Chapter 534
Shi Lei nodded and walked out of the Bakery Workshop. Under the watchful eyes of his wives, he quickly rose into the sky.
He immediately flew at full speed to the Endless Icefield, picked up Anmatar, and quickly returned to Liyue.
Originally, Shi Lei could have flown there leisurely, which would have taken two days for a round trip. However, Amiya said that two Operator were missing, and delaying would likely lead to unforeseen circumstances. In addition, Anmatar was Beast Lord, not a mortal, and his physical strength was sufficient to withstand his full-speed flight. This way, the round trip only took one day, saving a significant amount of time.
The worst-case scenario for this southward journey to Iberia is that we will have to fight against the Sea Creatures God, who has been asleep for many years.
Looking across the entire Terra, there are only a handful of powerful individuals capable of participating in battles at the Archon-level.
The sealed Sui Beast is excluded, as it cannot be released to fight the Sea Creatures God. Below it in strength are the four ephemeral Oceanic Great Beast. Below them are the completely lost Ya, Mudrock, and Broca.
Next up are the Old Celestial Master of Yan, the Silver Spear Pegasus, and other top elites from various countries, followed by the Sui Beast Fragment.
The Sarkaz originally had several powerful members, but they were all annihilated by Shi Lei, and there was no possibility of them being resurrected.
Scherzag's Great Beast didn't seem very strong; its combat power was about the same as the Beast Lord's, probably barely reaching the Immortal Realm.
By this calculation, the number of powerful individuals capable of participating in the war on the Terra can be counted on two hands. If Shi Lei is unfortunately defeated, this land will face Apocalyptic Crisis.
Fortunately, he Roleplay Value to advance to the True God Realm at the level of Istina if he couldn't handle the situation.
However, advancing to the True God Realm is a double-edged sword, and should never be used unless absolutely necessary.
Previously, Shi Lei didn't have this concept. He thought that after advancing to the True God Realm, he could maintain peace in the region.
However, after learning from Anmatar that there exist 'Observers' in the universe—transcendent beings that even Pre-Civilization could only flee from—he began to have some reservations about the choice to advance to the True God Realm.
The shockwave from the last advancement to the Archon Realm in the Capital City of Yan spread throughout the entire continent. If he were to advance to the True God Realm, wouldn't it spread to outer space?
If discovered by other Higher Civilizations, it would bring an Unforeseen Disaster to Terra Planet.
Therefore, Shi Lei did not go directly, but instead sought out a guide to begin gathering intelligence. He aimed to maximize the success rate of eliminating the Sea God Ishmarra, and avoided promotion if possible.
When they returned to Liyue, the wives were already prepared. Texas knew that Exusiai and Lappland would definitely clamor to go if they found out, so she kept it a secret.
Shi Lei went to Guili City to call Broca, and the group of six officially set off for Iberia.
During the construction of the second phase of the Cross-border Communication Network project, contact was not made with the leaders of Iberia.
This resulted in base station equipment and fiber Optical Cable only being installed along the border, failing to achieve full signal coverage in Iberia.
Shi Lei departed at 1 p. m., flew for more than 20 hours, and arrived near Saltwind City at 10 a. m. the next day.
Looking down from 500 meters above, the city marked as Saltwind City on the map is now deserted. Something must have happened; ruins are everywhere.
As soon as they descended to 300 meters, they smelled a stench of decay mixed with sea breeze in the air. This prompted Shi Lei to continue raising the Rock platform and begin Psychic Scan.
Despite the dilapidated state of the buildings below, there are actually people living here. However, most of them are dressed in tattered clothes and are extremely thin, looking like starving refugees.
Shi Lei scanned the area but found no trace of Skadi or the four Oceanic Great Beasts.
A short while later, he spotted a group of elegantly dressed Knight in the plaza area of Saltwind City.
I'm willing to spend any amount of money to find out their whereabouts.
The young Inquisitor, accompanied by several followers, walked through the square of Saltwind City. The thought of what the locals were doing along the coastline made him want to vomit.
"Tsk, this place is truly morbid. I thought their talk about exchanging food for food in the sea was just nonsense uttered after being misled. I never expected... they actually made a deal with the sea. They used the local residents as bait to feed the monsters in the sea, and then the monsters fed them in return. This distorted symbiotic relationship is terrifying; just thinking about that scene makes me nauseous."
Unfortunately, my abilities are limited, and I couldn't help my teacher. Not only could I not deal with the Fear Fish Swarm, but I also couldn't defeat that mysterious Sargol Person. Alas."
