Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Miss Valaharl’s Reward

“Is this the place?”

“The end of the lake.”

“The edge of the Valaharl service area.”

Trilobite poked his head out from the underground tunnel, and then…

“Pshhh!”

He dove straight into the soft mud.

“Ahem, I supposed I’d need to dig a tunnel.”

“Fortunately…”

Trilobite’s equipment upgraded again, and the main upgrade was still layered armor.

He added a layer of waterproof skin for himself.

In a broad sense, it was layered armor.

“Ah, this time, the species has even changed with the layered armor.”

“This counts as abnormal development again; it’s crossing animal groups.”

【Current Form: Gasmarosaurus (Saber Teeth, Sebaceous Glands)】

【Status: Not Hungry】

【Magic Power: 4000/4000 (Regenerates 50 per minute)】

【Chaos Energy: 4912/1000 (Can enter evolution interface)】

【Skill 1: Flip the World Off (100 Magic Power cost)】

【Skill 2: Ball Joint Armor (100 Magic Power cost)】

【Skill 3: Dance of Bacteria and Archaea (Magic Power cost varies)】

【Special Skill: Whale Fall Aura】

【Spawn 1: Trilobite Mantis (Equipped Smashing Claw, True Social Insect Colony Pheromones)】

【Spawn 2: Spiny Shark】

【Spawn 3: Ancient Jumping Spider (Equipped powerful venom, Silk Spinner)】

“Not bad, after being a side character for so long, I finally became a creature that appeared in a BBC documentary.”

“Though, I might be somewhat different.”

The name Gasmarosaurus might have sounded unfamiliar to everyone, but this creature definitely appeared in the BBC documentary “Walking with Monsters.”

In the documentary, Gasmarosaurus didn’t play a heroic role.

They were depicted as a group of reptiles living in the early Triassic period, over 2 meters long, resembling crocodiles, and claimed to be ancestors of modern crocodiles.

They would lazily bask on rocks by the river, then ambush a large group of migrating water lizards crossing the river.

Later, one Gasmarosaurus even played a game of “hide and seek” with a nimble Pacal Croc that was catching bugs; in the end, the Pacal Croc suddenly evolved into a Giganotosaurus, scaring the Gasmarosaurus half to death.

Of course, by the time Giganotosaurus emerged, Gasmarosaurus had long been extinct, so the two never overlapped in time.

As for the BBC’s claim that Gasmarosaurus is an ancestor of crocodiles, well…

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

Because the Gasmarosaurus found in Russia could truly be counted among the earliest true dragons.

And crocodiles are true dragons too.

While this creature probably wasn’t the direct ancestor of crocodiles, at least their ancient ancestors were like siblings to Gasmarosaurus on the family tree.

“How should I say it?”

“I guess I’ve reached where the dream began.”

“True dragons started thriving from this very body of mine, becoming the rulers of Earth in the Mesozoic Era, and later the rulers of the sky.”

“But I’m still pretty different from the real Gasmarosaurus.”

“There are weaker spots, but also strengths borrowed from many others!”

Trilobite’s head had undergone some “reshaping,” so his snout wasn’t as long as Gasmarosaurus’s, but it was very wide and thick, making his skull look taller compared to the real thing.

This gave his head a likeness to later crocodyliforms and theropod dinosaurs.

At the front of the snout, this “original Gasmarosaurus” also had sharp teeth inherited from Duncker’s fish; however, those bony plates had turned into saber teeth, making him an expert at instant kills.

At the same time, the armor didn’t fully cover him; skin lay in the folds of the armor.

The glands on the skin could secrete slime when needed, helping Trilobite glide smoothly while crawling through the swamp.

Naturally, these glands could use “Chaos Energy” to buy different DLC upgrades, turning into surface glands with new functions.

But there were still weak points compared to the original, like how the tibia and pelvis connected, similar to the belly-dragging crawl of ichthyosaurs.

It wasn’t that he didn’t need it—he just didn’t have enough “money” to buy it.

“You could say I’ve got a lizard-like skeleton with a bit of archosaur flavor.”

“A stitched-together beast.”

“Not bad.”

“Alright, time to get to work!”

“Heave ho—!”

Trilobite started using his claws to dig through the sludge and tangled roots, "carving a muddy path" in the thick muck.

“I really like it here, but if I stay much longer, I’ll run out of food.”

“Even though I’m still ‘not hungry’ now, I need to plan ahead.”

“Can’t wait till I’m desperate to find the toilet.”

Just then…

【Are you leaving?】

Miss Valaharl’s voice came through.

Trilobite felt the sound was somewhat ethereal.

Though audible, it seemed oddly distant.

He must have reached the edge of the "service area," causing poor signal reception.

"Yeah."

"Seems like there’s no prey left by Lake Valaharl."

"I’ll need to hunt elsewhere."

【That is true.】

【Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.】

【The new life and salvation you granted me are beyond any repayment.】

"Uh…"

Trilobite scratched his chin with a claw, puzzled.

He couldn’t recall doing anything remarkable—

just…

"Eating… eating mushrooms… eating… excreting… shopping… gifting unwanted items to the customer service young lady…"

"Then eating again…"

"Could she be thanking me for helping sow those mushrooms?"

"Ah, perhaps a minor contribution."

"Sowing mushrooms did help the customer service young lady ease the barrenness around the lake and islands."

"Lately, moss started growing beneath the mushrooms, thriving healthily."

"That’s ecological recovery!"

Though resilient, moss plants were highly sensitive to environmental shifts, showing clear signs under pollution—like decaying or blotching when air quality worsened.

They served as environmental indicators.

Fungi possessed strong capabilities to accumulate heavy metals and absorb soil pollutants.

Trilobite guessed the fungi spread through his excrement gradually absorbed contaminants, restoring the environment so moss could flourish.

The "microbe" spawn he left in this world also prospered.

They busied themselves under the new moss, even gathering around discarded "Lake Dragon bones." Lake Valaharl’s shores neared revival!

"Ah, well, I accept your gratitude."

"But it’s truly insignificant."

【Perhaps to you, yet to me…】

【You bestowed all I have now!】

【This is my thanks to you.】

【Though small, please accept it.】

Trilobite sensed his "soul" shift, as if gently tugged from his beastly form.

Strangely, he couldn’t perceive his body.

Just then…

【Whew…】

A "soft murmur" brushed his "ear," sinking his "soul" into warm waters—like slipping into a steamy bath.

Water-like energy flowed over him, relaxing every part of his… entire soul.

Dazzling sensations washed over him.

A dizzy spell followed, like post-bath euphoria—but far more soothing.

Trilobite felt transformed into a butterfly soaring through endless skies…

Yet fleeting were such moments.

【For now, this is all.】

【I’ll keep striving to break free from these binds.】

【Someday, I’ll find you.】

【Then, we’ll…】

【Hehe…】

Miss Valaharl giggled slyly before her voice faded.

From that contact, two new things surfaced in Trilobite’s mind!