Chapter 419: Color Dream Potion
Chapter 419: Color Dream Potion
Lindsey and Alarson returned to the island.
Lindsey's wooden boat was secured in a small cove, while Alarson's vessel, without the support of the Essence, turned into pure paint and scattered in the seawater.
The two men tiptoed back to the island.
On the outer ring of the island, where countless waterways intertwined, there were Red Sea mermaid nests scattered at regular intervals.
Lindsey and Alarson walked among them, hearing intermittent cries of unclear meaning, interspersed with some strange, deranged laughter.
That's right.
Lindsey remembered the enchanting mist on the island and tore off a piece of filtering cloth to hand to the painter:
"Wear this on your face, it can filter out those strange gases in the air."
Alarson took the cloth and put it on as instructed.
The two men carefully avoided the mermaid nests.
It took more than half an hour to finally pass through the grid-like mermaid love nests and enter the main island area.
At this distance, the enchanting mist in the air was even denser, like a tightly woven love net surrounding the island.
Until they entered a grove.
Lindsey straightened up and deactivated his stealth.
Alarson, disguised with a canvas, naturally witnessed this and asked curiously:
"Is this how you managed to evade the mermaids' search?"
"Not entirely my doing." Lindsey shook his head slightly, "I had Wah Wah Wah's help, she drew their attention away from me."
"Speaking of which, do you know if anyone else managed to escape from the ship?"
Alarson sighed:
"Unfortunately, no."
"Before meeting you, I thought I was the only one who got away."
"..."
The two men paused for a moment to mourn their fallen male companions.
Before parting ways with Wah Wah Wah, Lindsey had already agreed on a meeting spot—the grove they were currently in, far from the waterways. Now, they just needed to wait quietly.
Alarson understood the situation and brought up their previous conversation at sea:
"Lindsey, since you're so certain we need to force our way out, you must have a plan for the specifics, right?"
Lindsey explained in detail:
"Last night, the ship's durability was proven in the storm, but the towing seafolk met a tragic end."
"As long as we find a way to power the ship, we can leave."
Alarson pondered:
"That's a plan worth trying."
As their discussion deepened, their gazes turned towards the surroundings of the island.
Lindsey's plan was straightforward.
Humans 'invited' to the island by the Red Sea mermaids weren't limited to their group; there were others who had encountered similar situations.
It was conceivable that the number of Awakened among them was also substantial.
Unless these people had some unique and peculiar preferences.
They wouldn't refuse the opportunity to leave the island.
While conversing with Alarson,
Lindsey also opened the map and observed the surrounding environment.
Then, he noticed a green dot wandering in the water.
The other markings on the map, regardless of their color, were all located around the mermaid nests.
Only this mark, with Lindsey's grove as the center, never strayed, even as it moved through the nearby waterways.
As if it had been watching him from the water all along.
"..."
"It must be her..."
Lindsey didn't need to think twice to guess that this was the mermaid girl he had just caught.
Although she was ordered to leave and not reveal any information,
Her spirit was persistent, and she was still peering at Lindsey's location from the river.
Lindsey frowned,
And then noticed a green mark approaching this location from the central direction of the island.
"Wah Wah Wah!" Lin Sai called out to Alarson, heading towards the corresponding direction to greet him. Soon, he spotted the returning figure of the young girl.
However, unlike her departure filled with anticipation and the joy of exploration, Wah Wah Wah's return was marked by a furrowed brow, clearly having encountered something unpleasant.
"Wah Wah Wah, how's the situation?" Lin Sai approached and shared what he had learned first:
"I've also made some progress out at sea."
"That storm is the creation of the island's owner, and it's not something we can pass through freely. The owner's strength is at least at the Seventh Stage or higher, and there are many companions on the island..."
Wah Wah Wah immediately responded with a bitter laugh:
"The number of people on the island is not just a few, it's practically a well-built town!"
Lin Sai cautiously inquired:
"From your expression, it seems you've discovered more than just a simple town, right?"
Wah Wah Wah nodded in agreement:
"That's right, inside is their counterfeit workshop."
Lin Sai's eyebrows shot up:
"Counterfeit workshop?"
Wah Wah Wah continued her explanation:
"The artworks produced by the Seven Seas Alliance are highly sought after, both locally and in other worlds."
"Some with evil intentions or insufficient artistic caliber will naturally have crooked ideas about this."
Alarson added:
"Aside from some special artworks that inherently possess unique abilities, there are also collectors, awakened individuals with special preferences, and nobles who passionately pursue these works. It's quite a common scene."
As the two artists took turns explaining, Lin Sai naturally understood everything:
"So, the mermaids on the island are just a cover to divert external attention."
"Their true purpose is to manufacture counterfeits here and then trade them."
Lin Sai wasn't familiar with the legal system of the Seven Seas Alliance.
So he asked again:
"Just out of curiosity, what's the typical punishment for this kind of thing in the Thousand Sails City?"
Wah Wah Wah directly answered:
"Usually, it's a hefty fine and a long period of imprisonment."
Lin Sai probed further:
"You mentioned 'usually,' so there must be special circumstances as well?"
Wah Wah Wah continued:
"If they forge the works of Eighth Stage artists or use their counterfeiting abilities to cause large-scale malicious incidents, it's the death penalty."
"..."
Lin Sai nodded slightly.
The maximum penalty for creating counterfeits was indeed the death penalty, which aligned with the specific circumstances of the Seven Seas Alliance.
Wah Wah Wah added:
"Also, you must have felt the enchanting mist on this island, right?"
At this point, the girl suddenly lowered her voice, her expression turning unusually serious:
"I just saw the unadulterated version of this mist in the town."
Lin Sai was still unaware of the situation.
But seeing Wah Wah Wah's expression, Alarson, being an artist himself, immediately understood.
He blurted out a name, his voice tinged with a hint of panic:
"Color Dream Potion?"
Wah Wah Wah nodded:
"Yes, that's it."
"There's also a factory in the town dedicated to producing Color Dream Potions!"
Both knew that this was Lin Sai's first time in the Seven Seas Alliance, so they explained:
"Color Dream Potion can greatly stimulate the human spirit, inducing a state of excitement and enchantment, and even lead to addiction."
"So, this is the base of fallen artists."
(End of Chapter)
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