Chapter 517: Search and Divination
Chapter 517: Search and Divination
Reef Island, underground.
"Huh?"
As soon as Rayne descended to the bottom, his eyes lit up. In addition to the vast expanse of the expected dark red, surging lava, he noticed numerous metal-colored ores exposed on the lava walls. Clearly, these were high-temperature resistant ores, as ordinary rocks would have long been melted by the lava.
Moreover, Rayne saw several creatures of varying lengths, ranging from a few meters, with dragon heads and crocodile-like bodies, but entirely dark red, and with two fan-like fins on their backs, crawling up and down the Lava Lake.
"What kind of creature is this? From its appearance, it seems to have Red Dragon or Red Dragon lineage?"
"But it looks like the double fins on its back are derived from some aquatic creature. Makes sense, this is a submarine volcano."
"With two sail-like fins on its back, a preference for lava, I'll temporarily call it a lava sail dragon", Rayne observed carefully.
Upon noticing Rayne, the unfamiliar 'visitor,' many of the lava sail dragons ran over with their eyes gleaming, clearly mistaking Rayne for a tasty snack.
"Whoosh!"
Rayne's Tempered steel instantly transformed into a rapier, piercing through the head of a lava sail dragon and pinning it to the spot.
Although the creature was instantly killed by Rayne, he could feel the toughness and resistance when he stabbed it, as well as the involuntary spasms of its body after death, which were far beyond those of ordinary ferocious creatures.
"Pretty strong, likely a dragon descendant."
When Rayne saw the dragon head, he had this suspicion. After all, dragons generally enjoy mating and can produce offspring with various species, with their dominant genes being unparalleled.
Although Rayne instantly killed a lava sail dragon, the other double-sailed dragons showed no fear and continued to charge toward him.
"If they are dragon descendants, then this is simple."
Rayne released a bit of dragon bloodline aura, and instantly, these creatures, which had intended to surround and devour Rayne, seemed to be suppressed by their bloodline and scattered, diving into the lava to hide.
Rayne naturally didn't chase after them. Instead, he found a rock crevice not covered by lava and quickly returned to the surface. He needed to get Menya down as soon as possible.
Rayne approached Menya and gently called out, "Princess Menya?"
After a few calls, she still didn't wake up.
Rayne thought for a moment and said, "Princess Menya, I need to take you to the Lava Lake below."
With that, Rayne gently picked up Menya. As soon as he held her, he felt her body's warmth and softness, which was incredibly pleasant to the touch.
Her red wizard robe, a high-grade magical item, had automatically stored itself when Menya transformed earlier. Now, it was still intact, feeling as smooth as silk and perfectly outlining her perfect figure.
As Rayne lifted and held Menya, she let out a soft moan, her head naturally resting against his chin, and a mature, feminine scent wafted up.
Her body leaned forward, her chest more prominent, and her hips pressed against Rayne's lower abdomen.
This made Rayne, who hadn't been close to a woman for some time, start to daydream.
As he walked, Rayne couldn't help but look down at Menya.
But once he looked, he couldn't stop. Rayne found her incredibly beautiful, familiar, and heart-wrenchingly endearing, and he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her.
During their consciousness fusion, Rayne had resolved a long-standing confusion: why Princess Menya would sometimes look at him with a rather special gaze, and why she specifically warned him not to use the multi-headed dragon transformation.
This was because when Menya was young, she studied at the imperial royal academy and met a young man. Although he wasn't of royal blood, he possessed rare Red Dragon lineage and had exceptional talent and dedication. Soon, the two fell deeply in love.
However, just before their graduation, the young man, after years of hard training, truly awakened his bloodline—the Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline. It turned out he wasn't of Red Dragon lineage but of the even rarer and more special Multi-Headed Dragon Bloodline.
Most importantly, according to the Dragon Empire's royal secrets, multi-headed dragons were considered outsiders, evil, and foreign dragon species.
Thus, the outcome of their relationship was predictable.
Although Rayne didn't see all the details, the general outline was clear.
