Though documentaries always portrayed the underwater world as possessing scenery utterly different from that on land, in reality, the waters beneath the surface were more often dull and dim.
After several days of submerged sailing, the Beyonders aboard the Scylla gradually formed three factions. The two unfortunate teams from the Storm Church and the Machinery Church had formed an alliance, maintaining basic cooperation while remaining wary of MI9.
The main reason they were not overly wary of the Sanguine was that they knew the Sanguine would not dare to go for the kill unless absolutely necessary, even though they currently held an overwhelming advantage in force.
After all, the Sanguine had acted far too conspicuously this time. Both the Mandated Punishers and the Machinery Hivemind knew their teams had come to track them. If none of these people returned, the blame would naturally fall on the Sanguine.
But MI9 was different. If those treacherous bastards got the chance, they might very well strike from the shadows and wipe them all out.
MI9 naturally understood this as well. However, what they were thinking about now was not making a move, but guarding against the Sanguine killing one or two members of the Machinery Hivemind or the Mandated Punishers and pinning the blame on them.
At the end of the day, MI9 also had a clear goal in this expedition. The Lord of Order's Beyonder Characteristic was their sole pursuit. As for the remaining riches, obtaining them would certainly be nice, but not enough to make them fall out with the two major Churches. They would not mind sharing some of them with the two Churches, either.
Once this delicate balance formed, everyone instead began performing their respective duties. Yet the silence, combined with the gloomy underwater environment, placed considerable physical and