Above The Sky
Chapter 341 - 341 314 Approaching Gunfire 13

341: Chapter 314 Approaching Gunfire (1/3) 341: Chapter 314 Approaching Gunfire (1/3) In the distant waters of the South Sea, surrounding the Nameless Reefs near the Odell Reef Cluster.

A world completely enveloped by water.

This place was a secret ocean blue hole in the center of the reef cluster, featuring a suddenly plunging dark sea area, brimming with seawater, yet possessing a hidden drainage pipe deep within the cave entrance.

Every so often, the water inside the blue hole would drain completely, until rising tides brought about by the ebb and flow of the sea tides filled it once more.

The entrance to Redwood Base was located at the top of a ‘Z-shaped’ hole at the bottom of the blue hole, where a peculiar air wall separated the seawater; arguably, the drainage at the bottom of the blue hole likely led straight to the cooling area – in other words, a hidden entrance that could never be filled, yet was always blocked by deep sea waters.

Of course, to the pre-era civilization, this was probably just an exotic landscape.

But now, it was incredibly hidden, almost impossible to find.

The survivors of the guard squad from those years probably got tossed into this area by a great storm, and then happened to enter through the hole when the blue hole was draining.

Everyone stood at the outermost edge of the reefs, greedily breathing in the fresh natural air — even though the heavens and earth were filled with clouds and curtains of rain, it was still better than the suffocating and bug-ridden smell of the underground ruins.

“Finally, we’ve finally made it out — now we just need to contact Uncle Ailes…”

At this moment, Yisen Gard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been tensely on guard, trying his best not to become a burden to others, but to be of help to Master Gossay and Ian.

He did quite well.

Neither Master Gossay nor Ian expected that the seemingly naive golden-haired young man would be able to fight so competently, never flinching even during the battle with the queen beast and the Crystal Dragon, and in conjunction with Master Gossay, he delivered the decisive blow that defeated Patrick.

If that shot hadn’t been fired, regardless of the outcome, Ian might have had to tangle with his opponent for quite some time.

If that had been the case, the Aether Crystal Dragon might not have been able to defeat the queen beast within the overload time.

But when thinking of Viscount Grant, his expression became somewhat odd.

— After all, Viscount Grant and Patrick were the real friends.

His good relationship with the other party was completely because he was Patrick’s nephew, whom he saw as ‘a friend’s relative’.

And now, the friend’s nephew had killed the friend; he couldn’t expect Viscount Grant to show him any good face, and he could only rely on the grace and favor of the nobles and Master Gossay.

Upon honest reflection, Yisen Gard felt that it would be normal for Viscount Grant and Uncle Patrick to join hands to kill him; why wouldn’t these two friends, from childhood to adulthood, choose to cooperate?

It all seemed very strange…

“Uncle…”

With that thought, he couldn’t help but sigh again: “There were so many chances to kill me, yet they were all firmly passed up.”

“Do you actually want to kill me, or do you want to die…”

Rousing his spirits forcibly, Yisen Gard thought for a moment and decided not to provoke Viscount Grant.

It was best to let Bishop White Mist and Master Gossay, or even Ian, contact the Viscount and call for a pick-up ship.

Subconsciously, he turned his head to look at the three figures that emerged in his mind.

Bishop White Mist and Master Gossay were quietly conversing at the edge of the reef cluster, even activating Origin Quality to isolate their voices, obviously not wanting the ‘younger generation’ to hear.

And Ian…

Yisen was somewhat surprised to find that the young White Folks boy currently wore an expression very similar to the troubled look he had earlier.

At that moment, Ian was indeed in a state of doubt.

Memories from the past echoed in his mind, accessed through Foresight View.

He furrowed his brows, realizing that there was a very crucial problem hidden within these recollections.

“No, that’s not right.”

He pondered, his unease growing: “Father gave the blue key card to that Huai Guang Believer named Morin…

If he died in the great storm, then perhaps it wouldn’t be such a big deal…”

“But that key card, it should have ended up in Viscount Grant’s hands, right?”

Ian still remembered the purple mist in the Viscount’s Mansion.

