Chapter 349: Daire's Metamorphosis

Chapter 349: Daire's Metamorphosis

The environment inside Abyssobservatory was always restless.

The walls composed of living blade stones emitted faint pulsating sounds when unobserved.

The air carried disinfectant fumes mingled with an indescribable corrosive odor.

Luo En was deep in meditation as The Murmuring of the Star Devourer operation established a delicate connection between his consciousness and distant stars.

The resonance between Hermit Star and Academic Star wove intricate patterns of light through his mind.

With every breath, he felt streams of mana flowing into the network.

"Glug."

A subtle water sound interrupted his meditation.

Not ordinary water movement, but a deeper resonance—an echo from the primordial ocean's call.

Luo En slowly opened his eyes, instantly noticing the abnormal transformation in the laboratory.

The Crystal Pool in the corner radiated an unprecedented soft blue glow, its light carrying a rhythmic vitality.

Ripples spread across the pool's surface, each pulsing with a heartbeat-like rhythm.

Humidity had risen sharply.

In the Observatory's previously dry environment, the unmistakable briny scent of the ocean now lingered.

"Master."

A sweet girl's voice drifted from the Crystal Pool's direction.

Her tone carried drowsy awakening and a hint of shyness.

Luo En turned, surprised by her transformation.

This was no longer the childish Little Siren from his memories.

Daire slowly sat up from the water, silver hair flowing like liquid down her shoulders.

Under the Mana Crystal Lamp's illumination, each strand shimmered with pearl-like luster, as if solidified moonlight.

Her features had shed all childishness, revealing the alluring beauty unique to mature sea demons.

"Did I sleep for long?"

The Siren girl asked softly, her voice carrying an unusual rhythmic sense.

Each syllable sent ripples across the water, like songs echoing from distant seas.

"Over three months."

Luo En maintained his usual calm tone, though satisfaction flickered in his eyes:

"This metamorphosis exceeds expectations."

[Daire (Pure-Blood Siren)

Bloodline Purity: Gold-Ring 97% (Approaching Next Tier)

Status: Healthy, Mildly Hungry

Special Innate Talent:

Gluttonous Appetite (Second-Tier Talent—Growth speed and potential ceiling increase with nutrient intake; development inhibits vice versa)

Potential Evaluation: Fully Developed. With sufficient nutrients, significant possibility of entering near-Stellar Ringbloodline tier]

He observed Daire's physical transformation closely.

Each silver-blue scale shimmered like a living gemstone, faintly glowing with her breath.

"Master."

Daire tried rising from the pool, but her transformed body moved clumsily.

Luo En approached the pool's edge.

"Take it slowly—your body needs adaptation."

He extended his hand. Daire's fingers were slender and soft, with an oceanic smoothness unique to marine creatures.

When the Siren fully stood, her form naturally shifted to human—her legs long and straight.

"Thank you."

She whispered, voice barely audible, cheeks flushed faintly.

Only now did she realize their physical contact and the extent of her transformation.

Luo En noted her emotional shift, responding simply:

"Bloodline Awakening typically triggers both physical and psychological changes. How do you feel?"

His clinical detachment stirred unexpected disappointment in Daire.

She'd hoped her master would show more... attention toward her changes.

Yet her rationality insisted such expectations were inappropriate.

"I feel... different."

Daire tried organizing her emotions, adopting a mature tone:

"It's more than appearance. I can sense ancient power flowing through me."

She raised her hand, tracing the air.

Instantly, the laboratory's air began flowing rhythmically, forming visible vortexes of micro-winds.

Simultaneously, the Crystal Pool's water rose unconsciously toward her.

"The Primordial Sea Bloodline... and Storm's Blessing."

Daire murmured:

"In my dreams, I saw the Siren origins—the ancient covenants binding us to ocean and storm."

Her voice grew ethereal:

"Now I can mentally connect with most aquatic life. In aquatic environments, they become my allies."

She waved again, reshaping the airborne water.

First into a swimming fish, maneuvering agilely;

Then a jellyfish, tentacles swaying gracefully;

Finally condensing into a lifelike miniature seahorse.

This ability's practical value was undeniable, especially for intelligence gathering.

"Any other changes?"

Luo En's inquiry carried a researcher's focused attention.

Hearing her master's interest, Daire felt subtle joy.

Though not the deep attention she secretly craved, at least he acknowledged her worth.

"I can also do this..."

The Siren leapt upward, air currents swirling around her.

The winds, as if alive, buoyed her freely through the air.

More astonishingly, her body became semi-transparent—a spirit formed from mist and breeze.

"In Water Element-rich environments, I can temporarily elementalize into water form."

As she spoke, Daire's body dissipated like flowing water, then recondensed into humanoid form midair.

"If I combine both abilities..."

She inhaled deeply, gathering surrounding moisture rapidly.

