156: Chapter 155 Turtle Form Transformation 156: Chapter 155 Turtle Form Transformation Seeing the turtle image in her own mind had fattened up a bit, Mu Ying didn’t say anything, but just like it, she lay there and pretended to be a rock.

This spot was close to Reef Island, the water wasn’t very deep, and there weren’t any large predators around, just small fish wandering among the corals.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Mu Ying had already refreshed her Underwater Breathing a few times.

She and the turtle had both been covered with a light layer of sand.

Occasionally, fish would mistake them for rocks and swim around them.

Suddenly, the turtle moved, in the swiftest motion she had ever seen from it, although it was just its head.

But it succeeded in catching a fish and swallowed it.

After eating, it turned its head to glance at Mu Ying.

Mu Ying didn’t need animal conversation to know it had finished demonstrating hunting.

Although a bit slow, and exceedingly patient, it was undeniable that it was earnestly showing her, teaching her.

Mu Ying gave it some fruits as a treat.

She didn’t urge it to do anything else, understanding that perhaps patience was one of the most important traits of turtles.

For the next few days, the turtle would go up on the reef to bask in the sun during the day, and then lie at the bottom of the sea pretending to be a rock, waiting for rabbits—or in this case, fish— to catch and eat.

When it didn’t catch fish, it would casually nibble on some seaweed to get by.

Most of life was spent in stillness.

Following this turtle, Mu Ying felt her own patience being trained, and her mindset became more steady and stable like that of a turtle.

Only then did the turtle image in her mind really come to life.

She sat there quietly, and in an instant, she transformed into a black-shelled turtle with dark green patterns, slightly smaller than her turtle teacher.

Mu Ying lay there for a while; unlike before when her feet would ache from squatting, lying there in turtle form was incredibly comfortable.

The turtle teacher glanced at her sideways, then flapped its limbs and swam toward the surface.

Huh?

Wasn’t it too early for sunbathing?

Mu Ying followed with confusion.

The turtle’s short limbs were much more efficient in the water than her human form, and she easily kept up with her turtle teacher.

Reaching the surface, sure enough, it wasn’t the usual time for basking in the sun— the sun was only half-visible above the horizon.

It was the familiar reef, and the turtle teacher skillfully moved itself onto it, flattening out—with its body already quite flat.

Mu Ying began to climb as well.

“Splash!” She tumbled back into the water, feet up.

Struggling to move her limbs, she tried to roll over, without success, she could only lie there upside down.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she realized how difficult it was for the turtle teacher to flip over in just a few seconds.

Eventually, she used the reef as leverage to roll herself over.

Continuing to climb up the rock.

“Splash!”

“Splash!”

“Splash!”

…

After countless tumbles, Mu Ying finally found the safest path and position, and managed to flatten herself next to the turtle teacher on the reef.

By then, the sun was high in the sky.

She glanced at the large turtle beside her, no wonder it only sunbathed on this rock— probably because it was accustomed to it.

Climbing onto a different one would have been much more difficult.

The sunlight poured onto their shells, making the whole shell feel pleasantly warm, more comfortable than sunbathing in Wolf Form.

After laying in Wolf Form for a while, the limbs would feel a bit sore, but in Turtle Form, it was like being wrapped in a cozy little blanket.

Just lie down anywhere, and it was comfortable.

They basked in the sun from morning to evening, and Mu Ying took out some fruits to enjoy together with Teacher Turtle.

“I have to go now, these are all for you to eat,” when it was time to part, Mu Ying still felt a bit reluctant to leave.

Its turtle life had been too leisurely, and the days Mu Ying spent with it were also very relaxing, free from all worries.

“…Okay…”

Mu Ying transformed back into human form, took out the flying broom, and mounted it.

The turtle craned its neck, watching for a long, long time.

Mu Ying had initially been more interested in Dolphin or Shark forms, intending to use the Turtle only as a transition.

But after truly understanding the turtle, she developed a genuine fondness for this creature.

Although it couldn’t swim as fast as dolphins or sharks, she didn’t actually need to rush long distances in the sea; nothing was faster than flying in the sky on a broom.

She just needed to lock onto the approximate area based on the mineral distribution map, then search slowly in that area; there was no demand for speed.

A creature like the turtle that could crawl on the seafloor might even be more suitable because the sea bottom had a layer of sand that the turtle could use its claws to scrape through, which dolphins and sharks couldn’t do.

So she didn’t need to look for dolphins or sharks anymore; she could head straight to the mining spots.

According to the blueprint, within the currently buildable range of her territory, there were only two mining sites.

One was an iron-rich mine, the other a coal mine.

The iron mine was located 30°20 nautical miles to the northeast of Coastal City’s harbor, and the coal mine was situated 60°15 nautical miles to the southeast of Coastal City’s harbor.

When Mu Ying returned to the harbor area, it was already midnight.

During her absence, a village slightly smaller than before had been built outside the Koutao Fishman Replica.

Still, there were no Fishmen on night watch.

Without any hesitation, she set fire to the village once more.

Having made enemies, she naturally did whatever displeased them most.

If not for the lack of energy, she would have stayed there every day until she had eliminated every Fishman that emerged from the Replica gate.

After a good night’s rest, Mu Ying headed toward the location of the iron-rich mine.

Compared to the coal mine, the iron mine was somewhat more appealing.

After flying roughly 20 nautical miles, Mu Ying landed on the sea surface, put away the broom, and with a splash, she dived into the water, transforming into turtle form the moment she touched the water.

This time she didn’t need Underwater Breathing to move freely in the water.

In case of danger, if the health bar of her Turtle Form depleted, it would not affect her human form, ensuring safety.

She moved her four little flippers and swam toward the sea bottom.

This area was much deeper than the waters where Teacher Turtle roamed.

Although she could see clearly even in the darkness, she could still feel the deep sea around her, where not a single ray of light penetrated.

Occasionally, some glowing fish swam by, the only light in this place.

The water temperature dropped, but the amount of oxygen in the sea was higher.

A few brightly colored sea plants were also covered with a layer of dusky sediment.

One could say that the colorful and dreamy underwater world was not visible in such deep waters.

Although the scene was somewhat desolate, there appeared to be no noteworthy Sea Beasts, which slightly reassured the turtle.

She slowly sank to the sea bottom.

And thus began her mining journey.

At first, she was very enthusiastic, but she soon became tired—a kind of bone-deep exhaustion.

This was a physically demanding task, scraping the sediment with her flippers was not easy.

Thinking of Teacher Turtle, who believed in staying still, she now felt like a model of hard labor among turtles.

How miserable she was, with her flippers aching.

Staring at the rocks until her eyes nearly turned into beans, still without any discovery, was enough to drive a turtle to despair.

Most crucially, there was no light here; day and night were nearly indistinguishable.

The quiet was unbearable, and with no one to talk to, she could only keep scraping the sediment relentlessly, with no progress, making it tough to endure mentally.