At the dinner table.
“Chiliu! Ah~”
Old Jiang sipped the wine and said unhurriedly, “Someone found half of an ancient scroll in the relics near the Scattered Stars Island. It said that the island was much bigger during ancient times, and that a human city was built here. The sea demons were not like the Half-Mermen at all. They were real top experts who could move mountains away…”
Han Fei realized that Old Jiang was probably talking about an intelligent species.
He also knew that if there could be sea demons and demonic plants, there might even be crabs that could talk. Who could know?
Old Jiang continued, “It’s said that a king of human beings had an astonishing battle against sea demons. In the end, the bottom of the sea was broken, and earth fire surged out. The overwhelming tides drowned the city. Then, for some reason, the remaining sea demons retreated, and the survivors built a ship and sailed across the sea. They were all gone from the Scattered Stars City. It remains a mystery how human beings came back to this place.”
Tang Ge asked in surprise, “What king? An Explorer-level expert?”
Han Fei found it slightly weird. Based on Old Jiang’s vague narration, the city was a lot like Atlantis. Of course, he knew that they couldn’t be the same.
The problem was that the underground city should be below the ground after the fall.
Han Fei asked again, “Is the underground city not beneath the ground?”
Old Jiang laughed. “How can it be so simple? If it’s just underground, you can easily find it by digging… It would’ve been found a long time ago.”
Old Jiang glanced at Tang Ge and Han Fei. “We have to talk about the king first. He was not an Explorer, but a matchless expert above the Venerable level. It’s said that his clone protected the city and relocated the city to a place unknown to prevent it from being destroyed.”
Tang Ge was slightly surprised. “Stronger than Venerable?”
Han Fei was surprised. “Another place unknown?”
Both Han Fei and Tang Ge looked at Old Jiang in shock.
The old man snorted again. “What do you mean by another? Why do you think the Scattered Stars Island is called the Unknown Place? If the Scattered Stars Island is all there is, why don’t they simply call it the Scattered Stars Island?”
Han Fei asked with his eyes widened, “Really? Is the underground city the real reason why it’s all a place unknown?”
“Chiliu! Ah~”
Old Jiang had another mouthful of the wine and nodded. “Of course. The Scattered Stars Island is just an island with a lot of residents. Why is it unknown? The real place unknown is the underground city.”
Jiang Qin asked, “Han Fei, did you mention that you acquired the intelligence from a Clam Girl?”
Han Fei nodded quickly. “Yes, the Clam Girl came back to life a long time ago and hunted the pearl divers specifically. Fortunately, she wasn’t fully recovered yet, or I would’ve been killed.”
Tang Ge looked at Han Fei. “What dangerous place did you go to?”
Han Fei shook his head. “Nowhere, just the Sea of Pearls.”
Tang Ge was stunned for a moment. “Is there such a dangerous place on the Sea of Pearls?”
Jiang Qin, however, looked at Han Fei casually. “Have you found the secrets of the Sea of Pearl’s earthquakes, purple flames, and missing cases?”
Han Fei nodded. “Yes! She was in an independent space. We got the information of the underground city from her too. Also, the Clam Girl mentioned that there might be an entrance to the underground city in the Sea of Pearls, but I’m not sure.”
Old Jiang laughed. “She was probably tricking you. If the Clam Girl did come back to life from a long time ago, she must’ve known the Sea of Pearls very well. How could she not know if there was an entrance?”
Han Fei didn’t know what to say. “Then how are we going to search? The Bone Yard is in the underground city, which was moved to a place unknown by a king. Where can we find it?”
Jiang Qin said casually, “It’s not entirely impossible.”
Both Han Fei and Tang Ge looked at Jiang Qin.
Jiang Qin said, “Do you know why the Transverse Mountain is strictly garrisoned, and only the experts are allowed to enter?”
Han Fei asked in surprise, “Isn’t it because the Spirit Awakening Fluid can be found in there? Or is it fake?”
Old Jiang smiled. “It’s not fake. It’s truly possible to acquire Spirit Awakening Fluid there, but do you know where the Spirit Awakening Fluid is from?”
Han Fei and Tang Ge looked at each other in bewilderment. In the end, Han Fei tilted his head and looked at Old Jiang. “The underground city?”
Old Jiang chuckled. “Yes, and no!”
Han Fei said, “Hey, old man, would you please stop acting mysterious? Say something we can understand.”
Old Jiang said angrily, “Why are you so hasty? It is my guess that the Spirit Awakening Fluid appears because of the king.”
