Eight months had passed since they returned to the Twin Islands.
After handing the phonograph and fusion ring to Julia and Jason a month ago, the creation of the treasures was successfully completed.
A few days ago, Lucelia had successfully advanced to the fifth stage, and at the same time, the puppet girls' strengths had also improved and stabilized at various points in the fourth stage.
Aside from the captain, the other puppet girls were all in the lower fourth stage.
And the captain was only around the middle of the fourth stage.
The only one closely following Lucelia was Vice-Captain Zero.
She had almost kept pace with Lucelia's strength, and when Lucelia reached the fifth stage, she followed suit.
She had originally planned to stay for about a year, but now it was time to leave.
Alka leaned against the side of the ship, gazing at the busy harbor, lost in thought.
Then, a humanoid creature wearing a streamlined bodysuit and a transparent helmet approached them, accompanied by Sofia.
The unique appearance of the creature, completely enclosed in a helmet, indicated that it was a Vastva living in the space.
The Vastva people had adapted quite well to their environment, their level of adaptation essentially reaching that of their home sea, or even exceeding it.
Thus, the Vastva people would occasionally wander the island in their fully enclosed gear, familiarizing themselves with the outside world.
Alka was already considering allowing these Vastva people to receive inspiration from the treasure and become Touchers.
After becoming Touchers, they could begin to interact with the outside world in their full physical form.
With this in mind, Alka headed directly to the captain's cabin and, with a wave of his finger, announced the meeting.
Sitting in the captain's cabin, Alka began to review some documents, awaiting the arrival of everyone. With the sound of the door opening, people began to enter.
Soon, everyone on the boat arrived.
"Things on the island are almost done. It's time to leave for our next destination."
"Going to the World Scar?" Sofia asked.
Alkar nodded. "Yes, we must go there and take out that rat that's targeting us from the shadows.
Otherwise, all our subsequent actions could lead to unforeseen and catastrophic consequences."
This was a decision they had already made.
If they didn't go to the World Scar and resolve the Devouring Mouth,
they would have to be careful in everything they did. There was a sinister figure lurking in the shadows.
This figure had clearly set his sights on Alkar and his companions, determined to seize their souls.
Not to mention the fact that they would have to collect the twelve Trial Towers later, which would bring them into conflict with various forces.
Who knows when the Devouring Mouth will sneak up on them from the shadows?
If such an action were taken at the most critical moment, it would likely cost them an irreparable price.
So Alka decided to kill this rat first, and then think of other things.
Although it might take years, or even decades, it was worth it for them.
Furthermore, the island, or rather the land, where the Devouring Mouth lay, buried a vast empire.
The empire's treasures were countless, which meant they were actually doing the right thing.
They could also continue to strengthen their strength through the various treasures they acquired, and there were plenty of rivals there.
And since the demon had been trapped there for so long, it was clear that they could gain more knowledge and strength to deal with it.
In fact, facing the Devouring Mouth, they were safer than outside.
"Let's first gather detailed information about this place."
At Alka's words, Lucelia nodded and waved, and a large book appeared before everyone.
"According to the intelligence we've gathered recently, the distance between the Twin Islands and the ruins of the Saralan Empire, also known as the World Scar, is approximately a four- to six-month journey.
You mentioned Grayfar, the Demon Hunter Inquisitor, who leads a group of the Saralan Empire's remnants and is more inclined toward the Church of the Holy Mother.
He commands an organization called the Demon Hunter Inquisition. All members of this organization hate demons or remnants of the Empire. They are also experts and elites in combating demons."
"Because it's the World Scar, it's rife with war. Various churches of gods and factions maintain their forces there.
There's a unified resistance council that commands all who arrive."
Lucelia slowly began to recount their understanding of this place. After all, unleashing the demons there wouldn't be good for the entire world, so anyone sane would send their fair share of resources there.
While various obstacles might arise elsewhere, remember that this world still has the four gods looming over it.
They are well aware of the consequences of mutual interference, so no mortal power dares to defy the combined command of the four gods.
Of course, this information is pieced together from various sources and books.
The specifics will only be revealed by seeing it in person.
After listening to Lucelia's story, Jason pondered for a moment and asked, "So, I want to know how big that place is, and how difficult would it be to destroy the Devourer there?"
"How big is it... Let me think about it. To make an analogy, it's like an island the size of the Marsh. It could actually be called land."
