Daera

Seeing the Dryad turn back to her chores, Robb paused for a moment before adding:

"By the way, I've brought back a little life form this time, one that needs careful care. Judging by how you are now, you should be capable of taking on the role of caregiver, right?"

Valenwood's vines danced lightly, and elegant text appeared on her leaves:

"Of course, Master. I'd be delighted to care for this little life, you can trust me completely."

Robb nodded, opened the special container, and carefully removed the crystal incubation pod holding the young Sea Siren. Valenwood, curious, moved in to examine the fragile creature.

Unexpectedly, Valenwood's reaction was extraordinarily gentle. Her vines trembled slightly, and her eyes revealed a near-maternal tenderness and protective instinct.

"This little one…" The text on her leaves was urgent:

"Her condition is very poor. We must improve her environment at once and provide nutrients!"

Robb was taken aback by the emotional depth Valenwood showed, but also warmed by her concern:

"You're right, she truly needs tender care. From now on, it's entrusted to you, Valenwood."

The Dryad nodded solemnly, her vine-fingers gently touching the incubation pod. The little Sea Siren seemed to sense this and blinked in Valenwood's direction with confused, drowsy eyes.

"We need to prepare a better environment for her," Robb thought. "The immediate priority is to resolve her severe malnutrition."

Valenwood immediately suggested, "Master, let me focus on caring for her for a while. You can devote yourself to your bloodline modulation research, I will make sure she receives the best possible care."

Robb considered briefly, then agreed.

He trusted Valenwood's capability and sense of responsibility, and there seemed to be a natural affinity between Dryads and Sea Sirens.

"If you're willing to care for her, then that's all the better," he said. "I truly need to fully focus on improving bloodline modulation skills. With your help, I can concentrate on my experiments without worry."

Valenwood's leaf-panel displayed: "Don't worry, Master. I will care for her as if she were one of my own sprouts."

Robb nodded, then shifted his attention to the nine devouring slimes.

"These will be my primary research subjects," he reflected. "They should allow me to grasp the fundamental principles of bloodline modulation quickly, laying a solid groundwork for becoming a bloodline specialist."

To his surprise, Valenwood even generated a special plant-based nourishing extract with her vines, dripping it into the water for the little siren to absorb. This life essence, a core extract from a Dryad, had astonishing effects on the siren's recovery.

"What a marvelous display of maternal love," Robb murmured, moved by how tenderly Valenwood cared for the siren.

"Such emotion transcends the limits of species," he added, and Valenwood seemed to understand, her vines swaying gently as her leaf-text read:

"Life resonates with life, Master. She is special, her soul is distinct."

This struck Robb profoundly. He recalled the water-serpent sisters from the slave market: though also aquatic beings, their aura stood in stark contrast to this little siren.

"Perhaps this is what they mean by innate distinction," he thought. "Not only does she possess the rare 'Glutton' growth trait, but her spirit also carries an unusual grace."

Over the next few days, Robb devoted most of his time to studying the devouring slimes. He meticulously planned a series of progressive experiments, from simple single-bloodline absorption to complex multi-bloodline fusion. Each trial, he recorded slime color changes, stability, energy fluctuations, and other key parameters, searching for patterns.

"The core of bloodline modulation lies in balancing diverse biological traits," he mused while jotting notes. "It's like a special form of alchemy, only now, the medium is life itself."

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

[Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Novice 4/50)]

Even as he focused on experiments, Robb didn't completely offload the little siren's care, he also started preparing a proper environment for her healing.

According to his research, Sea Sirens are semi-aquatic, needing both water and periodic air exposure. Born with innate singing, their voices can influence the emotions of others. Stronger sirens can manipulate water currents via special melodies, forming lethal whirlpools or tiny tsunamis. More importantly, sirens possess natural affinity for magic, particularly water and sonic spells, making them innate spellcasters.

"If I ever achieve breakthroughs in sonic resonance, I may find inspiration in her…"

"She truly is a perfect combat organism," he thought. "No need for extensive bloodline modification, just let her fulfill her inherent potential."

He retrieved a specially crafted crystal tank, added deep-lake blue sand and crystal fragments to simulate a seabed ecosystem, then installed an enhancement rune below it to maintain water purity and provide steady mana waves, mimicking the siren's native magical environment.

With care, he transferred the little siren to her new home. Upon entering, she visibly relaxed, her furrowed brow unwound, her body unfurled, and her tail gently began swaying.

"Looks like the environment suits her," Robb observed with a nod.

He then introduced a variety of high-nutrient, mana-rich Sea Siren food, magical kelp, prismatic jellyfish fragments, micro-energy pearls, and waited.

The siren was swiftly drawn in. Cautious at first, she then devoured everything at astonishing speed, as if a bottomless pit. After eating, her skin gained a healthy flush, and a sparkle returned to her eyes.

"The 'Glutton' trait truly lives up to its name," Robb whispered, affirming that this decision was absolutely right.

Next came experiments with the devouring slimes. He dug into a kit of various tissue samples, fire-lizard scales, wind-sprite feathers, water-serpent skin flakes, even tiny vials of his own and Andrey's blood (with dragon and chimera blood held in reserve for a later stage).

For the first test, he dropped a fire-lizard scale into one slime jar. The slime extended a tendril, ingested it, and turned orange-red with faint scale-like textures.

