CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: ANCIENT MUD WORM, TRULY EATS DIRT!

The incredibly cute Vine Fairy immediately won everyone’s affection.

No one could remain uninterested in this chubby little darling. The Mud Swamp People, having finished their tasks, gathered around curiously to observe.

Their eyes were filled with amused smiles.

Sensing the goodwill from the crowd, combined with Lear being nearby, these timid creatures were not afraid.

With a touch of shyness, they peeked their heads out from the vines, curiously observing the crowd.

Soon, they grew bolder, venturing to the edge of the vines to interact with the Mud Swamp People.

Ultimately, they confirmed these people wouldn’t harm them and began fluttering their wings and weaving through the crowd like playful children.

However, they always maintained a distance from the people, never becoming as close as they were with Lear.

Some people wanted to pinch them curiously but were met with fierce, glaring eyes from these little fellows.

It amused everyone greatly.

Bain had yet to recover from his excitement, for only he knew what the Vine Fairy signified!

This was a life created by the Swamp God!

Infinite potential.

With a stern expression, Bain dispersed the onlookers and approached these adorable creatures to communicate alone.

Seeing this, Lear no longer paid them any mind, sitting somewhat wearily on the grass beside him.

This journey over the past half-month had exhausted him, even though he had reached the metamorphosis level.

Now that he had reached his destination and gained the Starry Sky Vine and the Vine Fairy, he felt a great relief.

A wave of fatigue swept over him.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, he couldn’t help but fall into thought.

The Noah’s Rice he currently had could sustain the current population for five months.

But the issue of food needed to be proactively addressed.

There were 30 carriages of basic supplies, enough for initial use.

The biggest challenge for the territory was actually... constructing houses.

The swamp was like an uneven mountain plain; though the grassy area seemed level, if buildings were erected, a heavy rain could cause the ground to give way and collapse—unless stabilized by magic.

But after obtaining the Starry Sky Vine, this problem was also resolved.

The most important thing now was to carry out the initial construction of the territory and commence all basic operations.

To gradually get Weilu City up and running.

With so many tasks ahead, they needed to be tackled bit by bit.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced once more at the information.

All other tasks were completed; only 30 kilometers to the north, a group of over 500 ferocious, rotting centaurs at level nine could not yet be handled.

This advanced monster gathering point needed to wait until he had enough strength before attempting it.

As he pondered, Lear seemed to think of something. He waved, letting Haggs bring his satchel over.

A moment later, Lear retrieved an exquisite small cage woven from bamboo strips from his bag.

Inside, a gray, chubby little worm was munching on leaves.

This was a Mud Worm, a swamp creature Firina, the Northern Flower, had obtained from the Ancient Ruins.

According to her, the Mud Worm was an ancient being capable of growing up to a hundred meters long and could hunt giant dragons upon maturity.

But due to its prolonged slumber, the Origin Power was severely depleted and could not be restored.

And the attribute panel showed the Mud Worm’s attributes were also quite simple.

Mud Worm

[Level]: Level 1

[Potential]: ?? (Origin Damaged)

And then... nothing more.

The attributes were so simple, they left one baffled.

He had researched it several times during these days but found nothing, and the Divine Format did not react to the Mud Worm either.

This worm seemingly was just an ordinary caterpillar, only knowing how to gnaw on leaves...

At this moment, the Vine Fairies communicating with Bain seemed to have discovered something, fluttering their wings in a large circle around Lear.

Their big dark eyes, with a hint of pity, looked at the little worm in the cage.

"Father God, this little guy is so pitiful."

"I can hear it calling for help..."

"It’s dying..."

A Vine Fairy flew to Lear’s hand, clinging to his arm with a pitiful demeanor.

"Wuwuwu... Father God, save it."

The Mud Worm is calling for help?

Lear spoke in a deep voice.

"Can you hear it speaking?"

"Ask it what it needs?"

The Vine Fairy clinging to his arm immediately lowered its head, muttering a few words in front of the cage before excitedly saying,

"Father God, it needs to eat mud..."

Lear was taken aback, eat... mud?

So the Mud Worm really eats mud?

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

The Vine Fairy was very proud.

"The more magic energy the mud contains, the faster it enhances... but for now, it just needs to eat mud."

"Those leaves are entirely useless... they merely prevent it from starving to death."

Lear was speechless.

No wonder Firina, the talented mage, didn’t know how to help it recover...

Given its status and the fact it was a treasure obtained from Ancient Ruins, one would never think to feed it something like mud.

Priceless and nurtured daily with Magic Plants, who would think of that?

Without hesitation, he picked up the small cage and went to the edge of the grassy area, carefully uncovering the cage.

Taking out the Mud Worm.

Chubby, it felt like cotton when pinched.

He tentatively placed it on the mud.

This little gray, soft creature about the size of a pinky emitted a joyful cry immediately.

It pounced onto the mud and began voraciously devouring it, as if it hadn’t eaten in half a month, gobbling it up eagerly.

The faint rustling sound resembled silkworms munching mulberry leaves.

It devoured the large clump of mud in front of it, stabilizing the semblance of life flickering like a dying candle.

Burp~

Now and then, it raised its head to burp.

Its belly became swollen, clearly larger than its body.

This dull gray little worm seemed somewhat adorable at this moment...

As Lear pondered, he infused his Spiritual Power into the Divine Format.

The next moment, the Divine Format’s pressure surged and enveloped the Mud Worm.

Earlier, the creature’s life force was too weak for Lear to risk any mishap.

Now, he could take action.

The gray Mud Worm that was lying on its back regained its spirit, turned to look at Lear, and squirmed its body.

A wave of happiness transmitted into his mind, devoid of any resistance.

Lear felt a ripple in his heart.

He sent out comforting emotions.

Within its soul, he imprinted a Soul Mark.

Henceforth, no matter how fierce the Mud Worm became, it would be under his control, eternally loyal to him.

Yet, for such a little pudding to grow over a hundred meters long, hunting giant dragons, it was quite astounding.

He relocated the Mud Worm to the region in front of the Starry Sky Vine, instructing the small creature to feed on mud there and not stray from this area.

He also dispatched two Wetland Lizard-men to keep watch, preventing any unforeseen incidents.

It was already late in the evening after all was said and done.

As night fell,

Lear lay on the expansive grass, gazing up at the dimly lit night sky with scattered stars.

The air was filled with the calls of frogs and insects, oddly relaxing.

Surrounded by darkness, without lighting torches or candles.

In such dark settings, having light wasn’t necessarily beneficial; those around possessed night vision capabilities, so there were no worries of inconvenience.

Everyone gathered around the Treants, lying down calmly to sleep.

These towering Treants made for the finest sentries.

Tents were used for storing supplies; until they built houses, they would have to live like this.

Deep into the night, a sudden breeze dispersed the clouds in the sky, revealing twinkling stars, spreading stars across the night sky.

A twinkling sight.

Dreamy and ethereal.

Awake Lear suddenly noticed twinkling spots of light to the north.

Sitting up, he looked over with curiosity.

In the Starry Sky Vine region, particles of light gathered in the air, slowly merging into the vines.

Simultaneously, fist-sized glowing bulbs traversed the vines, significantly speeding up the Starry Sky Vine’s absorption of starlight.

The fresh shoots grew at a visible speed.

The Vine Fairies were cultivating the Starry Sky Vine...