Eastern Test Site.
A small room was packed with people, every face grim. No one spoke. Apart from the wooden table in the center, the room held no furniture. Theus looked around at the people gathered around the table and broke the silence.
"Ash, you go first. Start with what's happened recently."
Ash glanced at the corpse on the table and nodded.
"Lately, the Pollution Serpent has suddenly started expanding faster. Those Sea Urchin Monsters are ranging farther and farther, too. I used to go into the sea to find them and scout their positions. Now I spend the whole time dodging them as they hunt me."
"How many Sea Urchin Monsters are nearby?"
"At least ten, and that's just around the island. I can't get far from the island anymore. There are so many in the surrounding waters that I see them soon after going in. They're advancing far faster than we imagined."
"What about the Fishmen?"
"I haven't seen any. Whenever I spot a Sea Urchin Monster, I keep well away from it. The Fishmen probably have a smaller range. If not for what happened today, I'd have thought they'd all disappeared."
Theus nodded. The situation was worse than his bleakest prediction. Based on his observations and calculations, the Pollution Serpent shouldn't have reached the waters around Castel for another month. By then, the island should have been covered in fortifications and strongholds.
But now the Pollution Serpent seemed to have a mind of its own. It had set its sights on Castel and was closing in on the island first. Ash had noticed that back when he could still venture out.
"Chloe, Una, Alexei, how is the church renovation coming along?"
The three exchanged glances. Chloe cleared her throat and spoke first. "The guardian inscriptions are finished.