In the deepest reaches of the ocean lay a dimension known as the Bottom of the Sea.
Dante calmly emerged from a patch of dark water. Looking thoroughly composed, he walked forward, only to run into Socrates right as he turned a corner.
"I guessed you'd spy on the President's secrets. Care to tell me what you saw in there?" Socrates looked at Dante, asking nonchalantly.
Dante fell silent for a moment before replying, "A young girl."
"A young girl?" Socrates had hypothesized several possible answers, yet this still caught him off guard.
He furrowed his brows slightly, part asking Dante and part muttering to himself, "The President is imprisoning a young girl for what purpose...?"
"Who knows? Maybe that girl is the foundation for godhood he's been desperately seeking," Dante sneered. He didn't believe the words himself, so naturally he didn't expect Socrates to believe them either.
The members of the Ancient Sages Society had gathered together with the sole objective of attaining godhood—and not some counterfeit divinity, either.
Yet to this day, they had failed to find a path. Instead, Edward and Yu Xian had already carved out an entirely new frontier. Although rumors claimed Yu Xian had passed on the breakthrough method to Huaxia, with Yu Xian standing guard, who would dare target Huaxia?
He was the powerhouse who had defeated Edward—someone even younger, vastly stronger, and possessing unfathomable potential.
In fact, both Dante and Socrates could sense the President's wariness toward Yu Xian. To guard against him, the Bottom of the Sea had undergone an upgrade and renovation a year ago, making the space not only far sturdier, but also much more concealed.
Just then, Galileo emerged from a distant room. He looked toward Dante and Socrates, asking, "Where's the President?"
"Probably entered the Abyss again," Dante guessed, sounding rather indifferent.
The members of the Ancient Sages Society rarely gathered together to begin with. Most of the time, the higher-ranking members ventured into the Abyss to explore, while only a few lower-ranking members and peripheral operatives remained active on Earth, monitoring the movements of major factions.
"I have a bad feeling about this. I'm heading into the Abyss for a while; don't contact me unless it's something urgent." Socrates stroked his beard. For reasons he couldn't explain, hearing Dante's words had filled him with an ominous foreboding, so he hurried away as soon as he finished speaking.
Dante turned to Galileo, who merely shrugged and said mildly, "I just got back. I only came over to take a look after hearing the President had returned."
"The President brought back a young girl, then took off again," Dante said.
Upon hearing that, Galileo turned on his heel to leave without hesitation. As Dante fell into step beside him, Galileo analyzed, "The President has always been cautious. Until now, he has never brought any living organism into the Bottom of the Sea. Why do you think he brought back a young girl this time? Is she very important, or... is she very dangerous?"
"I imagine... she's probably both very important and very dangerous," Dante remarked cryptically.
Galileo agreed, "Exactly. She has to be both important and dangerous, which is why she could only be kept in the Bottom of the Sea. Good thing your ability, 'Divine Comedy,' allows you to enter any hidden sanctuary; otherwise, we'd essentially be sitting on a live bomb."
Divine Comedy was not the actual literary masterpiece, but merely Dante's special ability.
As long as Dante whistled and put on a nonchalant front, he could slip into any location. No spatial barrier could obstruct his path. Because the Ancient Sages Society used ancient philosophers and sages as codenames, Dante had dubbed his ability the Divine Comedy, perfectly matching his moniker.
"Do we need to notify the others?" Dante asked as he walked alongside Galileo.
Although Galileo's raw strength was a notch below Dante's, his mind had always been razor-sharp. Compared to Dante, whose high rank relied purely on his ability, Galileo was clearly far better suited to making calls.
"Notify them of what?" Galileo countered.
Dante had intended to mention the girl, but opened his mouth only to realize—what if nothing happened after all?
The President was by no means a benevolent soul. If he found out Dante had secretly entered that dark chamber and even observed the girl, the man's pettiness would land Dante in deep trouble.
"Let's go. We should hide in the Abyss too," Galileo said calmly, seeing that Dante had caught on.
Dante shook his head. "If she was brought back from the Abyss, then the trouble definitely lies in the Abyss. I'd rather head to Huaxia; it might be safer there than in the Abyss."
"Then I'll head to the Abyss, and you go to Huaxia. Farewell." Galileo wasted no time on pleasantries, nodding and departing directly.
Dante pondered for a moment, then decisively pursed his lips into a whistle, swiftly leaving the trouble-laden Bottom of the Sea behind.
***
Aboard the Primordial Water.
Thales stepped out from a puddle of deep-blue water. With a gentle wipe of his hand, all the droplets on his body gathered onto his palm and were promptly absorbed into his flesh.
"Poseidon, how many battleships are tracking us?" Thales asked the Primordial Water's artificial intelligence.
Poseidon replied, "Master, there are currently thirty battleships tracking us. Originally there were thirty-five, but the signals of five were lost along the way."
"Thirty... not bad," Thales chuckled coldly upon hearing the report.
He dearly hoped Yu Xian was among those thirty battleships. If so, he would drag Yu Xian and the others straight into the most irredeemable abyss of ruin.
This battleship had been built in broad daylight, so to speak; it simply hadn't attracted attention before because his identity had never been exposed.
Now that Zhi'er's identity was blown, this ship could no longer stay hidden. He had never counted on relying on it to reach Helick's Great Trove in the first place.
Suddenly, alarms blared through the battleship. Poseidon issued a shrill warning: "Condition One alert! Condition One alert! Under attack by abyssal monsters. Please initiate defensive counter-measures immediately!"
"Accelerate! Disregard everything else—full speed ahead!" The smile vanished from Thales's face as he barked the order.
In truth, sailing this long without encountering abyssal creatures had already been remarkably fortunate. Naturally, it wasn't just luck; Thales possessed a map of this sector, so he had deliberately charted a comparatively safe route.
Yet "comparatively safe" was never absolutely safe. Abyssal creatures weren't inanimate logs; they roamed and wandered freely, meaning encounters were always a possibility.
Under Thales's command, the Primordial Water surged forward at maximum velocity. Yet the alarms continued to wail without pause; clearly, acceleration hadn't shaken off the monsters.
Thales scowled. "Which direction are the monsters coming from? Bring up the visuals!"
A light screen flickered to life before him. On display were several grotesque corpses clutching fiercely to the fractured energy barrier, refusing to let go even as stone debris along their path battered their bodies.
The Primordial Water was a Star Rank battleship, possessing exceptional speed, and its barrier was fully capable of obliterating weaker abyssal beasts. Yet these deformed corpses were clearly no ordinary prey.
Flames raged across their forms, yet even their tattered garments remained unburnt. They even had hands to spare, relentlessly pounding against the Primordial Water's shield.
Crack!
A corner of the barrier suddenly shattered. A corpse's arm instantly shot out, elongating rapidly and plunging straight into the battleship's hull.
Thales's expression shifted drastically. He sensed the abyssal power erupting the moment the corpse stabbed into the hull—this battleship was no longer safe for living beings.
Run!
Thales decisively dissolved into the water, not forgetting to command Poseidon before departing to continue pressing toward their destination.
Chapter 291