Versatile Mage: Lord of Space

"Let me do it."

Underwater visibility is very limited. Lin Lan first saw a figure about 500 meters away from her, which was most likely the water mage Bobby.

Upon getting closer, Lin Lan spotted another dark figure. This figure had a long body covered in sharp, sword-like objects and was frantically chasing something.

In the water, the jellyfish maggots are completely invisible. Mu Ningxue can only roughly deduce from the ripples in the water that the jellyfish maggots are being chased by sea monsters covered in sharp spikes.

"Annihilation!"

The space in the seawater began to compress, and then exploded like a torpedo. The sea monster was blown to pieces, and its viscous blood smeared the turbid seawater, but Lin Lan's spatial control completely blocked the blood.

Lin Lan's annihilation of the sea monster was so fast that not a single star appeared. Mo Fan was used to it, but Mu Ningxue was a little stunned.

She couldn't figure out Lin Lan's current spatial cultivation level either.

Was this move a display of control... or a use of a trace of transcendent power?

In short, it's definitely not conventional magic; there's no control over it at all.

"Describe the siren to me." Lingling's voice came through the communicator.

"The communication quality is pretty good; we can even communicate underwater," Mo Fan said to Lingling after using space to isolate himself from the seawater. "It's just a long fish covered in sharp spines, and it's not very strong."

"Sword Hedgehog Siren." After listening to Mo Fan's description for a while, Mu Ningxue simply told Lingling directly, and rolled her eyes at Mo Fan for not studying hard enough. This kind of siren is quite common among siren, but Mu Ningxue still had some concerns, as these creatures live in groups.

“This creature is a social animal, you didn’t make it bloody, did you?” Lingling said.

“I’ve been isolated by Lanzi,” Mo Fan replied.

“That’s fine. These sirens are social creatures. Once they discover that one of their companions has died, they will attack it as a group,” Lingling said.

"Let's go up first. The jellyfish maggots have already gone far away. The jellyfish maggots are evolving and gaining biological benefits. It's lunchtime, so we can have a barbecue on the boat or something," Lin Lan said with a smile.

The maggots will not encounter any danger during this period, thanks to Lin Lan's foresight and his ability to investigate the surrounding area.

Hearing Lin Lan say that, Mo Fan also felt hungry: "That's good, but we came straight out without bringing anything. Lanzi, do you have anything?"

"You're a fire mage, and this is the ocean, so just grill some abalone and lobster."

"That's good, we can't treat ourselves badly." Mo Fan chuckled, then began searching for ingredients in the sea.

"We're not here to protect?" Bobby asked, puzzled.

What if the maggot dies?
"There's no danger in this area, don't worry," Lin Lan said.

"how do you know?"

"I can tell fortunes."

"?!"

……

The sky was a powerful blue, like a piece of silk that had been washed, while the sea below gradually turned a deep, dark black. Looking out, the sea exuded an unsettling eeriness.

"I'm full." Mo Fan stretched after eating, wiping the grease from his mouth, feeling that this was the life.

"The seawater is getting darker and darker, be careful." Mu Ningxue frowned as she looked at the sea.

“The maggot has completed its transformation; it seems it gained quite a bit from the Sword Hedgehog Siren,” Lingling said, staring at the monitoring equipment.

“That’s a good thing,” Mo Fan replied casually.

“There seems to be a reef ahead,” Bobby, an experienced man, suddenly spoke up. Those who spend years at sea can always judge underwater topography by subtle changes.

Mo Fan looked in that direction and saw that the color of that sea area was significantly lighter. As the speedboat gradually approached, an astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes: it was no ordinary reef, but a massive reef island completely submerged by the sea!
The water was shallow enough that Mo Fan could even jump up and stand on it. The water only reached his knees, and the rocks beneath his feet were clearly visible.

“This is a reef cave,” Bobby concluded after careful observation.

“A reef cave?” Mo Fan asked, puzzled. “Many marine creatures need nests just like land creatures,” Bobby explained. “In some special areas, the reefs connect to form underwater ‘islands.’ These naturally formed, massive reef complexes often become the nests of various sea monsters, which we call ‘sea monster fortresses.’”

