Chapter Thirty-Two: The Boundary of the Sea

The next day, the morning sun rose as usual.

According to Queen Anies’ plan, they quickly reached the battlefield front constructed by the Merman Tribe at the edge of the Ghost Sea through the deep sea portal beneath the royal court.

The so-called deep sea portal is actually a kind of spatial passage, utilizing seawater as a medium to reduce the threshold for use, protect the travelers, and extend the jumping distance.

However, even so, this time, including Miss Vilyric and a total of dozens of Merman guards led by Queen Anies, the mid-range teleportation only moved about seven hundred kilometers in a straight line, arriving at a battle base island located in the northwest direction of the East Sea Pearl.

Compared to the high-level item “Invisible Space Portal” made by Hen, the difference was naturally apparent.

Furthermore, as the “deep sea portal,” this thing was naturally built underwater. Although the Merman Tribe was okay with it, Miss Vilyric, being a Divine race, had the ability to survive in water, but Hong Yan and Miss Le Qiao Qiao were purely human, so…

“Splash!”

Water splashed as a certain Miss Thief floated up from the water like a duckling that just learned to swim. After struggling to paddle her way to the shore, she hurriedly and somewhat awkwardly walked onto the land, putting on the shoes she had thrown aside earlier.

“Oh my… I finally drifted back. Looking at it, there was really no need to take off my shoes…”

Strangely enough, even though she had just surfaced from the bottom of the sea, her clothes and azure short hair were not wet at all, as if there was an invisible membrane covering her body, perfectly isolating the moisture.

After making a surprised complaint or two, Miss Le Qiao Qiao couldn’t help but show an expression of astonishment.

“But this pearl is really amazing! It actually allows me to breathe and move freely in the water like a fish. This must be the so-called Water Avoidance Pearl. What a treasure! I wonder how much it could sell for.”

The Priestess, who had been waiting on the shore, facepalmed helplessly.

“What Water Avoidance Pearl… You’d better not let the Mermen hear that. This is the top-grade Merman pearl that only the Bright Merman Tribe can produce, and there’s only one in a lifetime. It’s as significant to them as a spirit beast’s inner core, and they would never casually sell it.”

“Hmm… Now that you mention it, there do seem to be some poaching gangs that would kidnap or even kill mermaids to obtain their nurtured pearls, but such acts are despised and scorned by the majority of races, akin to illegal organ trafficking. If caught…”

The Black-haired Girl made a dramatic gesture of cutting her throat, causing Miss Thief to shiver, and her previously twinkling eyes quickly darted away in embarrassment.

“Ah haha… I was just joking! I would never do something so excessive!”

“You’d better be just joking… In any case, after this is all over, remember to return the item to Queen Anies. The fact that someone is willing to lend this thing to us is already a good sign of cooperation.”

Just as Vilyric and Le Qiao Qiao were idly chatting on the shore, Hong Yan also resurfaced from the water and returned to the island’s shore.

They were acting together, but the Thief had just gotten a head start.

By the way, Vilyric was merely idly teaching the two girls how to maneuver underwater with the help of the Merman pearl, while Queen Anies had already gone to take over the island base, gathering forces and preparing for action.

However, the Water Avoidance function of the Bright Merman pearl was indeed amazing. After practicing for a little while, they could already move freely underwater, exerting powers comparable to those on land.

By the way, they weren’t entirely slacking off, after all…

“Well, did you encounter any strange situations?”

The Swordsman shook her head.

“It’s just as quiet as when we first surfaced. It’s so quiet that it’s a little scary. Aside from a few small fish and shrimp, I couldn’t find any large marine creatures. It seems they are all consciously avoiding this area.”

“And on the other side of the boundary, the seawater looks very murky. It feels dark over there, and I can’t see anything inside. To be safe, I didn’t get too close while moving with Qiao Qiao.”

“Hmm…”

Vilyric didn’t seem surprised by this description. She had already noticed the same situation when they came out of the deep sea portal.

“The Ghost Sea, with a loud reputation as a zone for the living’s prohibition, must certainly have some tangible differences.”

“Ghost Sea…”

Hearing the Black-haired Girl mention this term, Hong Yan instinctively turned her gaze toward the distance directly opposite the island.

Just over ten kilometers from their location, thick fog encircled like a fence, dividing nearly everything within sight into two distinct domains, while nothing could be seen in the depths of the fog.

Beneath the surface of the sea, it was clearly the same.

That was the Ghost Sea, a natural barrier and prison surrounding the entire Emerald Sea Region. It’s said to be an absolute forbidden zone where the living could not return, one of the centerpieces of this area’s mysteries.

And those “ghosts” that attack residents of the sea, driven by ghost ships, are said to emerge from this gloomy mist, although it seems that for some unknown reason, their attacks had recently slowed down, allowing this base located in the fringe sea area some temporary respite.

According to Queen Anies’ judgment, the location where Princess Nitira was currently situated should be closest to this island, which is why they had come here.

Seeing the two thoughtful “intellectuals” next to her fall into silence, Miss Le Qiao Qiao, unused to this quiet atmosphere, quickly opened up a new topic.

“Speaking of which, I still don’t quite understand what Her Majesty wants to do. How does she know that the scene in the painting is the Ghost Sea? She even pinpointed it to this extent, and how are we supposed to go in and rescue her? And if Princess Nitira really is inside, shouldn’t she…”

After hesitating for a moment, the Thief ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say that word, but Vilyric and Hong Yan had known her for a while now and naturally understood what Le Qiao Qiao wanted to express.

The Priestess and the Swordsman exchanged glances, and the former soon smiled and said.

“There’s nothing absolute. Don’t forget, that Pirate King is said to traverse freely between the Ghost Sea and the outside. In the end, we still don’t know why this sea area is called a zone for the living’s prohibition.”

Hong Yan raised an eyebrow.

“Should we seize the moment to test it ourselves? If we just probe a little, it should be…”

“Are you practicing sword skills or hard-headedness…?”

The Priestess shook her head resignedly, denying that idea.

“I tried this when we first arrived. Just relying on the most basic methods, my thoughts couldn’t penetrate to the other side. In other words, it’s a domain set up by something similar to my own standards.”

“Though that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, there’s no need to take active risks now. Since we’re here, Anies will surely find a more reliable way to take us to interact with the Ghost Sea. When the time comes…”

Just then, a blurred, watery shadow suddenly coalesced beside the three girls, and the gentle voice of the Sea Priestess, Silisa, slowly emerged from within.

“Ladies, Her Majesty summons you.”

Vilyric curiously observed this interesting little magic and casually responded.

“Are we starting the action already?”

“Not certain yet, but Her Majesty has invited a distinguished guest who will assist us in finding Princess. I hope you three… especially Miss Vilyric, can join and meet him.”

“A distinguished guest? Alright, we’re heading back right away.”

“Waiting for your arrival.”

As they watched that obviously composed of some water-based magic, like a voice-messenger, dissipate once more, the Priestess turned around, her face displaying unmasked joy.

“See, a reliable method has already presented itself!”

   

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