Above The Sky
Chapter 294 - 294 279 The Stomach of the Behemoths 23

294: Chapter 279: The Stomach of the Behemoths (2/3) 294: Chapter 279: The Stomach of the Behemoths (2/3) Splash!

Everyone saw that an Ironclad Shark, missing one of its fins, opened its gaping mouth.

Amidst the panic-stricken escape of the black and white fish, it began to methodically hunt down those silver fish—although the silver fish indeed had the potential of Magical Beasts, what did that matter to an Ironclad Shark, nearly at the First Power Level Peak, at the top of the Southern Sea food chain?

They were nothing more than extremely tasty food!

At this moment, Shasha could truly be said to be sweeping through like a whirlwind, its mouth wide open.

It was starving, yet it couldn’t find any food it felt safe to eat.

If Ian hadn’t stopped it, it almost gnawed on those pre-era alloy walls that would have shattered its teeth.

Shasha’s hunting ability was indeed strong.

In a short while, the silver fish in the lake had been devoured to the last one.

Visibly, many small wounds and missing parts on Shasha’s body began to heal—the silver fish were truly nourishing for it.

Through the mist raised by Shasha’s rapid movement, the figures of the White Folks youth and the Pirate Captain also slowly appeared before the excited crowd.

Ian didn’t waste any time or words.

He looked around at everyone present and proclaimed in his distinctively clear, youthful voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve found a path to the outside world.”

“However, before that, I have something I need to do, so I won’t be accompanying you all.”

With Shasha settling in the underground lake and swallowing all the silver fish, the original white blind fish had basically all fled, leaving the whole underground lake extremely spacious.

As Shasha contentedly swam in circles in the now empty lake, Ian, who had just taken a few cannonballs as well as two high-grade Alchemic Cannonballs carried by the pirate, was conversing with Yisen and Master Gossay at the entrance.

At this moment, Ian was attempting to modify the structure of the pirate’s cannon to turn it into an easy-to-carry explosive bag launcher, suitable to be mounted on one’s back, colloquially known as the Heartless Cannon—difficult, it was not, nor would it lack in power.

As long as the Alchemy Energy Module was intact, it could definitely launch the cannonballs.

The problem was that carrying something like this was not easy.

Although Ian had the strength to lift it with ease, due to his size, he couldn’t find a rope that could firmly tie the cannon barrel.

In the end, it was Yisen Gard who silently cut off a strand of his own hair and mixed it into the rope as material, which finally allowed Ian to accomplish his task.

The physical attributes of Sublimators increased in all aspects, and since the Eclipsing Light Refining Dragon Bloodline didn’t significantly enhance physical strength, it meant it greatly improved in toughness, flexibility, and dexterity—even the hair was the same.

Ian’s own hair was more rigid, resembling metallic material that was too smooth.

Unless heated at high temperatures, it was difficult to fuse with other materials.

“What exactly do you need to do?”

Watching Ian modify the structure of the cannon’s Alchemy Energy base, Master Gossay asked bluntly, “You can conceal whatever you want, and even if El asks, I will cover for you.

Everyone in the team can vouch for you—but if you don’t clarify why, even though you know the exit of the ruins, you do not follow the group out, El will certainly notice.”

Master Gossay knew very well that the power Ian displayed in front of the exploration team and the pirates was simply that of a water inheritance holder with excellent swordsmanship.

Great swordsmanship could be explained as a natural talent, and the water inheritance could be explained by the legacy of the Chehalorvo Family.

Overall, while exceptional, it was not enough to arouse suspicion; at most, Viscount Grant might lament that Elder Prude was really good at hiding secrets.

But acting alone was something that couldn’t be concealed and was difficult to explain.

“Making an excuse is easy, just say I’ve been tracked by the special forces from Fiery Flame Land, and I plan to lead them to a Magical Beast Nest to shake off the pursuers,” Ian turned his head, looking towards the team that had already started preparing to depart.

He spoke slowly, “In reality, I’m planning to dispose of the Brain-Eating Parasite Nest located at the cooling water intake of the ruins.”

“It’s too dangerous,” the old man frowned.

“It would be safer and more practical to wait until the forces from El arrive, and I have regained my strength to clear it out after we emerge from the ruins.”

This was indeed the sensible way to handle it, but Ian merely countered with a question, “Can such parasites, once they enter the ecosystem, truly be eradicated?”

Master Gossay remained silent, while the young man continued to inquire, “Even if they can, in the short term, Viscount certainly won’t have the time to resolve the issues inside the ruins…

I dare say, right now above our heads in the Southern Sea, there are probably fleets from more than four countries confronting each other.”

“Not to mention that there are likely already a large group of foreign spies and scouts assembled in the port; if we go back, we won’t have the slightest chance to return to the ruins for at least a month.”

“If you ask me, the real battle begins the moment we return to Harrison Port,” Ian said.

This was the truth.

The very presence of the special action teams from Fiery Flame Land was proof they had already been lurking here, and no one could deny that other countries’ infiltrators were in Harrison Port.

“To put it nicely, Harrison Port is my hometown, and I don’t want the entire port to be filled with parasites with their mouths and eyes turned outward, bursting with worms,” Ian turned his head back, his tone still gentle.

“To put it bluntly…

Master, you know the reason, how could I allow it to continue to exist?”

Yisen Gard, who was nearby, listened with a look of half-understanding, while Andor’s face turned grim, wishing he were deaf; however, Master Gossay did know what plans led to the existence of Harrison Port.

If all this had to do with the Former Emperor and the First Knight…

“Alright, you’re right,” the old man convinced himself, nodding solemnly.

“I have to follow you; Brain-Eating Parasites, these ruins-dwelling parasites are indeed extremely dangerous.

If we’re not careful, we might suffer the same fate as Dawnlight City did back then.”

Dawnlight City was a labyrinthine town situated behind Mist Port 225 years ago, which thrived due to its exploration of unique plants within the labyrinth, with a resident population of more than 150,000, considered a medium to large city at the time.

But suddenly one morning, all communication from Dawnlight City went silent, and not a single member of the scout team that went to investigate returned.

When the Empire’s officials sensed something was amiss and sent a special forces team to survey the area, they were shocked to discover that Dawnlight City had become a city of death.

The countless assimilating vines that climbed out of the labyrinth did their work in a single morning, turning the entire population of Dawnlight City at the time, all 190,000 people, into nutrients and zombies.

From a little girl playing in the street with her parents to the most elite explorers, no one was spared, becoming bones dangling from the vines.

Afterward, the Fourth Power Level Titan, the ‘Arello Hundred-Armed Giant Vine’ that sprang from the earth, not only destroyed Dawnlight City but also the surrounding three towns and villages, intending to take root on the ruins of Dawnlight City and build its own ‘nest’.

If not for Marquis Lasur, who was stationed at the Tranquil Sea Fortress Cluster, leading the fortress’s garrison to swiftly mobilize, risking the destruction of their Aether Armament and nearly sacrificing himself, to icebound the Hundred-Armed Vine along with its nest.

The subsequent shelling from the artillery brigade would have probably been unable to inflict any damage on the Titan plant, let alone shatter its nest.

Later, after analyzing the restoration of Dawnlight City, the Empire learned that the Hundred-Armed Vine had awakened during the formation of the labyrinth, growing continuously with the flesh and blood of adventurers who died within—and by the time it acted, Dawnlight City had already been completely engulfed by its Heart Light Body, the Hundred-Armed Giant formed entirely from vines and leaves called ‘Giant God Arello’.”

It was as if the entire city lay in the belly of a behemoth.