Because of this painful experience, Menya never married. When she saw Rayne transform into a two-headed dragon in the Ferdinand Forest, she was momentarily lost in thought and issued a gag order.
That's why Rayne felt a pang of sympathy when he looked at Menya.
"As a woman who can almost be called an empire's Valkyrie, she always presents herself as dignified, noble, and resolute, but who knows the pain she carries in her heart?"
Due to their consciousnesses being somewhat fused, whether Rayne looked at Menya or vice versa, there was an inexplicable sense of deep familiarity.
With Menya's alluring presence right in front of him, it was only natural for some romantic thoughts to surface in Rayne's mind.
Carrying these thoughts, Rayne leaped into the cave entrance again. After reaching the Lava Lake below, he quickly found the spot he had chosen earlier and gently placed Menya down.
At that moment, Rayne glanced at Menya's beautiful face and her cherry-red lips. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat, and he gently kissed her.
"Just a quick kiss, it shouldn't be a problem", Rayne thought to himself.
"Huh? Why is Her Highness Menya's face getting redder and redder?"
Rayne glanced at Menya's blushing face, feeling a bit puzzled.
However, he attributed it to the intense heat near the Lava Lake and didn't pay it much mind. After setting up the witch array, he quickly went back up to bring the ancient mermaid girl down as well.
After Rayne left, Menya's beautiful eyes slowly opened.
She looked at Rayne's departing back with a complex expression, sighed softly, and then entered a deep meditation again.
At sea.
The battle for Reef Island between the Sea God Cult and the Federation was a continuous struggle, with both sides constantly mobilizing personnel and resources. The fights were one after another.
From the start, the Sea God Cult relied on the ancient terrifying sea beast, the 'Smoldering Electric Eel' Glastris, which immediately injured Tillio. Although the injury wasn't severe, Glastris's ferocity was overwhelming, forcing several of the Federation's fast fleets to keep their distance.
It wasn't until half a day later, when more Federation Epic-Level Warriors arrived, that the tide of battle began to even out.
By the second day, with the arrival of more Federation strongholds, including several 'Ajax' giant golems, the Federation finally gained the upper hand.
The Sea God Cult began to gradually retreat!
Although they suffered significant losses, Pope Egil's true intention was to allow the 'Smoldering Electric Eel' Glastris to recover its strength. After all, nothing was more nourishing than fresh blood.
After the Federation occupied Reef Island, they immediately began a thorough search.
However, despite turning the small island upside down, Reginald and Tyrion found no trace of Rayne. During this time, Reginald and other high-ranking Federation wizards used detection spells multiple times but still came up empty.
"Perhaps Lord Rayne has some kind of artifact that shields him from magical detection", the Sword Saint Tyrion mused, his voice grave.
"Keep searching, inch by inch!"
"Yes, sir!" The Federation soldiers began to search manually. From a high vantage point, it seemed as though Reef Island was swarming with 'ants.'
Nearly an hour later, a sweaty officer reported, "Sir, we still haven't found Lord Rayne's whereabouts."
"Have you searched everywhere?"
"Everywhere! No, sir, the lake hasn't been searched yet." The bearded officer suddenly remembered something and pointed to the lake formed at the center of the explosion.
The lake was no longer the same as it was immediately after Rayne's 'Core Flame' explosion.
Due to the siphon effect of the surface pressure, underground rivers had been drawn up, expanding the lake's surface. The subsequent battles caused the ground to shake again, collapsing the narrow tunnel Rayne had created, which stopped the siphoning effect and stabilized the lake at its current size.
"What are you waiting for, go now!" Tyrion's eyes flashed with determination.
Yes! The center of the explosion was a likely spot.
Reginald also looked at the lake with keen interest.
"Yes, sir!" the bearded officer replied.
Ten minutes later.
One by one, Federation soldiers surfaced from the lake, shaking their heads. On the other side, several water wizards cast water spells in succession, but found nothing.
"Sir, there are no tunnels or caves below. We found no trace of Lord Rayne."
Tyrion's face darkened, and he waved his hand.
"Could I have been wrong? Did both Her Highness Menya and Lord Rayne sacrifice themselves in the previous battle?" Reginald, who hadn't slept for several days, looked dejected and his lips were chapped.
