Chapter 196. Demons and Monsters (20) “Because Watson is here!”

     Ye Mo brought another support team and left the half-demon base again, their destination the salt lake mentioned by Pushkin.

     Unlike previous times, their growing reputation meant they encountered almost no attacking enemies on the road. Instead, there were even clients who came to them seeking communication. Ye Mo gave them the detailed address and specific contact person for the base’s mission hall.

     After traveling for nearly a day, they finally arrived at their destination.

     The salt lake was smaller than Ye Mo had imagined, its area appearing even smaller than the half-demon base. It was surrounded by towering trees, the lake surface was calm, the water clear, and the lakeside grass was covered in a layer of faint white frost.

     Ye Mo stopped a kilometer away from the salt lake, started a fire, and rested while enjoying dinner.

     Although the half-demons didn’t understand why she had come here to see the salt lake demon, Ye Mo had already become something akin to a deity in the half-demon base. Whatever she said, they would now believe, trusting that she had her own reasons.

     Before long, a small whirlpool appeared in the middle of the salt lake.

     Looking closer, the whirlpool was filled with clusters of algae-like plants, large and small, in shades of blue-green, far more vibrant than Watson’s withered leaves in the white space.

     For a moment, Ye Mo couldn’t visually distinguish Watson from the clusters of plants. Only by using her mental power did she see him seemingly greeting her with a contracting and expanding motion.

     She couldn’t help but laugh and winked at him.

     Watson understood her smile and “glared” at Ye Mo. curling up the edges of his seaweed in a sulky manner, nearly retreating into himself. Being stuck as seaweed for so long hadn’t been easy for him!  

     The leader of the water algae demons clan wasn’t necessarily the largest in size but had the darkest hue. It spoke first: “Stay away from here!”  

     The water algae demons were indeed a relatively peaceful group.  

     Most other demons, upon seeing an unfamiliar creature approach their territory, wouldn’t settle for just a warning. This was likely because their innate abilities leaned more toward defense rather than offense.

     “Greetings, Water Algae Leader. We’ve come with sincerity to trade with the water algae demons,” Ye Mo replied, but she didn’t specify what the trade was. She walked forward a short distance and began to introduce herself.

     “My name is Jing, a human-deer half-demon and the current leader of the half-demon base. Water Algae Leader, please rest assured that the half-demon base will absolutely not initiate aggression against other demon clans in the name of the base. If there are individuals who commit aggression, no matter who they are, they will be considered traitors to the half-demon base, and we will certainly deal with them. This has already been included in the top three fundamental rules of the base.”

     After the demon clan leader spoke, the other members were generally free to express their opinions.

     Watson’s voice interjected, his tone as gentle as ever, “We’ve heard of you, and we’ve heard of the half-demon base. You can make spatial abilities disappear, you can teleport, you know illusion magic, and you can create all sorts of strange and unique weapons. But we don’t need any of these. What do you have to trade with us?”

     Ye Mo pondered for a moment, understanding the hint in Watson’s words, and replied, “Wood-based energy or water-based energy. I’m not referring to spirit stones. I can make the spiritual energy in your salt lake abundant, like cultivating in the midst of many spirit mines.”

     “Really?” Watson exclaimed with feigned surprise before the other water algae could speak. “If that’s the case, the newborns in our clan… their chances of awakening will be greater, and the blue algae won’t have to degenerate.”

     Truthfully, such a lively persona didn’t quite suit Watson; it felt a little forced. Of course, the other water algae demons couldn’t guess the real reason. In the past thirty days, Watson had become a well-known advocate for the young within their clan.

     Regarding this, let’s start with Pushkin’s partially incorrect deduction. It wasn’t that there were no demons Watson could save; his mission had already secretly been partially completed with the Spirit Awakening Pill.

     However, the remaining pills and medicinal herbs were insufficient.

     Heaven knows why this dungeon didn’t require hemostatic agents or mental recovery agents but instead needed Spirit Awakening Pills. He couldn’t save them all, and the others wouldn’t let him leave to find more herbs.

     Most importantly, Watson was still too weak for this world. The most he had learned these past few days were various water-based defensive techniques. When it came to attacking, he still needed to propose ideas to others, who would then teach him.

     Even if he barely managed to complete the mission in the end, Watson wouldn’t be able to save the entire future of the water algae clan.

     The water algae clan has a strong defense and a strong ability to survive. Their only problem is that the water or wood spirit mines beneath the salt lake have been exhausted, causing their newborn rate to drop drastically.

     Despite the water algae clan’s easy self-replication and recovery, producing offspring is not easy. Their children also have a long period of growth and require more spiritual energy for nourishment.

     When parents discover that their newborn isn’t a demon but a clump of algae, or if they are demons but degenerate due to insufficient spiritual energy, they naturally break down.

     This is the predicament of the water algae clan. Letting them expand is, frankly, very difficult. Away from the salt lake, they are more likely to become an energy source for another demon clan.

     If this continues, their water algae demon clan will sooner or later go to extinction..

     As soon as Watson finished speaking, the water algae demons grew visibly agitated—some even shed strings of tears, though in the lake water, they were completely invisible.  

     Fortunately, the water algae leader maintained his composure, knowing that the word “trade” implied a mutual exchange. He asked, “Then what do you want in return? We don’t have anything to trade.”

