Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 232 Moonlit Night on the Ocean, The Great Whale's Migration

To uncover the truth behind the demonic source in the sea, Lin Bo must use a submersible to venture deep into the ocean.

This time, we won't just be circling around the continental shelf near the coast. We must follow the guidance of the magic energy and sail far away, exploring to the vicinity of the seabed several kilometers deep, before we may be able to reach the source.

The magical energy from the whales remembered their arduous journey and told the mage in dragon language how they were conceived from a certain creature and then accumulated step by step through the food chain to reach their final host, the whales.

This original producer is the target of Lin Bo's trip.

Once the genetic information of the species is extracted, one can attempt to replicate it using an all-purpose bacterial strain, thereby obtaining an inexhaustible source of magical energy.

Considering that environmental factors may also be a necessary condition for the birth of magical energy, it is also necessary to collect hydrological information from the deep ocean to facilitate replication in experiments.

Since personally riding a submersible to descend is extremely dangerous, Lin Bo chose a safer option: placing a reinforced magic eye crystal in the driver's seat to enable remote control.

Even if an accident occurs and the ship is destroyed, it will only be a minor loss.

After performing prosthetic implant surgery on all the seagulls, Lin Bo began preparing for deep-sea exploration.

Take out the homemade spherical submersible, install the Magic Eye Crystal Ball into the cockpit, install multiple enchanted and reinforced hydrographic information detectors on the outer shell, use a computer to collect and analyze data, and finally add several metal sealed containers for storing seawater.

It remains simple and unpretentious, but it is already fully functional.

As night falls, the starlight and moonlight shimmer on the inky black waves.

The lighthouse apprentices had finished their lessons and were lingering on the beach, watching as the great mage of the coast flew out from the white-painted metal sphere, hovered in mid-air, and waved his long sleeves, making the huge metal sphere seem to be shrouded in an invisible veil and become hazy.

The apprentices blinked and stared.

The metal submersible slowly collapsed, shrinking from a huge hut to a slender iron shuttle about half a person's height and as thick as an arm. The archmage held it in his hand and casually tossed it into the distance into the vast ocean.

The iron shuttle whistled through the air and disappeared without a trace, like a strange iron bird, skimming over the waves and disappearing into the deep shadows of the night sky.

The Grand Master strolled back, and the disciples still didn't understand what he was so busy with, nor did they dare to ask. They simply greeted him respectfully and then dispersed to go home and study diligently under their own solitary lamps.

During these many days, the seven of them often wrote letters, but only the grocer wrote to his adopted children; the others only sent messages to old friends or employees.

Those who embark on the path of mystery mostly live solitary lives, without offspring. After all, the secret medicines are harmful to the body, and casting spells shortens lifespan; life is too short to leave much time for love and family. In fact, they are all only a few years older than Viren Pearl.

For natural spellcasters like them, the lack of magical energy is like a vitamin deficiency; their vitality fades faster than that of ordinary people, and even if they never come into contact with magic in their entire lives, they will still have much shorter lifespans.

Lin Bo watched his disciples leave.

He required his students to first study medicine, learn about health preservation and healing methods, and take the herbal medicine prepared by the Night Watchman every day to gradually repair old ailments and clear away chronic diseases. Then, they should nourish themselves through food to strengthen their vital energy, so that they might be able to gain a few more years of life.

Once he uncovers the truth about the source of the demon, and has ample magical energy at his disposal, the problem of the apprentices' congenitally short lifespans will hopefully be solved, allowing them to live a few more years.

However, the lifespan that has already been lost cannot be recovered through the aforementioned methods.

In the vast universe, there are many ways to prolong life, and online trading platforms offer a variety of such products. Most players buy some to give to friends and family, a prime example of achieving enlightenment. However, the exorbitant prices are staggering, enough to make even the wealthy weep.

Lin Bo preferred to develop the High Philosopher's Stone himself to concoct the elixir of immortality.

Rather, alchemy is simply a smooth path to longevity. The Taoists of the Eastern lineage refine elixirs and take medicines to achieve immortality, and their principles and goals are the same.

The day he can create the elixir of immortality will be the day he passes the advanced course in alchemy, which will also mean that he has reached the forefront of the multiverse knowledge system. In the future, there will be a vast world ahead, and he can only forge his own path.

The crafting of high-grade Sage's Stones requires not only a variety of rare ingredients but also a massive amount of magical energy. This level of alchemical creation is beyond the reach of worlds without a magical background or with only a slight magical background.

