"Is this the place?" Sophia asked, looking at the vines below, which looked no different from the others.
Arka looked at the map and nodded.
"Yes, that's right. Looks like another place with underwater treasures."
Having secured her position, Sofia slowly lowered herself into the water, keeping only her head above the surface. Once completely submerged, she dropped to one knee, bracing herself with her hands on the vines.
A ring of light appeared above her head and the triangular gem began to spin slightly.
The surrounding area instantly darkened, contrasting sharply with the sunlit areas nearby, as if they were enveloped in a dark cloud.
A stream of light emanated from Sophia's body, turning into silver ripples that penetrated under the vines.
They wouldn't normally do that.
Mainly because Arka made it clear that this place was extremely dangerous and that extreme caution was required here.
That's why Sofia conducted a preliminary in-depth study.
Silver ripples pierced the vines and flowed down the sea water.
Although the seawater and vegetation slightly blocked the spread of the silver ripples, the area did not contain the materials needed for the spell.
So this small obstacle was insignificant.
The silver ripples continued to widen.
The vast expanse of sea below was clearly reflected in Sophia's mind.
A fairly clear and voluminous image of this area arose in Sofia's mind.
Besides the two of them...
Also nearby were Lucelia, Pororo, Julia and Matresa.
Jason and the other two were in charge of gathering information in the city, so they didn't join them.
To collect such sensitive information, they needed a lot of time, and the best source was people.
Sometimes you have to admit it. Compared to aliens, whose appearance is noticeably different,
Being human makes it easier to trust.
While Sophia was exploring... A strong wind blew from the sky, and the object, shining brightly in the sun, flew down.
He landed smoothly in the water.
It was the crystal dragon Urulius, who lived outdoors.
He was in a very bad mood.
Julia and Matres came over to console him and pulled out of their pockets the gemstone rings Jason had given them before leaving.
They then removed several dolls from Urulius's body and began to carefully examine them for any areas that needed repair.
The wings behind these dolls indicated that they were all from Team Nine.
They were responsible for monitoring the safety of the surrounding area of Urulius and reporting to Alka and the others about any situations that Urulius encountered.
After all, Urulius was still a child.
With the appearance of the stone, the Crystal Dragon's mood clearly improved.
It was clear from her voice that she was still complaining about Jason's shortcomings and was apparently upset that he had not come to her.
These two women could only console.
Besides them, Lucilia was accompanied by five Wu doll girls and her team.
They were examining some strange conical machines.
"I didn't detect any unusual energy fluctuations... if there is anything strange about them.
"Sixteen long, vine-like objects hang down into the depths of the sea, beyond the reach of even my waves."
"More than 100 meters?" Alka asked.
Sofia nodded.
"Hm..."
If it exceeds 100 meters, then the environment in that area of the sea is clearly not suitable for Alka and her team to fight.
Only three Pororos could fully realize their potential in this area.
Trouble.
Arka considered waiting until her power reached the fourth stage, relying on hidden ways to absorb the power of dreams to deal with this danger.
Obviously, the deep water made the situation even more risky.
Additional preparation was required.
"Oh, now it's your turn," Arka said.
Wu and her team nodded and began manipulating the cone-shaped devices, lowering them deeper into the water. Of course, they were only responsible for steering, not for the actual diving.
The detection devices began to move underwater towards the dozen or so tangled vines that Sophia had just mentioned.
They swam down, following the vines.
It was a unique deep-sea detection device designed by Simon.
As the object gradually sank into the depths of the sea...
All communication was instantly lost.
Six doll girls opened their eyes at the same time.
"Something instantly destroyed the detection equipment at a depth of 168 meters."
It seems that there really was a danger.
"Can you confirm that this happened?"
"We didn't notice. The enemy attack was incredibly fast: all six detection devices within a 20-meter radius were instantly destroyed."
He shook his head with a hint of regret.
It looked even more dangerous than they imagined.
"What if I go down and take a look?" Pororo suggested.
Alka shook her head: "No, it's too dangerous."
This operation looked like a failure.
Apart from confirming that the situation below was indeed dangerous and that the danger zone was 160 metres, they achieved nothing more.
Alka resolutely refused further research.
"Get ready, we're coming back."
Do all this. The group began to return to the city.
Along the way they encountered patrolling soldiers who seemed to recognize Alka and his group and nodded.
Their group was clearly visible.
Returning to the greenhouse, Alka sat down on a bench among the flowers and thought.
"I guess I need to find an excuse to go to church and ask."
It wouldn't be a good idea to let Jason go straight to the church and ask.
Alka decided to act on his own.
"You'll have to come up with a reason," Julia reminded him.
"Which excuse should we choose?"
Sofia thought for a moment and said, "We don't need anyone special. Just say we're here to explore, isn't that enough?"
Countless predecessors have done just that, and I believe most people here think the same about us."
Alka nodded as if this was really so.
The church and local authorities almost tacitly acknowledged that strangers like themselves were coming to Zehai. These were all reconnaissance groups, arriving for various observations and research.
Over the years they have become accustomed to it.
Trying to come up with an excuse can easily be seen as deception.
"Okay, let's do it."
If there are any requirements, we need to know what they are.
...
"So gathering information really means going to the tavern?" Simon asked, looking around.
At the moment they were in the tavern.
Simon, Jason, and Juanlu sat at the table like travelers out for a drink. They ate slightly meaty side dishes and drank wine that was clearly made from some kind of flower.
It had a unique taste.
Jason seemed to be a regular.
He fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the tavern.
Looking a little sloppy, he ate the side dish and washed it down with wine.
"Of course, this is the best place. You may not get any important information, but you'll definitely get some interesting insights."
Simon glanced at Juanlu, who was standing next to him.
Huanglu also seemed unusually relaxed and even enlivened the conversation at the next table.
After all, he had observed Jason's actions more than once or twice and was already familiar with the process.
He even learned a lot from Jason.
"Another stranger showed up recently and he looks like he's a big shot," one customer said vaguely.
"Who told you this?"
"Isn't my brother in the army? I heard about it a few days ago, and I heard they still live in the flower forest."
"So rich?"
"Hmm, we paid for it."
"Really? That's disgusting! Why are we spending money to provide these strangers with decent housing?"
As they talked, more and more people joined their conversation.
After all, these were just tables in a tavern; one couldn't expect them to be well separated.
Hearing the conversation, Jason also joined in.
"I heard that they seem to be from the Church of the Holy Mother of God."
"Yes, yes, I heard that too. It seems they saved a lot of people in the Emerald Fortress."
"Really? You're not talking nonsense, are you?"
"It's true. The fruit seller just returned from there yesterday."
"Okay, there will always be good people."
"If everyone were like these crazy people, it would be terrible."
Simon simply watched Jason, and soon he blended into the crowd, joining in the insults.
He even quickly changed his mind about them.
He even inexplicably began to talk to them about the political system of the church.
On diplomatic relations with surrounding forces.
About the waiters and some of the female visitors.
???
So how did they do it?
Simon, who was not so thick-skinned, found this difficult to understand.
Then he realized that Huanglu, who was sitting next to him, had disappeared without a trace.
He looked around the bar.
He found him chatting with a woman while drinking at a bar.
Looking at the way they were chatting and laughing,
They were clearly having a very pleasant and meaningful conversation.
What? ? ?
Simon was confused again. How did they do it?
There must be a reason why these two were often chosen to gather intelligence.
Simon could only think about it in his mind.
He sat in his place and drank silently. The scientist and explorer found it difficult to adapt to the local atmosphere.
"Friend, are you drinking alone? Is something bothering you?"
A woman with a slightly flushed face and a strong smell of alcohol sat down next to Simon.
Because the wine was made from fresh flowers, the woman gave off a strong floral scent.
"No, I just like someone."
Simon looked at the strange woman.
From the point of view of an ordinary person, this strange woman could be considered quite beautiful.
But she looked too thin.
"Really? You're a stranger, aren't you?" the woman asked drunkenly, reaching out to touch Simon's open right hand.
The right hand reflected a distinct metallic sheen; ordinary Flower People did not have metallic hands.
"It's so hard."
The woman's slender fingers, stained with a drop of wine, sparkled in the light as she gently tapped her steel hand.
Simon frowned slightly at this action.
The woman's hand began to stroke the back of the steel palm, feeling the coolness of the metal.
"Do you feel it? Like a normal hand?"
Looking at the woman's hand, which had already begun to rise from the back of the palm to the wrist,
Simon frowned even more.
He stood up and pushed her hand away, then raised his right hand to examine it. He picked up a napkin lying nearby and wiped away the alcohol.
The disgust on his face was genuine.
He even sniffed it.
The faint smell of alcohol from his gentle hand filled his face with disgust, as if he were dirty.
He looked at the slightly stunned woman next to him, his face full of displeasure.
He pushed back his chair and prepared to leave.
But after taking two steps, he seemed to understand something.
He returned to his seat, took a glass of wine and a plate that stood in the middle of the table, and left.
Faced with Simon's obvious excitement, the stunned woman reached into her pocket, pulled out a palm-sized mirror, and looked into it carefully in the light.
Then, confused, she raised the left hand she had just extended and sniffed it carefully.
Simon's actions left her feeling a little unsure.
Finally, she could only mutter under her breath: "Smelly, metal man."
There was a chaotic noise from the side.
Come back.
Two drunk men were already fighting.
A large open space was immediately created where they fought, and all the surrounding tables and benches were cleared away.
