Chapter 340: Teleportation, The Sunken Ship

Chapter 340: Teleportation, The Sunken Ship

The thirteen summoned individuals gathered at the Dragon Might Base, strategizing for unexpected situations and planning their reunion after teleportation.

Time slowly ticked down to the final half-hour of the countdown.

Lu Heng offered a final reminder, "Before the teleportation, I want to emphasize that the Mermaid Clan is not entirely friendly. This race has lived in the depths of the sea for generations, with limited contact with land-dwelling races. Therefore, conflicts may arise upon encountering them.

"According to the information I have on the Mermaid Clan, the main quest will likely involve them, but if a conflict arises, your top priority is to ensure your safety."

The Mermaid Clan, as he recalled, was also a race invaded by the Abyssal World, but not all races were friendly.

In fact, most races would remain vigilant when encountering otherworldly beings.

Jiang Shaoran raised her hand and asked, "Commander, is there a possibility that the Mermaid Clan is hostile towards us?"

Lu Heng paused to consider, then replied, "That's not impossible. In fact, every otherworldly race has its own stance, and whether they are hostile to humans depends on the choices made during the encounter.

"I once found myself summoned into the world of the Black Iron Dwarves, and immediately after teleportation, I was hunted by them. However, the main quest required us to gain the understanding of the Black Iron Dwarves.

"Therefore, our relationship with the Mermaid Clan depends entirely on our actions.

"Among the known intelligent races, the Mermaid Clan is considered one of the more ferocious ones.

"So, when you encounter them, it's best to treat them as intelligent beasts, remain vigilant, and protect yourselves.

"As for whether we are allies or enemies of the Mermaid Clan, I believe the main quest will provide the answer."

In the natural world, most wild animals do not actively attack humans. The majority of wild animals that attack humans do so out of self-preservation.

The most typical example is venomous snakes. They do not consider humans as prey, and their first instinct upon encountering humans is usually to flee. However, incidents of humans being bitten by snakes still occur, which is a result of the snakes' self-defense mechanism.

Liu Haiyang listened attentively and pondered, then raised his hand to ask, "Have the Mermaids ever encountered humans? If so, might they be more amicable upon meeting us?"

Lu Heng considered the question carefully before answering, "I believe it's highly unlikely that the Mermaids have met humans before, because among humans, you are the most powerful marine-system Ability Users.

"This is probably the first time humans have been summoned into the Mermaids' world, marking the first contact between our civilizations, which will directly impact future diplomatic relations."

After a moment's thought, Lu Heng added, "However, the Mermaids should be aware of what a Summoner is. So, when you encounter them, revealing your identity as a Summoner might be useful. Of course, there's also a chance you'll be mistaken for an Abyssal Summoner, so be extremely cautious when interacting with the Mermaids."

After discussing the nature of the Mermaid Clan, the summoning countdown reached its final stage.

The group exchanged glances, and Jian Qing, who had just returned from the Andaman Sea, reminded her Special Forces team one last time, "Check your weaponry and equipment one final time, and prepare for teleportation."

The countdown reached its final seconds.

Everyone closed their eyes to protect their retinas from the intense light during teleportation.

As they closed their eyes, a blinding white light filled their vision, followed by an endless darkness.

The teleportation began, and a message appeared before them.

【Teleport to the Abyssal World: Dragon's Rest World's Tidal Sea】

【World Introduction: In the depths of the Tidal Sea lies an ancient and mysterious civilization - the Tidal Mermaids. This unique race has the upper body of a primate and a powerful, serpentine lower body resembling a sea snake or ribbonfish. The Mermaids possess specialized breathing gills, allowing them to breathe underwater, sense water current changes, and detect bioelectric fields, enabling them to navigate the dark depths with ease.】

【Event: The Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom of the Crown of Magma has been continuously dumping molten ash into the Tidal Sea, causing a steady rise in temperature, infuriating the Mermaid Clan. Coupled with the pollution from the Abyssal World, the environment of the Tidal Sea has deteriorated, leading to escalating conflicts between the Mermaids and the Black Iron Kingdom as the former strives to save their marine habitat.】

【Danger Level: 7】

【Battlefield Mode: Multi-Faction Battle】

【Main Quests】

【1. Protect the surviving Black Iron Dwarves on the sunken ship, the Frigates, from being killed.】