It wasn’t the Viscount himself nor the Aether Armament; that purple mist was the cause of the Natives’ repeated assaults.

Looking back now, that was the key to the Native Holy Land.

The great storm fourteen years ago dealt a massive blow to both Harrison Port and the Ancestral Land Elephant Bone Mountain, leading the Natives to find their long-forgotten and sealed ancient ancestral records and to become aware of the location of their sacred land, left behind by their ancestors.

Yes, records left by their ancestors told them that within the Holy Ground, there were terrible demons and many Magical Beasts.

It was these perilously dangerous beings that forced them to leave the Land of Bliss.

But what of that?

Compared to being oppressed by the Imperial People now, perhaps what they should be doing is venturing into the Holy Ground to search for those ancient Magical Beasts and plagues that could be used as ‘weapons’.

However, the Natives lacked a key.

They lacked a key to unlock the main gate.

“It’s the key in Morin’s hands.”

Ian’s mental puzzle gradually unraveled, but his heart sank like a stone in the sea, “Indeed, Morin had sent the key and the Guard Squad’s call for help, but Viscount Grant pretended not to know.”

“He had obtained the key to the ruins’ main gate, and he also knew that there were relics of a previous civilization beneath the Southern Sea—he understood that the Natives’ Holy Ground was the ruins.”

“So… which possibility is it?”

“Did Viscount Grant kill Morin to keep it a secret, or did Morin die before he could deliver the message due to severe injuries?”

“Perhaps at that time, Harrison Port, which was being hit by a major storm, couldn’t go to the rescue of the Guard Squad survivors who were most likely already dead.”

Even as a Prophet, Ian couldn’t foresee or glimpse such details.

Besides, ultimately, whether Viscount Grant came or not, the survivors of the Guard Squad left at the ruins’ gate had no chance of survival.

Because of hunger, because of the revival of the Brain-Eating Parasite Spirit Energy, because of the madness brought on by fear, not long after Morin left, they began to kill each other.

They all died by each other’s swords, not by Viscount Grant’s silencing.

But…

Indeed, the Viscount did not come.

That, too, is a fact.

“Ian?”

A puzzled voice from a peer reached his ears, and the young man realized his lapse.

He took a deep breath, and then his expression returned to normal.

Ian smiled and turned his head towards Yisen Gard, “It’s nothing, just a feeling of being worlds apart.

It’s truly amazing how vast the world can be.”

“Haha, I feel the same way—though it’s going to be troublesome if the tide gets any higher.”

Yisen Gard could relate, even feeling a bit ‘sky-sick’ at the moment, an illusion caused by staying underground for too long, as if the sky were an empty void about to swallow him up.

Coupled with the sea tides hitting the rocks around them, he felt as though he couldn’t even stand steadily.

Of course, that was impossible.

A Sublimator at the First Energy Level couldn’t possibly be unsteady on their feet.

Unless…

The earth and sea were truly shaking.

Boom… Boom…

Off in the distance, there seemed to be the sound of naval gunfire.

“So, am I to understand that the Huai Guang Church is also dissatisfied with the current situation?”

“Huai Guang is discontent with all the suffering that fills this world, but as the ‘Maxims’ say, only Humans oppress themselves, Humans harm themselves.

It’s a knot no one can untie, and we won’t make any choice,” replied the Huai Guang Believer.

“Just like before, no matter who it is?”

“Humans may change, light may change, but Huai Guang will never change.”

“Alright… wait, there seems to be a change in the situation.”

Bishop White Mist and Master Gossay, conversing nearby, also ceased their whispered exchange between two elders.

Master Gossay furrowed his brows, looking towards another section of the sea, and then relaxed, “Hmm, I didn’t hear the engines of the fully armored battleships, nor is there a second Aether Armament.

It seems like the rapid fleet from the international waters has come to the Southern Sea to examine the situation.”

“As for now, they are probably just communicating with each other.”

The old man, having seen a wide variety of events, was unfazed by the increasingly noisy artillery fire from the open sea, “It seems we need to contact Ailes quickly and have him send someone to pick us up.”

“Otherwise, it might not necessarily be dangerous, but it’s bound to become troublesome.”