Lin Bo returned to the third floor of the lighthouse, sat cross-legged, and placed the communication crystal in front of him. At this moment, he was still using resonance sensing to control the submersible, which had been transformed into an iron shuttle by the True Word Illusion, flying at high speed towards the open ocean. He pursed his tongue, and the medicinal power stored in his Juquan acupoint seeped into his saliva, slowly filling his mouth. The magical energy murmured on his taste buds, telling him again and again about its origin, at the bottom of the deep ocean.

The powerful dragon language conveyed a wealth of information, forming a series of hallucinatory images in the mage's calm mind.

He "saw" some fragmented scenes.

In the depths of the ocean where sunlight can never reach, the fiery volcanic belt of the mid-ocean ridge resembles a golden-red ribbon stretching for thousands of kilometers, where light, heat, and nutrients nourish a deep-sea ecosystem.

Some kind of dark blue organisms, like a sea of ​​flowers on the riverbank, reside on both sides of the volcanic zone. They release transparent mayflies that resemble jellyfish, which are preyed upon by small fish. The fish rise to the surface and are preyed upon by deep-sea squid, while the whales dive down to fight with the squid and swallow them whole.

All whales know that there are special foods in the deep sea that help them gain tremendous and lasting strength, allowing them to stay afloat for months without breathing, and making their birthing and nursing of calves exceptionally smooth and easy.

This is why, every winter, whales gather in mid-ocean ridge regions around the planet to engage in large-scale breeding activities near the surface. Ancient fishermen who witnessed this phenomenon called it the "Great Migration."

Lin Bo learned about the location of the Great Migration from fishermen visiting the lighthouse. He manipulated the iron shuttle transformed from the submersible and headed westward into the open sea, maintaining a constant flight speed and estimating the time. After three hours and fourteen minutes, he entered the target sea area.

During this period, he maintained his drug intake and used the vitality of his body nourished by the Heart Stone Amulet to continuously transform it into spiritual energy, allowing him to maintain a healthy physical and mental state at all times.

When the time was up, he dispelled the illusion, and the shuttle returned to its spherical shape as a submersible, crashing into the sea with a bang.

Lin Bo activated the communication crystal in front of him, connecting it to the magic eye in the cockpit, and the scene inside the cabin was vividly displayed.

Immediately, he formed a sword-finger seal and activated his personal incantation.

Deep in the ocean, amidst towering waves, a humanoid figure emerged from the void within a white-painted metal sphere swaying with the waves. The figure's face was clear and distinct, and its clothing was simple; it was none other than Lin Bo's own illusory form.

Lv1 Mantra Illusion can create illusions out of thin air, while Lv3 illusions have a real effect.

Aside from the fact that the magical equipment on his body cannot be replicated, this false body is no different from the original, with no reduction in sensory abilities or physical strength.

Lin Bo focused his mind entirely on it, as if he were personally sitting in a submersible.

The self-illusion is also controlled by the power of the name, which is equivalent to the mage's second body, but it will dissipate once injured.

Moreover, this body, though seemingly vibrant and alive, breathing and having a heartbeat, is in reality just an empty shell. To move, it must be manipulated with incantations. It's like a computer that has lost power; all the functions are there, but it simply cannot operate.

The phantom looked around and gazed at the moonlit waves outside the window. In the distance, there were a few lights, coming from the masts and sides of a whaling ship.

In the past, the Church of Poseidon prohibited whaling in winter, but with the surge in demand for whale oil due to the development of the Imperial Industrial Revolution, ship owners in the Sail Islands have come to regard this season as the peak season for their business.

Ironclad ships now possess the capability for long-distance voyages, reaching seas inaccessible to the ancients. The Great Migration, once a mere legend, is now a reality.

However, these fishing boats still need to be careful, only daring to loiter on the outskirts and quietly kill lone whales, because once they anger these ocean predators, they will inevitably suffer attacks more fierce than wind and waves, and the destruction of the ship and the loss of life will be imminent.

Suddenly, the observation window in front of the monk was mostly obscured by a dark shadow. A baleen whale approached the submersible to observe the small contraption and the even smaller human inside.

The baleen whale's heavy resonating cavity emits low-frequency infrasonic calls.

Lin Bo's ears couldn't receive the sound, but his palms, pressed against the glass, felt the sound waves vibrating in the water, turning into intermittent sounds.

It's saying, "Cute...little guy."

This describes humans living inside a metal sphere.

The monk smiled gently.

(End of this chapter)