【2. Establish diplomatic relations with the Mermaid Clan.】

【3. Survive in the Dragon's Rest World for 30 days.】

【Challenge Quests】

【1. Eliminate 20 Abyssal Summoners.】

【2. Locate and eradicate the source of abyssal pollution.】

【3. Help the Black Iron Dwarves and the Mermaid Clan reach a reconciliation and investigate the cause of the environmental degradation in the Tidal Sea.】

【Teleportation complete. Loading the universal language of Dragon's Rest World.】

After reading through the mission information, Lu Heng couldn't help but sigh. As he had initially anticipated, the danger level was indeed Grade 7.

This wasn't the first time he had encountered a Grade 7 abyssal battlefield; the previous one was in the Elven World.

However, the final Bloodline Clan Demon King in the Elven World was the Grand Arcanist Augustus, who had self-destructed.

In other words, while the Elven World was Grade 7 in danger, it was the Elves who were the main force against the abyssal beasts.

This time, being summoned to the Mermaid World might not be as straightforward as the Elven World.

Lu Heng felt something was amiss after reading the main quest line, and the world introduction had already revealed crucial information.

This summoning was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

...

As the teleportation ended, Lu Heng opened his eyes and looked around. All four members of his team were present, but he didn't see Liu Haiyang and the others.

In addition to his team, there were six other Empowered individuals in the room, clearly not from Daxia, judging by their appearance.

"Liu Haiyang and his team didn't teleport with us," Xie Shien said, his alertness at its peak.

"Where are we?" Lin Zeyu tried to stand up but felt the entire room swaying.

They had teleported into a cabin-like space, but there was a problem: the furnishings were upside down and tilted.

Indeed, the ten people in the cabin were not sitting on the floor but on the ceiling, with the furniture smashed against it, and the beds and cabin structure above their heads.

Aside from this unusual environment, they could also hear chaotic shouts from outside.

As soon as the teleportation was complete, Su Muyu had sent out a Bright Sunbird to scout the surroundings.

She quickly figured out their location and sighed, "We're inside a sinking ship, most likely the Frigate mentioned in the main quest line."

Lu Heng had already guessed this and pointed outside, asking, "Are the shouts outside from the Black Iron Dwarves?"

Su Muyu nodded, "Yes, they're Black Iron Dwarves. This is their ship."

Just as they were talking, a white man from the other team in the cabin stood up and announced, "I am Gilbert Okham, Chief Judicator Knight of the Round Table Knights. I've brought a team of five, so you'll need to follow my command.

"We are currently on a sinking ship, and the main quest line requires us to save the Black Iron Dwarves here. So, listen to me.

"Let's see if we can lift this ship back to the surface!"

Lifting a ship back to the surface!

Before the era of the abyss, such a statement would have been a joke.

While it wasn't entirely impossible with the emergence of Empowered individuals, the strength required was not something that could be achieved by mere words.

Lu Heng hadn't seen the entire ship, so he wasn't sure if this plan was feasible.

Normally, once a ship had sunk beneath the surface, there was almost no chance of rescue. Saving the people on board would already be considered a great deed.

Since this Chief Knight, Gilbert Okham, had suggested it, Lu Heng thought he should first confirm if this plan was viable. He turned to Su Muyu and asked, "Is it possible?"

Su Muyu quickly controlled the Bright Sunbird to observe the entire sunken ship, "The ship is over a hundred meters long, filled with black volcanic ash-like material. It has been flipped over by some terrifying force, and now the bottom is facing upward.

"Unless there's a Titan of Strength among the summoned Empowered individuals, I believe it's impossible to lift the ship back to the surface."

The ship's length exceeding a hundred meters meant it had a displacement of at least a thousand tons.

After hearing this, Lu Heng turned to Gilbert Okham and asked, "Can anyone in your team lift a warship?"

Gilbert Okham looked around and said, "Those summoned here should be at least level 40, right? Don't tell me you're not even level 40.

"There should be other summoners on the ship. If we all work together, we might be able to lift the ship to the surface. Then, we can use our Empowerments to complete the main quest."

After hearing this, Lu Heng felt like rolling his eyes.

Level 40 was indeed the current first-tier level for Empowered individuals, so those summoned to this abyssal battlefield would likely be at least level 40, except for those with ocean-related enhancements.

