Chapter 2364: Chapter 2365: Anomalous Object
In the distance, a layer of mist rose from the sea.
However, there was already a vast amount of mist surrounding them, so the newly emerging fog didnât cause any ripples. Until a silhouette appeared within the mist, catching everyoneâs attention.
"It seems like someone has drifted over there, is it Lord Ferro?"
"Are you blind? Does that figure look like a manâs? Clearly, itâs a woman."
"In this sea area, how could there be a woman?"
"Who knows, but her right arm seems a bit odd..."
Cindy and the other apprentices exchanged glances, feigning surprise as they spoke.
Their voices reached Reynaudâs ears.
"Drifted person, woman, right arm..." These words rushed into his ears like they triggered a crucial switch, pouring a refreshing stream into his muddled thoughts.
Is it Nausicaa? The question flashed in Reynaudâs mind.
Instinctively, he looked up and gazed towards the mist not far away.
Indeed, just as the others had said, there was a faint silhouette struggling against the seaâs surge, sometimes surfacing for air, sometimes overturned by the waves, like a little boat on the verge of sinking, desperately striving for survival.
Because of the wavesâ concealment, Reynaud couldnât clearly see the personâs face, but the silhouette behind the curtain of water was incredibly familiar.
Itâs her, it is her!
"Nausicaa!" The dazed Reynaud suddenly stood up and dashed towards the mist madly, mumbling to himself: "Save her, I have to save her."
The sea submerged Reynaudâs legs, the waves crashed against his glowing soul body, unable to hinder his steps.
He seemed to see a glowing lighthouse, recklessly rushing towards it.
He pushed through layers of mist, crossed one wave after another, using all his strength, finally reaching into the mist. He glimpsed a hint of the silhouetteâs true form.
Brown waves of long hair floated on the water, her head drooping, face obscured, but the attire of soft armor and the neckâs curve on the waterâs surface, it was Nausicaaâs!
At this moment, Reynaud was merely five or six meters away from "Nausicaa".
He slowly approached, his emotions growing more excited, one step, two steps, one meter, two meters.
As he neared, he didnât notice that his once muddled eyes began to clear up. The consciousness submerged beneath boundless emotion rose like a morning star, reaching the seat of awareness.
Just then, Reynaud heard a low voice by his ear: "Itâs time, do it."
Before Reynaud could react to what was happening, he felt a pair of hands seem to rest on his back.
Then a pure soul force surged in from behind, and his vision instantly turned completely white, as if he had arrived at the mythical sanctuary. The soothing feeling filled his entire soul body, causing him to unconsciously close his eyes, his consciousness like a swimming fish, pursuing that pure soul force...
Meanwhile, in the real worldâ
Reynaud hadnât stepped onto the sea, nor was there any silhouette on the sea. He merely closed his eyes as if in sleep.
It was all a phantasm, even Nausicaaâs appearance was an illusion woven by Angel to stimulate Reynaudâs slumbering consciousness.
About two minutes later, Nis withdrew his hand and let out a long breath: "Alright, his consciousness has returned to its place. If all goes well, he should regain clarity when he awakens."
Angel used illusion to stimulate Reynaud, while Nis guided Reynaudâs soul.
Nis paused, his eyes slightly sagging: "But I really lost a lot this time, using up more than half a monthâs soul force to awaken his consciousness. Itâs like Iâve been practicing in vain for half a month."
Though he said that, Nis wasnât truly saddened.
He was constantly pondering why Dororo had called him over. His interpretation wasnât much different from Angelâs; perhaps Dororo had seen an opportunity relevant to him here.
Opportunities also have levels.
To Nis, many opportunities seemed insignificant, nothing compared to the Quest Worldâs coordinates within the stone slab.
Dororo knew well that Nis was deciphering the Quest Worldâs coordinates within the slab yet still suggested he come here; this might mean the opportunity here is at least as valuable as the coordinates.
And such an opportunity might be one that could impact his entire life.
What kind of opportunity could reach such a level? Nis could only think of one... related to the path of True Knowledge.
Though it was just a guess, it didnât hinder his excitement. If the opportunity here could truly lead him to the path of True Knowledge, he wouldnât mind sacrificing half a lifetimeâs soul force, let alone half a monthâs.
While Nis was lost in thought, Reynaudâs eyelids in the distance began to tremble.
"He seems to be waking up!" the chubby apprentice exclaimed.
"Didnât I tell you not to speak? Then donât speak." the purple-robed apprentice retorted casually.
In the past, the chubby apprentice might have argued back, but now with two Official Wizards present, he dared not say more and obediently shut his mouth.
However, his outburst drew Angel and Nis to focus their gaze on Reynaud.
After trembling for several seconds, Reynaud finally opened his eyes slowly.
At first, Reynaudâs gaze was still in chaos, making the surrounding apprentices anxious, but the chaotic gaze didnât last long, clearing up in a matter of seconds.
"Nausicaa, I just saw Nausicaa!" The moment Reynaudâs gaze became clear, he stood up and rushed towards the sea.
Yet before he could step off Reef Island, Nis blocked his way.
Nis grinned and said: "You just had a dream."
Was it a dream? Reynaudâs expression froze, and his eyes turned vacant once more.
If this continued, his emotions would likely take over again. Nis quickly interrupted Reynaudâs reverie: "Alright, stop daydreaming. Donât you want to find someone? If you donât share your clues, how can we search."
As he finished speaking, Nis gave Reynaud a sudden pat on the head.
Reynaud just felt a dizzy spell, but soon his thoughts regained dominance.
"Find someone... Yes, I need to find her!"
As Reynaud was muttering to himself, a clear and bright voice sounded from behind him, "Reynaud, do you remember me?"
Reynaud was taken aback.
The voice was so familiar.
