Chapter 478

Chapter 478: The Oldest Reef Builders, Protectors of the Ancestors

“Hmm…”

“Quite interesting.”

“Very interesting.”

The tiny “specks” he’d carried in his mouth were carefully transported to the shallow sea sandbank.

The “red tree ferns,” nourished by Trilobite, had flourished. Their roots stretched and intertwined, gripping the sandy ground like a dam.

But unlike solid flood barriers, gaps between the red tree fern branches let most seawater wash past while allowing smaller tides to seep through.

Stopping this required a second row of red tree ferns.

That row existed only in Trilobite’s mental blueprint—he hadn’t planted it yet.

His strategy against the ocean’s advance mirrored protective forestry.

Beyond the first red tree fern grove—past the “core red tree fern” on its sandbank—lay not dry land but a shallow sea.

Water rose nearly to Trilobite’s calves.

He named it the “Inner Dam Shallow Sea.”

Here, Trilobite released the specks. Sheltered by the red tree fern wall, the calm shallows kept them safe from sweeping waves.

Trilobite watched the shimmering green dots dance before him, deep in thought.

“If only I had a microscope to see what these are.”

Though equipped with “visual brain enhancement,” his mind couldn’t reconstruct what appeared as mere specks in his system vision.

Even humans with powerful brains couldn’t visualize microorganisms invisible to naked eyes.

“But the system might’ve given clues.”

“Their glow differs from plain ‘green’ or ‘blue’ light.”

“It carries a jade or mineral-like sheen.”

“Like tiny swimming gemstones.”

“Hmm…”

Trilobite combed his memory for microscopic “mineral-related” creatures.

Only to find…

Utter confusion.

Because…

“There were so many!”

“From soft-bodied creatures to reef-builders, Paleozoic to Cenozoic—countless tiny beings cloaked themselves in ‘mineral armor’!”

“Even pre-Cambrian single-celled organisms wore mineral shells!”

“Impossible to identify.”

“So… maybe this wastes Chaos Energy.”

“But at least it could satisfy my curiosity.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

“System, can you infuse them with Chaos Energy to speed up their growth?”

【Chaos Energy can be infused to catalyze growth.】

【Approximately 500 Chaos Energy points required per organism to reach adulthood.】

【Confirm infusion?】

“Huh!?”

“Only 500 Chaos Energy points!?”

“Guess the adults aren’t that big after all.”

He’d grown extravagant.

After devouring fish and enjoying earlier feasts, plus the constant trickle of contributions from his spawns—bit by bit—Trilobite now possessed 300,000 Chaos Energy points.

Five hundred was pocket change.

“No need to hold back, then.”

“Let’s see… one, two… all five specks—grow up for me!”

“Buzz—!”

Trilobite shuddered as warmth seeped from his body.

It felt…

kinda like *that*.

The results were instant.

“Zzz…”

The five specks quivered intensely, glowing brighter within his system vision.

They darted through the water, seemingly hunting for something.

Soon, they reached deeper waters of the Inner Dam Shallow Sea, settling onto a hard "reef" jutting from the sand.

“Zzz…”

The specks expanded steadily while their light dimmed.

Yet their jade-green, mineral-like texture remained vivid.

“Whew… hiss…”

Dull, grayish matter gathered swiftly from surrounding rocks and seawater, absorbed into the luminous specks.

Through constant churning and growth, the specks swelled into masses, finally forming shapes Trilobite could discern… or at least mentally picture.

“Oh!”

“Aren’t these… ancient cup animals!?”

"The oldest reef builders!"

Although corals—cnidarians—now handle most reef-building and create rich shallow sea ecosystems, this wasn’t always their role.

Corals emerged in the mid-Ordovician period. Before them, "bryozoans" from the early Ordovician took charge.

Both groups survive today. Corals still play a foundational role in global shallow sea ecosystems, while bryozoans have faded into the background.

Yet before bryozoans and corals existed, Earth’s shallow seas already hosted vibrant "shallow reefs." The first-generation reef builders were the "ancient cup animals" discovered by Trilobite.

True to their name, ancient cup animals resembled "cups." Often, they appeared like clusters of horn-shaped cups fused at the base, forming bizarre candelabrums.

Root-like holdfasts anchored their bases to the seabed or other cup animals’ exoskeletons, while their cup openings faced upward.

Inside the Cup Body, inner and outer walls connected by rib-like supports surrounded a central hollow cavity.

The inner lining, outer wall, and "connecting ribs" all contained pores of varying sizes.

Their soft parts inhabited these pores and the central cavity.

Paleontologists have studied them thoroughly, but without soft-part fossils, ancient cup animals’ exact species remain unknown. They’re classified solely under their own phylum.

Their way of life likely resembled sponges—filter feeding on organic particles passing through their Cup Bodies.

During the Cambrian, these early reef builders diversified explosively, with over a thousand species emerging.

They constructed vast 3D ecosystems in tropical shallow seas.

Trilobite could vividly picture that vibrant ancient sea:

Trilobites scuttled over exoskeletons while tardigrades stretched their feelers, ambling leisurely.

A massive shadow loomed—

Strange prawn!

Chased by our clumsy-swimming ancestors: early chordates.

They twisted their primitive bodies in panicked, jerky motions.

Amid despair, hope appeared.

*Whoosh…*

Several worm-like chordates darted into the hollow cavities of ancient cup animals and hid.

Furious, the strange prawn waved its hunting limbs but couldn’t breach the sturdy cups. It retreated, "cursing."

Ancient cup animals were all vertebrates’ benefactors.

Our earliest ancestors likely hid in their cavities to evade predators like strange prawns—perhaps even using these safe hollows as nurseries, much like modern clownfish.

For these noble creatures—extinct since the Cambrian’s end, who shepherded our ancestors’ evolution before vanishing—Trilobite felt only gratitude.

"Hmm…"

"Those glowing dots earlier must’ve been ancient cup animals’ floating larvae."

"They’re global warm-water marine life. Such wide dispersal means their larvae must be mobile."

"The swimming specks prove it."

"Perfect!"

Trilobite beamed.

"I recall our southeast coast rarely suffers tsunamis despite frequent typhoons."

"Rich offshore reefs break tsunami force gradually—slowing them over the continental shelf until they become ordinary waves at shore."

"Come now!"

"Feed these guys! Chaos Energy brand gold fertilizer!"

"Eat heartily! Multiply vigorously!"

"For your species’ prosperity, and for…"

"My underwater Great Wall depends on you!"