Air and water intertwined, forming a miniature storm cloud around her.

"I can become the tempest itself, traversing vast distances instantaneously."

A messenger capable of freely traversing water and sky, with elementalization and long-range mobility...

"An excellent metamorphosis."

His concise evaluation carried unmistakable satisfaction:

"This combination of abilities has reached the Siren bloodline's limits."

At her master's praise, Daire felt indescribable happiness.

Yet, she keenly noticed his focus.

He valued these abilities' utility, not her personal transformation.

This realization brought unexpected emptiness, yet clarified her budding emotions.

She recalled Liliya's fervent gaze when looking at Luo En.

Once unable to comprehend that emotion, she now intimately understood its bittersweet nature.

Too complex to articulate, yet ever-present.

"Daire! You're finally awake!"

An excited voice interrupted her thoughts.

Ai Lan floated over, her emerald vines swinging joyfully.

"Mother Ai Lan..."

Seeing her lifelong guardian, Daire's voice brightened with familiar warmth.

"I thought you'd sleep forever!"

Ai Lan circled her excitedly, examining the changes:

"Goodness, you've fully matured! Is this the Siren's adult form?"

"Yes... During Bloodline Awakening, I underwent complete metamorphosis from juvenile to adult form."

The Siren girl blushed, explaining shyly:

"I now possess all innate talents of a mature sea demon."

"Fantastic!"

Ai Lan slapped her vines together:

"This lab's been too quiet lately. Sometimes I'd prepare your usual portions out of habit, then remember you were dormant..."

"Speaking of which, Master visited daily."

The tree spirit added teasingly:

"When tired from work, he'd sit by the pool staring blankly.

I asked what he pondered—always 'monitoring your metamorphosis,' he'd say. But I think..."

"Cough cough."

Luo En interrupted their exchange with a pointed cough:

"Now that Daire's recovered, I must prepare the Adaptability Chaos Simulation Device's pilot run."

"What experiment?"

Daire's curiosity reignited instantly.

"A multidisciplinary fusion training system."

Luo En explained concisely:

"Your element perception ability might help monitor device status."

His focus had already shifted to tomorrow's critical test—both a technological milestone and his key step toward establishing authority within Abyssobservatory.

At 3 PM, the main experiment hall of the Abyss Observatory was packed with an unprecedented crowd.

This Core Area, usually accessible only to senior researchers, had turned as lively as a bustling market today.

Explorers gathered in small clusters, murmuring about the "special project" they were about to witness;

Researchers appeared more cautious, their recording devices constantly primed to capture any anomalies;

Even the usually reclusive management staff had taken seats in the audience rows.

At the center of the hall, a complex apparatus stood silently, awaiting its debut.

The device's appearance resembled a nightmare-born artwork—beautiful yet perilous, intricate and sinister.

Its foundation was a skeletal structure woven from Soul Steel and Abyss Vitality metal, creating an organically elegant framework.

The metal surfaces weren't merely reflective but resembled living skin, subtly shifting colors as mana flowed within.

The most striking feature was the mana circuitry covering the entire structure.

Like veins snaking across the metal, they pulsed with a silver-blue glow.

Each time mana surged through them, these "veins" trembled faintly, mirroring the rhythm of a living heartbeat.

The mid-tier neural network system was even more unsettling.

Thousands of hair-thin biological fibers writhed gently within transparent pipelines, their ends connected to intricate consciousness processing nodes.

These fibers weren't inert—they were living blade neural tissue cultivated through special methods.

Through the transparent tubing, viewers could see pale green nutrient fluid flowing across the neural fibers.

Tiny sparkling particles floated within—the bioelectric phenomena of active thought.

The top-tier rune control system remained the most mysterious component.

Hundreds of complex three-dimensional runes hovered in midair.

Each rune rotated, morphed, and reorganized at different frequencies, forming a dizzying three-dimensional kaleidoscope.

"Colleagues."

Luo En stood before the device, addressing the gathered audience.

His voice, amplified by mana, resonated throughout the hall:

"Today, we witness a major breakthrough in Abyss Exploration."

Mi Le sat in the front row, his face a mixture of anticipation and doubt.

As an experienced exploration captain, he understood the limitations of current training methods:

"Lalf, to be honest, I still have reservations about your device."

His voice carried the blunt frankness typical of explorers:

"We've seen too many seemingly brilliant inventions that ended up getting people killed. Can you guarantee its safety?"

Luo En appreciated Mi Le's practical approach, unbothered by the challenge:

"Captain Mi Le, I understand your concerns. In fact, safety was our foremost consideration during design."

He gestured toward the floating rune array above:

"We've implemented triple independent safety mechanisms.

The physical emergency cutoff can sever all mana supply within 0.1 seconds;

The spirit-level anchoring system ensures users' consciousness never fully detaches from reality;

And the forced exit protocol will pull the user's consciousness back to reality within three seconds, regardless of circumstances."