He couldnât help but turn his head to look back.
A man with red hair and golden eyes stood not far away. While Reynaud was guessing the identity of this person, he saw the red hair and golden eyes slowly change.
The red hair turned to blonde, and the golden eyes became emerald. The slightly flat features also became deeper.
The appearance changed, the height changed, and the demeanor went from lazy to meticulous. The only thing that remained unchanged was that aristocratic elegance deeply ingrained in the bones.
"Itâs Pat... Lord Pat!" Reynaud exclaimed the name of the newcomer. His expression was somewhat excited, as if he had thought of something, and he rushed to kneel halfway before Angel: "My lord, please save Nausicaa!"
Reynaud did not ask why Angel was here; at this moment, his sole focus was on rescuing Nausicaa. And Angel and Nausicaa are dear friends; he knew this better than anyone.
"Stand up first. I came here this time to find Nausicaa too," Angel summoned a Hand of Magic to help Reynaud up.
He then snapped his fingers, and the realistic Nightmare Illusion created a few tables and chairs around them.
"Letâs sit and talk."
The apprentices sat at the back, while Angel and Nis faced Reynaud up close.
"This is Wizard Nis, you should have met him before." Angel pointed at Nis.
Reynaud nodded, "Lord Nis, I have heard of your name. Earlier, I was somewhat confused, and I hope you pardon me."
Nis waved his hand nonchalantly, "You just had a little issue with your soul. But remember, control your emotions from now on. Even if you desperately want to save Nausicaa, you must remain calm. Reality is not a novel; relying on sheer bravery alone, even the protagonist cannot save the beauty."
Reynaud nodded; although Nis did not spell it out, he had already guessed a few things. His overly agitated emotions before had only resulted in nothing being accomplished.
"Tell us, what exactly happened? Where is Nausicaa now?" Angel asked.
"I donât know where Nausicaa is... We were hunted by the larva of that magical creature, and later, I seemed to have used a weapon... Then I passed out. When I woke up, I had become a soul, wandering above the ocean, until I met them."
Reynaud slowly began, recounting everything he could remember.
About half an hour later, the conversation temporarily ended.
Angel sorted through the situation himself; his guess was indeed correct. Nausicaa had indeed come here with Reynaud to transplant her right arm.
Moreover, the arm Nausicaa intended to transplant was indeed the hand of the Night Butterfly Witch.
The slight difference, however, was that Nausicaa chose the Night Butterfly Witchâs hand not just because it was a transcendent organ, but because it contained some special things.
These special things were prayed for from a certain power in the Quest World through a large sacrificial ceremony conducted by the laboratory.
Because it was written in the language of the Quest World, possessing a "non-memorable" nature, Reynaud couldnât remember the exact name of these things. But this "special thing" could play different roles in various transcendent organs. Reynaud himself once had one and treated it as a weapon.
Since he couldnât remember the name, he temporarily referred to it as "peculiar item."
Due to the successful infusion of this peculiar item into the Night Butterfly Witchâs right hand, making it stronger and irreplaceable, Nausicaa decided to take the gamble.
Otherwise, just the prosthetics made by Angel or replacing it with other magical creaturesâ right hand in the future would have sufficed for Nausicaa, with no need to take such risks.
Of course, Reynaud did not take Nausicaa to the secret laboratory without compensation; he had his own agenda. He was seeking a certain piece of information and needed someone to help him once he retrieved it, and he ultimately chose Nausicaa, who was eager to have a right hand.
As for what this piece of information was, Reynaud concealed it.
Having once hailed from that secret laboratory, under Reynaudâs guidance, they seized an opportunity to infiltrate the lab with Nausicaa.
After causing several rounds of chaos, Reynaud successfully lured the researchers from the laboratory interior away.
However, just as they thought they had it in the bag, an unexpected event occurred.
In the chamber where the organ was presented, Number 17 installed a mechanism. This mechanism was linked with the larva of a terrifying magical creature which pursued them; though they barely escaped the lab, the creature had already caught up.
At the last moment, Reynaud used that weapon.
What happened afterward, he could not recall.
However, he did recall some memory fragments; in these disconnected memory fragments, he saw Nausicaa being swept away by an ocean current.
What happened after using the weapon? Where did the current take Nausicaa? Why did he become a soul, where was his physical body?... Reynaud remembered none of these.
That was all Reynaud narrated.
Angel could tell that Reynaud was hiding something, like the information he was seeking and the detailed information about the "peculiar item," but regarding Nausicaaâs matter, Reynaud elaborated truthfully.
Reynaudâs desire to find Nausicaa was no less than Angelâs.
Because for Reynaud, treated as an experimental subject since childhood, Nausicaa provided him with rare and precious friendship.
"From the situation described by Reynaud, Nausicaa was washed away by an ocean current. But whether this current was natural or artificially created remains unknown," Angel contemplated, "However, in either case, there is still a significant chance that Nausicaa survived."
If it was an artificially created current, whether with malice or benevolence, it at least indicated that the creator did not want to see Nausicaa dead.
Conversely, a natural current might pose more harm to Nausicaa. Given this forbidden zone of the Devilâs Sea, natural disasters tend to be interconnected. If multiple natural disasters linked up, Nausicaa might not withstand it and could indeed face significant trouble.
However, Nausicaa, being a bloodline-side wizard apprentice and once a conqueror of the seas, should have enough experience to handle natural currents.
Therefore, Angel believed that Nausicaaâs chances of survival were quite high.
The problem now was: where was Nausicaa?
The laboratoryâs location was deep in the sea, and Nausicaa was swept away by a current there, making it not easy to find a missing person in the vast ocean.
Even using the True Sight might not help. After all, using the True Sight to trace the truth requires traces, and under the sea, the traces have long been washed away.
Searching without clues was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
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