Chapter 70 – Sunken Ship

The golden-haired little mermaid widened its round eyes, showing no intention to attack. Instead, it appeared somewhat timid as it swam near the cage that confined its kin.

It swam to the side of one of the mermaids and cast its magic. Golden specks of light swirled around the sharp, thin threads, seemingly attempting to erode them. Unfortunately, the effort was largely ineffective, and it once again turned its hopeful gaze toward the Mage at the center.

Duan Yu said, “Try forming a contract with it.”

Compared to the other mermaids, this one at least showed a willingness to communicate, and a Summoner was precisely the one who could bridge that communication.

When they first met on the surface of the sea, this little mermaid hadn’t been particularly friendly toward Lin Wei, likely because young mermaids were highly sensitive to soul auras and had detected the unique aura of a Summoner.

To Lin Wei’s surprise, when he extended his soul tendrils toward the mermaid, there was no resistance at all. The contract formation process was smooth, without any of the difficulties he had experienced when forming contracts with Sandra or Jerald. Logically, mermaids possessed considerable intelligence, so this situation was truly unusual. Sensing this, Lin Wei deliberately slowed down the contract formation, carefully examining the little mermaid’s soul—its soul was bright and solid from the inside out, with no signs of dimness.

After a simple temporary contract was formed, a soul connection was immediately established. The emotions transmitted from the little mermaid weren’t purely fear but also carried a hint of anticipation.

Perhaps it had already intended to converse with the two of them. Without any guidance, it actively conveyed a strong desire to Lin Wei.

“It’s asking you to release its kin, and also…” Lin Wei processed the information coming through the connection. “Its kin only attacked because their sacred grounds were violated. They mean no harm and have been waiting for human Mages for a long time.”

The mermaids’ sacred grounds were this Sea of Souls—which made sense, as it was the place where their offspring’s souls were born.

It seemed they were indeed in the wrong… Lin Wei used the contract to soothe the little mermaid’s emotions and symbolically withdrew the water serpent guarding the bubble to show that he too meant no harm. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt—this Sea of Souls was floating in the ocean, and it was unavoidable to encounter the “sacred grounds” while descending in this direction.

He continued communicating with the little mermaid: Why were they waiting for human Mages?

The medium of soul communication wasn’t language, so in the next moment, a flood of information came through. Lin Wei had to spend some effort to untangle the thoughts of this still-young mermaid, whose intellectual abilities hadn’t fully developed yet. Its thoughts were as scattered as the soul fragments drifting in the ocean.

“There’s something in the sea causing trouble for the mermaids,” Lin Wei concluded.

“The elemental fluctuations here are making them weaker,” Duan Yu said.

“That’s true… It says three of its kin have already died this year.”

Lin Wei extended a strand of his mental energy and noticed that the surrounding Magic Elements were a mix of blue and gold, with nearly equal density—a situation that shouldn’t occur in the depths of the sea.

A faint dark golden barrier also surrounded his body, no doubt… the Mage had cast it for him.

He looked at Duan Yu with a questioning gaze.

“You can’t stay here for long,” the Mage said, guiding Lin Wei in a certain direction. His gaze lingered on an unknown point in the deep sea. “This place is very similar to the Valley of Metal.”

The Valley of Elements—a place where only those with the corresponding family bloodlines could stay for long?

“Although it’s much weaker here… otherwise, the mermaid clan would already be extinct.”

Only after leaving the Sea of Souls did the golden threads trapping the mermaids gradually dissipate. The mermaids no longer attempted to attack but instead followed from a distance, peeking curiously—this was far more agreeable than before.

The little mermaid swam alongside them. At first, it wanted to lead the way, but the direction it chose was the same as the one Duan Yu had already decided on, so it stopped swimming ahead and instead stayed close to Duan Yu.

Descending further from the Sea of Souls, the faintly glowing mist revealed the dark, undulating seabed below. The mermaids’ territory had no other living creatures, so the scenery beneath them was rather dull. However, when they looked up, they could see the Sea of Souls flowing above them like a dazzling ocean.

The two floated in the bubble for a while longer, and in the area illuminated by the crystal’s light, a massive shadow began to take shape.

Suddenly, another light enveloped them—an adult mermaid had quietly swum over and handed Lin Wei a translucent, glowing coral. The coral’s light was gentle but illuminated a much larger area than the crystal.

What Lin Wei first saw was something resembling a black wall. As his gaze traveled upward, he noticed a sharp, upward-pointing angle.

He recognized the familiar shape: “The bow of a ship?”

After circling the massive object, his guess was confirmed. It was indeed a huge sunken ship, slightly tilted, with its hull deeply embedded in the seabed’s silt. The deck was empty, and the tall mast bore no remnants of its sails. Under the faint light, it appeared desolate and lifeless.