Upon hearing this, the green-robed cult member beside him offered words of comfort:
"Your Inquisitor, this isn't your fault. Thankfully, the Grand Inquisitor eliminated those monsters, otherwise we would all have perished there, and..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from above everyone's heads:
Excuse me, may I interrupt?
The young Inquisitor was startled and quickly stepped back to create a safe distance.
When he saw who was coming from the Rock platform, he immediately showed an incredulous expression.
This is... Zhongli?
The young Inquisitor's gaze swept quickly across the faces of the women behind him. One Lupos, one Sarkaz, and one a dragon—all stunning beauties, perfectly matching the descriptions in the rumors.
"Are you Mister Zhongli? I'm a fan of yours! I never expected to meet you here!"
"Yes, it's me."
Shi Lei's current international profile surpasses that of Terra Nations combined. After all, Cross-border Communication Network and Alien Technology benefit all of humanity, making him far more memorable than eloquent politicians. Once the other party recognizes him, things become much easier:
"I came to Saltwind City to find a female Operator from Rhodes Island. Her codename is Skadi, and she carries a greatsword that's half my height."
Shi Lei wasn't familiar with Specter, but since she and Skadi had both disappeared at the same time, they must have gone together. Finding one of them would lead to finding both of them.
The young Inquisitor pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"I'm sorry, Mister Zhongli, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I've never seen a woman carrying a greatsword before."
This forced Shi Lei to recall his first meeting with Skadi in Kazimierz several years ago:
"If I remember correctly, Skadi has long silver hair and red eyes. She must have changed her clothes over the years, and she looks very aloof."
After hearing the description, the young Inquisitor immediately thought of the woman from Sargol who claimed to be a wandering singer. He twitched his lips, revealing a very embarrassed expression.
Shi Lei noticed something amiss in the other man's expression and guessed he knew something, so he pressed him for details:
"I need to speak with this person urgently. Do you know where she is?"
The young Inquisitor hesitated, unsure how to explain what had happened.
Judging from Mister Zhongli's description, he should be friends with that woman from Sargol. He usually stays in Liyue, but this time he traveled a long way to Saltwind City. This suggests that his relationship with that woman is quite close, and she might very well be his... fourth wife?
But his teacher, the Grand Inquisitor, had injured the woman from Sargol. He then followed the trail of blood to the church and razed it to the ground with a hand cannon. The woman Mister Zhongli was looking for was probably now a corpse buried in the ruins.
If I were to reveal this, I'd probably lose my head, wouldn't I?
Seeing the Inquisitor's shifty gaze and avoidance of eye contact, Shi Lei immediately suspected something was amiss. He then asked the judge in an unusually serious tone:
"You didn't actually lay a hand on her, did you?"
Perhaps the Inquisitor felt guilty, or perhaps it was because of Zhongli's reputation. After a brief silence, he couldn't bear the pressure and immediately prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing and confessing his guilt.
"Mister Zhongli, I'm so sorry, so very sorry. I didn't know she was your friend. And she never mentioned you, otherwise she wouldn't have..."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei sensed something was wrong, guessing that Skadi might be in trouble, and coldly interrupted the other party:
"Stop talking nonsense, tell me what's wrong with her?"
The young Inquisitor, drenched in sweat, forced an awkward, wry smile and explained with his head bowed:
"The teacher suspected she had attracted Sea Creatures, so he attacked and injured her. Later, following the trail of blood, he went to the church and blew it up. I really didn't know she was your friend; if I had known, I definitely would have stopped the teacher!"
How could an Abyssal Hunters who specializes in hunting Sea Creatures attract Sea Creatures? Shi Lei didn't want to waste any more words with the young Inquisitor and asked sternly:
Where is the church?
The Inquisitor dared not lie; now he could only hope that Zhongli would show mercy, otherwise his life would be in danger.
"Over there... about ten kilometers away."
Upon hearing this, Shi Lei immediately manipulated the Rock platform to take off. Before flying away, he inserted a Rock Constructs the size of a thumb Gasser the Inquisitor's stomach for easy location tracking later.
Regardless of whether Skadi is alive or dead, he has to go see the destroyed church. He needs to find her alive or dead, as a way to give Rhodes Island some closure.
Shi Lei abandoned the Inquisitor and flew five or six kilometers in the indicated direction. Halfway there, he scanned the four Alty people who had come from other countries, so he landed and joined them.
After explaining Rhodes Island's request, the group set off again. They flew south for four or five kilometers and arrived at the church mentioned by the Inquisitor.
But the place had become a ruin; most of the old, damp wood was charred. The main structure of the building had collapsed, and there was no sign of any survivors.
Shi Lei's expression was solemn as he unleashed his Psychic Power to conduct a thorough search. He quickly discovered a cave beneath the shattered Stone Statues, which immediately ignited his hope.
