Once it was dawn, the hair-like tendrils dancing over the river retreated. Asaeya observed their actions with a frown, wondering what the Pranic Beast was.
The Mammoth Clan had compiled a list of Pranic Beasts, adding in their traits, expected habitats, Primary Natures, etc. to form an encyclopedia. This was information they collected through their travel route, from both personal experience and information purchased from the various Kingdoms and Empires they traded with.
Even though the Mammoth Clan's Pranic Beast encyclopedia boasted a large collection of information, it didn't have everything.
Sumatra Continent was too large to scale. And the century-long route taken by the herd merely covered a small portion of the continent. Even there, they could only collect information from Pranic Beasts they chance upon, which bordered their travel route.
Anything beyond was pretty much dark territory, the unknown. The Rockatrice was a pretty famous Pranic Beast, with a good fraction of them setting home along the Empyrean Tusk herd's route.
After all, the route would be wide and flat as the herd passes through and stomps everything in their path. Typically, Pranic Beast territories formed around such routes, ensuring the route didn't travel within any territory. After all, it meant the respective territory would face disaster every hundred years as the herd moved through it.
As a result, Empyrean tusk routes were free from the influence of any Pranic Beasts. Therefore, it was frequented by Pranic Beasts who wished to travel from one region to another without having to enter the territories of other Pranic Beasts.
Camping along such a route meant meals would be freely delivered to its doorstep. Hence, it was popular among Rockatrice.
And whenever the Empyrean Tusk herd notices a Rockatrice, it would carefully move around it to ensure the Rockatrice wasn't harmed. The reason wasn't pity or anything. But rather, profit.
The Mammoth Clan would steal its eggs.
The eggs of an Advance Silver Grade Pranic Beast were valuable. Many Settlement Leaders used a Rockatrice's power. It was a defensive unit after all. The regions it protected were pretty much impossible to breach.
Moreover, if the Settlement Leaders wished to move, they would simply revert to their human forms. As they didn't have the Rockatrice's mobility restriction, in their hands, the power of a Rockatrice jumped up by many levels.
Asaeya's mother, Zahaella, had the Rockatrice's power. So, she was well aware of its nature. But even she didn't know the identity of the Pranic Beast hiding in the river that seemed antagonistic to the Rockatrice.
"This needs to be investigated." She muttered, her eyes glinting in response, "And if it's a powerful Pranic Beast with a useful ability, the Clan will benefit from its eggs. We can route ourselves to enter its territory."
The egg of every single Silver Grade Pranic Beast was valuable. After all, any Mammoth Clansmen that fused with such an egg ends up becoming a master, proving a valuable addition to the Mammoth Clan's power.
After fusing with such an egg, their lifespan would range between 300-600 years. And a majority of the time, irrespective of how much a settlement gets destroyed, masters would survive.
Eventually, they would repopulate the settlement. It was why no matter how horrible the damage, the Mammoth Clan recovered their numbers within two decades.
After all, the pillars—masters—forming the settlement's core strength remained alive. Usually, they were limited by the number of Silver Grade Pranic Beast eggs in their possession. It was because not many Silver Grade Pranic Beast territories existed on their path.
And to avoid any crippling damage, the Empyrean Tusk herd wholly avoided the territories of Gold Grade Pranic Beasts. Hence, they had to limit themselves to the eggs they stole from the territories of Silver Grade Pranic Beasts they had mapped out.
If she could find another such territory, it would elevate the Mammoth Clan's power by another margin.
She didn't get ahead of herself and instead meditated, familiarising herself better with the Grim Knell's power. Contained in her Primary and Secondary Nature was everything about the Grim Knell, from its habits to its instincts.
Only by familiarising herself with them could she wield her power better. It was a process all Mammoth Clansmen had to do. As they become more familiar, their mind gets shaped according to their respective Pranic Beast's body.
Only after that could they fill up their Spirit Container and build a body.
First, Asaeya had to strengthen her Spirit Container in the same way she did at the Spirit Stage. Following that, she would have to meditate and become more accustomed to the Grim Knell's body.
Her level of understanding would unlock certain sections of the Spirit Container. She would swallow an Empyrean Tusk's bone powder—usually taken from its tusk—and accumulate that in the respective sections.
Following that, she would have to refine those parts of the Spirit Container until they resemble the respective body parts of the Grim Knell. Rinse and repeat the process until she builds her Spirit Container into the Grim Knell.
The moment she completes the process, she will reach the peak of the Body Stage. At that moment, she would possess 3449 Prana, able to wield the full strength of a Grim Knell.
The Life Stage was basically a repeat of the Body Stage. Asaeya would have to rebuild the Grim Knell's body multiple times.
After finishing the first body, she would be at the peak of the Body Stage, which also translated to 1-Life Stage.
Following that, she would be able to condense a second Spirit Container. It was a repeat of the process at the Body Stage. The second Spirit Container would become a second Grim Knell. Once she completes it, she will reach the peak of the 2-Life Stage.
And the moment she condenses a third Spirit Container, she possesses two lives. Meaning, even if she were to be killed twice, she would revive.
Usually, when a master gets killed, they would choose to sacrifice their latest life, for that body was still being built. So, it meant lowering the loss of resources.
The entire process of cultivation was pretty much a strategic management of resources as one faces the struggles of life. In the Body Stage, their cultivation was limited by their understanding of their respective Pranic Beast's body.
But there was no such restriction in the Life Stage. After all, they already built their Pranic Beast body once. Repeating it a second or third time only became easier. Therefore, they were only limited by time and resources.
At present, Asaeya had a lack of resources, 'Inala said he has enough bone powder to complete his body. But if I add myself to the mix, then it's not enough for either of us.'
She stared at the egg nearby Inala, 'This mission would last until the new Gannala grows and sheds her human form to become an Empyrean Tusk. It might take years. The bone powder would be consumed long before that. Only the bone powder from the tusk is perfect. Anything else would simply lower our potential.'
She sighed, "I need to figure out a source for it before we run out."