How is this possible?

Tilly pondered for a moment, "What about the low tide, will the sea flow backwards?"

"That's a good question," Thunder said excitedly, clenching his fists, "and then my fleet stayed near the sea line for half a month until the tide receded. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoDuring this time, I also crossed the sea line in various ways, the most amazing thing was sailing on the sea line - you know what it was like? To outsiders, it seemed as if we were glued to the cliffs, with the sails perfectly parallel to the surface of the sea, and could fall off at any moment. But we on board didn't feel this at all, and the Spirit was like sailing on a narrow channel several feet wide, with an endless wall of water on one side and a wide sky on the other. Of course, you have to wait for the current to slow down, or the magic minions won't be able to protect the hull. ”

"This ...... It doesn't make sense at all. Tilly felt a mess in her mind, if the narrator wasn't Thunder, but some other explorer, she would have thought they were bragging.

"I think so, too, but I trust my eyes more than common sense. "Half a month later, the tide began to recede—punctually, just as the Shadow Islands rose and fell. The sea water did not flow backwards, it just slowly receded, and the sea line changed from a few zhang high to dozens of zhang again. ”

"You mean, the extra sea just disappeared out of thin air?"

"Perhaps, but it could also go somewhere else. ”

"Where can it go?" said Tilly, "The tides in the Shadow Islands rise and fall dramatically, while those in the Fiordland Islands are much gentler, and when they reach the shores of the Four Kingdoms, there is almost no noticeable change - isn't this disappearing out of thin air?"

Thunder pointed to his feet.

She sighed, "I remember you said that the surface of the Shadow Sea is falling as fast as a huge hole in the ocean floor swallowing the sea. But no matter how big this hole is, it should be filled in a few years. ”

"It's just my guess, after all, no one has ever seen what the real ocean floor looks like, but ...... There's one thing I'm concerned about. ”

"What?"

"That's the ocean we're in, why is it called the Vortex Sea?"

Tilly was shocked when she heard this, and then shook her head again, "No way, this idea is crazy, how can we not observe it if the drainage of the underwater cave can cause a whirlpool." And the name was around hundreds of years ago, and who knows what the name maker had in mind at that time. ”

"It's true that I've done simple experiments where the water has to be shallow enough to see the whirlpools, and we don't have the ability to go deep into the ocean floor. Thunder smiled mysteriously, "But we don't, it doesn't mean that witches can't do it - I hadn't thought of it before, but when you told me that there was a continent-wide witch empire more than four hundred years ago, I realized that the name was most likely handed down from that era." ”

"But I'm a witch," Tilly shrugged, "and there's no witch on Sleeping Island who can do that." ”

"I know one. ”

"What?"

"This witch is in the fjord, but she hasn't been in contact with humans for a long time......," Thunder lamented, "She was a friend of one of my expedition's right-hand men, and since she awakened as a witch, she has said goodbye to land for good." Nowadays, her melodious singing can only be heard when the channel is foggy, and you should have heard her story. ”

"The mermaid who guides the way...... Could it be that you're talking about the rumored protagonist?"

"That's right," Thunder nodded, "I don't know if I'll be able to get her help, but I'll have to try, and maybe my old friend Margaery will need a helping hand." ”

"I see, then you need to hurry," Tilly said with a frown, "There seems to be someone in the Fjord Merchant who wants to get the attention of the mermaids, and a month ago Sleeping Charm received several commissions to hire witches to catch mermaids, and Honey sent a messenger to ask me, but I vetoed it. ”

"Her singing is regarded by all the fjord sailors and explorers as a sign of good luck and peace, and these merchants are simply insane," Thunder asked in a deep voice, "can you tell me who they are?"

"The Maleficent Charm shouldn't reveal the customer's identity, but ......," Tilly scribbled a few names in the air, "and you saw it yourself." "Since the other party is a witch, as the leader of the Sleeping Island, she can't sit idly by.

"That's right," he said, raising the corners of his mouth, "they'll be punished." ”

The two smiled at each other, and Thunder then said, "I came to you this time, in addition to a new expedition commission, I need your help with something." ”

"Say it. ”

"Yes, when I came back, I heard that a new kind of boat had been introduced in String Moon Bay, which could sail without the wind and at a much faster speed than a sailing ship. I asked someone to inquire in detail, and learned that this kind of ship was actually made by the border town," said Thunder, "If I want to continue exploring above the waterline, I must have bigger and faster ships, otherwise I will have to be pushed away by the current in the case of bad winds." He took a letter from his bosom, "Money is not an issue, the faster the boat, the better, can you help me give him this order letter?"

Tilly quickly understood what the other party meant, "You don't want Lightning to know?"

Thunder said helplessly, "If she knew, she would definitely insist on going with me, no one knows what is above the waterline, I can't take her on an adventure." ”

But she was already a qualified explorer, and the ruins of the stone tower hidden in the depths of the Hidden Forest were her discovery, Tilly thought to herself, and finally nodded, "I see, I'll help you connect with Roland Wimbledon for the time being." ”

"Thank you, Your Highness. ”

After Thunder left, Tilly pondered for a long time, and brought out the ancient books from the ruins of the Shadow Islands, perhaps she could find clues related to the sea line and tides in them. In the way Agatha had taught, she twisted her magic into the shape of the characters, and the corresponding meaning automatically came to mind—as if she were not reading a book, but rather a book was pouring out its content to her.

The more she looked down, the more bewildered she became, with some of the ancient books describing what the recorder had seen and heard in the wilderness, some of which were logbooks, and others of the Federation's plans for reconstruction. There was no connection between them, and none of them mentioned the sea line, the spires of the seabed, the lookout glasses, and the huge stone doors in the mirrors, which was completely different from what she had expected - she thought that if she could read the words of the Federation, she would be able to uncover some of the secrets in the ruins, and even find out the truth about the rapid rise and fall of the water level in the Shadow Sea. But now, she's more like she's looking through a pile of miscellaneous notes.

Wait a minute...... A flash of lightning flashed through Tilly's mind, and she spread out the three logbooks and examined them again—they were recorded in very different times, some decades apart, and on different routes, from the seas near the mainland to the fjords, as if someone had collected them together and stored them in the ruins.

When the thought came to her, she couldn't help but feel a chill rise in her back.

Who would do that? (To be continued.) )