The further east you go, the thinner the fog becomes, but the sky is still overcast, as if sunlight can't penetrate the sea. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The surrounding reef is getting higher and higher, gradually turning into thick stone pillars, and for some reason, the water level is obviously dropping, the speed of the boat is still very smooth, and the sea surface even the waves have decreased, and it is as calm as a windless lake.

"Why don't you wait for the waters to recede before entering the Shadow Sea?" Tilly asked, puzzled, "so that when the reef is all exposed, you don't have to worry about running aground." ”

"Because when the tide recedes, we won't be able to see the ghostly Red River, and it's the only way to guide explorers to the ruins," Thunder explains, "These pillar-like islands are not fixed, and every time the tide rises and falls, the islands change their position." In addition, most of the markers will be swallowed by the sea, so they cannot be used to orient themselves. ”

"Ghost...... Red River?" she repeated.

"That's right. Look, this is it—" Thunder whistled and pointed in the direction of the ship's bow.

The witches looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw a few red figures appear in the dark green waters—they flickered by, like phantoms. But soon, two or three more red shadows floated by, and this time Ash saw the target clearly, and it was actually an orange-red fish.

"It's ...... Fish?"

"The Red Scale Fish unique to the Shadow Islands," Thunder grinned as he touched his chin, "and you'll see the true face of the Ghost Red River later." ”

Gradually, there were more and more fish, and they no longer appeared in twos and threes, but gathered in a group, swimming collectively in the direction of the stern of the boat—looking far ahead, the ashes were shocked by what they saw, and more and more fish merged into the torrent, and a thick dark red line appeared in the water. The sailboat was clearly following this red line, with schools of fish passing through the bottom of the boat, and the occasional ping-pong crash could be heard.

As the boat continued to advance, the dense school of fish had expanded into a channel that could accommodate several boats in parallel, the dark green water seemed to disappear, and the sailboat seemed to sail on top of the fish, and if it were not for the opposite direction, she even had the illusion that the boat was being carried by fish.

"Why is this happening?" asked Tilly, surprised.

Ash would have wanted to ask the question, as it was impossible to see such a sight in Grey Keep or any other kingdom—the fog that shrouded the periphery, the gloomy sky, the oddly shaped boulders, and the "river" of red-scaled fish. For the first time, she was amazed by the wonders of the sea.

"Because of the main island," said Thunder, "it's like a triangular minaret with a huge hollow running through it, and these red-scaled fish like to spawn and reproduce in the hole." At low tide, the hollow will surface, and the fish will always be the first to feel the change in the water level and swarm out. So as long as we follow the Ghost Red River, we can reach the main island of Shadow. ”

"Lord Thunder, there's a huge obstacle ahead! it looks like a mountain!" shouted the lookout.

"Looks like we're almost there," he shook out his pipe, "ladies, welcome to the Shadow Islands." ”

After a while, Ash also saw the appearance of the main island, as Thunder said, it was like a few triangles spelled together, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, and the surface looked very flat at first glance, not at all like a natural creation. But to say that the entire tower was cut out of the population is too amazing. The exposed tower alone is almost half the size of a city, and the hole in the middle is large enough to accommodate the Tower of Babel of Hermes Church.

The sea was still receding, and the water at the top of the cave was sprinkled like a waterfall, and the submerged part below was completely covered by fish, staining the sea in the field of vision red, and the ashes couldn't help but think that there were probably thousands of red-scaled fish living in the cave.

It was not until it became dark that the sea water completely receded to the bottom of the cave. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Thunder ordered the sailors to stop the ship and dock and attach it to the copper stake at the entrance of the cave with a thick hemp rope. Standing at the edge of the giant cave, you can see the breakthrough on the opposite side from a distance - the light incident from both ends can only illuminate a small area, and the center of the hole is almost pitch black, which makes people feel inexplicably oppressive.

"These stakes were left from the last time you came?" Ash asked.

