The Cooter Clan wasn’t as lucky as the Mammoth Clan. ’Even though they have almost been annihilated, they have succeeded with their gamble. And now, Grehha is nurturing a new, greater Mammoth Clan.’
The moment Resha became the Empyrean Supreme, the Mammoth Clan attained the path to reach that point. Grehha now possessed it and was actively integrating it with the next generation Deities of the Mammoth Clan.
’They wouldn’t just enter the Mystic Grade, but also obtain genetic traits and even a Nature that run counter to the Celestial Boar.’ Wally sighed, ’That’s their greatest gift.’
In contrast, Wally would just enter the Mystic Grade. He wouldn’t be obtaining anything special that allowed him to counter the Celestial Boar, ’I’m merely one individual, and it’s with me that all accumulations will begin for the Cooter Clan.’
The Cooter Clan was basically behind the Mammoth Clan by two millennia.
There were times where Wally felt burdened by his sheer responsibilities. However, every time the thought plagued him, he felt his Minor Treasure of Buoyant Disease pulsing. It was a reminder that even though the Cooter Clan couldn’t plan everything, they still managed to plan what was necessary to make him enter the Mystic Grade.
As long as he enters the Mystic Grade, the Cooter Clan would be able to think further. After all, Wally would be able to live for ten thousand years. That was almost as long as the Cooter Clan’s existence, ’So, they were confident that I’ll be able to achieve a lot in that time period.’
Hence, Wally had to adapt to the process and generate one that was suitable for the Cooter Clansmen.
First of all, since they were trying to get a Secondary Nature from another Spirit Pool, even if they succeeded, there was one big, problem. They would now need two Spirit Pools to build their body.
And unfortunately, that’s suicide.
Wally knew about Orakha’s Compound Human Avatar. He didn’t know about the existence of a Compound Mineral, but hew knew of similar examples.
The Brimgan Ancestor who entered the Mystic Grade had a compound Human Avatar. In his Human avatar were two minerals—Rutham and Sumatra Gold.
With Sumatra Gold, Wally could similarly create a Mystic Grade Spirit Pool. And as he interacted more with grey sand, even though he couldn’t create it yet, he had some ideas in regards to a Compound Mineral.
Only the properties of Sumatra Gold and grey sand allowed the creation of a Compound Mineral. But it wasn’t the direction Wally wanted to take.
Sumatra Gold was an impossible option. He would have to enter Mystic Grade to produce one, and even then, it would take forever to create even one piece.
Similarly, grey sand was even more impossible. He could control it, yes. However, that meant creating these Spirit Pools would become Wally’s burden. And if he were to ever die, then the Cooter Clan would no longer have access to such Spirit Pools.
Wally didn’t want the solution to be intrinsically tied to his existence. It would only make him paranoid, because after his death, the Cooter Clan will fall to their state before his birth. ’It’s why even Boul Brimgan stressed and eventually created a means through which his build could be inherited.’
Even if destroyed, the Rirenal that used to be a part of Boul Brimgan’s Human Avatar would eventually gather in the Brimgan Empire. That way, even if he dies, his build would exist in the Brimgan Empire, ready for an inheritor to harness its power for the Empire’s sake.
’It was my fortune to be able to interact with all these great existences.’ Wally was grateful for his fortuitous encounter. Resha sympathised with his situation and acted as his mentor. Inala assisted Wally greatly, due to guilt.
Wally was born because of Inala’s shenanigans. So, whether it be sending some Celestial Boar lifeforce, Elixirs, knowledge, etc. Inala helped Wally a lot.
Since both Resha and Inala helped him, Grehha also followed suit. Grehha idolised Resha and considered Inala his only friend. So, he naturally supported their vision.
The rest of the Mystic Seven didn’t care about Wally, but they didn’t shy away from interacting with him either. This was Wally’s opportunity, which allowed him to grow a lot. He could partly think of solutions from an out-of-the box approach, precisely thanks to the guidance of Resha and the rest who moulded him to be that way.
That was the only reason he could conceptualise a solution.
For the Mammoth Clan, irrespective of their Nature, they only required Tusk bone powder to build a body. A Free Human only required one mineral, since their method harmonised with their cultivation technique. Hence, any Secondary Nature that’s born in their Spirit Container would be through their existing mineral.
Mystic Mist Art worked with a different set of properties, applicable to all fluids, without mineral restrictions. Any mineral could be turned into a Spirit Pool and used by a Cooter Clansman.
Hence, the only way to get a Secondary Nature was through another Spirit Pool. Therefore, to ensure they could still build a body, despite deriving power from two Spirit Pools, Wally had come up with one solution.
Conversion!
The Cooter Clan would have to find minerals that can change properties when turned into Spirit Pools. There was only one suitable example in their existing arsenal.
Broiling Spirit Pool!