However, a Level 40 Ability User isn't a god; how could they possibly lift a sunken ship that's a hundred meters long back to the surface?

To achieve such a feat, one would practically need to be a demi-god.

Dealing with a hundred-meter-long ship, Lu Heng's strength could easily sink it, but lifting a sunken vessel back to the surface is just too far-fetched.

More importantly, Ability Users can't exert their full power underwater.

Even if there were a Titan of Strength Ability User floating in the seawater, how could they possibly exert their strength?

Only an Ability User enhanced by the Oceanic System would have such a capability.

But clearly, the ten people in the cabin were not Oceanic System Ability Users.

So Chief Judicator Knight Gilbert Okham's idea was a bit far-fetched.

Moreover, the main quest's requirement was to protect the Black Iron Dwarves on the ship, not to lift the sunken vessel back to the surface.

"You can give it a try."

As Lu Heng spoke, he stood up and walked out with his team of three: "Let's find the Black Iron Dwarf's ship captain and see what the situation is."

The ship was indeed sinking, but the process was slow for such a large vessel, sometimes taking half a day.

Therefore, the interior of the ship hadn't been flooded yet.

However, the ship had already capsized, making movement very inconvenient.

Of course, this wasn't a problem for Ability Users.

Lu Heng stepped out of the cabin and saw a group of Black Iron Dwarves running towards them. He stopped them and said, "Hello, we are Summoners, allies of the Blackstone City and the Dakville Black Iron Clan. I'd like to meet your captain and discuss rescue efforts."

Lu Heng's mention of the Dakville Black Iron Clan and Blackstone City earned him the trust of these Black Iron Dwarves.

The leader of this Black Iron Dwarf group ordered one of his men to take Lu Heng's team of four to meet the captain while he continued to lead the others in salvaging valuable items from the bridge.

Lu Heng followed this Black Iron Dwarf through the ship's cabins and arrived at the bridge.

With the entire ship capsized, the interior was in disarray, and the bridge was no exception.

If the ship were upright, the bridge would be located at a higher position on the vessel, but since the ship had flipped, the bridge was now at the lowest point.

Consequently, seawater had already flooded the bridge.

Several Black Iron Dwarf Wizards were casting spells to expel the seawater.

Another group of Black Iron Dwarves was collecting important items from the bridge, including nautical maps, gyroscopes, and weaponry.

Among them, a burly Black Iron Dwarf with a full beard and distinctive attire seemed to be the highest-ranking officer, likely the captain of the Frigates.

Frigus was swinging an iron hammer, pounding on the ship's breach, and shouting, "The Frigates can sail the Magma Sea! We won't sink here! Get this seawater out!"

Lu Heng approached and said, "Hello, we are Summoners, allies of the Blackstone City and the Dakville Black Iron Clan. We're here to help you."

Hearing Lu Heng's words, Frigus turned around.

He had heard of the Dakville Clan, a branch of the Black Iron Dwarves.

"Excellent! My Frigates won't sink. Help me get this seawater out!" Frigus made a straightforward request.

Lu Heng looked at Su Muyu in surprise, his eyes asking if the ship could still be saved.

Su Muyu shrugged helplessly.

She had already assessed the ship's condition; with the entire vessel capsized and multiple large holes in the hull, even if they patched the holes, they could only slow down the sinking.

Lu Heng remembered that the main quest required him to protect the Black Iron Dwarves on the Frigates.

In other words, these Black Iron Dwarves would face danger.

Although the sinking ship was dangerous, if it were just a simple matter of a sinking vessel, rescuing these Black Iron Dwarves would be easy.

After all, there were six Oceanic System Warriors summoned this time, and once Liu Haiyang and his team joined them, rescuing the people on the ship would be a breeze.

But with the world's danger level at 7, things were definitely not that simple.

What caused the ship to sink? Which force attacked it?

"Did the Mermaids sink this ship?"

If it were the Mermaid Clan, it would imply potential future dangers.

Lu Heng's thoughts led him to ask, "Was this ship attacked by something?"

Frigus, enraged, replied, "A Deep Sea Behemoth! Damn it! Eight tentacles wrapped around and flipped my ship. It must have been sent by the Mermaids, those damn Sea Demons!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end