"No," Thunder shook his head, "the copper stake was already there when I first came here. They were all supposed to have been built by the owners of the ruins. ”

"Ruins...... Where?"

He smiled and pointed upward, "Right above us, we're already standing at the entrance to the ruins. ”

......

The rest of the journey can only be described as incredible, the witches follow Thunder and the others, enter through a stone gate at the bottom of the giant cave, and spiral up the stone steps with stagnant water. Although everyone was holding torches, the light of the flickering fire was faint and small compared to the staircase with no end in sight.

Walking through the abyssal darkness, Tilly clutched Ash's arm, completely devoid of her usual composure.

This is the princess she knows well, Ash thought. When she was in the palace, the fifth princess who always had her own ideas and was confident in the face of any difficulties, her biggest weakness was her fear of the dark. Even when I go to bed at night, I have to light a candle in my room. When escaping from the palace, if there is no condition to do so, he will sleep by her side.

Walking in the damp and gloomy spire, the mood of the ashes became much more pleasant.

There were no evil beasts encountered along the way, and there were no mechanisms to hinder the intruders - and even if they were, they would have been ineffective long since they were immersed in seawater. The only problem was that the long climb had exhausted most of the group's physical strength, and everyone's movements were getting slower and slower, and when the stone steps finally came to an end, the team couldn't help but hear a burst of cheers.

The final level of the ruins is not a stone door, but is made of metal that reflects brightly under the light of the torches. Thunder pushed the door hard with both hands, and the heavy door panel made a harsh grinding sound and slowly opened.

With a sword in hand, Ash was the first to enter the room, looking around to make sure there was no danger before letting Tilly and the other witches step into the room.

As torches hung all over the walls, a wide hall appeared in front of them—wide, but empty, and nothing to ponder at a glance.

"This is the ruins?" she rubbed the water-soaked stone tabletop, "and there was nothing here except a few stone tables and stools. ”

"There is indeed not much left," Thunder nodded, "it has been sleeping at the bottom of the sea for so long that it is difficult to preserve anything but stone. I told Her Highness Tilly, but she insisted on coming to see it in person. ”

"What about the red stones?" Tilly began, "where did you find them?"

"It was on the ground, scattered all over the place, probably dozens. ”

But now there was nothing, and Ash looked down at the slippery ground where seaweed had grown, and Thunder was not the only explorer who had arrived here, and it was strange that he could still find the magic stone after taking turns to search.

But Tilly was still in high spirits, holding a torch and scrutinizing every corner of the hall, especially dark places, and asking the sailors to add a few more torches. Moriel summoned magical minions and spread them out on the floor to serve as cushions for everyone to rest, while Ash followed Tilly and watched her touch the walls.

"Huh," the Fifth Princesses suddenly stopped, "what is this?"

The ashes followed her gaze, and there was a faint reflection of fire on the moss-covered walls.

Tilly reached out and tore off the green moss, revealing a half-buried gem in the stone wall - it was also bright red, as crystal clear as a magic stone, prismatic in shape, almost the thickness of an arm, but surrounded by golden filaments, like a card slot to hold it in place. Even after being immersed in seawater for so long, the gold filaments that entangle the stone are still as smooth as new.

Tilly tried to pull it out, but the gem didn't move.

"Let me do it," Ash said.

The Five Princesses shook her head, as if thinking about something, and then she put her hand on the prism and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, a flash of light flashed in the center of the prism - Ash thought it was dazzling, but soon there was a rumbling echo from behind the wall, as if something had been touched, and in a few moments it spread throughout the hall. There was a creaking sound everywhere on the stone walls, and soft white light appeared from the walls, even the ceiling overhead.

The sailors stood up in panic and drew their weapons, but they didn't know which side to defend, and finally had to stay close to each other, gathering around Moriel's magical minions.

However, no monsters rushed out.

By the time the sound calmed down, the hall was brightly lit. (To be continued.) )