Director Wayne raised his hand, his half-petrified face etched with worry:

"But... directly manipulating human consciousness treads into forbidden territories."

His voice trembled with deep unease:

"History has countless examples of disasters caused by reckless pursuit of technological breakthroughs..."

A brief silence fell over the hall as Wayne's words echoed many people's hidden fears.

"Director Wayne."

Luo En's voice remained calm but carried a questioning tone:

"I understand your concerns, but consider our reality.

Every month, explorers die in the Abyss due to inadequate preparation. Aren't their deaths an even greater taboo?"

His logic was persuasive:

"Scientific progress always carries risks, but that doesn't mean we should stagnate.

The key lies in properly managing these risks, rather than abandoning progress out of fear."

Daire stood at the hall's edge, her golden eyes intently monitoring subtle atmospheric changes.

Through their mental link, she reported observations to Luo En:

"Master, humidity distribution around the device is uniform. No mana leakage detected.

All Mana Flow remains within preset parameters."

"Excellent."

Luo En nodded, then turned to the volunteer test subject:

"Rex, are you certain you wish to proceed?"

Rex, a seasoned member of Mi Le's team—a bearded man in his thirties.

His left arm bore a deep scar from a previous Abyss expedition.

Recent missions had seen his reaction speed and judgment declining, making him ideal for this targeted training.

"If the captain trusts you, what do I have to worry about?"

Rex chuckled, though his eyes betrayed tension:

"But I must clarify—if this thing fries my brain, my family won’t let you off the hook."

His joke sparked good-natured laughter, easing the hall's tension.

"Then I'd better be extra careful", Luo En replied with a rare smile:

"I wouldn't want to end up supporting your wife and kids."

The hall erupted in laughter.

Rex approached the Consciousness Interface Platform at the device's center—a specially designed ergonomic seat.

Its surface was covered in a breathing biofilm that automatically adjusted to the user's body shape.

As he sat, the biofilm gently enveloped him.

Dozens of fine neural tentacles extended from the chair, precisely connecting to his key neural nodes.

"How does it feel?" Luo En asked, monitoring vital signs.

"A little ticklish, but not uncomfortable", Rex reported:

"It's like someone's lightly caressing my skin."

"Good, this indicates successful neural integration."

Luo En began activating the system's components:

"Initiating consciousness interface. You'll experience mild vertigo—completely normal.

Remember, this is a simulation, not the real Abyss."

As the system powered on, the device emitted a deep, rhythmic rumble.

The neural fibers' writhing accelerated, and the nutrient liquid's sparkles danced like fireflies.

The rune array rapidly reorganized, forming a complex three-dimensional monitoring network.

"Consciousness interface initiated. Objective environment: Second Layer of the Abyss simulation area."

Luo En's tone turned professional:

"Threat level set to basic. The system will adjust in real-time based on the subject's responses."

Rex's eyelids grew heavy as his consciousness was guided into a new world.

Soon, his body relaxed completely, breathing deep and steady.

On the monitoring display, the audience watched his virtual experience unfold.

The screen showed the Second Layer of the Abyss's signature twisted landscape.

Countless spatial pockets of varying sizes floated slowly, each containing different ecological environments.

"This is the real environment of the second layer",

Captain Mi Le explained to a younger explorer beside him:

"Chaotic at first glance, but it follows its own patterns. The key is learning to adapt to this chaos."

On-screen, Rex's virtual avatar cautiously navigated the spatial pockets.

His movements were proficient—an experienced explorer's hallmark.

But soon, the first threat emerged.

A Corrosion Worm materialized from nothingness, its body resembling a transparent jellyfish filled with acidic fluid.

A common menace in the Second Layer, these creatures fed on corpses but wouldn't refuse fresh flesh.

Rex immediately entered combat stance, drawing his rune-etched shortsword to engage the dangerous creature.

To the audience's astonishment, the virtual Corrosion Worm mirrored real monsters' behavior perfectly—attack timing, movement patterns, even injury responses matched reality.

"This level of realism..." a young researcher exclaimed:

"It's like we've transplanted real monsters into a virtual environment."

More impressive was the system's adaptive adjustment.

As Rex easily countered the first worm, the system evaluated his capabilities and increased the challenge.

A second Corrosion Worm appeared, followed by a third...

Then an elite variant emerged, its body flashing with dangerous stingers.

"The system continuously analyzes the subject's reaction speed, judgment, and combat skills",

Luo En explained to the observers:

"It dynamically adjusts threat levels, maintaining training difficulty at optimal levels.

Not so easy as to create complacency, nor so difficult as to induce despair."

After an hour, the system determined the training had achieved its preset objectives.

Rex's performance in the virtual environment received a comprehensive evaluation, identifying his weaknesses with precision.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end