"You... all saw that, didn't you?"

The spokesperson from Cliff Wood City, one of the six cities, pointed to the calm water below from the damaged bow of Luduo's ship and asked.

The representative from the Sky Fortress just rolled his eyes:

"I'm not blind!"

"So, what do we do now? With the sea burning with flames and such dangerous things lurking beneath the water, does anyone still want to give it a try?"

"..."

Though the representatives of the six cities carried their responsibilities, none who did not cherish their lives could survive until today on the unnamed sea.

Even as everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with urgency,

nobody jumped into the sea again.

The sudden appearance of the tentacle was truly terrifying. It is well known that those who serve as guards for the representatives of the six cities are skilled hands on the unnamed sea.

For such talented individuals to be pulled under without a chance to resist, no one presently felt confident enough to retrieve the sea lantern from the surface.

"Gentlemen, I have an idea."

At this point, Edward from Luduo was the quickest to react.

The young Entrod man pointed with one hand towards the water, speaking with certainty:

"Usually, everyone has had experiences operating in shallow waters, and as long as you don't enter the deep waters of the unnamed sea, it's basically impossible to encounter such sea monsters. The route Luduo takes is also absolutely safe under the guidance of the sea lantern."

"You mean..." Reminded by Edward, Aldo, the calmest among the representatives at the side, also realized, "this sea monster's appearance can be dealt with?"

Edward nodded:

"Exactly, that's right."

"You all know the rules on the unnamed sea. Since it was attracted by the sea lantern, we just need to create bait that diverts its attention and then take the opportunity to recover the sea lantern."

"To accomplish this—once the bait loses its effect, the targetless sea monster will vanish quickly."

"..."

Edward elaborated on his idea with confidence.

But the representatives of the six cities again fell into silent consensus.

The method made sense to everyone, but how to create this bait, and who would be responsible, warranted consideration.

The sight of when the guards jumped earlier informed them well enough.

The most effective bait to attract the monster's attention would likely be the living people from Luduo themselves.

Edward looked around at the representatives of the six cities.

He could guess what their reactions might be, but the reality still presented a frustrating situation:

"Alright, I, as the person in charge of Luduo, will make a guarantee."

"If anyone can recover the sea lantern, then the ownership of that Divine Artifact will belong to that person."

As soon as Edward spoke, the representatives' eyes began to look different.

A promise of such direct and clear benefit naturally stirred the interests of those who were there to seek their fortune.

Rustle rustle—

At that moment, the sound of chains dragging across the deck echoed from behind.

A burly man, his body wrapped in a bundle of chains, walked out of the cabin holding an anchor. He looked like a fierce and brave soul.

Moreover, if one looked closely, they'd see the chains piercing through his flesh, connecting through his body—such a man was certainly not a simple character!

Confronted with this newly-arrived man on the deck,

Edward greeted him, clarifying the newcomer's identity:

"Pathfinder, you've come up as well."

"That's right, Mr. Edward." Pathfinder greeted lazily before continuing, "I could sense something was off even by the entrance, so I came up to have a look."

Edward quickly explained to Pathfinder:

"There was a dispute on deck just now. The sea lantern that fell into the water attracted a sea monster, and we are discussing..."

"Hahaha—"

The brief summary came to an end, and Pathfinder laughed in his indolent voice.

This man didn't dwell on anything.

He casually turned and walked towards another part of Luduo:

"What the hell is this?"

"Wait here, I'm going over there to distract the sea monster. If you want to get the Sea Lantern of the Absolute Sea, you'll have to make the effort yourselves."

"..."

The issue with the bait had been resolved just like that.

Edward watched the veteran ship-farer slowly depart, without saying much.

A long time ago, before Edward was brought to Luduo, the veteran ship-farer had already been working here.

Now, the disintegration of Luduo had reached the agenda.

And it seemed that this old seafarer had decided to end everything here as well.

The veteran ship-farer continued backward and soon reached the spot where Ronald and Pathfinder were located.

The man wrapped in iron chains and the fellow bandaged from head to toe exchanged glances and greeted each other with a smile:

"Pathfinder, aren't you going to give it a try?"

"That's the Sea Lantern of the Absolute Sea."

Pathfinder returned the smile and lifted his own tiny lantern:

"For me, this is enough."

"Pathseekers have no need for such a powerful Divine Artifact,"

sighed the veteran ship-farer:

"And the search continues..."

Pathfinder nodded steadily:

"Yes, it will continue."

"..."

That was the end of their exchange.

The veteran ship-farer kept moving backward, while Pathfinder turned to confirm with Ronald:

"Ronald, you remember the method, right?"

Ronald, feeling the atmosphere on board the Luduo, stared solemnly toward the bow and replied earnestly to Pathfinder:

"No problem, I've got it all memorized."

"It seems, however, that these people are ready to retrieve the lantern."

At the edge of Ronald's sight, the representatives of the Six Cities had also begun to grow restless.

With the veteran ship-farer willingly taking on the role of the diversion, their task was simple—retrieve the Sea Lantern of the Absolute Sea!

It was precisely because of the attitudes of these people at this moment that Edward had to remind them once more:

"Everyone, I'm not sure how much time the veteran ship-farer can buy us."

"So retrieve the Sea Lantern of the Absolute Sea and come straight back. Don't let the fighting spiral out of control, understand?"

"..."

No one responded to Edward's sensible suggestion.

The representatives of the Six Cities and their guards had their gaze firmly locked onto the flames burning on the sea's surface.

Bang!

Suddenly, the sound of a splash exploding came from behind on Luduo's side.

Subsequently, the hull suddenly tilted to a corresponding angle.

"Go!"

Such an obvious disturbance signaled the veteran ship-farer's battle.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, someone shouted, and everyone, like athletes seeing the starting gun's smoke, bolted out uncontrollably like wild horses breaking free.

Boom—

The next second, an explosion sounded.

Just as these people reached the sea surface, an innumerable amount of tentacles burst out from the water, enveloping everyone trying to approach the Sea Lantern of the Absolute Sea in a mix of seawater and shadows!

Standing at the damaged prow, Edward's expression changed as he witnessed this.

This sea monster...

It hadn't been fooled at all!

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