[Extraordinary Appraisal EXP +1]

[Current Progress: Extraordinary Appraisal (Adept 17/100)]

He recorded the result. Then he dropped both a fire-lizard scale and wind-sprite feather into the second slime. It reacted chaotically: blotches of orange and pale blue, surface bubbles signaling instability.

"Fire and wind elements clash, direct fusion fails."

He noted the failure.

In a third test, he first introduced water-serpent flakes, waited for stabilization, and then slowly added powdered fire-lizard scale.

This time, the slime held steady, pale green with fine scale patterns, with only minor orange flecks, yet structurally stable.

"Interesting," he mused, recording: "Order and ratio of absorption are decisive for stability."

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

[Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Novice 5/50)]

Over the next several days, Robb focused on foundational experiments, recording numerous combinations and distilling several core principles:

Bloodlines with similar elements fuse more easily; opposing elements produce strong rejection.

Complex bloodlines require gradual blending; rushing causes collapse.

Adding "buffer" materials (neutral traits) significantly improves compatibility.

Younger life stages are more amenable to fusion.

With dense experimentation, Robb honed key techniques:

Bloodline Refinement: extracting pure essence and removing impurities to boost success.

Buffer Incorporation: introducing neutral elements to reduce rejection.

Directed Guidance: using specific energy waves to steer development.

These skills accelerated his progress, he was gaining 1–2 EXP per day.

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

[Bloodline Modulation EXP +1]

…

[Current Progress: Bloodline Modulation (Novice 12/50)]

"At this rate, I should reach Adept level within a month."

He calculated: "Then with some theory studies to supplement Supernatural Biology, I'll meet all requirements to become a specialist in the modulation discipline."

Meanwhile, the little siren's recovery exceeded all expectations. Under Valenwood's careful tending, she not only beat malnutrition, she began to grow at a remarkable pace. Robb fed her thrice the volume of an average siren, fully activating the Glutton trait.

She grew perceptibly each day, going from 20 cm to nearly 30 cm within a week. More astonishingly, she began to display signs of self-awareness: swimming up to the tank's edge when Robb or Valenwood approached, even mimicking Robb's speech pattern in a childlike melodic tone.

Robb clearly observed that she could distinguish him from Valenwood and responded with simple interactive behaviors.

He further noted:

"Siren growth correlates exponentially, not linearly, to mana intake. At this rate, she could reach mature size within a year, versus five years under normal conditions."

…

That night, as Robb prepared for bed, a soft voice came from the tank:

"Master…"

It was gentle, childlike, yet remarkably clear. Robb spun around, astonished, and looked toward the crystal tank.

The little siren lay at the edge, gazing at him with bright blue eyes and a shy smile.

"Master…" she repeated, voice light and pure, almost ethereal.

"You… you can speak?" Robb blurted, stepping forward.

She nodded shyly, silver hair drifting in the water.

"A little…"

Her speech was still simple, but she could clearly express herself.

This linguistic leap far exceeded Robb's expectations.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, feeling an unprecedented joy.

The siren shook her head, eyes full of hope:

"Master… name me…"

Robb paused thoughtfully, then smiled softly:

"Then I'll call you 'Daeraa.' In the ancient tongue of the Seafolk, it means Daughter of the Sea."

"Daera…" she repeated with delight.

Her face lit up with innocent joy:

"I like it…"

Robb touched the water's surface. Daera swam up and pressed her small hand to his fingertip.

In that moment, a bond was formed, not of master and slave, but of something deeper, akin to family.

"From today on, you're my partner, Daera," Robb said with a warm smile. "I'll help you grow, and you'll help me too, right?"

"Yes, Master!" Daera nodded with determination, eyes shining: "Daera will be… a good partner!"

…

Later that day, Robb spoke to Valenwood,

"Her growth is astounding," he said.

"At this rate, she might be ready for the next Blood Arena."

Valenwood's leaves trembled, uncertain at the thought. Her leaves spelled out:

"Master, do you plan to let her fight? She's still so young…"

"Don't worry," Robb reassured her.

"I won't force her into anything. Only when she's strong enough and willing will we even consider it."

He gazed at Daera, who was playing with the water, seemingly lost in her own little world.

"More importantly, I want her to be a partner, not just a weapon," he said softly.

"Once my modulation abilities reach sufficient level, I'll design a full growth plan for her, including memory implantation and skill crystallization."

"Memory editing?" Valenwood's leaf-text showed concern.

"Yes," Robb explained.

"Via mental connection, I can transmit sword techniques and magical knowledge directly into her mind, so she doesn't need to go through long, painful training."

Valenwood paused, then asked:

"Will it harm her?"

Robb replied firmly:

"Not at all. I'll ensure it's completely safe. It's actually gentler than traditional training, and spares her from frequent pain and failures."

"I trust you, Master." Valenwood wrote, then gazed fondly at the little siren.

Days passed. Robb's bloodline modulation skills steadily advanced, and Daera thrived under Valenwood's care. Watching this little life grow brought Robb an indescribable sense of fulfillment, like raising a real-life Pokémon.

By the time the Blood Arena arrives in three months, Daera might genuinely compete with adult combat slaves, and Robb could already envision the future:

A fully grown, unique Sea Siren, brave, powerful, and loyal, would stand as one of his greatest allies.

But everything begins in the small moments now: daily feeding, patient care, and consistent training.