Chapter 2446 Woof Woof’s Target <TOC> Chapter 2448 Chairman
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel was also drawn to the immense sound that erupted.
Looking in the direction of the sound, it was coming from the Mysterious Fruit atop Number 03’s head!
The moment the fruit emitted the sound, she also shook slightly, and her skin began to redden.
“Thump——”
The second sound, following a minute later, resonated again, still echoing across the sky, carrying with it a strange and terrifying air shock wave that swept across the sea. Moreover, the mysterious aura, which had been suppressed by the attraction power and remained hidden, began to disperse with the sound.
“This sound, why does it seem a bit like a heartbeat?” Angel whispered softly to himself.
A heartbeat? The Enforcer glanced at Angel, finding the analogy quite fitting, but how could a fruit possibly have a heartbeat?
“Lord, is the fruit about to mature?” Angel asked.
The Enforcer pondered for a moment before responding: “It’s uncertain, but it appears to be entering the next phase of transformation. Perhaps, this transformation signifies a new stage of growth, or it might indicate that it is about to mature.”
“So, what should we do now?”
The Enforcer: “Nothing is needed from us, just wait quietly.”
Angel nodded, no longer speaking. He followed the Enforcer’s advice and quietly watched the distant fruit.
Missing any new changes in the fruit at this time would mean Angel’s return was in vain. Thus, at this moment, Angel cast aside all other extraneous information and focused solely on the Mysterious Fruit.
Another minute passed, and the fruit emitted sound again.
As the colossal sound fell, the power to absorb the blood and flesh of sea beasts grew stronger. The wave that Number 03 stood on was only a few dozen meters high initially, but now it began to slowly rise.
At this moment, Number 03 did not seem to be controlling the fluctuation but stood atop a crimson pillar of blood, below which lay a vast blood-red sea, looking evil and strange.
The blood of more sea beasts spread further into the crimson sea.
The “thump” continued rhythmically, now serving as the “heartbeat” of the Mysterious Fruit, the death knell for wave after wave of sea beasts, and the roar that boiled the sea.
Angel did not know how far this sound could travel, but in their area, the entire sea was churning like boiling water.
The blood-water kept bubbling, resembling blood-colored lava.
The “thump” persisted, and in places beyond Angel’s sight, the mysterious fluctuations, along with the boiling sea, had spread beyond the Mist Belt, advancing toward more distant seas.
This peculiar spectacle was soon noticed by others.
In a secluded watchtower near Sidro Island, a bewitching woman with long purple hair made her way to the top of the tower.
She was dressed in a tailored black gown, standing on the rooftop terrace, gazing into the distance.
“Today, for the second time, the sea has begun to boil again,” the purple-haired woman frowned, “What in the world is happening?”
As the purple-haired woman pondered, a gust of wind suddenly struck, causing her long curly purple hair to flutter wildly behind her, and her skin seemed to stretch with the force of the wind.
Yet, she did not seek to shield herself from the gust, instead extending her mental tendrils outwards.
After a moment, the wind began to subside, and she stood there, frozen in thought…
“Is this a mysterious fluctuation?”
The purple-haired woman suddenly looked up, her eyes sharply focusing in the direction of the Mist Zone, from where the mysterious fluctuation was emanating.
“This wild and uncontrolled mysterious aura doesn’t seem to be manipulated. It seems more like it has arisen spontaneously.”
Spontaneously?
“Could it be, after Silver Palm Island, the sea is about to give birth to another Mysterious Object? Or could this be the same Mysterious Object from Silver Palm Island?”
Whatever the case, going there would reveal the truth.
The purple-haired woman then waved her fair arms, and under them, black feathers began to grow at a visible rate, elegant and sleek in form, swirling with her arms in a dance reminiscent of swans intertwining necks in a lake.
With wings unfurled, the lady in the elegant gown took to the skies. After circling above the watchtower twice, she did not immediately depart but instead conveyed a message to the inside of the tower: “Helen, activate the information tower for Summer Dew Ridge at once, inform Lady Pei that a Mysterious Object might have emerged in the Mist Zone. I will check the details.”
A slightly plump woman came to the watchtower window, giving the skyward swan lady a reassuring gesture.
“Silkvine, leave this to me, and be careful on your own.”
