While the morning mist still clung to the coral reefs like colorful gauze, the Youth Guardian Camp had already set foot on the waters of the Mist Archipelago aboard the "tide boat" (woven from hollow giant kelp, capable of rising and falling with the waves) sent by the islanders. A Mu's New Sprout Sword, its scabbard imbued with Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern by the Snow Spirit Qilin with a " Tidal Talisman "—it glows a pale blue when exposed to seawater, preventing the blade from getting damp and aiding in sensing ocean currents; A Ya's bag contained not only the usual purifying plant seeds but also " Tidal Coral Grass " seeds cultivated by Liya specifically for the marine environment—this grass's roots could penetrate coral reefs, absorbing Evil Energy particles from the seawater, and its leaves could secrete mucus to help repair coral cracks; A Shi's patrol log had been updated with two new columns: "Coral bleaching rate" and "pearl oyster survival rate," and a grayish pearl specimen was clipped to the corner—an "anomaly mark" sent by the islanders after Loran had communicated with them beforehand.
"Follow the direction of the Tidal Tree, and you'll find the Coral House on the main island!" Loran stood at the bow, his fingertips lightly touching the sea surface—the water rippled faintly, a testament to his sensing the Evil Energy fluctuations in the ocean currents. The golden figure of the Icefield Wolf crouched by the ship's side, its nose occasionally bringing close to the surface, barking softly as it approached the gray-mist-shrouded coral reefs. The waters around the archipelago were exceptionally fantastical: the morning mist, refracted by the sunlight, formed colorful fog that clung to the coral reefs, red, pink, and purple corals swaying gently in the water. But the closer they got to the main island, the darker the corals became; in some areas near the reefs, the corals even appeared whitish. Faint black threads floated in the water, and even many of the pearl oysters, which should have been gleaming white, had their shells closed, as if they were asleep.
Upon arriving at the coral house area of the main island, several islanders dressed in seaweed clothing stood on the shore, holding wooden basins filled with grayish pearls, their faces full of worry. Seeing the tide boat, a young island girl with braided hair and adorned with coral beads hurried forward, her voice urgent. "Lord Loran, you've finally arrived! For the past two weeks, the corals near the shore have grown increasingly white, the pearls produced by the pearl oysters have turned gray, and even the leaves of our ' Tidal Tree,' which we depend on for survival, have begun to wither—the chieftain says that an evil mist has entangled the coral reefs, sucking away the life force from the seawater."
A Mu followed the girl to the shallow water near the shore, his fingertips lightly touching the seawater—a coolness even more moist than the Evil Energy energy of the Icefield washed over him. It was the " Mist-Turbid Evil Trace," formed by the combination of Evil Energy and seawater, spreading deeper into the coral reef with the ocean current. "It's fel mist dissolving into the seawater!" A Mu looked up at Loran, his tone certain. "I learned this in the bay before. Evil Energy spreads with the current. Here, the fel mist is intertwined with the seawater. We need to use ' Tidal Language,' which resonates with the ocean current, to 'filter' the Evil Energy of the coral reef."
The island girl nodded, pointing to the " Tidal Tree Grove" in the center of the sea. "Under the oldest Tidal Tree is our pearl-diving area, and the evil mist started spreading from there. We tried to soothe the ocean currents with ' Tidal Language,' but the evil mist is too stubborn. We can only barely stop it from drifting out to sea; we can't purify the corals near the shore."
Loran gazed towards the Tidal Tree grove—a peculiar group of trees, their trunks twisting like ocean waves, their leaves a translucent emerald green, opening and closing with the tides. On the oldest trunk, several fist-sized ancient pearls were embedded. " A Mu, try combining the power of ice and fire with the tidal resonance!" His fingertips glowed with a pale blue light as he lightly touched the sea surface. "First, use the power of fire to heat the shallow water, evaporating the evil mist into vapor. Then use the power of ice mist to condense the vapor, locking the Evil Energy within ice crystals. Simultaneously, use the Tidal Talisman and ocean current resonance to guide the purified seawater to nourish the coral—remember, the power of fire must be gentle; don't burn the coral and pearl oysters."
A Mu took a deep breath, held the New Sprout Sword upright on the ship's side, and following the incantation taught by Loran, first condensed a wisp of gentle flame power at his fingertips—the flame did not directly contact the seawater, but instead formed a thin film of fire above the surface. As the shallow seawater was heated, it indeed produced a pale gray vapor, which was the evil mist dissolved in the water. Next, he transformed the power of ice mist into fine ice crystals, gently enveloping the gray mist vapor. When the ice crystals landed, they were accompanied by extremely faint black threads. A Shi immediately caught them in a wooden box and labeled them "Evil Mist Ice Crystal Sample."