"Is it that big?" Alka asked, somewhat surprised.
Currently, only the Fragrance Land, separated from the Marsh, might be comparable.
That's also the largest island they've seen, like a small piece of land.
Under the power of the resurrected Flower Fairy, it broke away from the Marsh and became a massive island.
The Marsh's total area could truly be described as a continent.
"Of course, it wasn't this large from the beginning. It's because the number of demons has increased since the World Scar.
But as you know, demons have no real advantage on the sea. So they used the power of the Abyss to summon a volcano there. Through volcanic eruptions and lava, they gradually expanded the area to an exaggerated size similar to the Marsh. "
Lucelia said.
Although the Abyss is chaotic, with all manner of demons,
Generally speaking, these demons can only be considered terrestrial creatures, with few adapted to the sea.
Add to that the blocking forces of various churches and organizations, and the demons pouring out of the World Scar are completely contained there.
Even if the demons expand their territory, in addition to the blockade on land, there's also the blockade on the sea, practically encircling the area.
Perhaps divine power is at work there; Alka even believes it's definitely there.
Until now, the demons haven't broken through that area, and with time, it's becoming increasingly difficult to break through.
"As for the Devourer, the one we want to eliminate, he was originally the vanguard of the invaders, and later became one of the commanders due to his meritorious service.
There are three demon commanders in total, and the Devourer is the third one, with a strength of approximately the eighth level. "Just entered the eighth stage..." Upon hearing this, Juanlu leaned back in his chair. It was clear this was going to be a long battle.
But it had to be said that not resolving this matter was indeed a problem. After all, being targeted by such a cunning demon was no small feat.
"This is already a weakened state. Although the Endless Sea is a broken world, it is still a world protected by powerful gods.
These demons will only become stronger in the abyss. Coming here, they will be more or less suppressed in terms of strength.
The reason they have just entered the eighth stage is because the Devouring Mouth has been sealed and killed too many times since the Age of Divine War. "
Lucelia said, flipping through the giant tome before her.
They had known this all along.
After all, the earliest record of the Devouring Mouth dates back to the Golden Age, but back then, it wasn't much of a threat.
There were too many gods and various divine creatures capable of crushing him.
Back then, everything he did in this world had to be done with extreme caution.
He must have angered someone and was crippled by a god during the Age of Divine Wars. It took tens of thousands of years for him to revive again a few thousand years ago.
After recounting this, he brought down a powerful empire.
"So even if we kill him, he's not dead. Will he revive again after many years?" Jason asked.
Lucelia didn't even need to respond. Urulius, standing beside her, said, "There are two ways. One is to rush into the Abyss and kill him. According to legend, this demon in the Abyss can be compared to a god." The second method is to allow him to escape the Abyss and return to reality with both his body and soul. Attacking him with targeted attacks at this point would likely result in his utter demise.
Even if he survives, he'll be utterly wrecked in the Abyss and devoured by other hostile demons.
Hearing these two words, Urulius's meaning was clear: don't even think about completely destroying it; it's incredibly difficult.
"Although the Devouring Mouth is a demon, as we've seen before, it's a cunning demon who favors demonic forms. It's impossible for it to put itself at such a disadvantage.
So our goal is to eliminate it once and for all, ensuring that it won't have any impact on the world for at least a few decades. "As for decades from now, if we're still afraid of him by then, then those decades might have been wasted," Alka said bluntly.
It might sound a bit arrogant, but it held true for everyone.
If they were still afraid of the newly revived Devouring Mouth decades from now, they would be truly remiss.
"Okay, we'll consider the details once we reach the World Scar."
Alka tapped the table, and the meeting was over. Then, he said to everyone, "Exchange our remaining money for the various materials we need, and keep some for backup."
This time, they were clearly going to be staying there for a very long time.
"And prepare more supplies for Vastva, too." After assigning some tasks, everyone left the captain's cabin.
They each began to get busy.
...
After a month, they had completed their purchases of various spell materials, ores, and medicinal herbs.
It must be said that their acquisitions this time were indeed quite eye-catching.
They had almost completely bought up all the higher-end materials from the past month.
Even more striking was their demand for common supplies.
This time, they had prepared enough supplies for the Vastva people to fully adapt to the magic of the vast sea.
Of course, all they spent was the Vastva people's accumulated wealth, a staggering amount.
Their acquisitions even caused a certain degree of panic among ordinary civilians and merchants.
