Chapter 535
"It seems you've remembered."
Skadi mechanically raised her head upon hearing this. Looking at Sea Creatures, who claimed to be her sister, her eyes were filled with confusion.
"My sister, my mother, my grandmother—they were all killed by the Sargol Person. All my years of revenge were a mistake. Damn it, I am mortal enemies with the Sargol Person and the Deep Sea Church! Yet, I killed so many of my own people..."
"Ishimala, you are innocent. You were manipulated by the Sargol Person to turn against your own people. We are all in agreement and have never blamed you."
Skadi wanted to speak, but a sudden taste of blood welled up in her throat, forcibly swallowing her words. It wasn't guilt, but a deep sense of bewilderment.
She suddenly realized that all her efforts over the years had been in vain. After working for the murderers of her loved ones for so long, she should thank them for reforming her.
Absolutely disgusting!
Sea Creatures clearly doesn't have a concept of being sarcastic or unfriendly; he expresses his opinion based on the facts.
"Ishimala, it's actually a very simple truth. If we collectively invade the Sargol Person cities, do you think there will be any survivors?"
"..."
In that instant, Skadi felt as if something had connected to her consciousness.
Her skin began to ache, and her vision was deafening. She felt like she was going crazy, as if Sea Creatures. She felt that some creature from the deep sea was calling to her!
The bishop, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to hurl insults at Skadi and Gorlati:
"You bastards, why can you receive the messenger's blessing? Why can't I? This is not fair!"
The bishop suddenly raised his voice, and even his mumbling couldn't hide his anger:
"I will tear you to pieces, and punish you for your blasphemous acts! The lives of Experiment Subject are precious, but sparing the lives of you bastards is a waste of resources. I will kill you here, crush your corpses, and scatter them across the earth. Let the lowest of land creatures devour every part of your bodies!"
Skadi was already injured before entering the cave, and the Sea Creatures who had enlightened her had no intention of intervening. This was because the bishop who had swallowed the Sea Creatures's flesh and blood was also considered a member of the Sea Creatures.
It will not participate in battles between its own people.
Gorlati was locked in a fierce battle with another Sea Creatures, stabbing each other through, and had no time to attend to this side.
However, there were more than just the three of them at the scene.
Skadi hurled her greatsword with all her might, and the bishop hastily dodged. However, her target wasn't the bishop, but rather the Incubation Pod imprisoning the Specter.
The greatsword, accompanied by a gust of wind, smashed a hole in the Incubation Pod. Blue Nutrient Solution instantly gushed out, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside caused the hole to quickly shatter.
The Specter has awakened.
At her peak, she shattered the Incubation Pod with a single punch, becoming the key to deciding the outcome of this battle.
Before the bishop could react, Specter, seeing Skadi injured, launched an attack without hesitation.
The bishop's body was severely damaged by the onslaught of the storm. His withered body was like a deflated balloon, emitting a stench even worse than that of snail rice noodles.
"You... bastards..."
Skadi and Specter noticed his unusual behavior and immediately retreated to a safe distance.
The bishop's body rapidly expanded, and the cave walls shattered abruptly as he waved his long beard. Eyelids detached from his enormous eyes, and countless tentacles surged forth from his once lean and short body!
The bishop, now transformed into a gigantic monster, writhed its tentacles, shattering all the instruments. Though its body was already close to Sea Creatures, it unleashed human fury.
Skadi picked up her greatsword and stood in front to block. Faced with the enormous force, she couldn't help but retreat several meters.
The bishop roared desperately, trying to tear the three Abyssal Hunters to pieces. But it found that its limbs could no longer extend, and it could not break through its limit no matter what it did.
It was restless and eager to evolve.
The bishop turned to the onlookers Sea Creature Envoy, for help, but what he uttered was a roar that made no sense.
It sacrificed its ability to communicate as a human and was unable to establish a collective consciousness with Sea Creatures. As a result, its last remaining lifeline failed.
Specter, having found the circular saw, fights alongside Skadi, who has taken up the greatsword, just like before.
They are experienced Abyssal Hunters who use their speed to close in and launch short-range attacks.
The bishop felt pain and genuine fear. He sensed that he was likely to perish here today.
The bishop tried to escape, but his enormous size severely limited his mobility, and he was relentlessly pursued and hacked down by the Abyssal Hunters.
It has no lungs, nor a vocal tract. The unintelligible low moans are its new body's way of expressing its screams.
Under the combined attack of the two Abyssal Hunters, the bishop's swollen body was pierced through. With a bang, countless pieces of flesh exploded out, splattering everywhere in the cave.
Even using a greatsword to block the shredded flesh was useless, because the disgusting smell around them was nauseating.