Han Fei asked in shock, “The king is so strong?”
Tang Ge scratched his head. “Are the kings so capable that they can create the Spirit Awakening Fluid?”
Old Jiang said unhurriedly, “The experts can establish seas and become kings. It’s said that people of that level can manipulate the rules of nature. Have you considered why the Spirit Awakening Fluid becomes nothingness after you swallow it?”
Han Fei’s eyelids quickly shivered. “Why?”
Old Jiang raised his head. “Maybe, it’s not fluid at all, but a rule of nature. How can such great mysteries be a simple fluid?”
Jiang Qin continued, “So, people have guessed that the Undersea Chimneys, the Transverse Mountain, and the spring underneath the old turtle in the Empyrean Waterfall all lead to the underground city…”
Tang Ge was dazed. “Is there an old turtle in the Empyrean Waterfall?”
Han Fei patted Tang Ge’s shoulder. “An old turtle is confined to the lake underneath the Empyrean Waterfall.”
Tang Ge had a lot of mixed feelings. He didn’t realize until this day that the world wasn’t as simple as he thought.
Jiang Qin said, “It’s more like they’re collecting the Spirit Awakening Fluid than digging for it inside the Transverse Mountain.”
As she spoke, Jiang Qin looked at Old Jiang. “Grandpa must know better than I do.”
Old Jiang stroked his beard and said unhurriedly, “Heh! There’s a bottomless hole in the Transverse Mountain that yields Spirit Awakening Fluid all the time. Of course, its productivity isn’t too high.”
Han Fei was shocked. “A bottomless hole?”
Tang Ge added, “Nobody ever went down to examine it?”
Old Jiang snorted. “As I said, it’s a bottomless hole. Too many people went down to check it, but so far nobody has come back. Inside the hole, you can’t fly with your wings at all, and you’ll sink infinitely. Maybe people who entered it hundreds of years ago are still falling.”
Han Fei: “…”
Tang Ge: “…”
The two of them were quite shocked by the big secret. They didn’t know that everybody was forbidden from entering the Transverse Mountain because a mysterious place lay in it.
Han Fei shivered and looked at Old Jiang. “What about the old turtle underneath the Empyrean Waterfall? Can’t we rescue the old turtle and enter through the spring underneath it?”
Old Jiang looked at Han Fei with a smile. “Do you not know why the old turtle is there?”
Han Fei said loudly, “I do! The Empyrean Waterfall is an enormous seal based on rules, right? The seal cannot be broken unless a lot of people become Law Enforcers around it. But I say it’s too much of a waste of time. We can just let an Explorer move the Empyrean Waterfall away and destroy the Scattered Stars Island… Fine! The Scattered Stars Island can’t be destroyed…”
Tang Ge was dazed. “The Empyrean Waterfall is a seal?”
Tang Ge found that he had become an idiot who didn’t understand anything. Why could the seal be broken if someone became a Law Enforcer?
Jiang Qin slightly shook her head. “Therefore, it’s unrealistic to enter through the Empyrean Waterfall, or the bottomless hole, which may lead you to anywhere.”
Han Fei took a deep breath and said, “The Undersea Chimney… That’s the only option.”
He asked, “If nobody has been there, why do people know that the Sea Quelling Painting is in the Bone Yard? How did the name, Bone Yard, spread out?”
Tang Ge gave up. He really didn’t know what the Sea Quelling Painting was about.
Jiang Qin nodded. “My grandpa and I have the same questions. However, there are few Undersea Chimneys. If we don’t reach one as soon as we can, it’s possible that the entrance will be sealed, if there’s an entrance at all.”
Han Fei nodded. “Hey! Sister Qin, you’re in charge of the Pioneer Group. Have you ever seen an Undersea Chimney?”
Jiang Qin was speechless. “I have, but I never knew that the Bone Yard was in the underground city. I came back as soon as I could after you mentioned it today.”
Han Fei smiled awkwardly. “In any case, there’s no rush right now.”
“You’re wrong!”
Jiang Qin looked at Han Fei solemnly. “The Undersea Chimney may appear anytime. If the Undersea Chimney is really an entrance, you must increase your strength as quickly as possible.”
Old Jiang also said casually, “There aren’t really many coincidences in this world. You were lucky enough to learn about the underground city, but do you know that luck sometimes means destiny? If the information is out, it’s only a matter of time that the underground city will emerge. You have to strengthen yourself as quickly as possible.”
