My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome
Chapter 406 - Chapter 406 Chapter 405 Patterned Stone

Chapter 406: Chapter 405: Patterned Stone Chapter 406: Chapter 405: Patterned Stone Ferns were among the earliest terrestrial plants on Earth, once spanning every corner of the planet during ancient times.

The water-patterned fern he now saw also belonged to the fern family, but it uniquely evolved in the environment of Under Ice Lake.

Due to the dim light in the Under Ice Lake space, possibly because it could not absorb sunlight, the water-patterned fern looked quite different from the existing ferns on Earth.

It exhibited an unusual pale blue color overall, its stem creeping like rhizomes across the ice walls, with each leading stem bearing densely packed, fragmentary leaves, resembling feathers plastered on the ice surface. Only the tender buds in the center appeared coiled, sporting a spiral pattern akin to a snail’s shell.

Picking a water-patterned fern felt cool to the touch, with shallow roots, and also…

Shit!

Shao Zifeng suddenly noticed that on the display screen, the stars representing the quality of the water-patterned fern dimmed rapidly; its leaves visibly shriveled.

Five stars.

Four stars.

In just a moment, the quality of the water-patterned fern dropped to three stars.

Having no time to explain, Shao Zifeng grabbed the deer beside him and shoved the water-patterned fern into its mouth while it looked bewildered.

The water-patterned fern released a milky white essence of purity the instant it entered the deer’s mouth.

Soon after, the completely shriveled remnants of the water-patterned fern were spit out by the deer.

“Yo!”

The deer puffed up its cheeks, glaring at Shao Zifeng with a huffy expression.

“How do you feel, any discomfort?” Shao Zifeng asked, ignoring the deer’s resentful eyes, his gaze filled with sincere concern.

The deer wasn’t truly angry; seeing Shao Zifeng’s earnest demeanor, it slowly closed its eyes. A faint glow flickered on its antlers, and then it gently nodded at Shao Zifeng.

“Since that’s the case, eat all of these. If we miss this chance, we might not get another so good,” he said.

This was not mere conjecture. Although Antarctica boasted over 400 Under Ice Lakes, each lake was not interconnected, making them more akin to over 400 individual worlds.

No one knew what evolutionary processes these isolated worlds had undergone over 15 million years; the same species may evolve radically different due to a mere one-degree difference in temperature or a dimmer light.

This means the water-patterned fern might only exist in this particular Under Ice Lake, especially since even in the surface world, ferns have evolved into 4 classes and over 12,000 species.

As the deer bowed its head to absorb the water-patterned ferns, Shao Zifeng didn’t just wait idly but continued exploring nearby.

Given the many unknowns in Under Ice Lake, Shao Zifeng didn’t dare stray far from the deer, opting instead to stick close and tap around the ice walls.

The toothed dragon, like a faithful guardian, followed silently behind Shao Zifeng, its amber eyes curiously observing this section of Under Ice Lake.

It had hardly ever left its den before, and even after its mother disappeared, it only searched for food nearby, making every day now filled with novelty. It found everything incredibly fresh and new.

The spacious Under Ice Lake was not silent; besides the sound of water from the tunnel they entered, the lake itself made a whooshing noise as if waves were continuously slapping against the lake shores.

Steam rolled over the lake’s surface, and the toothed dragon suddenly turned its head, feeling as if something had briefly flashed by.

The toothed dragon stopped and fixed its gaze into the depths of the steam, but the sensation did not return.

“Little one, there are some rocks over here, do you eat those?” Shao Zifeng called out.

The toothed dragon blinked twice and came back to its senses.

As for rocks.

It didn’t eat them.

After inquiring with the toothed dragon, Shao Zifeng felt somewhat disappointed that it didn’t eat rocks.

He pinched his chin, carefully examining the few somewhat protruding rocks in front of him.

Not only that, he felt as if he had seen these kinds of rocks somewhere before.

The gray-white rocks were irregular in shape, with twisted dark-brown patterns across them.

Patterns.

The thought made Shao Zifeng’s eyes brighten–wasn’t this the same type of stone he and the little deer had found, the one that resembled a fossil?

But then his brows furrowed again. Logically speaking, in this space filled with nothing but ice and water, this type of terrestrial rock shouldn’t be appearing.

Could it have been washed in from the ice crystal tunnel?

That didn’t seem right either, since the water from the ice crystal tunnel flows directly into the lake.

After thinking it over, Shao Zifeng picked up the rock. “Little thing, have you seen this type of stone before?”

“Gurgle.”

The little toothed dragon strained its little face, taking Zifeng’s question very seriously. Its amber-colored eyes carefully examined the rock, repeatedly confirming before slowly nodding.

That settled it!

It really was one of those surface stones!

Could someone else have been here before?

But even if someone had come, who would bring this type of rock with them?

Could it be someone who thought, like him, that it was a fossil? But surely, no one would be that foolish, right?

Hey.

Something felt peculiar.

While he was lost in his thoughts, the little deer came up to his side and curiously peeked at the stone in his hands after nuzzling Zifeng.

“All absorbed?” Shao Zifeng put the stone down, rubbed its antlers, and said, “Let’s continue searching for an exit.”

“Yo~”

Seeing Zifeng’s action, the little toothed dragon stretched out its short limbs, trying to feel if it had antlers too…

Umm.

It couldn’t feel any.

Followed by the little deer and the little toothed dragon, Shao Zifeng spent a long time searching around Under Ice Lake.

There were some discoveries, but no clue about the exit they most wanted to find.

Perhaps it was because the lake was too small, they found no other trace of animal or plant life besides a few water ferns.

Apart from that, Zifeng discovered ice crystal tunnels in the ice walls, which continually let water into the lake.

The little deer used its vines to help him check it out; these tunnels were just like the one they entered–steep and smooth, with no points to grasp for climbing.

Back to square one, Shao Zifeng sat cross-legged on the ground, with the patterned rock placed in front of him, looking a bit downcast.

The hunger he had alleviated by eating fruits before entering returned as his energy drained.

The little deer, unsure how to comfort him, obediently knelt by his side, resting its head on Shao Zifeng’s shoulder, its antlers blooming with a few ethereal flowers, releasing a relaxing fragrance.

Smelling the fragrance, the slightly tired Zifeng relaxed, letting go of all thoughts.

The mist from Under Ice Lake filled the air, and the water below made a splashing sound.

The little toothed dragon, not making a fuss, gazed intently in the direction they had come from.

Splash!

The soft rhythm of the water.

The little toothed dragon’s pupils contracted; it saw the mist swirl again, and something flickered past once more.

(PS: Some readers queried my mention yesterday of Shao Zifeng’s speculation about the “original water” having a high oxygen content preventing drowning. I included this after reading about such an idea. While some have explained it scientifically, I found the notion intriguing and decided to incorporate it into the story’s “original water.”

Last note, even if you ever find yourself at Under Ice Lake, do not try breathing underwater! It is deadly!!

Also, I will go back to my hometown for tomb sweeping tomorrow. I’ll try to return early. If I am late, I am taking a leave for a day in advance, and will not take any more leaves this month!)

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