Valeria took a guess. "The corruption affects vessels? Would extended exposure damage normal ships?"
"Precisely." Johno nodded, a gesture that involved his whole upper body. "Normal vessels begin showing signs of deterioration after just a few hours in the heavily affected areas. The wood rots, tal corrodes, even magical protections gradually fail. Not to ntion, it is getting more dangerous as we speak. Many of us sailed out for a purpose, and to this date, haven’t co back. They are either dead, or unretrievable."
"But you have a solution?" Lumi prompted, knowing where this was leading.
"Potentially." Johno led them to another chart, this one showing various islands within the inner sea. "There’s a special type of tree that used to grow throughout the region. The Purifying Willow. It thrives on true ice. It can feed on many different types of energy, and this includes the corruption we face now. Ships built from its wood, or even just coated with it, are immune to that corruption."
"Used to grow?" Marcus caught the past tense.
"Most were destroyed recently." Johno said, anger entering his voice for the first ti. "Unknown agents systematically burned or cut down nearly every grove. We suspect it was preparation for whatever is causing this corruption. They wanted to ensure we couldn’t easily investigate."
"But so wood remains?" Lumi asked.
"It’s scattered across various islands." Johno confird. "We’ve been collecting what we can, but it’s dangerous work. The corrupted waters spawn monsters. Creatures that shouldn’t exist, born from the contamination itself."
Valeria stepped forward. "Our ship has so anti-corruption enchantnts. They’re not specifically designed for this type of contamination, but they should provide so protection."
"So protection, yes." Johno agreed. "But for a thorough investigation, you’d need more. The central areas, where we suspect the source lies, would overwhelm standard protections within hours."
"Then we collect the Purifying Wood." Lumi said decisively. "Both to protect our vessel and to help you build more corruption resistant boats. Once we do so, we can use our vessel properly."
Johno studied him for a mont. "You will do this? For our little problem here?"
"It’s what Knights do!" Jin said cheerfully. "Plus, corrupted water monsters sound like excellent practice!"
That broke the tension, several of the researchers chuckling at his enthusiasm. Johno himself gave a small chuckle.
"Very well." Johno said. "I’ll mark the locations where wood has been spotted. But, please be careful. We’ve lost several scouts to whatever lurks in those waters. Additionally, rest assured that you will receive proper compensation for your assistance."
As Johno prepared the maps, Lumi felt a familiar sensation washing over him. The formal request, the clear objectives, the promise of reward, all the elents were there. This was exactly what he wanted. He was sure the system would grant a quest. He pulled up his interface.
[Quest Received: Corrupted Waters Investigation - Part 1]
[Objective: Collect Purifying Wood from the Inner Sea]
[Recomnded Level: 35-40]
Lumi gave a wry smile. Level 35 to 40? Good. The system wasn’t very intelligent.
Theoretically, such a fetch quest would indeed necessitate at least such a level.
That said, it hadn’t accounted for him having a full squad of elite Knights as backup. This was exactly the kind of exploit he’d hoped for. Although he wouldn’t get full XP as if he solo’d it, it didn’t matter.
"Lumi." Valeria stopped him, as they retreated back to the ship they had co from with Pengu. "Modifying a Herene ship isn’t a simple matter. Unless there are special circumstances, it isn’t allowed."
Lumi only gave a small smile. "I understand. However," he gestured around, "These are special circumstances. Plus, it’s an upgrade to the ship. Trust . I will take full responsibility for this."
"Alright." Valeria accepted such logic.
They returned to the ship with Pingu, who provided additional details about the marked locations. The first cluster of Purifying Wood had been spotted on a small island to the northeast, barely more than a rocky outcrop with so frozen soil.
"Are we all ready to set off?" Pingu asked the team as he manned the ship.
"Wait." Jin stepped up to ask, "You are taking us? Johno said it was dangerous. We can go alone."
Pingu quickly shook his head. "No, no! It is my duty here to assist in this crisis. Not to ntion, do any of you know how to sail a vessel of this style?"
The Knights looked at each other, and had to reluctantly shake their heads.
"You are brave." Zara spoke up, speaking softly. "Have you ever considered joining the Aria Knights?"
Pingu quickly shook his head. "No, no! I love the knights, but that is not the life for ." He slapped his flipper against the vessel. "Right here in Mora is the life for . Now hop aboard."
Everyone got on, giving Pingu a respectful nod as they did so. Then they set off. As they sailed deeper into the inner sea, the corruption beca more apparent. The water itself looked wrong. It was too dark, with an oily sheen that reflected unnatural colors. The air grew thick and oppressive, and Lumi noticed his mana regeneration had slowed slightly.
"This is deeply unnatural." Marcus muttered, one hand glowing with magic as he examined the area. "It’s not just physical corruption. Sothing is fundantally wrong with the mana in this area."
"Stay alert." Valeria ordered. "If corruption can spawn creatures, we might need to fight. We cannot let this vessel sink."
As soon as she spoke, the water near their ship began to bubble. Sothing rose from the depths, a mass of corrupted ice and flesh that had no right existing. It looked like soone had tried to create a whale from mory while drunk and using only spoiled materials.
[Corrupted Leviathan - Level 34]
More creatures erged around it. Smaller but no less disturbing. Fish with too many eyes, crustaceans whose shells wept black fluid, things that defied easy classification. Even the system itself showed no care to classify them individually, simply grouping them up into the sa na.
[Corrupted Sea Creature - Level 17]
[Corrupted Sea Creature - Level 12]
[Corrupted Sea Creature - Level 19]
[Corrupted Sea Creature - Level 16]
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