Chapter 344: A New Discovery |
Byron pulled Saul onto the shore. He noticed Saul’s soul body and magic were both unstable, so he took the initiative to handle Saul’s recovery.
“Hm?”
“I saw that sunken ship. And those strange glowing soul fragments.”
“Hm.” Byron reached out his hand, and a transparent, narrow-necked vial appeared in his palm.
Inside the vial swirled a white mist, with two glowing wisps drifting gently up and down.
Saul looked at Byron’s vial and silently held out his own hand. His arm hadn’t deformed—it was still grayish-white and hadn’t turned into a light source.
“I gathered a few too. That’s why I took a bit longer.”
“Hm!” Byron nodded. This “hm” was a little heavier, as though warning Saul not to be so greedy next time.
Saul actually still felt puzzled.
Was it because there were just too many fragments this time?
Maybe the diary hadn’t issued a warning simply because Saul could endure it.
“At the time, I thought I saw a thread. But before I could touch it, the diary suddenly absorbed all the impurities. Was that intentional too?”
What was that thread? Had the diary deliberately stopped him from touching it?
“I get the feeling something terrible would’ve happened if I had touched it… at least, the current me—clear-headed—would never poke it carelessly.”
“Hm?” Byron had no idea what Saul was thinking. He produced another vial, this one holding a thumb-sized gray stone.
“I found this too.”
Saul snapped his fingers. Little Algae instantly darted over, opening its wide mouth to reveal a chaotic mess inside.
Saul rummaged around inside and fished out two stones identical to Byron’s.
Holding them in his hand, Saul realized they looked like ordinary rocks—blending into the seafloor without drawing notice.
But once in his hand, the stone felt soft, like rubber.
Saul pressed lightly, and the gray stone cracked with a “click.” Yet before he could inspect the cross-section, both broken halves squirmed and reshaped themselves into irregular, vaguely spherical lumps.
“Not stone. Not metal either. This is some kind of synthetic material. Definitely shows signs of artificial crafting.”
Byron nodded, having reached the same conclusion.
But he seemed to have made another discovery as well.
He opened the vial, poured one of the gray pellets onto a reef, then took out a bottle of red liquid and dropped a single droplet on it.
The strange magic aura surrounding the gray substance vanished instantly. In its place, it emitted a wave of mental energy.
Sensitive to mental force, Saul instinctively leaned closer.
But the gray lump itself didn’t change much.
At that moment, Byron tapped Saul’s shoulder, directing his gaze toward the ocean.
Saul turned and saw the black sea glowing.
At first, one or two faint lights. Then five or six. Eventually, a whole cluster formed.
Though not as many as near the sunken ship, it was still enough to illuminate a ten-square-meter patch of water around them.
Drawn by some unseen force, the fragments drifted over, gathering near the reef.
“I’ve never seen anything that can attract soul fragments,” Saul marveled. Then his eyes lit up.
If this gray substance could attract soul fragments… could it be accepted by souls?
If used as a vessel—or to improve a vessel—could it solve the problem of soul bodies not being able to remain in containers for long?
Byron hadn’t been involved in the resurrection experiments, but he clearly saw potential in this strange gray substance.
When Saul looked up, he saw Byron staring at the sea, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Saul rested his chin on his hand. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about fusing it into your own skin, Senior Byron?”
And so, that night, two research maniacs dove again and again, collecting the gray material—surfacing only to breathe, then diving again.
They’d completely forgotten why they’d come here in the first place…
Unfortunately, the peculiar gray material was rare. After searching all night, even with their magic nearing warning levels, they’d only gathered a little.
As the clouds in the sky slowly scattered, a soft morning light spread across the sea.
The darkened ocean finally revealed its true colors.
But amidst the blue remained streaks of gray, giving the water a vaguely oppressive look.
Byron decided it was time to return—he couldn’t wait to study this newfound gray substance.
Saul had come here to replenish his soul fragments through the soul tide. Though he hadn’t seen that bizarre tide this time, he had no regrets.
Bluewater Bay would still be here. The tide wouldn’t vanish.
After a brief rest to restore their magic and mental strength, the two prepared to head back.
Saul still had no idea how Byron—who hadn’t learned flight—got here in the first place.
But he wasn’t eager to find out either. He had a feeling that knowing might chip away at his sanity. So he opted to fly himself and have Little Algae carry Byron along.
It just cost him a bit more magic.
When Saul spotted the coastline, he specifically looked toward the cliff where Parker and Andy had been hiding.
To his surprise, that cliff had collapsed. Their hiding spot was now a tall mound of dirt.
Only faint traces of blood lingered—enough to suggest they’d been injured, but had gotten away alive.
“They left?”
“Hm.” Byron’s expression grew serious as he analyzed the shape and impact of the landslide, trying to deduce the method and force of the attack.
Saul kept a sharp watch on their surroundings, eyes scanning every possible ambush point.
“Ehehe~” A little girl’s giggle echoed in his mind.
Saul instantly understood—Andy and Parker must’ve been tripped up by a little trick the Nightmare Butterfly had left behind.
And it looked like they got tripped badly.
“Senior, I think the enemy’s gone. Let’s leave too.”
Byron nodded in agreement.
The two cloaked themselves and left quietly.
Soon after they departed, the sun rose fully.
Bluewater Bay no longer seemed so dangerous.
Occasionally, a few fishermen would set out while the tide was calm, or scavenge seaweed and shells from the reefs.
But delicacies like black sea snails never appeared in broad daylight. Otherwise, people who harvested them wouldn’t be considered disposable.
The coastline of Bluewater Bay began to stir with faint activity.
Of course, that so-called “bustle” was only an upgrade from empty to three or four figures.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a wrinkled formal suit, carrying a massive luggage trunk on his back, stepped onto the beach.
Sander stood there, staring blankly at the vast, desolate sea beneath the lingering clouds, unable to come back to himself for a long time.
His sister had died at Bluewater Bay Port. Wracked with guilt, he had never returned since.
But when he learned from a Wizard that his sister hadn’t drowned, but had her soul taken by the soul tide here, he rushed over at once.
By the time he arrived, he’d nearly run out of money.
Patting the trunk, Sander said, “Don’t worry, Sis. I will find your soul.”
But first, he had to find a job here in Bluewater Bay to support himself.
He swore this to the sea, then turned and headed for the town.
As he walked, he saw a group of five or six children heading down toward the shore.
The weather was growing cold, and they were all underdressed. Huddled together, they whispered and giggled as they walked.
The sea breeze carried snippets of their chatter.
“…Wizard…obedient…remember…”
Maybe one of the older brothers was telling them Wizard stories—probably using them to scare the younger ones into behaving.
Sander looked on enviously, gently stroking the trunk at his back.
“Maybe we’ll meet again, Middor.”
(End of Chapter)