The Mana Tide is About to Begin

"..."

Lan Qingyou fell into silence after seeing the food Gu Xiaobei had sent over.

The food this time was about forty centimeters long, and from the visible muscle fibers, it was clear that this was a part from some monster that exercised frequently.

She silently used the Small Screen to appraise it and reached a conclusion.

This was the thigh meat of a Water Arrow Frog.

To put it more simply, it was the thigh meat of a giant magical frog capable of using the Water Arrow Spell.

Fine.

At least it was edible, and it even added 2 points of Strength.

Lan Qingyou reached out, caught it without any utensils, and tore off a piece with her hands to put into her mouth.

Must say, it was grilled to perfection.

Not only was it crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and chewy, but it also carried a faint, refreshing fragrance.

It must have been marinated with herbs similar to mint.

She just didn't know where that girl managed to get so much cumin, Chili Powder, and pepper; Lan Qingyou even spotted things like chopped green onions.

The food on Gu Xiaobei's side was getting better and better.

Lan Qingyou was eating frog meat, and naturally, Steel Wool was eating frog meat too.

It was just that today's frog meat was a bit too big for it; its little head tilted left and right, unable to find a way to take a bite.

So, after finishing her own meal, Lan Qingyou wiped her hands and began tearing up the raw frog meat for Steel Wool.

As she tore it, Lan Qingyou stuffed it into Steel Wool's mouth.

Watching its little head retract and expand as it swallowed the frog meat, Lan Qingyou couldn't help but laugh out loud.

[Ding! Attention everyone on Blue Star, the first Mana Tide is about to begin. This tide will last for three natural days. Please stay inside your Level 3 Shelter and do not go out, or bear the consequences yourself.]

Just as Lan Qingyou was leisurely feeding Steel Wool for amusement, the voice of the World Will suddenly echoed in her ears.

Mana Tide?

Three days?

Counting the days, it had been about twenty-seven days since they were forcibly transported here; wouldn't three more days make it exactly one month?

This was like a final exam at the end of the month!

Thinking this, Lan Qingyou's expression shifted slightly, and she adjusted the Desk panel to the World Channel to see the situation.

However, before the World Channel could react, Steel Wool gave its feedback first.

"Jiji jiji—"

Steel Wool, which had been happily eating frog meat, cried out urgently, flapping its wings as it rushed into Lan Qingyou's arms to be held.

Lan Qingyou was stunned, then frowned as she used her hand to shield it.

It was strange; could this Mana Tide be even more severe than the previous Mana Turbulence?

To the point that even an Aurora Snowy Owl inside the shelter felt afraid?

Recalling that some animals were far more sensitive to natural disasters than humans, Lan Qingyou's expression couldn't help but change.

But remembering that she had a Level 3 Shelter, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Level 3—even if the basic materials were easy to find, not everyone possessed one. No need to panic.

So, while soothing the chirping Steel Wool in her arms, she absentmindedly scrolled through the messages on the World Channel.

"Oh my god, I thought there wouldn't be any more extreme weather."

"In your dreams, did you forget what the Karim World Will said at the beginning? How could there not be extreme weather?"

"I'm in a Level 3 Shelter, I'm not panicking at all."

"So envious, how did you upgrade to Level 3?"

"Is there any necessary connection between the Mana Tide and the Mana Turbulence?"

"Probably, don't forget this is a planet where even the river water and air contain mana."

"I feel like this Mana Tide might be stronger than the Mana Turbulence, I suggest everyone don't go out."

"Great suggestion, my suggestion is for you to stop suggesting things next time."

"The World Will just said it clearly, do you think we're stupid? Stop acting like an expert here."

"Why is the sky outside an abnormal shade of red?"

"Is that red? If you hadn't said anything, I would've thought it was purple. Am I colorblind?"

"The wind is picking up."

"I can see the ocean from here, the waves are huge right now. I wonder if it will turn into a tsunami."

"Holy crap, a waterspout!"

"It's over. If a tsunami hits, my shelter will definitely be flooded."

Lan Qingyou turned her head to look out the window; the night sky, which should have been pitch black, was now displaying an eerie purple hue.

Outside the window, the scene was accompanied by purple lightning and gale-force winds.

If compared to the previous Mana Turbulence, that turbulence was nothing more than a light breeze in the face of this Mana Tide.

"Damn it! The runes on my shelter have started to light up!"

"Mine are lighting up here too!"

"Why aren't mine doing anything?"

"What do I do, what do I do? The runes are flashing so scarily."

Runes?

Lan Qingyou looked up at the runes inside her own shelter and found they were not lit.

But that was only for the moment.

The very next second, those runes began to glow with a green light, followed by incessant flickering.

Lan Qingyou was stunned.

This was the sign that the Magic Protective Shield had activated; someone had mentioned it during the previous Mana Turbulence.

Could it be that even a Level 3 Shelter couldn't withstand the Mana Tide?

Looking at the shivering Steel Wool in her arms, Nan Qingyou fell into doubt.

"What do I do! I feel like the light from my shelter's runes is getting dimmer and dimmer!"

"You're not imagining it; the light from the runes here is the same."

"A Level 3 Shelter can't even block it?"

"Even the Level 3 Shelters are lit up; everyone is running around in a panic right now."

"Someone save me! I haven't found my daughter yet! I can't die!"

"Heh, Blue Star People cannot be saved. Let's all just die together!"

"Mom, Dad, I don't think I'm going to make it. You two need to live well."

In an instant, the World Channel fell into a state of collective pessimism.

Many people's messages looked as if they were leaving their final words.

It was clear just how desperate they were right now.

"There is a rune in the room that is the opposite of the others. Everyone, look for it! Once you find it, throw the materials you've collected onto it. The Reverse Rune will automatically absorb the mana from the materials to replenish the magic power of the Magic Protective Shield!"

Just when everyone was at a loss, such a message appeared on the World Channel.

Following that, more and more people forwarded this message.

It directly reached the point of flooding the screen.

Whether it was true or false, with it being the only hope appearing, almost everyone began searching the runes of their shelters.

Of course, Lan Qingyou was no exception.

After all, she didn't want to die yet.

However, because it was a Level 3 Shelter and she was alone, it took some time to search.

This was a race against time.

Although it was troublesome, Lan Qingyou didn't complain, instead burying her head and searching frantically.

To avoid having to redo any work, she examined every single rune very carefully.

Of course, she still held Steel Wool in her arms while searching.

From the eighty-square-meter first floor to the forty-square-meter second floor, and then to the twenty-square-meter third floor, it took her a full three hours or so before she finally discovered that rune in a corner on the third floor.

Just as the previous message had said, it was exactly the opposite of the other runes.

At first, Lan Qingyou wasn't sure.

After all, if you look at a single character for too long, you experience visual fatigue and semantic satiation, let alone so many symbols.

She rubbed her eyes; it was reversed.

She closed her eyes and opened them again; it was still reversed.

That's right, it's you, little guy.

Having finally found the rune, Lan Qingyou breathed a sigh of relief. Since the existence of the rune was real, then what those people said earlier should be correct, right?

Thinking this, Lan Qingyou took out her Appraisal Glasses from her pocket to take a look.