Chloe's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely ominous feeling welled up inside her. She shoved the lookout aside and rushed to the window to observe.
Without realizing it, the airship had already drawn quite close to the Masha Archipelago. Its bustling ports and ships lay exposed before Chloe's eyes.
She was a Transcendent, her vision far superior to that of ordinary people. Even without binoculars, she could tell that something was wrong below.
The island was indeed crowded and orderly, but just as the lookout had said, there was something off about the people.
They were too big.
The proportions looked wrong no matter how she viewed them. Chloe hurriedly took the binoculars and carefully looked down.
Sailors unloaded cargo from ships, patrols from the Pirate King's Court shouted orders to maintain order, and the archipelago's natives peddled snacks and drinks. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Except for one thing: those doing all of this were not humans, but Fishmen.
Chloe's pupils shrank to pinpoints, trembling without pause.
She moved the binoculars toward a distant outpost, where Fishmen stood guard with scimitars. At the market farther away, Fishmen sold sea fish and vegetables—while other Fishmen carried baskets as they shopped, picking through goods and haggling over prices.
She turned to the other side. Fishmen. Turned again. Fishmen, Fishmen—nothing but Fishmen.
The entire island was filled with Fishmen. There was not a single human!!!
"What... is this island called?"
"Tula Island..."
Tula Island was an insignificant little island. The Masha Archipelago had many more islands; perhaps only this place had gone wrong. The thought surfaced in Chloe's mind.
The other islands had to be fine!
The people aboard the airship quickly agreed to check the other islands first. As though fleeing, they sped toward another nearby island.
"They're all Fishmen."
Chloe