"I see, even sirens need a nest; they can't always sleep on the main road," Mo Fan suddenly realized.

"This reef is quite large, and there's a large group of sea monsters resting about 500 meters underwater. We must be careful and not disturb them," Lingling solemnly warned.

Mu Ningxue pondered, "That vile maggot chose to come here, probably to find the most ideal host. These kinds of places are often inhabited by powerful sea monster races. If it can successfully parasitize..."

“That’s right, this guy knows how to pick his spots. But that also increases our difficulty,” Lingling frowned. “Once its actions are exposed, we’ll have to go down and save the day.”

"Wh...what? Down to a place like this?" Bobby's eyes widened, his voice trembling. As an experienced sea hunter, he knew all too well how dangerous the reef caves were. Even the top hunting teams wouldn't dare venture there lightly; for a mere few of them to go down was practically suicide!

Mo Fan also felt a headache coming on, and could only silently pray that the little scoundrel would keep a low profile.

If you're going to be a maggot, you have to be prepared to be one. Steal a little something and know when to stop. Don't be greedy and provoke the big guys. If it's a legitimate monarch, you can only cheer from the sidelines and prepare to run away.

This isn't China; there are no totems here, and no support.

“Bobby, can you find out which sea monsters live in this reef?” Lingling asked.

“Of course!” Bobby immediately puffed out his chest. “Many top-tier hunter groups are vying for me because my identification skills are even better than those veteran sea hunters. Give me some time, and I can thoroughly investigate the ‘residents’ of this reef!” He boasted confidently.

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you. We need to figure out what the maggots are after.” Lingling nodded.

The maggot is now like a shapeshifter, able to transform into any creature it encounters and inherit most of its abilities. Each maggot instinctively seeks a higher-ranking host; no creature wants to remain at the bottom of the food chain. Lingling must figure out exactly what this maggot wants to become.

Not long after, Bobby returned with the results of his investigation.

Within 500 meters of the shallow waters where they were, most of the creatures were ordinary marine life. The truly ferocious sirens lived in the "deep mansion area" below 500 meters, so it was relatively safe for the time being.

“I’ve found out.” Bobby said with a smug smile.

"You didn't even go into the water, how did you investigate?" Mo Fan asked suspiciously.

"You really want to know?" Bobby asked mysteriously.

"nonsense!"

“Okay, here’s how it is.” Bobby cleared his throat. “Regardless of their level, all sirens like to defecate while they sleep. The residue from their excrement floats to the surface, forming a natural ‘septic tank.’ By finding this ‘septic tank,’ we can determine which sirens live in the reef cave and even estimate their numbers.”

Mo Fan: "."

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. This was definitely the most "smelly" investigative method he had ever heard of! Identifying sea monsters by their feces—that's incredibly hardcore!

“Based on the data,” Bobby analyzed professionally, “the waters between 500 and 1,000 meters deep are inhabited by sea monkey monsters, numbering close to a clan, but without a leader; it’s essentially a ‘slum.’”

"The area between one and two thousand meters is inhabited by thunderstorm squid, numbering over a thousand, and there are even commander-level leaders." Bobby's expression visibly changed when he mentioned the thunderstorm squid. As an experienced sea hunter, he knew all too well how terrifying these creatures were; they could unleash dense lightning in the water, forming a terrifying lightning field that would instantly turn any intruder into charred remains!

"As for the 'high-end residential areas' below two thousand meters..." Bobby suddenly lowered his voice, his expression grave, "Remember when Mo Fan asked why the seawater turned black?"

"What is it? Just tell me, I know absolutely nothing about marine life," Mo Fan said frankly.

“Black seawater…could it be…” Lingling suddenly realized something, and her face turned ugly.

Bobby nodded heavily, not daring to utter his name, as if it were a taboo subject.

Mu Ningxue understood and remained silent.

Only Mo Fan looked completely bewildered. Had these two planned this? Were they deliberately bullying him, a complete novice in the ocean?
Okay, I guess I'll have to ask Lin Lan.

"Hey Lanzi, what's that down there?"

"A little fake dragon, huh."

"?!"

(End of this chapter)