In the silent underground space, a beam of white light suddenly pierced the dark, oppressive air, accompanied by the sound of water colliding.
In a location near the center of the island’s underground.
Ronald and Hailbeth emerged one after the other from the underwater channel and stood within a deep underground space of the island. From encountering the hunters to finding a waterway to enter this place, their subsequent journey had actually been smooth sailing.
Not to mention dangerous creatures like the hunters.
They hadn’t even encountered a single thing with hostility.
Now standing in a pitch-black underground cave, Ronald’s calves were still submerged in water, but his upper body had finally escaped the scent of the ocean.
With the help of the flashlight held by the mermaid beside him.
Ronald’s gaze swiftly swept around the area.
He stood here and could breathe freely; he vaguely sensed air circulation in the space, suggesting that the underground space he was currently in should have a direct passage to the outside world.
However, the depth of this place...
It was far below the island, way below sea level.
Under normal circumstances, seawater should definitely be spreading up to flood this well-ventilated underground space, not remaining still like a dead pool.
Ronald was now certain that there were no obvious Magic Fluctuations around.
What on earth was going on?
The mermaid lady noticed Ronald’s slightly furrowed brows.
After also surveying the surroundings, she realized his concern and immediately spoke up,
"Ronald, rest assured."
"The state of the seawater is very stable; we won’t encounter any dangers from within it."
Looking at Hailbeth’s firm tone, Ronald opened his mouth.
He was curious about how this mermaid lady had access to such information—given that she lived in the ocean, her abilities were understandable. However, thinking of his purpose for infiltrating this island, he changed his query.
"Through this passage, we’ll definitely find the source of all these issues, right?"
Hailbeth answered straightforwardly,
"Ronald, I actually don’t wish to stay in your world, and in this respect, our goals align."
Faced with the mermaid’s blunt response, Ronald shrugged.
Right now, he couldn’t tell whether she was lying to him or not; both of them coming here was simply the action that best served his interests.
In fact, compared to Hailbeth’s true purpose.
Ronald was more interested in the phrase ’your world’ that she had mentioned. In the remains of this island, what kind of original text could lead to such outcomes?
Summoning marine creatures from another world...
Not to mention whether the island’s enemies had succeeded in mastering this original text, even if this was just a phenomenon caused by the text’s power running wild, it was certainly astounding.
Between them, a fragile cooperative relationship was maintained.
Ronald and the mermaid continued deeper along the underground passage, the surrounding environment began to change, the inner walls of the two-layered passage were covered with a thick, glossy material that reflected light extremely well.
The flashlight in the mermaid’s hand shone on it, and the reflection made the passage bright. Particularly as they progressed further, irregularly distributed stalactites began to appear, which instantly increased the difficulty of moving forward.
As a human, Ronald could still manage to get through by using his hands and feet.
But for the mermaid, who was "swimming" on the ground with flicks of her tail, she instantly felt the malice of the terrestrial environment toward marine life.
Seeing his temporary companion face such harsh conditions, even starting to hinder their progress, Ronald finally could not help but suggest,
"Mermaid, shall I carry you? I am quite strong, and carrying one more person won’t be trouble."
The mermaid’s face looked extremely unpleasant.
She understood that Ronald’s suggestion was well-intended, but her pride as a member of an advanced civilization made her feel ashamed, as if she were an injured observer in the ocean, helplessly carried out of danger by a foolish fish before she could be rescued.
But the reality was in front of her.
If she didn’t accept Ronald’s help, she would only continue to struggle awkwardly on the ground. The exposure of her undignified state was one thing, but it also delayed their progress.
"Please, do me this favor, Wuling person."
Ronald naturally saw the conflict on the face of the mermaid lady.
Without saying anything else, he walked in front of her and naturally bent over.
"Come on, just don’t strangle my neck."
Two breaths passed after her response before Ronald felt a cold body lean against his back. He almost instinctively reached to support the mermaid’s body, but instead, his hands landed directly on a scaly tail.
Almost simultaneously, the mermaid behind Ronald softly exclaimed,
"Don’t worry about my tail, I can hang on fine!"
From then on, Ronald carried the mermaid on his back, her tail wrapped around him.
Although the arrangement might seem a bit odd aesthetically.
With Ronald’s robust physique supporting them, their pace truly sped up. Moreover, not needing to worry about her movement, the mermaid could focus on using the flashlight to provide the most suitable lighting.
The two continued on, and changes still occurred in the underground passage of the island.
On the walls of the passage they traversed, small, dense, round holes began to appear, reflecting the light like tiny recessed light bulbs. Eventually, they would even occasionally spot opaque quartz crystals and shards mingled with clean glass beads.
These randomly appearing, crystal-lamp-like spots of light shined along their path, illuminating their way forward.
Walking in such an environment, carrying a beautiful mermaid on his back.
Ronald felt increasingly tense but couldn’t help but feel like he was in a fairy-tale world. The secret beauty hidden underground was not something everyone had the chance to see.
After changing directions multiple times and traveling a considerable distance underground, the mermaid on Ronald’s back stretched her hand to point towards the front to the side of their path, reminding the man beneath her,
"Wuling person, look over there."
Ronald turned his head and immediately understood the purpose of the mermaid’s reminder.
In a position about a hundred meters away from them.
There was an upward sloping entrance, like a door silently waiting to be pushed open!