The Sea Creature Envoy ignored this and calmly extended an invitation to Skadi:
"Ishimala, the Great Herd is calling. You can come with me to the Sea God Temple to learn more of the truth."
Skadi knew that the Sea God Temple was the lair of the Sea Creatures, but she never imagined that it held unknown information:
"The truth? What truth?"
The Sea Creature Envoy did not answer, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense:
You'll see when you get there.
The Specter, having just awakened and unaware of the Sea Creatures's true nature, once again raised its circular saw, ready to launch an attack.
Seeing this, Skadi quickly stepped in front of them to block them:
"Wait, this Sea Creatures isn't a bad person. Some things are complicated, I'll explain them to you on the way. Let's leave here first, before the Inquisition comes looking for us."
Specter didn't trust Sea Creatures, but she trusted Skadi. Hearing this, she put away her circular saw and left.
Specter didn't know why Sea Creatures had invited her to his lair, but she could use this opportunity to destroy it. Perhaps this was the only chance Sargol could get a respite. But that was assuming she was unaware of the crimes Sargol had committed.
"Alright, no need to go in."
Shi Lei has finished Psychic Scan and will now share the results with everyone:
"They're not here, let's go outside."
Dan and Aya looked at him with disbelief. But then they remembered that this man was Zhongli, who was above all others, and they were no longer surprised.
Perhaps, like these Oceanic Great Beasts, it possesses sonar-like capabilities. Therefore, it can allow everyone to leave directly without needing to delve deeper into the cave to ascertain the situation.
However, the four of them hadn't detected any sonar fluctuations. Could it be lower-frequency sound waves?
After leaving, Shi Lei stood on the ruins of the church, turning his head to look north, as if waiting for someone.
Before Aya could ask, she saw Old Man with white hair and a long sword at his waist leading a group of Inquisitor rushing over from afar.
The Inquisitor carrying a lantern behind the white-haired Old Man was named Elinie. Her pupils dilated sharply upon seeing Shi Lei, as if she had spotted some incredibly important figure.
"Your Lord Saint, who is this...?"
The white-haired Old Man interrupted, continuing:
"No need for introductions, I know this Mister Zhongli. Kal'tsit said he single-handedly stopped the war, and might be the key to resolving the Sea Creatures."
The white-haired Old Man who spoke was Saint Carmen from Iberia. He was the supreme leader of the Inquisition and dedicated his life to eradicating the Sea Creatures.
Shi Lei's physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, allowing him to hear their conversation from a great distance.
Saint Carmen quickly approached him, bowed respectfully, and then said:
Is there anything we can do to help?
Shi Lei shook his head slightly and pointed to the ruins behind him:
"I am Zhongli, the leader of Liyue. I was sent here by Amiya, the leader of Rhodes Island, to find an Operator codenamed Skadi and another codenamed Specter. Unfortunately, when I tracked them here, they had vanished. The sea is below, so they have probably escaped by boat. If you find them, please notify Rhodes Island."
"Yes, yes, I will definitely do as you say!"
"And also, were you sent by Kal'tsit?"
Seeing that Zhongli had revealed her identity without introduction, Saint Carmen was too embarrassed to hide it any longer and confessed:
"Yes, sir, please follow me."
Saint Carmen led the group to the coast of Saltwind City, where a medium-sized ship capable of carrying about fifty or sixty people was docked. After everyone boarded, they headed south to rendezvous with Rhodes Island.
En route the journey, Saint Carmen remained humble and began asking Shi Lei questions about philosophy, science, and the Starry Sky.
Shi Lei answered any question he could. Otherwise, he would use the standard press conference formula and dismiss the question with a "no comment."
After asking five irrelevant questions, Saint Carmen finally got to the point:
"Iberia has long suffered from the ravages of the Sea Creatures; we hope Mister Zhongli can help us eradicate this scourge."
Shi Lei's trip to Iberia was primarily to handle the Sea Creatures matter, and upon hearing this, he readily agreed.
"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here. I'll go straight for Sea Creatures's lair, you can rest assured about that."
Saint Carmen, having received the promise, finally felt relieved. His gaze swept over Texas, Mudrock, Xi, and Alty in turn, shocked by the dangerous aura they exuded. Only after confirming that these women were not just for show did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
When Saint Carmen first met Zhongli, she noticed several beautiful women present and confirmed they were Zhongli wives. She initially thought they were just there for the fun of it all, but now it seems she had been judging them by her own petty standards and had worried unnecessarily.
More than half an hour later, the group arrived by boat at a small seaside town surrounded by reefs.
The dilapidated state of the buildings here is hardly better than in Saltwind City. A sense of unease permeates the air, carrying an unusually dangerous atmosphere.