    “Oh, but you do,” Ye Mo replied, her gaze fixed on the seaweed leader with sincerity. “The base already has some plant-type half-demons, but none of them are pure, their comprehension of plant essence is still lacking. And while I’ve gained some knowledge about plants due to… certain reasons, my expertise isn’t specialized. The base needs one or a few talented plant demons—preferably no more than five—to learn and then teach the half-demons there.”  

     “There are plenty of plant demons out there.”

     “But none of them are the peace-loving salt lake water algae demons.” Ye Mo smiled slightly, subtly complimenting them. “As you know, the half-demon base was just established not long ago and has many adorable young ones. They are quite fragile and need the base’s protection. only a peaceful group like yours would I trust to enter the base safely”

     Water Algae Leader: “I need to think…”

     “Me, me, me!” Watson suddenly swam out again, looking at the Water Algae Leader. “I’m willing to go to the half-demon base in exchange for energy, to allow the salt lake to continue to thrive.”

     Having said that, he looked at Ye Mo again:

     “If you can really do it.”

     “I’ll go too!”

     “Me, me, me!”

     “And me!”

     The herd mentality took over as more and more water algae demons popped up, including a few younger, eager voices.  

     Soon, it turned into an argument:  

     “You’re all too weak—are you trying to get yourselves killed?”

     “Let me go instead! Watson said I’m the best at water control, while the rest of you are just carbon-water organisms!”

     “I—”

     “It’s not a one-way trip. You can still come back, for example, once every 50 or 60 days, you can travel with the half-demon base’s support team,” Ye Mo had to raise her voice to stop their argument. “Moreover, it’s not like the plant demon base will accept just anyone. We need talented water algae demons, and there will be an assessment.”

     Everyone said in unison: “Assessment?”

     Ye Mo recited a simple prescription she had once helped Watson find. With a wave of her hand, a medicine furnace appeared, along with a pile of large living stones and five portions of medicinal materials.

     “The true strong plants demons I’m looking for are those who can concoct the finished product according to the prescription.”

     “I’ll do it.” While the other plant demons were still bewildered, Watson genuinely couldn’t bear to waste the medicinal materials. He was much more proactive than before, and this time he wasn’t acting at all.

     Ye Mo: “Alright, it’s you then.”

     The Water Algae Leader wanted to say something to stop it, but seeing that after Ye Mo finished speaking, she and the other half-demons retreated step by step, creating a safe space by the salt lake, he said nothing more.

     He said nothing more.

    So Ye Mo and Watson began to practice seriously, one of them blindly commanding, and the other pretending to be unfamiliar. Watson secretly twitched his forehead several times during the practice.

     The result was naturally “actually” successful at once.

     “Great!” Ye Mo gave Watson a look that said ‘your acting skills are 0, and you don’t know how to be humble’, and smiled happily, “Little guy, what’s your name?”

     Watson was utterly speechless: ‘…Didn’t I just mention missing the mini Tyrannosaurus a few times in the last dungeon?’

     “My name is Watson.”

     Ye Mo smiled. “Watson, you’re so smart, truly talented. Perhaps in the future, you’ll become the first honorary teacher of the half-demon base. Welcome to the team.”

     “I’m very happy too.” Watson’s leaves completely relaxed. “But what is this thing for?”

     Ye Mo replied, “It’s a type of medicine.”

     “What is medicine?”

    “Medicine is a very magical thing. It can come from ordinary plants, ordinary animals, or ordinary minerals, and when mixed together through special methods, it can help heal wounds and stop bleeding, enhance strength, help you adapt to the environment, and more. At critical moments, it can save lives,” Ye Mo recalled her understanding.

     “Save lives? Can it really do that? Can you save my fellow clansmen?!” This time, Watson’s expression was absolutely genuine. It was clear that he had deep feelings for the salt lake clan. Of course, he asked this knowing that Ye Mo had quite a few of Spirit Awakening Pill for Bandit snacks.

     “I can’t say for sure that I can completely save them, but I will do my best,” Ye Mo replied.

     What followed was a life-saving scene filled with countless warmth and surprises.

     Ye Mo took out the remaining awakening pills in the storage ring and filled up Watson’s task points, but it was still a little bit insufficient for the Salt Lake Algae Monster.

     So, she promised that she would definitely hurry with the refining process once they returned to the half-demon base. With Watson there, would they still lack medicine?

     This made the Water Algae Leader eager to cooperate. This was real, absolutely real, saving lives was real.

     Afterward, Ye Mo found an excuse to hand the authority to assess apprentices back to Watson. She knew this was for the future of the salt lake demon clan, and in terms of potion-making, she really couldn’t interfere, it was best left to a professional pharmacist.

     However, while Watson was assessing, she could set up a large spirit-gathering array nearby.

     Seeing that Ye Mo actually took out a considerable number of wood spirit stones and water demon assistance to set up the array for the salt lake clan, the Water Algae Leader finally broke down. He repeated his question for the second time, his words carrying even more disbelief than the first: “Why does it have to be the water algae clan?”

     Ye Mo, who was surveying the geographical environment, looked back and smiled, giving an absolutely 100% genuine answer:

     “Because Watson is here!”