"Tsk, tsk, two demigods, a bunch of gold, and they even know how to cooperate? This must be Celifos' regular army, right?"
Luo En, who was rowing at the edge, felt the crazy surging of the Aether tides on the island and slowed down the speed of his paddling. With a smile that was not quite a smile, he glanced at Skester beside him.
"It looks like His Majesty the King has really invested heavily in this endeavor."
Realizing there was no way to disembark the pirate ship, Skester made a face that was on the verge of crying and helplessly nodded, revealing all he knew about this exploration.
It turns out that as Perseus, the King's adopted son, grew up and exhibited extraordinary talent, combined with the King's own gradual aging, the ruler of Celifos Island had already felt a pressing pressure and danger. After all, Greece had a fine tradition of regicide and ascension to the throne.
Thus, he issued bounties one after another, sending people to search for the legendary Blood of Gorgon.
But most of the regular civilian forces never returned.
In the end, the King of Celifos, who was no longer willing to wait, simply gathered all his available forces and spent a fortune to hire a follower of Hermes as a guide, going all-in on this exploration.
However, the outcome was probably going to disappoint him.
The fleet that landed on the island had searched the entire abandoned temple but did not find the legendary Gorgon Sisters.
"Boom!"
The violent explosion that thundered over the island again interrupted Skester's narration, with dazzling flames soaring into the sky and limbs flying in all directions.
Seeing the gruesome battle scene and the terrifying destructive power of both sides, Skester could not help but swallow, his face turning pale.
"Who exactly are those chasing after you?"
"The Atlantean Guard..."
"Hiss!"
Hearing that nonchalant reply, the demigod offspring of Hermes broke into a cold sweat on his forehead and was filled with inward bitterness.
Great, not only had he screwed over the Celifos he was hired by, but he had also provoked the Atlanteans who dominated the seas.
If he wanted to consider his own safety, he would probably have to give up his sea-faring livelihood from now on.
At this moment, as intense vibrations came in waves, the sea began to roll with mighty waves, causing the small boat carrying the two men to sway from side to side. The concentration of Aether magical energy particles in the air also climbed steadily.
Luo En's brow furrowed tightly, and he gradually reined in his smile.
Something wasn't right. The Atlanteans had been battered by him, they should not be this strong...
And the source of the vibrations seemed not to be from the ground, but... from underground?!
After a brief pause, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly looked up at the shaking island.
"Boom—!"
Simultaneously, a ground-splitting roar erupted, and the fierce chasm tore open the island as if it led straight to the depths of the Netherworld.
Slithering noises of serpents hissing and tongues flickering came from the darkness like steel needles piercing everyone's hearts and eardrums.
Panic, despair—various negative emotions uncontrollably spread.
Immediately after, two hideous and immense shadows gradually emerged from the thick night, revealing terrifying contours.
They were magical beasts with the lower bodies of purple serpents and the upper bodies of human women.
They were goddesses with golden wings on their backs and a chilling, exquisite beauty.
—The Medusa, the Gorgon!
"Bang!"
The claws covered with serpentine scales crossed over the abyss, climbing onto the shattered temple plaza, and two figures towering like small mountains grew even taller.
The Aether magical energy particles that furiously converged toward the Formless Island excitedly thrived in the air, the purple-red glow produced by their fierce friction, lighting up half of the dark sky.
Even if he wished to cultivate a good relationship with the Gorgon Sisters, now was not the time.
First he had to preserve his life, everything else could wait.
Thinking this, Luo En hastened the pace of his rowing.
However, as the sound of waves spread and reached the island, his heart suddenly contracted violently, a strong sense of crisis surging forth, and he felt like a frog targeted by a serpent in the dark, a chilling coldness spreading throughout his body in an instant.
"Get down~!"
As the growl escaped his lips, Luo En, his face changing color, did not hesitate to throw himself down.
Almost at the same moment, snake pupils sparkling with madness and rage coldly surveyed the sea surface.
With eyes meeting, the unprepared Skester suddenly felt a heaviness on his body, his consciousness sinking into darkness.
"Hiss!"
The next moment, a purple-red magic eye opened and closed, unleashing a highly compressed beam of magic power that swept across the sea surface, raising giant waves and plunging the area into chaos and darkness.
Finally, the night ended, and dawn broke.
The turmoil and chaos of the deep sea were cleansed by a sliver of sunlight rising in the early morning.
"Splash!"
With a crisp sound of emerging from water, a drenched, tall figure flipped onto a small boat that was quietly floating on the surface.
"Cough cough..."
Luo En lay on the deck, coughing slightly, then glanced at the calm surroundings and lay down exhausted, breathing heavily.
Is this the gap between a demigod and deities? Isn't it too terrifying?
After a brief rest, Luo En murmured complaints while getting up and looked gloomily at the half statue remaining on the deck, shaking his head in resignation.
"I told you to lie down, but you wouldn't listen, and now look what happened, not even Zeus could bring you back."
After a few seconds of silent mourning for the unfortunate descendant of Hermes, Luo En tossed the half-sculpture into the deep sea, then sat on the deck, looking around the unfamiliar waters, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Without a guide and directionless, where should I go now?
As depression set in, Luo En couldn't help but grumble about the culprits who had brought about this unwarranted accident.
Big sisters, I was just passing by; did you really have to use a map cannon on me?
"Crack!"
Just as a certain victim was in the midst of his sorrowful complaints, a strange cracking sound came from the cabin below his feet.
Following that sound was a familiar presence that made his blood pressure soar.
Gorgon!
Luo En twisted his neck stiffly, forcing a dry smile on his face as he turned to look at the open cabin behind him. His gaze shifted from feigned sycophancy to confusion and finally settled into complex astonishment.
At the bottom of the hold, cluttered with secret inscribed stone slabs and bronze ritual vessels that had slid aside, a half-human-high purple-red cocoon revealed its form, rising and falling with the frequency of breaths, pulsing like a heart.
Inside it, a petite humanoid figure was curled up with arms wrapped around herself, nestled within the amniotic sac.
The morning sun rose, and a ray of light entered the dim cabin.
Within the purple-red cocoon, a pair of eyes opened as if sensing something, their pure and unique rectangular pupils gazing quietly at the figure standing outside the cocoon.
The corners of Luo En's mouth twitched slightly, his thoughts churning tumultuously.
He now finally understood why only two of the Gorgon Sisters had appeared the previous night. He also finally knew why those sisters had crazily slaughtered all the intruders on the island and had targeted him with a map cannon.
Now, it seemed like the trouble had just become much bigger!