Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After adapting to the changing light, the Lobster Rider hero paused as he looked at the scene before him.
Before him lay a vast underwater forest, standing tall in the flat basin, extending as far as the eye could see. Giant trees, large enough to accommodate ten people hugging them, stood like towering buildings. The flowers blossoming on their branches emitted a faint, ethereal blue glow, illuminating the underwater world with a mesmerizing beauty.
Amongst the giant trees, faint figures could be seen moving about.
Ji Chen stood confidently on the back of the Tyrant Azure Dragon, with Alice by his side. Eight other Tyrant Azure Dragons surrounded them, along with over two thousand enslaved souls guarding every direction.
Suddenly, he slowly opened his narrowed eyes, gazing towards a spot in the nearby sea. Within seconds, ten water ripples emerged, revealing a Lobster Rider hero with nine Lobster Riders.
“Lord, I’ve detected the tracks of those monsters!”
At his words, a glint of excitement flickered in Ji Chen’s eyes.
“Everyone, gather!”
Guided by this squad of Lobster Riders, they crossed an inconspicuous sea trench and arrived at this underwater basin.
Upon seeing this forest growing on the seabed, even Ji Chen couldn’t help but be stunned.
Such a landscape existed?
An underwater forest flourishing beneath the sea, it did seem rather unscientific!
But Ji Chen quickly rationalized; in this fantastical world, an underwater forest was far from unusual.
“Those monsters are hiding within this underwater forest; it appears to be their nest!”
The Lobster Rider hero stood respectfully beside Ji Chen and made a report.
Ji Chen nodded slightly, waved his hand, and declared in a commanding tone, “Lobster Riders, guard the entrance to this underwater basin, don’t let any of the monsters escape.”
“Yes!” Several Lobster Rider heroes clenched their fists against their chests, bowing their heads in acknowledgment.
“Both the Tyrant Azure Dragons and the Dragon Blood Murlocs will serve as our main force this time. Eliminate all non-fourth-tier monsters.”
The Murloc hero, Benbo, raised his trident high, while the Tyrant Azure Dragon silently opened its blood-red mouth, exuding an extreme cold.
Having said that, Ji Chen turned to the Siren hero at his side. “Alice, lead the enslaved souls to enslave the fourth-tier monsters as much as possible.”
“I understand.”
“Good, let’s move out!”
Each army began to act in unison, under the leadership of their respective heroes, executing their assigned tasks efficiently.
Amidst the bustling activity of the armies, Ji Chen appeared incredibly relaxed.
He leisurely stood atop one of the remaining Tyrant Azure Dragons, leaving the entire battle in the capable hands of Alice and the others.
He seemed completely unconcerned, and for good reason– two heroes of
purple-rare-tier, dozens of heroes of blue, green, and white tiers fully equipped with gear, and a strong force of fourth-tier units, along with the backing of eight powerful fifth-tier Tyrant Azure Dragons.
If they couldn’t handle this meager group of less than a thousand fourth-tier monsters among the four thousand, they might as well crash into the trees and die.
Seeing the excitement in the underwater forest, Ji Chen also opened the chat channel to pass the time.
As always, there were numerous goofy players chatting and acting silly.
For players, the one thing they never lacked was excitement.
Through the goofy players scattered all over, Ji Chen also learned about various events happening in different regions.
Among them, there was news about the daughter of a certain Grand Duke publicly denouncing a neighboring country’s despicable annexation plan and vowing to thwart their sinister plots.
Ji Chen took a look and thought, “Isn’t this Monica from the Lienhardt Grand Duchy?”
The girl with a beautiful appearance, graceful manners, and a sense of propriety had left a deep impression on him.
It seemed that she had successfully returned to the Lienhardt Grand Duchy and relayed the information.
Monica, you should give it your all. You must thwart the enemy’s conspiracy; otherwise, if the Lienhardt Grand Duchy falls, everything he did before would be in vain.
Apart from this, Ji Chen also noticed a message from another player.
“I’ll tell you guys something. Just a few days ago, 1 was buying supplies in the indigenous city, and while 1 was walking on the street, I accidentally bumped into someone wearing a hood and a cloak. Do you want to know who’s under the hood?”
“Don’t want to know, scram.”
“Hello, it’s me.”
“Wait a minute, let me deduce this. Trapped in the game + in a town + wearing a hood, I understand now. It’s Asuna!!” (T/N: Asuna is a character from the anime, Sword Art Online)
“Well, it’s a bit similar, but not entirely. Although she only showed half of her face, I’m pretty sure she’s an elf. And let me tell you guys, her looks are out of this world. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was photoshopped!”
“But as soon as I saw her, I felt like I was love-struck.”
“Is that even love at first sight? I feel embarrassed to expose you, you’re just lusting after her, you pervert!”
“She’s an elf who can live for generations; the elf you saw might be a few hundred years old already. This is like holding a gold brick.”
Watching the intense discussion about the female elf on the channel, Ji Chen suddenly remembered Elin, who had been gone for quite some time. If everything went smoothly on her journey, she probably had already arrived on the Northern Continent and was on her way home, right?
“Ah, damn it!”
Currently wandering in a vast grassland, enjoying the beautiful scenery, Elin looked around with a puzzled expression.
She hastily used a spell to detect if she had been cursed or affected by something, and only after confirming that she was fine did she breathe a sigh of relief, muttering to herself, “I’ve been gone for so long, those guys probably think I’m dead. No one should have put a curse on me…”
“Besides, I’ve been hiding my identity since leaving that territory, even altering my appearance and hair. Although it’s not as effective as the Illusory Mask, the chances of being recognized should be very, very low…
Well, I probably don’t need to worry about this issue…” She furrowed her brows suddenly. “Wait a minute, did I forget something?”
After a brief moment of contemplation, she decisively gave up on thinking about it, waving her hand nonchalantly. “Well, if it’s something I can’t remember, it must not be important. And if it’s not important, there’s no need to dwell on it.
After all, I’ve finally escaped. Why should I trouble myself with unimportant matters?”
So, she continued to enjoy her newfound freedom, reveling in the gentle breeze, cool water, and the beauty of nature.
At that time, Ji Chen was unaware that Elin, whom he had placed so much hope in, had completely forgotten her earlier promises and obligations, discarding them without a second thought.
If he knew, he would undoubtedly curse the wily old witch.
After observing the antics of the goofy players for quite some time, he closed the chat channel and redirected his attention to the real world.
He looked into the distance.
It seemed that the battle was nearing its end.
He drove the Tyrant Azure Dragons towards the underwater forest.
The gaps between the giant trees were quite large, allowing the Tyrant Azure Dragons to enter easily.
Between these giant trees, there were traces of battles everywhere, and numerous monster corpses were scattered about. Some were shattered, others frozen into ice sculptures, and some were impaled on trees. There were various ways these monsters had met their demise.
Among these dead bodies, the Ocean Crown’s forces were relatively small, consisting of only a few dozen, with the majority being the souls of servants.
This clearly showed the overwhelming advantage of the Ocean Crown’s army and the disparity in strength compared to the monster horde.
The deeper they ventured into the forest, the more monster corpses they encountered.
Additionally, Ji Chen observed that these monster bodies were grouped together, suggesting they had been organized for battle but were ultimately defeated.
As they continued deeper with the Tyrant Azure Dragons, they soon reached a clearing at the center of the forest, where the Ocean Crown’s army was facing off against the few remaining monsters.
Among the remaining monsters, there was a figure with black hair and a humanoid body, similar to a human, standing in front of them..