The Parsius sailed steadily through the coastal waters for several days.
Life aboard the ship remained orderly, with everyone assigned their own duties. They were all preparing for the operations ahead.
Everyone focused on the work at hand, and no one noticed Xeno in the corner.
Out of everyone's sight, he lightly hooked his fingertips over the wires running around the ship. Once he was done, he went back to studying the Petrification Device on his own.
The sea remained calm.
Several days later, under Chelsea's guidance, the Parsius successfully reached the coastal waters near Brazil's Araxa Mine.
Everyone disembarked and set foot in the region that held natural diamond deposits as well as a crucial lead in unraveling the mystery of petrification.
Araxa lay deep within the rainforest, surrounded by mountains and dense woodland. Its terrain was complex and offered excellent concealment. It was an ideal place to hide and conduct research, but also a dangerous location where they could easily be surrounded and wiped out.
Knowing full well that Stanley would not stop pursuing them, no one let their guard down. Their first task after landing was to establish a defensive stronghold of their own.
Everyone worked methodically to build thick barricades of earth and stone.
The tall, thick walls tightly enclosed the camp on all sides, offering protection against wild animals in the forest and temporary cover from bullets in the event of a surprise attack.
The entire stronghold took root deep in the rainforest.
Once the basic stronghold was in place, Senku sent people out into the surrounding mountains and forests to discreetly install miniature communicators in every direction, ensuring signal coverage throughout the area.
With the camp settled, everyone gathered to work through their battle plans.
Li Xiang spoke first.
"If we really go head-to-head