Is Skadi still alive?
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed pure Rock Element Power, scattering the rubble and broken wood near the Cave Entrance. Without Shi Lei's instruction, the others followed him down to investigate.
The group descended the steps; the space beneath the church was even larger than the main church building. The rock-carved staircase spiraled downwards, one circle after another. The interior was pitch black, resembling the esophagus of some enormous creature.
Exusiai wasn't there, they used their phones for lighting. As they ventured deeper, they finally reached a flat area.
The airtight, damp atmosphere made it difficult to breathe. Inside the enormous cavern were the remains of many strange devices, resembling a hidden underground laboratory.
There were signs of a fierce struggle at the scene; the cylindrical Incubation Pod was broken. The leaked Nutrient Solution mixed with blood, giving it a murky appearance.
There were countless Disgusting Meat Chunks on the ground, and judging from the tentacles on them, they were probably from Large Sea Creatures.
Shi Lei used his Psychic Scan the cave, but unfortunately found no trace of Skadi. He didn't even find her body, presumably she left after the fight.
Half an hour ago.
After the Grand Inquisitor blew up the church, Skadi and Gorlati followed the Bishop of Saltwind City to the bottom of the cave.
They discovered not only Specter submerged in Incubation Pod, but also a talking Sea Creatures.
It was very pleased with Skadi and Gorlati's arrival and took the initiative to greet them:
"Ishimala, my sister."
Skadi found it very strange to see multiple eyes staring intently at her and made no response.
Sea Creatures's tone was like that of an Old Man; I never imagined they would evolve into this kind of thing.
"Ishimala, have you forgotten where you came from?"
"I am not Ishimala, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am Abyssal Hunters, here to hunt you down."
Several years ago, Abyssal Hunters swarmed out.
They hunted down Ishimala, a Sea God Ishmarra, and Skadi was the one who finished her off.
On her deathbed, Ishimala infused her blood and thoughts into Skadi, who possessed the blood of the Sea Creatures.
Therefore, although she has the body of Sargol Person, she has the blood of the Sea God Ishimala flowing in her veins.
Seeing that Skadi did not acknowledge his identity, Sea Creatures prepared to break down her psychological defenses with facts:
"Since you don't know what happened back then, then I'll tell you the truth. You have Sea Creature Blood flowing in your veins; you are our compatriot. It was the Sargol Person who blinded you, forcing us to turn our blades against each other."
Skadi rejected this absurd explanation and refuted it angrily:
"You're talking complete nonsense, spouting blatant lies!"
She knew that she, like Gorlati and Specter, was Experiment Subject, so she spoke without much confidence.
"If I am your compatriot, then why are those Sea Creatures on the shore attacking me?"
Sea Creatures's face had multiple eyeballs moving around, and his tone of voice remained that of an Old Man.
"Ishimala, I just said it. Our blood flows in your veins. Lower-level Sea Creatures don't know how to distinguish them and will think their kin are trapped under your skin."
They will tear at your flesh without hesitation, hoping to rescue their fellow humans. But you are us.
If you have forgotten Sargol's sins, I can help you remember them. Believe me, it will happen soon."
As the approaching Sea Creatures drew closer, Skadi drew her greatsword from the case on her back and issued a warning:
"Don't come any closer! You've killed so many Sargol Person, and now you want to claim kinship with me?"
"Ishimala, you don't understand. Sargol started the attack, and we were only acting in self-defense. Moreover, the deaths of the Sargol Person were your own doing."
"Lie!"
Seeing Skadi's stubbornness, Sea Creatures had no choice but to use another method. It closed all its eyes and fed the information about the Sea Creatures swarm into her mind through scent:
"There's a barrier between us, preventing us from transmitting the full picture to you. Knowing the truth about the Sargol Person should be enough. Ishimala, I've come to see you. If you still refuse to acknowledge our blood ties, then did you establish a connection with the Great Herd while you were asleep?"
Skadi harbors the consciousness of the Sea God Ishimala, who hears the calls of the Great Herd in her dreams.
After seeing the images flashing through her mind, Skadi felt her worldview completely collapse.
The Sea Creatures originally lived on the seabed, and it was indeed the arrogant Sargol Person who destroyed their home with cannon fire.
The family members I always thought were killed by Sea Creatures were actually killed by the Sargol Person?
They did all this just to get Skadi to accept the modification and become a tool in the fight against the Sea Creatures.
"How... how could this be?!"
If these things are true, then wouldn't she have been used all along, a complete and utter scumbag?
Seeing Skadi's utterly shocked expression, Sea Creatures knew she had learned the truth: