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"It seems you've remembered."

Skadi mechanically raised her head upon hearing this. Looking at Haisi, who claimed to be her sister, her eyes were filled with confusion.

“My sister, my mother, my grandmother—they were all killed by the Agors. All my years of revenge were a mistake. Damn it, I am mortal enemies with the Agors and the Deep Sea Church! Yet, I killed so many of my own people…”

“Isamara, you are innocent. You were manipulated by the Agorians to turn your sword against your own people. We are all in agreement and have never blamed you.”

Skadi wanted to speak, but a sudden taste of blood welled up in her throat, forcibly swallowing her words. It wasn't guilt, but a profound sense of bewilderment.

She suddenly realized that all her efforts over the years had been in vain. She had worked for the murderers of her loved ones for so long, and she should thank them for reforming her.

Absolutely disgusting!

Hai Si clearly doesn't have a concept of being sarcastic or unfriendly; he expresses his opinion based on the facts.

“Isamara, it’s actually a very simple truth. If we collectively invade the Agorian cities, do you think there will be any survivors?”

"..."

In that instant, Skadi felt as if something had connected to her consciousness.

Her skin began to ache, and her vision was deafening. She felt like she was going crazy, as if she had established some kind of connection with the distant ocean. She felt that some creature from the deep sea was calling to her!

The bishop, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to hurl insults at Skadi and Gretia:

"You bastards, why can you receive the messenger's blessing? Why can't I? This is not fair!"

The bishop suddenly raised his voice, and even his mumbling couldn't hide his anger:

"I will tear you to pieces and punish you for your blasphemous acts! The lives of experimental subjects are precious, but sparing the lives of you bastards is a waste of resources. I will kill you here and crush your corpses, scattering them across the earth. Let the lowest of land creatures devour every part of your bodies!"

Skadi was already injured before entering the cave, and the Sea Child who had enlightened her showed no intention of intervening. This was because the bishop who had swallowed the Sea Child's flesh and blood was also considered a member of the Sea Child.

It will not participate in battles between its own people.

Goredia was locked in a fierce battle with another sea creature, stabbing each other through, and had no time to attend to this side.

But there were more than just the three of them at the scene.

Skadi hurled her greatsword with all her might, and the bishop hastily dodged. However, her target wasn't the bishop, but rather the pod imprisoning the Specter.

The greatsword, accompanied by a gust of wind, smashed a hole in the incubation chamber. Blue nutrient solution instantly gushed out, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside caused the hole to quickly shatter.

The Specter Shark has awakened.

At her peak, she shattered the incubation chamber with a single punch, becoming the key to deciding the outcome of this battle.

Before the bishop could react, the injured Specter launched an attack without hesitation.

The bishop's body was severely damaged by the onslaught of the storm. His withered body was like a deflated balloon, emitting a stench even worse than that of snail rice noodles.

"You... bastards..."

Skadi and Specter noticed his unusual behavior and immediately retreated to a safe distance.

The bishop's body rapidly expanded, and the cave walls shattered abruptly as he waved his long beard. Eyelids detached from his enormous eyes, and countless tentacles surged forth from his once lean and short body!

The bishop, now transformed into a gigantic monster, writhed its tentacles, shattering all the instruments. Its body, though already close to Hai Si, unleashed a torrent of human rage.

Skadi picked up her greatsword and stood in front to block. Faced with the enormous force, she couldn't help but retreat several meters.

The bishop roared desperately, trying to tear the three deep-sea hunters to pieces. But he found that his limbs could no longer extend, and he could not break through the limit no matter what he did.

It was restless and eager to evolve.

The bishop turned to the onlookers, the messengers of the sea, for help, but what he uttered was a roar that made no sense.

It sacrificed its ability to communicate as a human and was unable to establish a collective consciousness with Haisi. As a result, its last remaining lifeline failed.

Ghost Shark, having found the circular saw, fights alongside Skadi, who has taken up the greatsword, just like before.

They are experienced deep-sea hunters who use their speed to close in and launch short-range attacks.

The bishop felt pain and genuine fear. He sensed that he was likely to perish here today.

The bishop tried to escape, but his enormous size greatly limited his mobility, and he was chased and hacked down by the deep-sea hunters.

It has no lungs, nor a vocal tract. The unintelligible low moans are its new body's way of expressing its agony.

Under the combined attack of the two deep-sea hunters, the bishop's swollen body was pierced through. With a bang, countless pieces of flesh exploded out, splattering throughout the cavern.

Even using a greatsword to block the shredded flesh was useless, because the disgusting smell around them was nauseating.

The Sea King's envoy ignored this and calmly extended an invitation to Skadi:

“Isamara, the great flock is calling. You can come with me to the Temple of Poseidon to learn more about the truth.”

Skadi knew that the Temple of Poseidon was the lair of the Sea Hell, but she never imagined that it held information unknown to others:

"The truth? What truth?"

The envoy from Hai Si did not answer, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense:

You'll see when you get there.

The Specter Shark, having just awakened and unaware of the Sea King's true nature, once again raised its circular saw, ready to launch an attack.

Seeing this, Skadi quickly stepped in to block them:

"Wait, this Hai Si isn't a bad person. Some things are complicated, I'll explain them to you on the way. Let's leave here first, before the Inquisition comes looking for us."

Specter didn't trust Seagate, but she trusted Skadi. Hearing this, she put away her circular saw and left.

Specter didn't know why Seabrook had invited her to his lair, but she could use this opportunity to destroy it. Perhaps this was the only chance Agor could get a respite. But that was assuming she was unaware of the crimes Agor had committed.

……

"Alright, no need to go in."

Shi Lei has already completed the scan with his mental power and will now share the results with everyone:

"The person isn't here, let's go outside."

Dan and Aya looked at him with disbelief. But then they remembered that this man was Zhongli, who was above all others, and they were no longer surprised.

Perhaps, like these giant sea creatures, they possess sonar-like capabilities. Therefore, they can leave without needing to delve deeper into the cave to investigate.

However, the four of them did not detect any sonar fluctuations just now. Could it be a lower frequency sound wave?

After leaving, Shi Lei stood on the ruins of the church, turning his head to look north, as if waiting for someone.

Before Aya could ask, she saw an elderly man with white hair and a long sword at his waist leading a group of judges rushing over from afar.

The judge carrying a lantern behind the white-haired old man was named Eleanor. Her pupils dilated sharply upon seeing Shi Lei, as if she had spotted some incredibly important figure:

"Your Holiness, this is..."

The white-haired old man interrupted, continuing:

"No need for introductions, I know this Mr. Zhongli. Kal'tsit said that he stopped the war single-handedly, and he might be the key to solving the problem of the Sea Siege."

The white-haired old man who spoke was Carmen, the only surviving saint of Iberia. He was the supreme leader of the Inquisition and dedicated his life to eradicating the Hai's offspring.

Shi Lei's physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people, allowing him to hear their conversation from a great distance.

Saint Carmen quickly approached him, bowed respectfully, and then said:

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Shi Lei shook his head slightly and pointed to the ruins behind him:

"I am Zhongli, the leader of Liyue, and I have been sent here by Amiya, the leader of Rhodes Island, to find an operator codenamed Skadi and another codenamed Specter. Unfortunately, when I tracked them here, I found that they had vanished without a trace. The sea is below, so they have probably escaped far away by ship. If you find them later, please notify Rhodes Island."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely do as you say!"

"Also, were you sent by Kal'tsit?"

Seeing that Zhongli had revealed her identity without introduction, Saint Carmen was too embarrassed to hide it any longer and confessed:

"Yes, sir, please follow me."

Saint Carmen led the group to the coast of Saltwind City, where a medium-sized ship capable of carrying about fifty or sixty people was moored. After everyone boarded, they headed south to rendezvous with Rhodes Island.

Throughout the journey, Saint Carmen remained humble. She began to ask Shi Lei questions about philosophy, technology, and the starry sky.

Shi Lei would answer any question he could, without reservation. Otherwise, he would use the universal formula of press conferences, dismissing the other party with a "no comment."

After asking five irrelevant questions, Saint Carmen finally got to the point:

"Iberia has been ravaged by the sea for too long. We hope that Mr. Zhongli can help us eliminate this scourge."

Shi Lei's trip to Iberia was primarily to handle the Haisi matter, and upon hearing this, he readily agreed:

"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here. I'll go straight for Haisi's lair, you can rest assured about that."

Saint Carmen, having received the promise, finally felt relieved. His gaze swept over Texas, Mudrock, Xi, and Alty in turn, shocked by the dangerous aura they exuded. Only after confirming that these women were not just for show did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon their first meeting, Saint Carmen noticed several stunningly beautiful women present and confirmed they were Zhongli's wives. She initially assumed they were just there for the spectacle, but now it seems she had been overly suspicious and presumptuous.

More than half an hour later, the group arrived by boat at a small seaside town surrounded by reefs.

The dilapidated state of the buildings here is hardly better than in Saltwind City. A sense of unease permeates the air, carrying an unusually dangerous atmosphere.

The black seawater appeared to be contaminated by nuclear radiation, completely obscuring its original color. The occasional floating corpse of a sea creature was enough to make one frown.

Once the ship docked, three people claiming to be Extreme, Thiago, and Jody came to meet them. They led the group to the camp where Kal'tsit and the Doctor were stationed.

Shi Lei is always decisive and efficient. Upon meeting, he went straight to the point:

"Amiya has entrusted me with the search for the missing Skadi and Specter, but there's been no progress so far. I'm planning to storm the lair of the Sea King and will need to borrow the Doctor's help. You don't need to worry about safety; I'll take full responsibility."

Kal'tsit remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by the request, and simply stared at him for several seconds:

“No problem, but before that we need to determine if the Sealings’ lair has migrated. They’ve been breeding in the sea for many years, and when there isn’t enough food near their lair, they migrate en masse. We need to restart the Eye of Iberia to see if we can locate it.”

Shi Lei originally thought he could have Alty and the other three as guides to head straight to Hai Si's lair, but it turns out they'll be replaced?

He turned his head to look at Aya, who was closest to him, and asked her with his eyes for the reliability of the information. Seeing her nod slightly awkwardly, he then looked back at Kal'tsit:

"Okay, where is the Eye of Iberia?"

Kal'tsit walked straight out of the camp, pointed southeast, and introduced the direction to everyone:

"That's the last and tallest lighthouse in Iberia—the Eye of Iberia. The communication devices on it might be able to contact the long-lost Golden Fleet. However, there are many sea creatures around the lighthouse, so it needs to be cleared before you can climb the tower. This Mr. Extreme can operate the equipment; you can just take him up."

"There's no need for that."

With Shi Lei's current skill level, there was no need for him to advance layer by layer like an adventurer clearing a dungeon. He summoned a rock platform with his bare hands, gesturing for everyone present to climb up. Then, he leaped into the air, heading straight for the top of the Eye of Iberia.

As Shi Lei approached at high speed, he didn't forget to use his mental energy to scan the surroundings. He discovered that the sea creatures inside and outside the lighthouse were frantically jumping into the water to escape.

Saint Carmen was utterly shocked by what she saw, and could hardly describe her feelings at that moment.

As the leader of the Inquisition, he had fought against various sea creatures for decades. For the first time, these normally fearless beings were scattering and fleeing.

So, even they have people they're afraid of!

Saint Carmen grew increasingly excited, clenching his fists inwardly. He felt that this time, with the help of Mr. Zhongli, they could truly crush these Sea Hells and bring a new life to Iberia, a nation on the verge of extinction!

In fact, there are still many cult members within the country who are bewitching honest people and causing incalculable damage.

However, this kind of 'man-made disaster' will collapse after the destruction of Hai Si. Carmen felt that their court could handle it, and there was no need to trouble Mr. Zhong Li with everything.

The others didn't react much to this scene; after all, they had seen far more outrageous things. They were used to it and didn't show any obvious emotional fluctuation.

Upon arriving at the Eye of Iberia, Extreme immediately began operating the instruments. After a long wait, he failed to locate the location of Hai Si's lair. Instead, he received a mountain of unread messages on the communicator.

"Hey, come look here!"

As the crowd approached upon hearing the news, Jijing pointed to the information on the screen and explained to them:

"Among the missing Golden Fleet, there was a giant ship named 'Fool.' For years, it sent messages here every week, constantly reporting its coordinates. However, this place was previously occupied by the Sea Siege, making it impossible to reply. The most recent message was sent two days ago, indicating that there are still Iberian naval personnel awaiting rescue on the Fool!"

"But it could also be Hai Si."

Kal'tsit's words immediately brought the atmosphere to a freezing point, and no one dared to respond.

Shi Lei wasn't going to tolerate her. After glancing at the message, he began to formulate his next plan:

"Whether it's a person or a sea creature, let's go and check it out first. Extreme Realm, how far is that ship from here?"

Ji Jing immediately pulled up the nautical chart and, based on the comparison, determined that it was more than 400 nautical miles from the lighthouse. Converted to land length units, that's about 780 kilometers.

Since the nearby sea creatures have escaped, leaving unrelated individuals here is fine. Shi Lei raised his hand to summon a rock platform, walked up to it, and addressed the crowd:

"After checking on the Fool's situation, I will track down the whereabouts of Hai Si's lair. Bringing another person will increase the risk. Apart from the people I'm bringing and the Doctor, non-technical personnel should not come up."

Shi Lei's jade shield has a maximum coverage range of six kilometers. When heading to the Sea God's Temple, they will most likely need to dive to great depths. If they exceed the six-kilometer range, they will be unable to provide protection. That's why he made it clear beforehand to reduce the number of people traveling with him.