Even as a Level 4 Dawn Wizard, the constant battles and worry had taken a toll on him.
"I think it's possible that Lord Rayne has a shielding device and some kind of concealment artifact", Tyrion said after some thought.
This was similar to how the Helm team had hidden in the Sky City, using a shield and concealing witch array. Even the Sky City's patrols and various detection devices couldn't find them.
But this involves Sky City's secrets, so Tyrion naturally couldn't speak directly about it.
"This isn't impossible, but if Lord Rayne's injuries are too severe inside the jammer..." Reginald left the sentence unfinished.
"Let's wait a while longer!" After a moment of contemplation, the Sword Saint Tyrion said.
At this time, the Empire Airship 'Storm' had already arrived at the Capital of Tamriel.
"Princess Red Queen Menia is suspected to have perished? Imperial Earl, no, Imperial Marquis and Vice-Commander of the Swordbearers, Lord Rayne, has gone missing?" The empire official who heard this news gasped in shock.
"Quick! Immediately inform the royal family, the Senate, and the Sword Bearers Headquarters."
"Understood, sir!"
As the orders were relayed, the news of the Imperial Delegation being ambushed by the Sea God Cult at the edge of the Federation's waters spread rapidly throughout the Imperial Capital. Speculations and rumors, including the Federation's alleged setup to ambush the Imperial Delegation, began to circulate widely.
Fortunately, not long after, 'Earth Pulse' Reginald used the Federation's long-range arcane communication device to report the situation to the empire. This somewhat quelled the conspiracy theories.
Reginald's wording was identical to Tyrion's, using terms like 'suspected' and 'high probability.' However, this didn't pose a challenge for the empire, with its deep reserves of knowledge and resources.
At the Astrologist Platform.
When Marshal Alfred brought General Augustus and a teary-eyed Olena to the Astrologist Platform, they found that an elder from the Imperial Senate was already there.
"High Astrologist Darian, my old friend, I need your help to perform a divination."
"I never thought that a visit to the Federation would result in such an event!" High Astrologist Darian sighed deeply.
"Alfred, you're here too." The elderly man, with his white hair and deeply wrinkled forehead, nodded.
" Elder Ivan, greetings." Alfred bowed slightly.
The man was of royal lineage, an elder of the Imperial Senate, and an Imperial Guardian, with a long and distinguished career.
"This crystal pendant was a long-time accessory of Menya. Darian, try to locate Menya first", Elder Ivan sighed.
"Vast star river, please illuminate the path ahead. Find the lost traveler." With the crystal pendant in hand, Darian began to chant the Great Astrology incantation.
Suddenly, a vast star map appeared before him, with stars of varying sizes emitting brilliant light.
Since the divination subject, Red Queen Menya, was slightly stronger than Darian, even he found the Great Astrology to be quite draining, and the accuracy was significantly affected.
Several minutes later, as the Great Astrology concluded, Darian frowned and remained silent.
"High Astrologist Darian, what is the situation? Is Princess Menya really..." General Augustus couldn't hold back his question.
"It's hard to say. From the indications of the vast star river, Princess Menya is likely not dead, but she doesn't seem to be unharmed."
"Unharmed?" The crowd was puzzled and began to speculate.
The term was unusual when describing a person.
"Princess Menya's condition is very peculiar, the first time I've encountered something like this. Each person in the vast star river corresponds to a star. If the star is dim, it suggests the person is likely severely injured or trapped in some secret realm."
"But Princess Menya's star is clearly damaged. This..." High Astrologist Darian frowned.
Upon hearing High Astrologist Darian's words, the entire room fell silent for a moment.
"Perhaps we should try to locate Lord Rayne first?"
"Because if Lord Rayne is still alive and we can find him, we might learn what happened to Princess Menya", General Augustus suggested after some thought.
"Yes, that's a viable approach. Let's give it a try", High Astrologist Darian nodded.
At this moment, the teary-eyed Olena quickly stepped forward and respectfully handed a box to Darian.
(End of Chapter)
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