu had also encountered a sponge with spatial attributes—an Upper Common Species whose ability was Absorption, allowing it to suck enemy attacks into an alternate dimension.
Once contracted, it could serve as a shield.
Although it wasn't a Monarch Species, it possessed a rare spatial attribute...
*Maybe I'll just settle for that...* Luo Yu was about to turn around when his attention was suddenly drawn to a tiny ghost drifting through the water.
A yellow-and-black striped body, transparent water wings, a crystal stinger at the tip of its abdomen, and a faint mist of ghostly water swirling around it...
It was... a Honey-Water Bee ghost.
The exact same species of Honey-Water Bee farmed at the research institute.
*This...*
Because he was afraid of overlooking a hidden gem, Luo Yu carefully inspected the talents of every ghost he met, regardless of how low its species rank was.
[Species]: Honey-Water Bee
[Attributes]: Ghost, Water
[Species Rank]: Lower Common Species
[Life Level]: Level 1
[Species Abilities]: Poison Sting, Command
[Individual Talents]:
1. Obsession (Special talent: possesses a powerful obsession. Once fulfilled, soul power increases dramatically, with a small probability of soul evolution.)
2. Zerg Empress (Top-tier talent: born with formidable dominance over insectoids. Under its command, the abilities of insectoids increase substantially; for every level gained, it may take one member of its own kind as a retainer. As long as its own soul remains intact, the souls of its retainers will not perish.)
*Holy crap, what on earth is this ridiculous talent?!*
Chapter 57