Chapter 587: Fish Fountain from the Well

In the spirit bug chamber of the nameless castle.

Liszt stood before a box filled with jade dust, watching the languid Tulip spirit bug lying inside. He could sense the little creature's inner anxiety and could only encourage it as much as possible with his own emotions.

Beyond that, there were no more effective methods.

It was just a spirit bug, possessing simple emotions but no true intellect or understanding. The only communication possible was through Liszt's emotion-based cues.

Otherwise, he could only reach out to pet it, expressing care.

"Wah!" At the edge of the box, Thorn Fairy Jie La yawned and let out a bored cry—she was the unchallenged tyrant of the spirit bug chamber.

In the box to Liszt's right, Mickey was counting the corn kernels it had collected.

It didn’t like Jie La, nor did it cling to Liszt. Its personality might not be as fiery as Jie La's, but it was more independent, absorbed in its own world.

Jie La, Nami, Mickey, along with Fizz, Tahm, and Eddie—these spirit bugs were all adorable, condensations of nature’s essence. Each was an independent individual with its own personality and thoughts. In truth, they had no notion of kinship. Even spirit bugs of the same species didn’t see each other as relatives.

Take Giant Kelp Grand Sprite Pyke, for example. It might have a lineage link with the three Giant Kelp Sprites—Fizz, Tahm, and Eddie—since they were likely all born from the Giant Kelp propagated by Pyke's plant.

But Pyke was no less ruthless toward the three Giant Kelp Sprites, showing no trace of elder care for the younger.

From Liszt's perspective, spirit bugs inherited the "personality" of plants—growing in quiet solitude, unlike humans or animals, who form bonds of companionship or family. Even Nami, the most sociable of the spirit bugs, loved making friends, but it approached humans, spirit bugs, Rainbow Whales, and even ducklings with equal openness.

It didn’t consider others as kin just because they were spirit bugs, nor did it feel any special inclination to befriend them.

"Wah!"

Jie La cried out again, souring with jealousy and wanting Liszt to play with her. But Liszt merely waved his hand, telling her to go amuse herself.

He was implementing the "Stimulate Jie La" plan, feigning indifference toward her.

He wanted to stoke her fury, hoping it would unleash her evolutionary potential. Though toggling between indifference and warmth was harsh on Jie La, Liszt believed it was the best way to help her evolve.

The pheromones from new plant varieties greatly aided the evolution of spirit bugs. Liszt also had trade caravans constantly collecting cognate plants, laboring to supply the spirit bugs with more pheromones. But this alone wasn’t enough—often, the spirit bugs themselves had to exert themselves.

Take this Tulip spirit bug, for instance. Born in Tulip Castle, it inherited all the same pheromones as other Tulip spirit bugs.

But whether it could evolve still depended on its own efforts.

Without enough willpower, even after its ten-year lifespan, it might never reach the plump cocoon phase.

Jie La, seeing Liszt constantly focused on the Tulip spirit bug, gradually soured with jealousy and shouted, "Wah!"

"Go away!"

"Wah!"

Liszt ignored her this time.

After a few more cries with no response, Jie La flitted about the spirit bug chamber in a huff. Mickey, still counting its corn kernels, seemed annoyed and chirped at her, "Squeak!"

This instantly sent Jie La into a rage.

She flew right up to Mickey, tiny fists balled up, and yelled, "Wah!"

"Squeak!"

"Wah!"

"Squeak!"

"Wah!"

The two spirit bugs didn’t physically fight, but their argument was fierce, with spittle flying.

"Both of you, shut up! Get back into your boxes, and don’t make a single sound!" Liszt glared and scolded the two spirit bugs loudly.

Neither dared disobey.

Jie La pouted and flew back into her box, even closing the lid behind her, sulking inside. But soon enough, she was already asleep—spirit bugs may have intense emotions, but they are also simple-minded little creatures. On the other hand, Mickey acted as if nothing had happened and continued counting his corn kernels.

Every time Liszt went out, he would bring back a corn kernel for Mickey, who loved studying them as if obsessed with collecting them.

Whenever he had free time, Liszt would enter the insect room to encourage the Tulip spirit bug, urging it to develop bravely.

During this period, the reward from the previous Smoke Task soon appeared, with news coming from the construction site of Thorn Fort.

Gort sent someone to report to him: "Lord, Driller Fred led his team to dig a well for the castle. After breaking through a rock, water began gushing from underground. Along with the water, a large number of small fish surged out from the opening. Even after catching over a thousand pounds of fish, small fish were still streaming out."

"Fish are really coming out?"

Even though Liszt already knew about the reward, he was still somewhat surprised.

Digging a well and striking a Fish Fountain, with fish gushing out like a fountain, was a true rarity. So he immediately rode Rainbow Whale Rosi and set off for Dark Horse Island.

Upon arriving at the construction site, Gort quickly led him to the fenced-off well.

"My Lord, this well is truly miraculous. We’ve caught over three thousand pounds of fish, yet the number of small fish hasn’t decreased at all," Gort said, taking a fishing net handed by a clerk, which held a few still-squirming small fish. "These are the fish that came from the well. No one has seen them before."

The fish looked somewhat like carp but were slimmer and had a faint golden hue, looking quite beautiful. They ranged from 15 to 25 centimeters in length, with the longest not exceeding 30 centimeters, each weighing about 4-5 ounces.

"Are they saltwater fish?"

Liszt examined the small fish and asked, thinking the spring might connect to the sea via a channel.

Otherwise, it made no sense.

Gort replied, "They should be freshwater fish. The well water is drinkable, and the fish adapt well to it. Tavern chefs from Port Town have also come to gather ingredients. These fish are safe to eat when cooked, with tender, flavorful meat—far better than saltwater fish."

"Freshwater fish? That means there might be an underground river beneath the basalt pillars of Dark Horse Island, where these fish live," Liszt speculated. If not a sea-connected channel, the only possibility was an underground river formed by rainwater erosion.

The thought of an underground river beneath them fascinated him.

It made him consider exploring the underground river to uncover its secrets.

"Advisor Gort, don’t use this well for water. Instead, dig a sloped tunnel to harvest fish from the Fish Fountain. Also, send skilled diving knights to explore the spring and see if it connects to an underground river."

"Underground river?" Gort was puzzled.

"Some lands have hollow spaces beneath them where water gathers, forming underground rivers. Just send someone to investigate and report the findings to me."

Suppressing his curiosity, Gort accepted the order.

Later, Liszt visited the tavern and sampled several dishes made from the Fish Fountain’s small fish. The taste was indeed far more delicate and flavorful than that of sea-caught fish. He immediately added these fish to his daily meals and named them "Well Fish."