Bai Cheng listened quietly, the sea breeze fluttering her black dress.
For her, this incident on Chao Yin Island was more like an entertaining interlude to understand a new environnt, allowing her tense nerves to relax a little.
At the sa ti, the plight of the Sea People, that magical experience food, and the clues regarding a possible organization behind 'Pisces' all gave her a deeper understanding of the complexity and uniqueness of the Infinite Realm.
The struggles here were far more brutal than those outside the realm.
Ti flew by, and Bai Cheng's trio's brief stay on Chao Yin Island was coming to an end.
On the day of their departure, Elder Moto led the entire tribe to wait by the shore early. He held a large basket woven from dried algae and flexible water grass, filled with neatly stacked, lustrous dried fish marked with star-like patterns.
This was the Star-Patterned Sea Bream that the whole tribe had carefully caught and dried overnight the day before.
In addition, there were several jars of sauce brewed from special algae and coral fruit, as well as several bundles of Night Algae used for lighting, which emitted a soft glow.
The Elder solemnly handed the local specialties to Bai Cheng. His azure face was full of gratitude and reluctance, but his eyes held an even greater sense of worry.
Lowering his voice, he shared the information he had gathered during this ti with the three of them:
"Honored guests, from what our Sea People have learned through sporadic exchanges with neighboring islands over generations, most of the scattered islands in this Erald Sea are inhabited by weak races similar to ours, such as the Feiyu Clan to the east, the Yanku Clan to the south, and the Wuyin Clan to the west."
"Although everyone has different talents, we have always been peace-loving, relying on the gifts of the sea. We occasionally bartered with each other, but there were never any major disputes; we lived in harmony."
His tone shifted, and his brow furrowed. "However, ever since that group of 'Sea Patrol Envoys' invaded my tribe three years ago, our contact with the outside world has been almost completely severed."
"I have been thinking privately that since our Chao Yin Island suffered such a disaster, the other small islands... I'm afraid they might not have been spared either."
"These invaders act tyrannically and are highly organized. The code na 'Pisces' perhaps suggests that there is a larger syndicate behind them, where mbers might be distinguished by similar code nas, each responsible for a specific area."
The Elder looked up, his eyes filled with concern. "You guests are powerful, and I shouldn't say too much, but... please be very careful."
"Among them, there's no guarantee there won't be soone more troubleso and powerful than 'Pisces'."
Bai Cheng took the specialties and gave a slight nod. "Thank you for informing us, Elder. We will keep an eye out."
Yu Nian smiled and patted the basket full of dried fish. "Don't worry, Elder, we know what we're doing. We'll accept these gifts!"
Leng Ningxue also nodded gently to the Elder and the Sea People who had co to see them off.
"If there's a chance, we will co to visit again," Bai Cheng said finally, her voice calm but carrying a rare hint of warmth.
The train glided silently to the shore, and the three boarded.
Under the waving arms and watchful eyes of countless Sea People, the train slowly started, accelerating along the invisible tracks, gradually moving away from Chao Yin Island and re-entering the vast waters of the Erald Sea.
Inside the carriage, Bai Cheng set the basket of specialties aside and looked out the window at the sea and the star-like islands passing by rapidly, falling into deep thought.
Elder Moto's words echoed in her mind—scattered weak races, neighboring islands that might be suffering the sa oppression, and that suspected organized invasion group using constellations as code nas.
This was not an isolated incident, but likely a systematic looting and conquest taking place across this region of the Erald Sea.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she made a decision: this matter needed to be thoroughly investigated.
This was not just about the future safety of the Sea People, but might also touch upon certain threads of the underlying order of the Infinite Realm.
anwhile, Yu Nian could no longer contain herself. She excitedly carried the basket of dried Star-Patterned Sea Bream to the train's kitchen area and found the chef, Huang Yu.
"Huang Yu! Quick, make these fish into your best dish! These are specialties from Chao Yin Island, very rare!" Her eyes shone with anticipation.
Huang Yu was quite experienced. Upon hearing this, he simply checked the dried Star-Patterned Sea Bream and imdiately detected the pure water elent fluctuations within them. He nodded in agreent.
"This ingredient is indeed very rare."
Before long, several carefully prepared fish dishes were served on the table.
The stead Star-Patterned Sea Bream preserved the original fresh sweetness, while the grilled version brought out the charred aroma and rich oils. The fish soup was even more thick and delicious.
Yu Nian couldn't wait to dig in. The fish at lted in her mouth, and the deliciousness was beyond words.
But what surprised her even more was that as she swallowed the food, not only did a familiar, faint experience energy rge into her body—which was more noticeable than the effect of the previous Crystal Phosphorus Fish.
Besides that, there was also an unprecedented feeling of coolness and clarity lingering deep in her consciousness, as if she had a clearer and more intimate perception of the flow and rhythm of the water elents in the surrounding environnt!
She paused her movents, sensing it carefully for a few seconds, then her eyes widened. She abruptly put down her utensils and shouted excitedly to Bai Cheng and Leng Ningxue:
"Bai Cheng! Leng Ningxue! Co and taste this! This Star-Patterned Sea Bream... besides increasing experience, it can actually enhance elental comprehension! Especially for the water elent!"
Bai Cheng and Leng Ningxue were both startled upon hearing this, then they also ca to the table and took a bite each.
Sure enough, in addition to the slight increase in experience points, a cool and clear thought seeped into their perception like a trickling stream, giving them a detectable improvent {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} in their affinity and understanding of the water elents in the environnt.
Although the effect of a single serving was weak, food that could directly boost elental comprehension was truly rare.
"It seems the value of the Sea People's secret fish feast and this Star-Patterned Sea Bream far exceeds our expectations."
Bai Cheng put down her utensils, a look of deep thought flashing in her eyes.
"The resources nurtured in this sea area guarded by the Sea People for generations are probably not simple. And it might not be a coincidence that that invasion group chose this place."
Yu Nian nodded repeatedly, continuing to enjoy the food while saying indistinctly, "Exactly! That's why we have to investigate that group thoroughly! Maybe we can find more good stuff like this!"
Leng Ningxue gently wiped the corner of her mouth, a sharp light crossing her cold eyes. "Yes. Combined with the Elder's speculation that other islands might also have been attacked, investigating this matter is indeed necessary."
Bai Cheng looked out at the boundless shimring light of the Erald Sea, her determination to investigate growing even firr.
This journey, after perhaps solving the Sea People's troubles, had unveiled a corner of an even broader mist.
"If there are traces of those guys all around here, wouldn't it be too slow for us to check the islands one by one?"
Although the train had departed, the group had not yet decided where their next stop would be.
Bai Cheng's eyes flickered. "Our train can be freely modified now, can't it? I have an idea."
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