The black seawater looked as if it had been contaminated by nuclear radiation, making it impossible to discern its original color. The occasional floating corpse of a Sea Creatures made one frown.
Once the ship docked, three people claiming to be Extreme, Tiago, and Jordi came to meet them. They led the group to the camp where Kal'tsit and the Doctor were stationed.
Shi Lei is always decisive and efficient. Upon meeting, he went straight to the point:
"Amiya entrusted me with the search for the missing Skadi and Specter, but there's been no progress so far. I'm planning to storm the Sea Creatures's lair and need to borrow the Doctor. Don't worry about safety; I'll take full responsibility."
Kal'tsit remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by the request, and simply stared at him for several seconds:
"No problem, but before that, we need to determine if the Sea Creatures' lair has migrated. They have been breeding in the sea for many years, and when there isn't enough food near their lair, they migrate en masse. We need to restart the Eye of Iberia to see if we can locate it."
Shi Lei originally thought he could have Alty and the other three act as guides to head straight to Sea Creatures's lair, but it turns out they'll change it again?
He turned his head to look at Aya, who was closest to him, and asked her with his eyes for the reliability of the information. Seeing her nod slightly embarrassedly, he then looked back at Kal'tsit.
"Okay, where is the Eye of Iberia?"
Kal'tsit walked straight out of the camp, pointed southeast, and introduced the direction to everyone:
"That's the last and tallest lighthouse in Iberia — the Eye of Iberia. The communication devices on it might be able to contact the long-lost Golden Fleet. However, there are many Sea Creatures around the lighthouse, so it needs to be cleared before you can climb the tower. This Mr. Extreme can operate the equipment; just take him up."
"There's no need for that."
With Shi Lei's current skill level, there was no need for him to advance layer by layer like an adventurer. He summoned Rock platform with his bare hands, signaling everyone present to go up. Then he leaped into the air, heading straight for the top of the Eye of Iberia.
As Shi Lei approached at high speed, he didn't forget to use his Psychic Scan the surroundings. He discovered that the Sea Creatures inside and outside the lighthouse were frantically jumping into the water to escape.
Saint Carmen was utterly shocked by what she saw, and could hardly express her feelings at that moment.
As the leader of the Inquisition, he had fought against various Sea Creatures for decades. For the first time, these normally fearless beings scattered and fled.
So, even they have people they're afraid of!
Saint Carmen grew increasingly excited, clenching his fists inwardly. He felt that this time he could truly use Mister Zhongli's power to completely crush these Sea Creatures and bring a new life to Iberia, which was on the verge of extinction!
In fact, there are still many cult members within the country who are bewitching honest people and causing incalculable damage.
However, this kind of 'man-made disaster' will collapse after the destruction of Sea Creatures. Carmen felt that their Inquisition could handle it, and there was no need to trouble Mister Zhongli with everything.
The others didn't react much to this scene; after all, they had seen far more outrageous things. They were used to it and didn't experience any significant emotional fluctuations.
Upon arriving at the Eye of Iberia, Extreme immediately began operating the instruments. After a long wait, he failed to locate the location of Sea Creatures's lair. Instead, he received a mountain of unread messages on the communicator.
"Hey, come look here!"
As the crowd approached upon hearing the news, Extreme pointed to the information on the screen and explained to them:
"Among the missing Golden Fleet, there was a giant ship named 'Fool's Ship.' For years, it sent messages here every week, constantly reporting its coordinates. However, this place was previously occupied by the Sea Creatures, making it impossible to reply. The most recent message was sent two days ago, indicating that there are still Iberian Navy awaiting rescue on the Fool's Ship!"
"But it could also be Sea Creatures."
Kal'tsit's words immediately brought the atmosphere to a freezing point, and no one dared to respond.
Shi Lei wasn't going to tolerate her. After glancing at the message, he began to formulate his next plan:
"Whether it's people or Sea Creatures, let's go check it out first. How far is that ship from here in the Extreme?"
Extreme immediately pulled up the nautical chart and, based on the comparison, determined that it was more than 400 nautical miles from the lighthouse. Converted to land length units, that's about 780 kilometers.
Since the nearby Sea Creatures has escaped, leaving unrelated people here is fine. Shi Lei raised his hand to summon the Rock platform, walked up to it, and said to everyone present:
"After checking on the Fool's Ship's situation, I will track down the location of Sea Creatures's lair. Bringing another person will increase the risk. Besides my team and the Doctor, non- Technician should not come up."
Shi Lei's Jade Shield has a maximum coverage range of six kilometers. When heading to the Sea God Temple, it's highly likely that they'll need to dive to greater depths. If the range exceeds six kilometers, there will be a situation where protection is unavailable. That's why he made it clear beforehand and reduced the number of people traveling with him.