The Giant Turtle Rock Platform silently and swiftly descended through the water, leaving the raging winds and torrential rain above the sea behind. The images from the external monitors were projected onto several large holographic displays, which together formed an immersive scene, as though the thick armor around the bridge had vanished and everyone could directly experience plunging into the deep sea.
The sea surface above gradually receded. Before long, all they could see were vague flashes coming from above—the endless lightning storms of Io illuminating this Storm Star. The Sirens of this planet had first encountered lightning after arriving in the "Air World," while they did not come to recognize "sunlight" until more than a thousand years after Ivina observed the stars.
Unfortunately, these historical details had long since been drowned beneath Io's surging waves. It would probably be difficult for anyone to learn of them again.
As they descended deeper, the turbulent currents gradually calmed, and the raging winds and enormous waves seemed to have been cut off into another world. Darkness pressed in ever more heavily from all directions, but with it came a strange sense of security. Lily hugged her shoulders and hopped around beside Hao Ren. "Awooo, my fear of the deep sea has been triggered..."
Vivian casually smacked her aside. "Stop fooling around. Your brain isn't complicated enough to develop an illness like that."
"The deeper we go, the calmer it gets..." Shaqila coiled at the front of the bridge, gazing absently into the profound darkness outside. "When did our ancestors first swim up from the deep sea? Why did they think of leaving the safe and peaceful ocean floor? What did they feel when they first saw the storms on the surface? Wonder and delight? Or terror and unease?"
"A race with a