Chapter 803 The Goddess of the Sea

Chapter 802 Wondrous Illusionary Realm <TOC> Chapter 804 Visionary Illusion

Translator: SumTLMan

Jiebo was rooted to the spot in astonishment. 

He had recently broken through to the third level of apprenticeship, stagnating at the first major hurdle for a mere half a year. Based on his past experience, he would typically be stuck there for two to three years, or perhaps, with a stroke of luck, he might break through within a year.

But now he was actually feeling a noticeable easing in the blockage?! When he transformed into his elemental form, there was almost no hindrance, which was sufficient proof that his perception wasn’t mistaken.

Although the bottleneck was still there, according to Jiebo’s own experience, perhaps it wouldn’t take him much time to break through this minor hurdle and successfully advance to the realm of a third-level apprentice!

A hard-to-suppress joy surged up in Jiebo’s heart.

However, his joy lasted only a moment before another thought struck him: why had his bottleneck eased so significantly?

Only half a day ago, when he transformed into water, he could still clearly feel the stagnation. In such a short span of time, he didn’t believe he could have a sudden epiphany.

So what was the real cause?

Jiebo slowly lifted his head, looking towards the nebulous illusion floating in mid-air.

The answer was already self-evident.

The most unusual thing he experienced that day was suddenly entering a strange dream… or should it be called an illusion? In that dream, he had no memory, being a sorrowful fisherman struggling in a storm. He only managed to survive for a minute or two in the dream before perishing.

After his death, his memory returned, and the bottleneck loosened.

Everything happened logically, so Jiebo was almost immediately certain of the cause… the music that had escaped from the illusion for the second time was the problem!

As Jiebo was pondering, he felt a subtle disturbance in the water element energy.

Following the trajectory of the water element disturbance, he saw that all the merfolk on the back of the giant turtle had closed their eyes at some point.

Then, Jiebo clearly saw one merfolk knight after another waking up. Some merfolk, upon awakening, were still in a state of confusion, completely unaware of what had happened.

They were murmuring, “Why am I scared of a tsunami… is this a dream?”

Jiebo had a moment of realization. These merfolk were probably just like him before, pulled into the mysterious dream by the music.

The water element disturbance had nothing to do with these merfolk knights. It was the mermaid princess, who was the last to wake up. Accompanied by a soft chanting sound, she slowly opened her eyes.

It was this unconscious chanting that had caused the surrounding water elements to fluctuate.

Jiebo knew that the mermaid princess, to some extent, could control water through her song, but her power was very weak, almost comparable to that of a low-level sea beast.

But just now, the mermaid princess didn’t complete her full chant. It was merely a syllable that caused the water element to behave unusually!

What did this signify?

Her ability to control water had been enhanced.

As for the reason, it was likely due to that peculiar melody.

Jiebo stared into the fog with fervent eyes, hoping that the music would resound once again, giving him the chance to note it down.

But in the end, no melody escaped from the mist.

Time passed, and another hour elapsed. The Alchemy Omen that Jiebo had initially anticipated finally surfaced.

Countless water vapors rose from the sea into the sky, eventually completely enveloping the sea area within thousands of miles. This concentration of sea mist was denser than the fog in the Devil’s Sea. Visibility was reduced to a mere two or three meters; nothing could be seen beyond that.

To the mermaid’s eyes, this sea mist appeared to be a natural occurrence. But for the transcendent beings, they could clearly perceive the fluctuations of the Alchemy Omen.

Looking at this sea mist spreading across thousands of miles, Jiebo was also filled with questions: “Judging from the appearance of the sea mist, what Angel is crafting might be something related to water. But, for it to cause an omen across thousands of miles, this object must at least be approaching the high-rank, or even… reaching the high-rank!”

But isn’t Angel crafting a music box? Is there a need to craft it at such a high-rank? Or perhaps, he guessed wrong?

Regardless of whether he guessed wrong, Jiebo’s biggest doubt now was the music that had leaked out earlier. What secret was it hiding?

Why was it able to loosen his mental defenses? Why was it able to enhance the mermaid princess’s powers?

He wanted to understand the secret of the music, obtain the music, and even acquire the object that created this music. But, the alchemical item capable of producing this music, based on the current situation, he had no way to obtain it unless he decided to snatch it. However, the consequence of snatching would inevitably offend a promising alchemist.

After a brief consideration, Jiebo abandoned this idea. Previously, he had improved his relationship with Angel by providing some precious materials. There was no need to offend him at this juncture.

Unless he was confident that he could completely retain Angel.

But he didn’t have that confidence. Not to mention Angel’s own combat power, he wasn’t entirely sure he could handle the grey bird in the sky. Even if he managed to win the fight with the advantage of the ocean, it wasn’t necessarily possible to keep a bird that had comprehended the gravity lines.

