Chapter 129: Pilot Whales and Orcas (Fifth Update)

In the Sea of Seas, Ji Yu was currently guiding the giant salamander back along its original path.

During this return journey, the giant salamander was swimming quite slowly.

This was because behind it, all thirty-eight pilot whales that Ji Yu had previously rescued were following closely.

These pilot whales were incredibly intelligent.

Especially after Ji Yu led them into the deep sea to awaken their water spirits during the return trip, their dependence on the giant salamander deepened significantly.

Among them, the two pilot whales over six meters long that Ji Yu had saved and healed were the most affectionate toward the giant salamander.

At this moment, these two whales were completely nestled against the sides of the giant salamander’s front torso, swimming in circles around its body.

From time to time, they would touch the giant salamander with their bodies and emit joyful calls.

Naturally, Ji Yu felt very pleased by this.

Although the pilot whales hadn’t been his original goal, gaining these little companions was a satisfactory reward.

Since the giant salamander’s disturbance in Danmaierke had caused quite a commotion, Ji Yu was reluctant to continue northward immediately. Instead, after diving into the deep sea, he planned to temporarily nurture this group of pilot whales and then find another opportunity to head north again.

At the same time, Ji Yu intended to gather a group of orcas from the nearby waters.

Though orcas were smaller in size, they were still apex predators of the ocean—making them excellent candidates for a formidable fighting force.

Orcas were abundant along the coastal shores of the Western Continent and were deeply beloved by the local people.

They were approachable creatures, and most Western Continent inhabitants were fond of them.

After all, orcas were beautiful and genuinely endearing creatures.

Though feared as top predators by other marine life, to the people of the Western Continent, orcas were simply charming ocean spirits.

In many shallow coastal regions of the Western Continent, orcas were present and active.

The relationship between humans and orcas there had a long history.

If anyone dared to harm these orcas, the local coastal villagers wouldn’t wait for legal punishment; they would take matters into their own hands.

One should never underestimate the close bond between these coastal humans and orcas.

The presence of orcas also brought considerable economic benefits to these regions, attracting a significant number of tourists annually.

Bound by this long-term coexistence and mutual interests, harming orcas was an absolute taboo among the locals.

Considering the natural affinity between orcas and humans, Ji Yu decided to first gather a batch of orcas to serve as followers for the giant salamander.

With this plan in place, he temporarily abandoned the pursuit of the massive blue whales dwelling in the northern seas.

One must take things step by step; there was no need to rush.

Moreover, Ji Yu admitted he had not fully considered all factors before.

The blue whales lived too far away, and because of the giant salamander’s personal ties, it always had to return to its pasture—making such round trips extremely time-consuming.

Even if a few blue whales were guided by the giant salamander to the shallow seas of the Western Continent, how would their food sources be guaranteed?

Sometimes, one really should not act hastily on an impulse.

Practical considerations must be taken into account.

For now, creating a decent marine army would suffice; there was no need to be overly ambitious.

After all, the giant salamander’s own combat power was the most reliable, and these marine creatures were merely disciples assigned by the game’s promotion tasks.

The hierarchy must not be confused.

At present, Ji Yu had also experimented with the effect of water spirit energy being guided into the pilot whales’ bodies by the giant salamander.

There was some effect, but it was far from significant.

Even now, as they swam, Ji Yu constantly reinforced the pilot whales, but the results were a pale shadow compared to life grafting.

Several hours passed, and the largest pilot whale had only grown from seven meters to seven and a half meters.

A mere fifty centimeters of growth was honestly insignificant in Ji Yu’s eyes.

His mindset was admittedly a bit lofty, having experienced the power of life grafting; the comparison naturally made him somewhat dissatisfied.

However, Ji Yu was not in a hurry—after all, breaking through to a third-level life form was no trivial matter.

Even the young deer, despite possessing life grafting, only had eighteen second-level spotted deer companions at this stage.

Therefore, a slow breakthrough process was inevitable.

They were still one hour away from the Frans Sea region.

Upon arrival, Ji Yu immediately expanded his consciousness and sent out a message instructing them to remain in this sea area and forage.

Ji Yu wasn’t sure if all the pilot whales clearly understood, but the outcome was satisfactory.

The lead whale was very intelligent; though the others might not grasp the message, the leader did.

With a low call, all the pilot whales instantly stopped following the giant salamander.

They emitted unclear sounds expressing some reluctance, but under the leader whale’s control, they ceased their movement.

Seeing this, Ji Yu smiled knowingly.

Without lingering, he glanced briefly at the pilot whales surfacing and spraying mist, then urged the giant salamander to accelerate toward the Frans Sea.

The journey proceeded smoothly.

Ji Yu skillfully navigated to a deserted sea cliff near the shore, and from there, harnessing his water-control ability, he propelled himself skyward.

Then, gliding through the air, the giant salamander began moving toward the familiar direction.

Along the way, Ji Yu experienced two falls into the water followed by flights back into the air.

By dusk, they finally arrived near the pasture’s sky.

However, as the giant salamander, cloaked in water-form camouflage, prepared to descend into the river, Ji Yu’s gaze caught sight of something below.

On the riverbank stood a group of strangers with a little girl.

It seemed these people had been waiting for some time.

Although Ji Yu had anticipated this, he hadn’t expected the Frans efficiency to be so high.

They found the girl in just one day?

“That was fast. But is it only these few? The initial negotiating intent isn’t bad at least.”

Surveying the sparse surroundings, Ji Yu quickly guessed the mindset of these people and the possible stance of the Frans authorities.

Still, Ji Yu was uncertain how Frans would ultimately assess the giant salamander’s existence, especially since it had caused trouble with Danmaierke today—an incident that had crossed some lines.

He preferred not to speculate too much, deciding to observe the situation first.

With that, the giant salamander immediately withdrew its invisibility, revealing its massive body over two hundred meters long, and slowly descended from the sky under the astonished gazes of all present.