It was sourced from the Dralh Sea, having the properties of the Dralh Sea’s water during daytime. The Broiling Spirit Pool was created through the Iron Grade Mineral called the Black Dralh.
Black Dralh was a gentle emitter and a great conductor of heat but was extremely fragile. It couldn’t be built in a Human Avatar. Only the Cooter Clansmen could take advantage of it, since they employed it in fluid form and controlled the fluid using Mystic Mist Art.
Black Dralh was only perceivable to the senses of even an Empyrean Snapper during the daytime, when it actively radiated and circulated heat. it couldn’t be found during the night.
Actually, Black Dralh reacted volatilely and changed forms during the night to form Clear-Blue Dralh. It was a different mineral altogether. Clear-Blue Dralh resembled water and hence, wasn’t easy to perceive.
It was why the Cooter Clan never took advantage of it. With a bit of effort and some trial and error, Wally was able to extract enough Black Dralh, changed the terrain conditions to form a reaction out of it and then turned it into Clear-Blue Dralh. He then formed a Spirit Pool out of it.
Frigid Spirit Pool!
He then played around with Mystic Mist Art until eventually, he was able to unleash the perfect conditions through the cultivation technique alone to turn Broiling Spirit Pool into Frigid Spirit Pool.
It was the solution he had created for the Cooter Clan’s unique situation. Of course, this meant the Cooter Clan would have to overhaul their entire Spirit Pool catalogue and only accumulate Spirit Pools that could change properties like the Broiling Spirit Pool.
A large group of Cooter Clansmen with a build based on Broiling Spirit Pool were working on getting a Secondary Nature related to the Frigid Spirit Pool. Wally was confident that at least a few would succeed.
And once a successful case appears, they could guide the rest. Eventually, with enough knowledge accumulation, the success rate would increase significantly and the time taken could also be reduced.
The biggest problem, of course, was to find such Spirit Pools.
Broiling Spirit Pool was only at Iron Grade. The Dralh Sea’s Death Hour was an environmental phenomenon that occurred due to many factors. Therefore, it didn’t have any mineral that could be turned into a Spirit Pool to unleash its effects.
Wally had checked it when the Empyrean Snapper group arrived at the edges of the Dralh Sea. It was a bit of a disappointment.
However, this also meant that he would next have to find at least a few suitable Spirit Pools, ’Unfortunately, I have no idea where to find such minerals.’
He didn’t have all the solutions. In cases where he could think and figure out a solution with his existing means, he was happy to take action. But for the rest of the situations, he was pretty helpless. This was where he felt lonely, ’If at least the Cooter Clan hadn’t fucked up and figured out Wittral’s situation sooner, he would have been with us now and not become Zhya of the Quip Clan.’
"Maybe I shouldn’t hesitate." Wally groaned as he got up and stared at Danhral, the current generation 1st Empyrean Snapper, "I have done everything that I could at present."
"Keep searching for Spirit Pools just like the Broiling Spirit Pool. If it could react and change states once, gather it, no matter the cost, because only through such Spirit Pools can the Cooter Clan obtain a Secondary Nature." His tone then turned solemn, "And if possible, search for a mineral that could react twice. If we can create three Spirit Pools out of it, the Cooter Clan will finally have a proper build with three Natures."
"Experiment with existing minerals and see if we can get it to react with some catalyst, ideally a fluid catalyst." Wally groaned, "I am still grasping at straws on how the Empyrean Snappers could obtain the Secondary Nature of Empyrean Mist Deity."
"I order the lot of you to spend every moment of your lives thinking of a solution to these two problems." Seeing Danhral’s Empyrean Snapper neck now in response, he turned around and unleashed a Zinger Shriek, watching a group of Zinger Aristocrats arrive in a matter of minutes.
"We have been awaiting your summons, Sir Wally." The Zinger Aristocrat in the lead assumed human form and bowed.
"I’ll be leaving now." Wally bid farewell to the Cooter Clan and casually jumped into a seat made using strings of Prana. Each Zinger Aristocrat joined a string of Prana to form the seat and then launched themselves into the sky.
"Shall we return to your base of operations?" The lead Zinger Aristocrat asked.
"No," Wally shook his head. His expression was serious as he said with an authoritative tone, "Bring me to your leader."
"That...is..." The Zinger Aristocrat hesitated.
"Either you bring me there, or I’ll find my way to her," Wally said, releasing a tinge of his presence to threaten the Zinger Aristocrats. He hurriedly retracted his presence when the group lost balance and began to freefall.
"We need to ask." The Zinger Aristocrat in the lead said once she regained her balance, hurriedly orienting the group’s stability right before they plopped on the ground. Strings of Prana jutted out of the group and touched the ground, helping to stabilise and propel them forward as they glided at an altitude of hundred metres.
"I am a patient guy." Wally said, announcing a few seconds later, "But I am stubborn."
"I will see your leader, whether you wish to or not."