Someone from the church even came to inquire about Alka and his men's plans.
The supplies they had acquired were enough to fight a major war.
After resolving the misunderstanding and purchasing enough supplies, Alka and his men quickly left the Twin Islands. Alka looked at the Guidance Flag hoisted from the rudder. It pointed to the World Scar.
A gift from the Archbishop.
"Cough… cough…" An unfamiliar cough came from behind.
But Alka was used to it and turned to look.
Behind him was a Vastva man, wearing no protective gear.
This man was none other than Vaku.
Although he was seasick, he was the one with the highest adaptability to magic and was often used as the one with the highest adaptability to magic. Experimental subject.
Of course, the term experimental subject was just a joke.
He was also the first Vastva to enter the Vast Sea without protective gear.
After all, his acclimatization was already approaching the magical power of the Vast Sea, and he was also the first to receive inspiration from the treasure.
Though he still seemed to be experiencing some allergies, they were very minor, just a slight tickle in his throat and a cough.
He had been out there for at least a dozen hours.
"How are you feeling now?"
Hearing Alka's words, Waku nodded weakly: "Much better than when we first came out."
"Come out again tomorrow and continue to acclimate. Once you're almost there, you can begin meditation." "
Waku nodded. He was quite looking forward to this.
They had only seen the ability to freely control magic in history books.
After seeing that it was almost done, they let Waku return to the space.
As darkness fell, Alka also sank into his dream.
Alka, appearing in his dream bubble, did not leave his bubble. Instead, he leaned against the towering crystal pillar in his dream and remained there quietly.
The gold and silver energy within this transparent crystal pillar had long been filled to the brim, practically becoming the sun of the dream world.
Surrounding him was a lush forest, with a variety of plants growing in the forest and all kinds of small animals running around.
Alka's dream displayed a vitality different from everyone else's.
Only his dream would... There is such a thing.
Suddenly, he felt the vibrations of his dream bubble; someone had entered.
The only ones who could enter his dream bubble were Sofia and Lusilia.
The movement must have been Lusilia.
Sure enough, Lusilia, with normal body proportions, floated down. Only in dreams could she achieve normal human proportions.
In the outside world, she could only achieve this with her soul.
Perhaps due to the changes in her outer body, in the dream, Lusilia's once emerald green hair had become a tinge of blood-red amidst the emerald green.
She was wearing an ordinary light green dress, and she flew down barefoot.
Looking at Lusilia floating down, Alka smiled, stood up, and held out her arms, catching her in a princess-style hug.
"Why did you choose to come into my dream today?"
Alka asked, smiling as she looked at Lusilia in her arms.
Lucilia
Seeing him glance away, she said, "Hmph, I'm missing these little animals."
"Really?"
Alka asked with a smile. Without waiting for an answer, he held her and sat down on the grass.
He waved his hand.
The small animals wandering around gathered around.
The most numerous were elk.
Their fur was snow-white, and their antlers were like jade.
Clearly, they weren't normal creatures.
The animals gathered around them, playing around them, even leaping onto them.
Below, the crystal pillars shining like the sun, the scene seemed so peaceful and tranquil.
Lucille rested in Alka's arms, her head resting against his chin, playing with the little squirrel on her body.
Alka passed his hands through Lucelia's abdomen and embraced her. He moved his head slightly, bringing it close to Lucelia's ear.
He sniffed the fragrant, fresh scent that emanated from Lucelia.
He looked at Lucelia's slightly pointed ears.
He suddenly rubbed them.
"Ah, what are you doing? My hair's all messed up."
"What's the big deal?"
Suddenly, a thought struck Alka, who whispered something in Lucelia's ear.
Lucelia blushed slightly and shook her head in disapproval. "No, I don't want to wear that."
"Yes, I want to see it."
At Alka's request, Lucelia blushed slightly and nodded helplessly.
"Alright then."
He stood up, then thought of something and turned back.
"You're not allowed to look."
"I'm not looking. I've blocked my vision."
Alka stared at Lucelia without blinking, spouting lies.
"Hmph!"
Lucelia said nothing more. She spun around, and her clothing changed.
It was the same clothing Alka had seen her wear the first time she entered her dream.
She wrapped her arms in white, transparent gauze, and her figure was perfectly outlined in a dress with some cutouts.
This dress completely changed Lucelia's demeanor.
Alka stared at her intently, admiring her.