Zu An took in the crowd’s expressions. Hm, it looks like they have other motives for joining this rescue operation out in the ocean. He stowed away the key and asked, “Miss Yani, can we speed up a little?”
After being stalled by the bone dragon, he was getting increasingly worried about Firework.
Yani wanted to return the favor after being rescued by him, so she immediately took control of the frigate and went full speed ahead.
After witnessing his special abilities and close association with the Deity of Memory, many people tried to strike up a conversation with Zu An, but he was too worried about Firework, so he dealt with them perfunctorily.
The commotion from the earlier fight appeared to have frightened away the other monsters in the ocean, so they didn’t encounter any danger along the way. Soon, dense storm clouds could be spotted in the distance. Thunderous claps reverberated.
The crowd had heard about it from Zu An, but all this time, they'd thought he was exaggerating. It was only now that they realized the storm clouds were more frightening than they'd expected.
Lightning bolts as thick as pillars flashed here and there. Any normal cultivator would have been burnt to crisp upon contact.
Yani went up to Zu An and asked, “Are you sure your friend is in there?”
Zu An nodded. “She was brought in there.” That was what the ocean creatures he'd communed with told him.
“Our frigate’s defensive formation only allows us to search the outer area. I’m afraid we’ll have to turn back if we don’t find your friend there,” Yani reminded him.
Zu An turned to the crowd and said, “I’m grateful that you've come out here to help me rescue my friend, but things are only going to get more dangerous from this point on. You don’t have to risk your life with me. There are lifeboats on the frigate, so you can wait out here for us.”
“You’re being too polite. Allow me to head into the stormy region with you. It’ll help to have an extra pair of eyes looking around.”
Zu An had already proven his worth, so it wouldn’t hurt to sell him a favor.
On top of that, those gathered on this frigate were experts of their respective worlds, and they were confident in their strength. They were also curious about what lay within the stormy region, thinking there could be fortuitous encounters there.
Isabella also spoke up. “Big brother Zu, we came here to rescue your friend. It doesn’t make sense for us to back out now. You don’t have to worry about us. We’ll take care of ourselves and leave if we sense ourselves reaching our limits.”
Zu An bowed to the crowd. “Thank you!”
Yani steered the frigate toward the stormy region. They could already feel furious winds even when they were only at the borders of the stormy region, and the waves were already taller than the frigate.
Zu An used the Crown of the Ocean Deity’s ability to suppress the ocean water, allowing the frigate to steer stably into the stormy region.
Despite already knowing about this ability, the other guests were astounded.
The butler Alfred remarked, “Only a small handful of water deities and ocean deities wield such a water control ability, and none of them are... this young.”
Zu An smiled. “Are you saying I look like a kid?”
Alfred laughed. “You’re a generous person. I can see why you were given our Conglomerate’s cherished friendship emblem.”
Isabella also spoke up. “Big brother Zu, you should drop by my home after this.”
Upon hearing those words, the crowd blazed with envy. Isabella’s invitation held significance, and more importantly, she was inviting him not to her office, but her home! Is the Acadia House going to get a new son-in-law?
“I’ll have to make a trip back home first. My wives are worried about my safety,” Zu An replied. When he said those words, he couldn’t help but eye Tingxue, since she resembled Yan Xuehen a lot.
The crowd was rendered speechless. Why are you going all out to save another woman when you already have multiple wives? On top of that, you’re still flirting with Miss Tingxue and Miss Isabella. Don’t you think you’re being too greedy?!
Isabella was taken aback. “Yes, family should come first. May I visit big brother Zu’s world then? I’m sure it’s a beautiful place.”
The guests exchanged looks. They had been fawning on Isabella all this time, and while Isabella had treated them with respect, the sense of distance was unmistakable. They hadn't thought she could be this proactive.
Even Alfred frowned. Due to our big miss’ background, her words and actions are bound to invite speculation. It’s not a good idea for her to follow another man to his homeland. However, he could tell that Isabella harbored innocent thoughts, so he didn’t stop her.
Zu An smiled. “My homeland is indeed a beautiful place. It’d be my honor to host you.”
“It’s a deal!” Isabella replied with a sweet smile that could easily win anyone over. She felt like an energetic little sister that brought joy to the room.
While they were chatting, the frigate had already steered into the stormy region. Thick lightning bolts fell toward the frigate. They were almost purple in color, and it felt as if they contained calamitous power.
The crowd tensed up. Several people whipped out their weapons, ready to deflect the lightning if needed.
However, the bolts falling toward the frigate were stopped by a transparent barrier, upon which they dissipated into the surroundings as little lightning specks.
The crowd were awed by Dreamland’s wealth. To think that even an ordinary frigate would be equipped with such a formidable barrier!
Zu An examined the barrier. It ingeniously combined technology with formations, and it was designed specifically to ward off lightning. Dreamland must have tried venturing into this stormy region before.
Despite being protected by the barrier, the crowd remained tense. The visibility had abruptly plummeted in the stormy region, so much so that the experts onboard could only see several hundred meters away at most. The dense stormy clouds looming over them were suffocating.
“It resembles an apocalypse I once witnessed. The world was torn apart shortly after.”
“Was an Annihilation worshiper here?”
...
Despite its advanced technologies, Dreamland’s frigate shook like a toy in a child’s hand, seeming as if it would capsize at any moment.
Alfred suddenly spoke up. “This storm reminds me of a planet I once passed by. That planet was ravaged by a massive storm that spanned thousands of kilometers. The storm was visible even from space. For that reason, there were no living beings on that planet.”
“Why didn’t we notice this earlier when arriving at this planet?” Isabella asked.
“Big miss, our vision was obscured by the clouds. We couldn’t have noticed these storm clouds,” Alfred explained.
Isabella turned to Yani and asked, “Big sister Yani, how big is the stormy region?”
Yani replied, “These storm clouds have existed in the Dreamocean for a very long time. We call the region the Devil Eye. It wasn’t that big initially, spanning only a radius of a thousand square meters, and it was stable until several centuries ago. But in recent years, the Devil Eye began rapidly expanding at a rate that baffled even us.”