When Luciel and Mino found the rock tortoise, a rocky spur jutted from the nearby hills.
"Woo~~" the rock tortoise let out an aggrieved cry at the sight of its owner.
"Are you hungry?" Luciel asked, slightly bewildered. He rubbed his temples, trying to interpret the tortoise’s meaning.
"Little Black Tortoise is hungry?" Mino repeated, her small mouth open in surprise.
She stared blankly at the massive creature. How much food would it even take to satisfy it?
Ding! Consume 1 evolution point per day to feed, solving the hunger problem of domesticated beasts.
Luciel frowned. Feeding a rock tortoise this size would require an enormous amount of food—even for him, it would be a lot.
"Stretch your head over. I’ll give you some energy to eat," he said, beckoning to the tortoise.
"Energy?" Mino’s blue eyes shone with curiosity.
The rock tortoise hissed and craned its huge head over.
"System, evolve the rock tortoise and fill it up," Luciel ordered, placing his palm on its head.
[Ding! Level 2 Rock Tortoise evolves to Level 3, deducting 100 evolution points.]
[Ding! Level 3 Rock Tortoise evolved successfully.]
[Ding! Level 3 Rock Tortoise Talent Evolution: Earth Rock Burst Sting.]
[Ding! Deploy trainer’s ’Earth Rock Burst’ ability to synchronize with Level 3 ’Earth Rock Burst’.]
Luciel felt his own body strengthen once again, while the tortoise’s talent advanced as well.
"System, view properties."
He wanted to see how much his lifespan had increased.
Physical Strength: 22 Speed: 21 Strength: 21 Spirit: 32
Lifespan: 24 years/420 years
Taming Points: 10 (refreshed daily, accumulative)
Evolution Points: 219
Ability: Earth Rock Burst (Level 3), Mimic Stealth (Level 3)
Rock Tortoise: Talent: Earth Rock Burst Sting (Level 3)
Three-Color Lizard: Talent: Mimic Stealth (Level 3)]
Luciel smiled to himself. A lifespan over four hundred years was unthinkable before.
"Mino... Mino! Look at Little Black Tortoise!" Mino called excitedly.
Luciel looked up. The tortoise had grown even larger. What had once been the size of a ten-square-meter room now spanned roughly the size of a 100-square-meter house.
The tortoise roared and stomped the ground.
A one-meter-long rock spike shot from the ground, exploded, and smashed into the rock wall a hundred meters away.
The rock wall shattered like it had been hit by a cannonball.
Mino’s rabbit ears stood upright, her blue eyes wide as she gawked at the tortoise’s display of power.
Luciel raised an eyebrow, satisfied. "Finally, we have long-range attack capability."
"Little Black Tortoise... amazing! So cool!" Mino exclaimed, too excited for words.
Luciel conveyed his next idea to the tortoise. "Little Black Tortoise, lift us up."
The tortoise, now over six meters tall, lay down, and rocky steps formed along its back. Luciel and Mino climbed easily onto it.
"It’s so spacious," Mino said happily, twirling atop the tortoise’s back, which had grown roughly ten times larger.
Luciel watched her move lightly and asked, "Mino, what kind of house do you want to build?"
"Ah? You mean me?" Mino paused.
"Yes. What kind of house do you like?" Luciel rephrased gently. The source of this content ɪs nοvelfire.net
Mino squatted, frowning in thought, rabbit ears tangled.
"The ears... express your emotions," Luciel noted, intrigued, a playful urge to tug at them crossing his mind.
Mino thought for a moment, then lifted her head weakly. "Luciel... should we make it like a wooden shed?"
"Hmm, think again. A wooden shed is too simple," Luciel said with a chuckle.
Mino pouted, frustrated. "I can’t think of anything else."
"Then take a look at the house I drew." Luciel pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and spread it out on the tortoise’s back.
Mino leaned in, examining the black pattern on the cloth. She liked it more the longer she looked.
"Can we really build the house ?" she asked excitedly.
"Of course," Luciel replied with a smile.
The drawing depicted a simple house with two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a small yard.
"This house is nice, but how do we build it? Won’t it need a lot of stones?" Mino’s ears drooped slightly.
"Don’t forget whose back we’re on," Luciel reminded her, stomping on the tortoise’s shell to emphasize. Some rectangular stones would be needed on its back.
Ooooooo~~ the rock tortoise responded.
It controlled the surrounding rocks, lifting and stacking them on its back. Rectangular stones of various sizes were now piled neatly atop it.
"Little Black Tortoise is incredible," Mino said, eyes shining.
"Next, we’ll place the stones according to the drawing," Luciel said, rolling up his sleeves and using charcoal to mark lines on the tortoise’s back.
The tortoise couldn’t read the plans, making construction challenging—though its intelligence might improve in the future.
"Leave it to me!" Mino shouted enthusiastically.
"Fortunately, the tortoise can control the rocks. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible," Luciel thought.
The rock spikes on its shell could also aid construction, but the tortoise’s armor was limited and meant for defense. Using it for building would be premature. It was better to let the tortoise gather stones, then integrate them using its abilities—no cement needed, and the stones would stay secure. The weight was negligible for such a massive creature.