The swan lady, Silkvine, gave her dear friend a slight smile: “Don’t worry, I won’t act rashly. If Lady Pei comes, remember not to contradict her, and the greeting protocol is to kiss the toes of her feet three times… I know you might find it hard to accept, but please, do it for yourself, and for our future.”
Helen nodded: “I understand.”
With no more to say, Silkvine sliced through the night sky, leaving a white trail behind her, speeding towards the Mist Zone at an extraordinary pace.
Silkvine and Helen represent just a glimpse of the extraordinary individuals who noticed the mysterious aura, with many more transcendents also sensing the widespread range of the mysterious fluctuations.
Among them, a part involves transcendent consortias conducting business at sea. These consortia, mostly backed by the White Shell Shipping Company, swiftly relayed the news to Sky Mechanical City.
The Mist Zone is suspected to contain the emergence of a Mysterious Object!
As one of the major trading hubs in the Southern Region, Sky Mechanical City dutifully spread the news. It wasn’t long before numerous wizard organizations had received the message.
Although the Mysterious Object was of significant importance, the precedent set by the incident at Silver Palm Island made many wizard organizations more rational, and they sent large expeditions to explore.
However, the distance of the Mysterious Object meant that, despite organized efforts, some organizations still sent one or two wizards to open planar passages and hurry towards the direction of the Mist Zone.
For a time, extraordinary individuals began to gather sporadically near the Mist Zone.
At this moment, Sanders and his companions, having just left the Mist Zone, also noticed the tense atmosphere surrounding them.
“Someone wearing a bird-beak mask, half of his body modified by machinery, just flew over our heads,” Cindy whispered. “I feel like he glanced at us. Did he discover us?”
Nisi replied, “That was Magnusson from the Harmonization Council.”
Cindy expressed surprise, “Wizard Magnusson?”
This wizard was usually low-key, but his reputation was significant, evident from one of his titles: a member of the Research Institute.
Indeed, he was a veteran alchemy master specializing in mechanical modifications.
“It’s him. With Lord Phantom Master’s illusion protections, he shouldn’t have directly discovered us. However, as a leading figure in mechanical alchemy, Magnusson is extremely sensitive to all mechanical alchemical creations. Many of the machines we use in our daily lives were developed by him, so perhaps it was the scent of the machinery that made him look down,” Canter, who had no private relations with Magnusson but understood some secrets at their level, explained.
“Magnusson’s direction is towards the Mist Zone… He must have sensed something odd here, but his decision to come investigate suggests he knows about the birth of the Mysterious Object and his desire for it outweighs other concerns.”
Nisi squinted, “Magnusson usually stays in Sky Mechanical City. If even he has received the news, it means the message about the Mysterious Fruit has already spread.”
Canter nodded, “Probably. With the Mysterious Object appearing in the Devil’s Sea again, it’s likely to become another bloodbath following Silver Palm Island.”
Sanders stated calmly, “With the lessons from last time, not many might come. But those who do, if they have means, are likely to result in more deaths than last time.”
After all, the incident at Silver Palm Island involved a Mysterious Object that seemed controllable. The danger for wizards came more from their peers than from the Mysterious Object itself.
On this occasion, the Mysterious Fruit had transformed into a state of disorder.
For the vast majority of wizards in the Southern Region, “disorder” was an unfamiliar term; they had no understanding of how terrifying things that had become disorderly could be.
Once caught in the rhythm of disorder, perhaps only one in ten of these wizards would survive.
“Regardless, many wizards have already heard the news, and it’s likely that quite a few have entered the Mist Zone… I wonder if Angel will be affected?” Firo sighed.
Firo’s words slightly dampened everyone’s spirits.
In their eyes, Angel’s decision to return was a gamble, and it was very possible that he would remain there forever.
Sanders said, “Angel’s situation is different; he… should be fine.”
“As for whether the wizards who go in will affect Angel, personally, I think they won’t. It might even help Angel.”
After all, the disorderly object has not yet matured, and nobody knows its exact effects. The more people that enter into disorder, the more who will experience it. Since it’s impossible to observe the effects of the disorderly object over time, using lives to stack up might reveal its effects and limitations faster.
