Chapter 290 - 262: The Origin of Magical Beasts

Chapter 290: Chapter 262: The Origin of Magical Beasts

Shire had heard many times before about the formation of Magical Beasts. These strange creatures were said to be mutations of ordinary animals, and the energy that caused these mutations was called "Nightmare Power."

Nightmare Power existed only in the Nightmare Forest, which was how the forest got its name. Interestingly, however, this power prevented humans, Dwarves, and Elves from staying in the forest for more than three days. Yet for goblins, Ghost Witches, and other species, it had almost no effect, or the effect was negligible.

The previous explanation from the Night and Destiny Church was that this was because the Material Plane had both good and evil aspects. To ensure the safety of the intelligent Races, the Creator God had bound the Nightmare Power to this region, preventing it from affecting other areas. These specific Races thus became the most fortunate, the chosen ones, and they were also the most fervent believers in the Four Gods Church.

But Shire was skeptical of this. He hadn’t had much contact with the Elf Race, and those "Yin Yang Men" didn’t like to talk too much about themselves with other Races. The Dwarf Race, on the other hand, didn’t believe in the Four Gods. They were said to live in the high mountains of the Land of the Far North, where the peaks were perennially covered in ice and snow, and the Dwarven royal court was located inside a mountain.

It was said that those Dwarves all believed in the Elemental Ancient Gods. The Dwarves Shire had met before would often be heard saying things like, "By the Elemental Ancient Gods."

’So, the only race that believes in the Four Gods is likely humanity itself.’ This was Shire’s previous conclusion, but such a view was considered heresy. If he didn’t want to cause trouble, it was best not to discuss it openly.

Looking at the Elephant Lord’s status panel now, it seemed Magical Beasts also had a promotion path. From ordinary Basic Magical Beasts to High Level Magical Beasts like the Giant Bees and Giant Spiders, and finally to Evil Gods like the Feathered Serpent. This sparked a flicker of curiosity in Shire.

"Well then, Elephant Lord, I’d like to ask," Shire said, holding out his hands. "When did you develop self-awareness?"

He knew that some animals were very intelligent and might develop the concept of "I," but the vast majority of animals lacked such thinking. It was like those experiments he’d seen in his previous life where animals would bristle at their own reflection, seeing the image in the mirror as a rival competing for territory. However, based on the Elephant Lord’s earlier words, it clearly possessed true intelligence.

"I don’t remember," the Elephant Lord said after thinking carefully. "I have lived for a very long time, and some things I can no longer recall. What is etched into my mind, aside from the moment I was transformed by my master, is the day-after-day patrols in the forest and its many changes."

"Transformed?" Shire frowned. "You were artificially transformed, too?"

After the Fearsome Claw Bear incident, Shire had asked Agatha about the formation of Magical Beasts. Besides these strange, mutated creatures potentially arising from the occasional influence of Nightmare Power in the forest, they could also be artificially catalyzed into Magical Beasts.

This was mainly done by some Mages. After several thousand years of development, some Mages had now learned to combine Dark Magic with Arcane Arrays to guide the Nightmare Power in the forest and transform animals within the Array into Magical Beasts.

However, this practice was deemed illegal by all the major Kingdoms—and of the highest order. If a Mage was reported to the Public Security Bureau for doing this, they would be arrested and a warrant issued for them.

Shire knew the major Kingdoms likely declared this act illegal out of self-interest. If Beast Cores became more common, they would lose a means of controlling the Great Nobles. Thus, they made the practice illegal under the pretext of protecting the common people, but this still couldn’t completely stop it.

’As for protecting the common people, that’s just an excuse. The lives of the common folk have already been all but ruined by the Great Nobles.’

"I remember that day," the Elephant Lord nodded. "That day, I was transformed into my current form by a human who called himself my master. I felt a strange sensation at the time."

’In that case, it probably developed self-awareness later on. I wonder if it was at the High Level Magical Beast stage, or when it became an Evil God,’ Shire mused, rubbing his chin. ’This means it’s possible the Feathered Serpent Evil God was also transformed by someone, then developed into the Evil God it is today.’

’Isn’t that incredibly dangerous? An Evil God with an even more powerful human Mage behind it.’ He frowned, again recalling the night he encountered Lust’s Clone and the dead, middle-aged Mage by his bed. ’These Mages are simply everywhere. If the Feathered Serpent God doesn’t like to move, and a Great Mage sends their disciples and followers, my clan will be in for a world of hurt.’

"Do you still remember your... your master?" Shire asked, looking up at the Elephant Lord. He didn’t know much about those elusive High Tier Great Mages. Right now, he only knew of two: one was his sister Vivian’s teacher, and the other was the old lecher, Great Mage Affif, whom he had met a few times.

"He died long ago. Or rather, he is sleeping," the Elephant Lord said, flapping its two giant ears. "Sleeping within my herd’s Elephant Tomb."

"An Elephant Tomb?" Shire raised an eyebrow. The answer surprised him, but he immediately understood what it meant. ’The person who transformed it is probably dead, and the purpose of transforming the Elephant Lord was to have this herd of elephants guard his coffin with their bones.’

’That means the Elephant Tomb is probably very dangerous.’ Shire had to abandon the idea of contacting that Great Mage through the Elephant Lord. ’Now the question is how the Feathered Serpent God was transformed into a Magical Beast, and whether there’s a Great Mage behind it.’

But according to what Cyan Hide had said before, the Feathered Serpent Evil God’s personality was apparently quite evil and greedy. Magical Beasts like these were usually raised simply for harvesting Beast Cores after being transformed. ’Could that thing have eaten its own master?’

Putting aside his various speculations, Shire looked at the giant Elephant Lord before him. "Let’s get back to the matter at hand. You asked me to help take care of your herd. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"The temperature in the forest is dropping. This is different than before, and I don’t know why. Last winter, members of my herd died," the Elephant Lord said, swinging its trunk and snorting. "You can provide them with warm shelter and a water source."

"Shelter and a water source?" Shire spread his hands. "Is this also what that... uh... Creator said?"

’This so-called Creator is more like a troublemaker. Am I supposed to build a heated stable for thirty-something elephants? And with a body as massive as the Elephant Lord’s, how could I possibly build a stable for it?’

"Yes. The Creator said you could do it. The condition is," the Elephant Lord’s eyes fixed on the goblin before it, "we will be at your command."