Shrouded Seascape

"According to your information here, anything in the air shrouded by the darkness will become a relic. What's the reason behind that relicfication? Is it because of a certain phenomenon or something?" Julio asked as he stood before Charles in his sand figure form.

"Not sure. I didn't really go too high up," Charles replied. He then turned to look at the beautiful young woman next to him. The young woman was clad in a long robe, and despite her young age, her eyes emitted not a single hint of a young person's vigor.

Instead, her eyes contained a genuine deep-seated sorrow that would make anyone shudder at the sight of it alone. The young woman's eyes were like the eyes of someone in despair.

"Who is she?" Charles asked.

Before anyone could say anything, the young woman took the initiative and introduced herself in a gentle and pleasant tone of voice. "Greetings, Governor Charles. I've long heard of your name. My name is Jenny, and I've become the temporary representative of the Western Seas thanks to Governor Julio's help."

"The Western Seas..."

Seeing the deep wariness in Charles' eyes, Jenny smiled and said, "I'm different from those old-fashioned fogeys. If I were to borrow their words, someone like me, who has not even a smidgen of talent for magic, wouldn't even be qualified to become their servant.

"I am just an ordinary person, but I represent them."

"I don't care about your business. I only want to know whether the Western Seas are still willing to contribute their fair share of resources and manpower for the exploration on the surface," Charles asked.

The exploration of the surface world would become incredibly difficult by relying solely on the support of the Northern Seas and the Southern Seas; they needed as much help as possible, so the support of the Western Seas was necessary.

"Of course. We're not only going to do what we should do, but we're willing to contribute a bit more for the sake of the Subterranean Sea," Jenny said. The next moment, multiple sand figures abruptly manifested before Charles.

Sand figures manifested one after another until a crowd of over a hundred people was made.

Among the crowd, Charles saw Governor Elizabeth of Elizarles Island, Matriarch Lilith of Dark Crystal Island, Governor Margaret of the Isle of Whereto, and the Haikor King of the Shattered Heart Isles.

"These are the governors of the major islands throughout the Subterranean Sea. We've set up a magic formation on their island along with the necessary personnel.

"The major forces of the Subterranean Sea are now connected through magic, which will allow us to communicate with each other faster and more efficiently."

The governors were clearly fascinated by what was going on as they looked around in astonishment. However, their gazes eventually settled on the four figures before them—Charles, Julio, Jenny, and Jax—they were the pillars of the Subterranean Sea and the leaders of the plan to save the Subterranean Seascape.

Noticing that Charles was still a bit worried, Julio said, "Don't worry. I'm vouching for Jenny, and I have some people on the Western Seas. That incident will not happen again."

Charles' worries were dispelled by Julio's remark. He nodded and looked around before asking, "Why don't I see the God of the Haikors?"

"I'm here. I just don't want to show myself. After all, humans are always afraid of anything bizarre and out of place, which perfectly describes my appearance," Paiper's voice echoed in Charles' ears.

Charles frowned and glanced in the direction where the voice had come from before turning to Jenny and saying, "Since you've shown enough sincerity, then you can stay here.

"Next up on our agenda is our plan to venture beyond the darkness and its skies."

The crowd listened quietly to Charles; they were unwittingly transfixed, as this concerned the fate of everyone throughout the entire Subterranean Sea.

"Well, the God of the Haikors has told us that the skies beyond the darkness are incredibly dangerous. We have to be prepared for a sharp increase in casualties, and we should also be ready to replace the deceased," Julio said with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Did the God of the Haikors not tell you what's up there? Then, I'll go ahead and say it: there are beings as powerful as the Divinities up there," Charles said.

The expressions of everyone in the crowd instantly became solemn. Charles' news was like a lightning bolt out of the blue to them.

At first, they thought that their mission to save the Subterranean Sea was halfway through completion, but it turned out that things weren't going to be that easy, after all.

A slender arm was raised up high among the crowd. It was Anna's hand, and she slowly walked out of the crowd in her sand form. She stood next to Charles and turned to face the hundred or so members of the crowd in front of her.

"If we want to explore any further, then the explorers have to become stronger in the shortest time possible. Therefore, as the Governor of Hope Island, I propose a full disclosure of everyone's technology and any ways to become even stronger."

Charles had made such a proposal before, but Julio had vetoed it. This time, however, Julio seemed to be struggling to reject the proposal as he stood beneath the gaze of the three figures next to him.

"Hmph, I can hand over the technique to become a Level 15 expert, but it requires a massive time investment. The time we have remaining is not enough—far from enough."

Of course, it didn't matter whether it was going to be useful or not, as it'd be best to share it with everyone else first. They were at a critical juncture, and they had to be united for them to make any breakthroughs.

"To set an example, Hope Island will go ahead and share what we have first. Once this meeting is adjourned, we'll fully disclose the method of transplanting relics into people, and the same goes for the fruits of our research into it," Charles said.

Everyone was instantly moved by Charles' gesture. It was understandable, as all of them had witnessed Hope Island's rapid growth.

Jenny stepped forward just then and said, "The ritual incantations of the Western Seas' mage families and the necessary materials to perform such rituals will be fully disclosed as well, but please do not attempt to perform those rituals without any mage present.

"Those rituals must be performed under guidance, as they are incredibly dangerous."

"I will do the same," Julio chimed in, "Cat Island's technology will be fully disclosed as well. My methods of how I became stronger and increasing the size of one's island are included as well."

Julio's words astonished everyone. No wonder Cat Island became the largest island throughout the Subterranean Sea. It turned out that a major chunk of his island was reclaimed.

Charles leaned closer to Anna beside him. "You did great. The Subterranean Sea has finally united."

"Wait, not yet," Anna responded. Then, she stepped forward and swept her gaze across the hundred or so governors before her. "Everyone, this isn't just our issue. You're involved in this as well. There can't be any secrets between us if you want to save the Subterranean Sea and yourselves.

"If you choose to keep your secrets here, then you might have chosen to take that secret with you to the bottom of the sea. Those who think that they have something that might be helpful to the Subterranean Sea, then don't hesitate to share it. Don't forget—the sea levels are still rising."

Anna unknowingly glanced in the direction where Paiper's voice had come from earlier.

"My God has bestowed upon me a divine oracle!" A resonant voice echoed among the governors. The voice had come from a Haikor, who towered over three meters tall. "They will bestow upon you a blessing, and They will disclose the method to become a Chosen One."

The corners of Anna's mouth curled up slightly at the remark. It seemed that the Haikors were becoming a bit anxious as well, as they had decided to share their technology and techniques.

The air above everyone became lively as the governors pledged to share their knowledge, technology, and techniques to become even stronger. Their chances of saving the Subterranean Sea had just increased sharply, so everyone was happy.

"Ahem!" Charles cleared his throat, silencing everyone. "All right, since we've already made our decision, then let's move on. I need all of you to do me a favor—help me locate the Foundation."

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