Black Tide Emerges
"..."
It's not surprising that Wala Wala, which was supposed to return to the normal flow of time, dissipated here.
But at the last moment, her disappearance suddenly accelerated.
This is tantamount to a direct reminder to Linsey that the enemy is watching them and is interfering!
Faced with the scene before him, Ala Song looked at Linsey.
His tone carried a wry smile, but there was no sign of retreat or cowardice:
"So what we're dealing with are the Eighth Stage Fallen Artist of Black Tide Island?"
"This is really something that's not easy to see."
Linsey nodded seriously:
"She seemed very anxious and didn't even want Wala Wala to tell us more."
Ala Song then echoed his previous speculation, saying:
"So she must not be in good condition."
"Otherwise, why would Eighth Stage Awakened need to use these methods to deal with us?"
After being reminded by Wala Wala, Linsey had a different perspective.
He slowly shook his head:
"No, there is another possibility."
"That is to say, we are all important actors in her script, and under this premise, we certainly cannot leave the stage early."
"..."
Ala Song fell silent.
In common sense, writers of the Seventh Stage can manipulate coincidences to guide events. They cannot directly interfere with the complex and unpredictable nature of the human heart.
But what about Eighth Stage?
At this moment, there were no enemies in front of them, but the pressure was like a tsunami.
Ala Song asked:
"If that's really the case, are you still planning to go and save them?"
Linsey's answer was without the slightest hesitation:
"If this is a fate imposed on me by others, then I will tear it apart with my own hands!"
"..."
"Linsey! That's enough!"
"Everyone has broken free of petrification!"
At that moment, shouts came from the foot of the hill.
After all of humanity regained their freedom, the stone statues did not forget this place and quickly conveyed the good news.
Unfortunately, Linsey isn't in the mood to celebrate right now.
He tried to keep his tone steady as he answered the statues:
"It's good that you're alright."
"Now that everyone has escaped petrification, let's hurry back to the City of a Thousand Sails. This place is not safe to stay any longer..."
Linsey's voice suddenly softened.
He looked down the hill and saw that following the procession of stone statues were a group of awakened beings who had been petrified.
The leader of them possessed an extremely powerful aura of Essence.
The opponent made no attempt to conceal their strength.
Even from a distance, Linsey was certain that the opponent was definitely a Seventh Stage powerhouse!
The artist's emotions surged wildly around him—gratitude, passion, and anger!
"Linsey, right? Thank you for the rescue."
The awakened one bowed gracefully to Linsey before speaking methodically:
"As you've probably noticed, this is a Hallucination Dream."
"I will now use the Impression Channel to return to the City of a Thousand Sails. Please rest assured that I will ensure your safety as a token of my gratitude."
Then, the musician looked down at his feet.
He raised an eyebrow and stepped on the massive corpse of the Abyss Whale:
"Abyss Whale, I never expected that I would be successfully ambushed by such a thing."
The musician looked at Linsey again.
He could tell that the young man before him wasn't particularly skilled; he would likely kill the beast like a protagonist in a story.
"This Abyss Whale is your prey."
"If you don't have a good way to bring it back, I can do that for you."
Linsey could sense the other party's goodwill, but now he could only shake his head and refuse.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to figure out how to get back on your own."
"I have a friend who has been abducted into Hallucination Dream, and I must rescue her!"
The musician was quite concerned about Linsey's statement:
"You still have a friend whose whereabouts are unknown—I wonder if I could be of service in this matter?"
Linsey didn't want to endanger anyone's life, so she revealed the truth directly:
"My enemy is the Fallen Artist of Black Tide Island."
"It seems that the other side created this situation because they were stuck in the Eighth Stage and couldn't make any progress."
"..."
The moment Linsey uttered those words, the entire hall on the hill was filled with astonishment.
The Eighth Stage is already a dazzling star that is out of reach in the sky, let alone Fallen Artist from Black Tide Island!
Among the awakened ones who had been freed from petrification, one spoke in disbelief:
"Are you crazy? How dare you get involved in something like this..."
"Shut up!" the musician suddenly interrupted, looking at Linsey with a serious expression. "Mr. Linsey, you want to save your companions, don't you?"
Linsey's answer remained unchanged:
"Certainly."
The musician glared fiercely at the man behind him, the one who had just spoken against Linsey:
"That would be perfect!"
"The most important thing on the road of life is not to listen to the advice of fools, who have no idea what they are talking about!"
"Many low-class people just say, 'Learn from me.' Then they think that as long as they've saved up a little money, have some minor skills, and have a place in a small circle, they're qualified to tell others what to do."
"That's a ridiculous idea!"
The musician broadened his horizons:
"Listen, I know everyone wants to get back safely."
"Those of you who intend to return to City of a Thousand Sails, come here now, I will open the passage for you!"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
They just thought Linsey and the artist in front of them were crazy.
But forced by the reality of wanting to escape danger, they obediently lined up and waited for the musician's move.
Linsey also understood the musician's meaning:
"Sir, are you perhaps going to..."
The musician smiled slightly at Linsey, his face beaming.
From the Essence he exudes, one can feel the passionate enthusiasm of an artist:
"Since you saved me from danger, I am naturally willing to offer my humble assistance..."
Right in front of Linsey, the musician's pupils lost their luster.
Some terrifying destiny seemed to dominate his thoughts at this moment, causing him to give an answer completely different from his nature:
"To offer my humble efforts so that everyone can return safely to the City of a Thousand Sails."
"..."
The musician was being controlled.
Linsey fell silent for a moment, a chilling thought rising in his mind.
Who else but the Eighth Stage awakeners of Black Tide Island could do such a thing?
On the massive corpse of the Abyss Whale, as large as an island.
A dark, undercurrent is rising from the surrounding black sea, gradually seeping into everyone's heart.
The devil is reaching out his claws to people in the air.
"..."
"Linsey, come with me!"
At that moment, Ala Song, standing behind Linsey, seemed to sense something.
The painter's gaze was solemn as he looked at the sky ahead.
He then turned and ran, taking out a paintbrush from his pocket and starting to draw on his clothes.
As Ala Song ran and dodged something, he shouted in the painting:
"Linsey, listen up!"
"If I can't control myself, then take the clothes with me!"