Lin Wei reached out and touched a slightly raised part of the ship’s side. After brushing away the thick layer of silt, he uncovered a circular emblem.

The emblem’s design was a six-pointed star engraved with Magic Runes—the simplest type of Magic Array—with a long, central pattern that, upon closer inspection, was a stylized version of a phrase all Mages were familiar with.

“Agathas”—the closing phrase of a spell.

Mages were as familiar with this emblem as they were with “Agathas,” and even Lin Wei could immediately identify its origin.

“This is a ship from the Magic Association?” Lin Wei asked.

“Let’s check the deck.”

The two landed on the deck, stepping onto solid ground for the first time in the sea. The deck was covered in a layer of grayish-white silt, slippery and leaving deep footprints—clearly, the ship had been sunken for a long time, yet it remained intact, a testament to its sturdiness.

The cabin door was closed, and the ship bore no notable decorations.

Duan Yu spoke up: “The Magic Wheel.”

Lin Wei hadn’t noticed it before, but with this reminder, an incredible sense of familiarity washed over him—ignoring the size, the ship’s appearance was strikingly similar to the Magic Wheel.

“The Magic Wheel was the birthplace of the Magic Association. In its early days, it had many forms and once accompanied the six founding members of the Magic Association on their explorations across the continent. It became a symbol of the Magic Association on the mainland, until it was severely damaged during an expedition to the continent’s edge. Since then, it could only maintain the form of a ship.”

The words Xipo had used to describe the Magic Wheel a year ago resurfaced in Lin Wei’s mind. The similar ship design, both belonging to the Magic Association… Lin Wei couldn’t help but recall the fate of the Magic Association’s six founding leaders.

According to records, they vanished in one of the three forbidden places in the Magic World—the endless ocean east of Siren Island.

And the place where this long-sunken ship lay was the center of the Siren Sea, seemingly unrelated.

The two approached the cabin door. Duan Yu reached out, and a faint light appeared, barring his entry—a powerful Magic Barrier was in place.

But the Mage didn’t stop there. He closed his eyes, and his elegantly shaped right hand moved slowly over the barrier, as if searching for something.

Lin Wei, standing beside him, felt a bit nervous and instinctively held his breath to avoid disturbing him—the Mage was currently “seeing” the barrier’s magical flow, searching for a way to dismantle it.

It didn’t take long. Duan Yu’s hand moved to the upper left corner of the cabin door and gently slashed downward. His movement was indeed light, as if effortlessly sliding across a smooth ice surface, but Lin Wei clearly saw that where Duan Yu’s finger passed, a gray crack split open in the glowing barrier. The crack quickly healed, but a faint ripple emerged, indicating that the barrier was now “passable.”

Lin Wei had to admit, this guy’s control over elemental flow was terrifying, to the point of being unimaginable—he had seen other Mages at the academy completely stumped when faced with a barrier.

Even more astonishing was that this guy was the same age as him—meaning he had only just reached adulthood a year ago. Yet, his understanding of elemental laws had already reached such a level. With just a bit more progress, comprehending the so-called “laws” and advancing from a High Mage to an Archmage seemed within reach.

With the Magic Barrier now breached, opening the cabin door was simple. Beyond the door was complete darkness, with nothing visible. The two stepped through the barrier, and the elemental fluctuations from the Magic Circle supporting the bubble ceased, causing it to vanish—the barrier blocked everything, including seawater, and inside the cabin was the musty, ancient scent of long-sealed air.

The light from the coral given by the mermaid seemed to only work in water. Once inside the cabin, the light went out, plunging them back into darkness. Lin Wei tentatively took a step forward, and his foot bumped into something—a dull “thud” echoed through the wide corridor, followed by the sound of something hard tumbling down a staircase.

Lin Wei lit the Magic Crystal again—illuminating their surroundings.

What he saw was a sight vastly different from the Magic Wheel. Layers of stairs led down a long corridor that extended beyond the crystal’s light. The corridor was very wide, with no cabins on either side. Instead, the walls and ceiling were covered in deeply engraved Magic Runes, all in an ancient, sharp, and powerful style.

The elemental concentration here was even denser than outside, and at the same time, another intense feeling arose in Lin Wei’s heart.

The Lord Duke had once led him through a long, dark corridor deep within the Duke’s Residence to a hall displaying the relics of their ancestors. The feeling now was similar to that, but even stronger, much stronger.

It was a faint tremor and reverence from deep within. He trusted his intuition… The corridor’s atmosphere was silent and oppressive. Though it led downward, it inexplicably gave the sensation of ascending.