Chapter 51: Level 3 Map! Blue-Ringed Jellyfish!

The breeding farm.

Chu Lin surveyed his surroundings. The water quality of the 500-acre bay had grown even clearer. What was wonderful about this bay was that it had attracted many wild fish; aside from the seafood fry he initially released as a cover, there was no need to introduce anything else. The swimming fish and shrimp served as natural camouflage.

Moreover, since the bay was connected to the sea, he didn’t need to feed daily—occasional handfuls of feed sufficed. He then checked each of the breeding pools and found that many were teeming with tiny, densely packed shrimp fry. This meant that many egg-bearing shrimp had already spawned and hatched.

He casually scattered two handfuls of feed into each pool, enough to sustain the mother shrimp for several days. The fry didn’t require feeding; at this stage, they survived on their own nutrients and the microorganisms in the water. After hatching, it would take about fifteen to twenty days before they could consume fine feed. When that time came, he would begin feeding them.

Next, Chu Lin inspected the oyster pools, where oysters had been bred through artificial insemination. The oysters seemed to be thriving, and a sticky substance had appeared on the edges of their shells—clear evidence that spawning had begun.

He then checked the breeding box containing the juvenile Neptune groupers. In a short time, the fry had grown noticeably, crowding the box to capacity. Judging by the numbers, the parent fish’s spawning capability was impressive—there were tens of thousands. In another week or so, the box would likely be full, and he’d need to transfer them to the breeding pools. By then, their size would keep them safe from being eaten by the larger groupers.

Truth be told, although these fish were valuable, their tendency to eat their own eggs and fry made them rather foolish.

The day passed swiftly. The Atlantis Map continued to upgrade. It wasn’t until early the next morning—when the refresh time arrived—that he finally heard the prompt: Atlantis Map upgrade successful.

[Atlantis Map upgrade successful. Area increased!]
[Atlantis Map has been upgraded to Level 3. One new conventional refresh animal: Blue Ring Jellyfish!]
[Current Atlantis Map is Level 3. Three conventional animals can be refreshed. Animals have been refreshed!]

Chu Lin was momentarily stunned. He’d been wondering which animal the Level 3 Atlantis Map would randomly generate—never expecting it to be the blue ring jellyfish.

This blue ring jellyfish was not the highly toxic species often discussed online. As its name suggested, it featured a blue ring on its body, which shimmered under the light, making it exceptionally beautiful.

A jellyfish prized for its ornamental qualities, it could be kept as a pet and had become quite popular in recent years. Among them, the blue ring variety was the rarest and most valuable—each could sell for over a hundred.

The Level 3 Atlantis Map had produced an ornamental animal, as if urging him to fulfill the words he once used to persuade Wang Yu. When he couldn’t provide proof of origin for the hundred or so Neptune groupers, he’d claimed he wanted to try breeding ornamental fish. Deputy Director Wang had been very supportive, even registering numerous ornamental aquaculture types with the Fisheries Bureau—most of which appeared in the game, including the blue ring jellyfish.

In the official records, he had always been listed as breeding blue ring jellyfish.

Chu Lin mused, sending his thoughts into the Atlantis Map. The space had indeed expanded. Soon enough, he spotted the newly refreshed blue ring jellyfish dancing across the map.

Curiously, the Atlantis Map contained no water, yet this didn’t seem to hinder the jellyfish at all. Their bouncing movements were utterly adorable, and their vibrant appearance attracted the eye instantly.

He reached out and grabbed a blue ring jellyfish, reading the note:

[Atlantis Blue Ring Jellyfish: Quality 1]
[This is a special jellyfish, distinguished by the beautiful blue ring on its body—a favorite among women! However, due to technical limitations, the survival rate during spawning is extremely low.
Special effect: Growth speed during breeding period +1.
Restriction: Quality attributes can only be activated in water adjusted by the Atlantis Blessing Stone.]

Chu Lin was surprised by this restriction, though not puzzled. He’d known about this feature since obtaining the Atlantis Blessing Stone. Now, the blue ring jellyfish simply made the limitation explicit.

What astonished him, however, was that this jellyfish had only the breeding period growth speed +1 attribute, and none of the flavor or texture attributes found in other species. For example, the Neptune grouper had added ornamental value. This meant the blue ring jellyfish could only be sold as a regular jellyfish.

He quickly counted—there were about two hundred. With two refreshes per day, that made over four hundred. At the standard price of one hundred each, these four hundred jellyfish would bring in just over forty thousand yuan per day.

This was rather disappointing. The Level 3 map’s new animal was less profitable than the oysters from the Level 2 map. Not very impressive.

But the breeding period growth speed +1 attribute sparked a sudden inspiration. Blue ring jellyfish had a short lifespan—barely a year. As pet jellyfish, they were essentially consumables.

Furthermore, ornamental jellyfish bred under artificial stimulation matured quickly, progressing from egg to disc in just about a week.

If he bred the Atlantis blue ring jellyfish in water adjusted by the Blessing Stone, with the +1 growth speed, perhaps they could mature in just three days. Crucially, the Blessing Stone also offered extremely high survival rates during breeding.

With these two advantages—faster growth and higher survival—no one else could compete.

This could become a legitimate, outward-facing industry for him. He could easily rent another hundred acres, use two Atlantis Blessing Stones to set up breeding pools, then transfer the disc-stage jellyfish to ordinary water for rearing to adulthood before selling them.

Since the blue ring jellyfish had no other special qualities besides rapid breeding, even raising them in ordinary water once they reached the disc stage wouldn’t affect their value.

Thus, he could scale up the new farm, hire many workers without worry.

For artificial breeding, he could enlist Dr. Li the veterinarian—perhaps even poach him if things got busy.

Plans began forming in Chu Lin’s mind. Even if mass breeding drove prices down and reduced profits, he would still pursue it. As long as there was profit, he would proceed.

This industry wasn’t just an open business—it was a calling card that could elevate his social standing.

Consider this: To the average person, a demolition tycoon with a hundred million and a company boss with the same wealth are equally rich. But in official circles or in terms of social status, the tycoon can’t compare to the boss—not even to a single toe.

The boss’s company might employ thousands, and that workforce confers social influence. The tycoon can’t match that—unless he too is a major entrepreneur.

Chu Lin realized that, thanks to the game system, he could earn money easily, but his social standing was nearly nonexistent. Once wealth reached a certain level, lacking social status became dangerous.

Now, the blue ring jellyfish offered an opportunity. Establishing a new breeding farm and hiring more employees would make him more valued by the Pingjiang Fisheries Bureau.

There was just one problem: he knew nothing about ornamental fish, nor had any connections or channels in that field. Doing it all himself would be time-consuming and inefficient, possibly yielding poor results.

Therefore, for the new farm, he considered seeking a partner—someone already in the industry.

A potential candidate surfaced in his mind.