Angel has the support of his domain and “external assistance.” As long as he can last until the disorderly object’s effects are clarified, his chances of survival are greater than if he were alone.
This was Sanders’ line of thought. However, he didn’t voice it, as the others weren’t aware of Angel’s external assistance.
“Don’t worry about Angel. Since he has made his choice, he naturally has to pay the price for it. I believe he knows what he’s doing,” Sanders paused, then looked at Nisi, “By the way, Nisi, you must be tired, right?”
Nisi: “? ? ?” Tired? Why suddenly bring me into this?
Sanders squinted: “I think you must be tired.”
Nisi: “What do you mean by ‘think’? Isn’t it supposed to be ‘I feel’?”
Firo glanced at Sanders, then turned back to Nisi, seemingly understanding something: “Right, right, Wizard Nisi, you’ve been to the laboratory and faced the attraction power, you must be tired. Why not take a rest and rejuvenate.”
As Firo spoke, Sanders looked off into the distance, seeing another wizard enter the Mist Zone. He muttered to himself, “I hope the people from the Savage Grottoes don’t come… The Mist Zone is now a huge pit.”
With Firo’s persuasion and Sanders’ mutterings, Nisi finally understood Sanders’ hint——
To inform the people of the Savage Grottoes not to get involved with the Mist Zone, as it was a massive trap!
Realizing this, Nisi coughed twice: “You’re right, I am indeed a bit tired. I’ll take a small rest inside the armor of a soul servant, just a little rest.”
With that, Nisi summoned a bone armor knight and directly lay inside the knight’s armor.
Upon donning the bone helmet, the inundation of external, superfluous information instantaneously vanished, and he himself plunged into a deep slumber.
Canter gazed upon this strange scene, his eyes filled with confusion: What exactly are you all hiding?
Wasn’t Nisi perfectly fine just moments ago? How did he suddenly become exhausted?
If fatigue were truly the matter at hand, shouldn’t he, of all people, feel it? After all, he had been constrained by the attraction of the Mysterious Fruit for the better part of the day!
Amidst Canter’s speechlessness, Sanders gently patted Canter’s shoulder, stating, “Many matters cannot presently be elucidated to you, yet, soon enough, you will come to understand.”
Following his words, Sanders silently appended in his heart: Of course, this all hinges on Angel’s safe return.
“Let us proceed,” he declared.
Following this declaration, a massive ship slowly navigated towards the horizon.
This ship was not solely carrying Sanders and his companions but also a plethora of common folk.
And this vessel was none other than the Moonlight Toucan.
……
The sound of “thump,” initially rhythmic, occurring roughly once every minute, with each occurrence, the fruit swelled slightly and turned a more vivid red.
As time progressed, the frequency of the “thump” sounds began to increase, transitioning from once every minute to every fifty seconds, and then gradually to every thirty seconds.
This process of interval reduction persisted for a whole half-day.
Based on the current pace, in another half-day, the frequency might reach once every second, or even multiple times per second.
By that point, the fruit might enter the next phase of its transformation.
…
During this waiting period, no one dared to speak, even the distant Magnificus De Pawel, who had previously fixated its attention on Angel, now, like everyone else, focused entirely on the rhythmic beating of the fruit.
Angel, initially like the others, found his attention increasingly fragmented with the growing influx of arrivals.
As the mysterious fluctuations began to radiate outward, Angel anticipated the attraction might draw curious individuals. Yet, the actual turnout vastly exceeded his expectations, including several familiar faces among the newcomers.
For instance, a man standing about twenty nautical miles away, distinguishable by his bird-beak headgear, was no stranger to Angel.
Magnusson.
A fellow member of the Research Institute, Angel was well-acquainted with his notoriety.
When Angel was nominated by Muse to join the institute, Magnusson stood firmly in opposition. This was not borne of any personal animosity towards Angel but stemmed from a difference in allegiance.
Although Magnusson was an alchemist within the Harmonization Council, a wizard organization under the Frost Moon Alliance, he essentially represented the Frost Moon Alliance’s interests.
Given Angel’s strained relations with the Frost Moon Alliance, Magnusson’s stance naturally aligned with that of the alliance.
Beyond Magnusson, Angel’s gaze also settled on another wizard whose presence evoked a sense of déjà vu.