Considering the balance of gains and losses and the comparison of combat power, there was no need for him to spoil the relationship between the two at this moment.

Since he had already become “friends” with Angel through the exchange of materials, Jiebo thought to himself, it wouldn’t be too difficult to ask Angel to craft one for him after this mission.

However, the prerequisite is that he must at least understand this music and unravel the mystery of the preceding dream. Otherwise, if he merely knocks on the door to announce his presence, wouldn’t Angel instantly discern his pursuit? 

But how can one comprehend this music? After a moment of hesitation, Jiebo’s gaze gradually drifts toward the direction of the mermaid princess. Angel’s inspiration for this alchemical crafting might stem from this mermaid princess of the Rogue tribe. Knowing Angel’s temperament, he should have a certain reward for this mermaid princess… With this thought, Jiebo’s eyes gradually brightened.

…

On the other hand, Angel, amidst the Alchemy Omen Sign, has perished countless times. 

He never expected that this Alchemy Omen Sign would require him to venture into the illusionary landscape he crafted himself. Currently, he found himself in a deeply dark space with two doors. One stood ajar, and the other was locked tightly.

Upon entering this Vision Space, Angel recognized his objective. To enter the opened door, and if he could manage to leave alive, the locked door would unlatch. That locked door served as the final exit. 

Between these two doors, a golden clock shaped like a sun was prominently displayed. The clock indicated a countdown, the hour hand ticking from zero. If the hour hand revolved full circle back to zero and Angel still couldn’t manage to exit that door alive, the Vision Space would vanish.

As for Angel’s fate, there’s a high chance that he would be lost in darkness, sinking into oblivion forever. This was Angel’s first experience with a Vision Space that had a countdown. He didn’t know what it implied, but he had no desire to taste the bitterness of failure.

Therefore, Angel embarked on his journey, entering the open door time after time. 

Every time Angel stepped through, he would arrive in the illusionary landscape he had crafted, transforming into a fisherman on a simple boat, in search of the final divine sign, hoping to return home alive. 

Angel was well aware of the illusionary landscape he had crafted and understood all its intricacies. In essence, it was straightforward. He had to rely on the simple boat, to find the Goddess of the Sea wandering in the raging sea. Upon meeting her, everything could be concluded. 

Sadly, every time Angel entered the door, death was his ultimate destination. Just like Jiebo, he met his end on the journey to meet the Goddess of the Sea.

If Angel were to use a music box crafted by him, he could easily find the Goddess of the Sea. However, this is an illusory realm created by the Vision Space, and when Angel enters the illusion, all his memories would be blocked. Only through death or finding the Goddess of the Sea can he leave the illusion and regain his memories.

Because of this, even if Angel understood all the aspects of the realm, he still couldn’t successfully find the divine miracle.

This challenge tests not only the ability to survive but also the courage to face the terrifying ocean when one is a mere mortal, as well as the ability to think calmly in desperate situations.

Of course, the most important factor is luck. In the mad ocean, the chances of encountering the Goddess of the Sea are extremely slim.

Angel sighed and decided to try once more.

Sometime later, Angel emerged from the illusion, dead again.

This time his luck was good; he quickly saw a faint light in the distance, representing the Goddess of the Sea. However, as he pursued the light source, a misjudgment led to him being brutally slapped down by a wave, ultimately sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Each attempt brought Angel frustratingly close, but always just short.

As the hour hand turned more than halfway around, Angel’s anxiety grew. It was then that he realized that although his memories were blocked upon entering the illusion, his state of mind before entering was still preserved.

When Angel became increasingly anxious, the “him” inside the illusion would become extremely agitated as well. In his haste, various mistakes would occur.

Upon realizing this, Angel did not immediately enter the illusion to face death again. Instead, he sat quietly in the dark space, slowly adjusting his state of mind.

When he entered the Vision Space with a calm and composed mindset, the results were indeed better. He could avoid many oncoming waves and find the most suitable position to evade them.

However, the giant waves were not a simple calculated array, but a constantly changing one. Angel could not be omniscient, and he still couldn’t persist in the ocean for long.

After dying dozens of times more, Angel wondered: was it all just down to luck?

How could a mere mortal persist in the midst of violent and chaotic waves, and even search for divine miracles at the same time, unless they were very close to the Goddess of the Sea upon entering?

He felt trapped in an endless cycle of death.

It seemed as if he had dug a huge pit for himself. Angel wanted to cry but had no tears. If only he had known beforehand to create the illusion with smaller waves or have the Goddess of the Sea fixed in one location. What was the point of arranging the divine turtle to carry the burden?

Despite his lamentations, Angel knew very well that when he was crafting the illusion, he couldn’t control it.

Chapter 802 Wondrous Illusionary Realm <TOC> Chapter 804 Visionary Illusion