Men and women stood everywhere in the tavern, some even sitting on tables, watching the fight unfold.
"Come on, harder!"
"Aren't you drunk? Are you still struggling with that little power?"
"What's the point of you having so little strength? You're not even as good as me!"
This was said by the grandmother, she looked about fifty years old.
Looking at my grandmother, who was leaning on a crutch with one hand and holding a bottle of wine in the other, one could have thought that in her youth she had been a real fighter.
The fight between the two men became increasingly chaotic.
The noise of the surrounding crowd grew louder, and there were even gambling tables set up nearby.
Many people joined in enthusiastically.
Faced with the chaos, even the bartender and owner behind the counter did not intervene, but instead watched the proceedings with great interest.
When the fight began, the patrons had already cleared away the tables and chairs that surrounded the fight.
As a result, the two men in the middle were left without weapons and were forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Simon walked over to Jason, who was also watching nearby. "Shall we go?"
Jason shook his head in response to Simon's words.
"This man has abnormal emotions." Jason, who had long ago formed a pact with the Crystal Dragon, also possessed the special ability to sense its emotions.
The man being beaten looked noticeably thinner than his opponent, and his eyes were bloodshot.
There was something wrong with him.
"Off? Off," Simon said.
How could he be out of his mind if his eyes were already red from the fight, especially after drinking alcohol?
Then the blood in the man's eyes seemed to threaten to burst out of his sockets, leaving barely noticeable traces of blood around them.
"Okay, it's definitely off," Simon repeated, this time without the indifference in his voice.
"Roar!"
With a piercing roar,
The man's clothes tore as he grew in size.
Blood stains around the eye sockets began to spread across the entire body, quickly expanding like a web.
His hands turned into sharp claws.
Countless amounts of blood gushed out from his pores, painting his entire body blood red.
The sudden change stunned his opponent.
Before anyone could react, blood stains appeared.
Red claws rushed forward.
They instantly pierced the fighting man's chest and then violently twisted it inside out.
The heart, still beating, attached to fascia and flesh, was torn out.
Blood gushed out in a stream.
The color of the transformed monster even became crimson.
"Aaaaah!"
A woman's scream was heard.
Chaos broke out in the tavern.
"There's a monster! Run!"
"Why are these madmen who have turned into monsters here?"
"Soldiers! Where is the Flower Knight?"
Chaotic roar.
"Blood!"
The suddenly transformed monster roared and began attacking the tavern patrons who were trying to escape.
He attacked indiscriminately.
"Shall we go?" Juanlu asked, approaching Jason and the others. Jason didn't answer, instead looking at Simon.
Simon already had lenses on his glasses to determine strength.
"Not much, barely reaching the third stage. But judging by his build, it's clearly stronger than the energy he emits."
Hearing this,
Jason said bluntly, "Stop him. Take him alive if possible."
Hearing this, the other two did not ask any further questions.
All three immediately rushed forward.
At that moment, the monster's sharp claws were already striking the woman, who desperately retreated and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
A blue magic bullet struck the monster, instantly freezing its hand.
A thick, long club swung forward and struck the monster's frozen hand.
Three balls floating on the stick immediately bit her.
Three spheres circled around, their sharp teeth like cutting machines.
In a split second, the entire frozen arm was bitten off.
The three spheres pounced on each other, devouring their share of food.
The spheres instantly turned blood-red, increased in size, and began to exude a certain tinge of madness.
Since the monster's origin was clearly disturbing, Huanglu did not allow the food consumed by his three realms to be converted into energy and transferred to himself.
Instead, he used it to strengthen himself.
Two thick, chaotically connected metal chains flew out, grabbed the frightened woman lying on the ground and dragged her away.
"Run! It's not safe here."
Simon threw the woman out of the tavern without even looking at her.
Raising his hand, he threw out a clot of energy.
The monster grabbed her instantly.
"Be careful!"
— Jason suddenly raised his hand.
Large amount of splashed crystals.
In an instant they closed the monster's open mouth.
The monster's head seemed to swell with tension.
The attack that began was brutally suppressed.
The only sign of what he was about to unleash was the lava flowing from the corners of his mouth.
Under the control of three men,
The people in the tavern quickly ran away.
...
Alka, having made inquiries, had already arrived at the church grounds.
This place was located behind a giant flower bud.
A greenhouse that looked only slightly larger, but behind it was a vast network of greenhouses.
This area has been transformed into a complex of buildings.
Looking at the greenhouse in front of him, Alka was about to enter.
The young woman in the floral dress looked at Alka.
She stopped him.
"Excuse me, are you Master Alka?"
When the girl called his name, Alka nodded.
"Yes."
The girl nodded and extended her hand to lead Alka inside.
"Master, please follow me. The head gardener is waiting for you."