With no one else around, Xu Qian, carrying several oxygen cylinders he had taken from the ship (the extras were stuffed into his backpack), easily swam back to the sea cave where he had previously been.

The underwater world remained unchanged despite the activity on the surface of the sea. In comparison, the seabed was extremely quiet and clear, with no signs of life whatsoever.

Before going in, Xu Qian had only one thought in his mind—he hoped that the respawn point wouldn't be too far away randomly.

Then, he went straight into the sea cave.

Under the light of the searchlight, Xu Qian could roughly make out the size of the sea cave, which was nearly five meters in diameter, more than enough to fit two arms outstretched. At the bottom of the sea cave, there was a semi-new entrance. It was called semi-new because the marks on it were of varying ages. The new ones were naturally made by Matanzas's group, but as for the old ones, no one knew.

Xu Qian first shone a searchlight on the cave entrance, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. He checked the mini-map and there were no yellow dots. By this time, the ships from both countries had left the sea, so there was no overlap. If it was said that there was no one there, then there was no one there.

At least, there were no living people.

Xu Qian opened the back and added two more flying fish balls, then swam towards the dark depths of the sea cave.

Once inside, guided by his searchlight, Xu Qian gradually saw the interior of the sea cave. The rock walls were covered with marks of varying sizes and depths, which did not appear to be human work, but rather the work of some kind of creature.

Living things...

Xu Qian pulled himself out of his thoughts and continued swimming deeper into the water.

The deeper they went, the clearer the shape of the sea cave became. First of all, there were many forks in the road, with a fork every few meters. However, not every path was passable. Xu Qian was not sure which path the Matanzas had taken, so he could only try it out first.

He made a small mark on the intersection he was going to. To prevent himself from being unable to get out and having to cut off his own meridians, he went back and nailed a rope to the entrance, extending all the way back to the original fork in the road.

Upon arriving at the first intersection, Xu Qian cautiously used his searchlight to probe the area. He didn't want to unknowingly go to the respawn point to meditate, as that would be a huge waste of time.

The searchlight's field of vision was always limited, but there was clearly a path deeper inside. Xu Qian quickly swam in, and as he placed his hands on the rock wall to gain leverage, he slipped. He turned his head and his eyes widened in shock—

The rock face wasn't a rock face at all, but rather a dense mass of sea eyes. They had an outer skin similar to those of land animals, but were much smaller, each only about the size of an adult's fist. However, each of their single eyes took up almost half the size of a fist. When Xu Qian's searchlight shone on them, the sea eyes on the rock face opened their eyes, as if the rock face had grown eyes.

The image instantly gave Xu Qian goosebumps; to be honest, he had a bit of trypophobia.

Ugh, no, that's disgusting!

After mentally preparing himself for almost ten seconds, Xu Qian gritted his teeth and squeezed inside. He figured he'd just pretend he hadn't seen anything, that he hadn't seen anything...

Although Xu Qian tried his best to convince himself to pretend he didn't see it, how could he really not see it! They were blinking!

Because of this problem, Xu Qian had to try his best to avoid contact with those things. Although the sea eye was not harmful, it was disgusting enough. Just thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable all over. Ugh!

Fortunately, the discovery inside the cave made Xu Qian's trip worthwhile.

The first thing you see is a human-shaped stone statue with its hands clasped together in a prayer-like gesture. Judging from its attire, it should be an ancient Ulan person, with long hair wrapped and coiled on top of its head.

Xu Qian swam closer with a searchlight. Judging from the wear and tear, the stone statue was at least a hundred years old. The facial features of the statue had become very blurred due to the erosion of the seawater, but because there were no microorganisms in this area, it still maintained a clean appearance.

What Xu Qian couldn't understand was how the stone statue was moved into the cave entrance. In the past, whether it was made beforehand and moved in or created directly inside the sea cave, it would have been an extremely impossible feat...

If it's a mountain cave rather than a sea cave, that's not right either. Hidden God Valley has been submerged for so many years. If it was carved before it became an ocean, firstly, it's unlikely to have retained its current appearance, and secondly, it probably couldn't have been carved there anyway...

Xu Qian thought for a while but had no clue. He then carefully observed the stone statue and found that, apart from being badly worn, the statue was actually very exquisite in its carving, so exquisite that it looked like... a living person.

Thinking of this, Xu Qian recalled a possibility. He had once heard his master say that the demon sea goddess had the power to bewitch people's minds, but in addition to that, there was another rumor about them, which was just a rumor and no one had actually seen it yet—the sea goddess could petrify anyone who looked into her eyes.

It sounds a lot like Medusa, the snake woman from Greek mythology, but if the rumors aren't just rumors, is this... possible?

Xu Qian looked around the stone statue again. It was all stone, with no way forward and no other clues.

Xu Qian decided to go back the way he came and check out the next passage.

This time, he chose the passage facing him and first used a searchlight to check it out. Sure enough, the rock wall was also covered with dense seaweed, which made him feel nauseous every time he saw it.

Xu Qian touched the next room and continued swimming deeper. In less than a minute, he encountered another fork in the passage, one on the left and one on the right. Xu Qian couldn't understand why there were so many forks in this place. Was it just for people with decision-making difficulties?

He randomly selected one, marked it, and then continued swimming in.

This is also a stone statue, but it is very different from the previous one. It is kneeling with its hands hanging in an unnatural position, as if it is locked to the rock wall by something.

Xu Qian quickened his pace and continued to the third passage, where there were also the same stone statues, their hands bound behind their backs and their heads facing downwards...

He was almost certain that these 'stone statues' were not real 'stone statues', but people.

Xu Qian continued exploring, and he gradually formed several ideas in his mind.

First, this is the site of the ancient Ulan people's sea sacrifice, and these 'stone statues' are the offerings. Second, this is the residence of the Sea Goddess, and these people were abducted by her.

As for the former... let's leave that aside for now, but as for the latter, Xu Qian has to say that the Demon Clan doesn't care about anything at all! They're still the same old thing!

Xu Qian's conjecture was verified in one of the largest channels.

Inside, he saw the Matanzas's box, with fossil fragments that had been taken out and scattered all over the ground, though it was unclear whether they had put them back in their original places or just left them lying around.

Xu Qian pointed his searchlight upwards and roughly figured out where the group had found the fossils. The rock face in front of him was full of pits and craters, and the fossils must have been dug out from there. The method was just too... casual.

Xu Qian looked around the entire mansion and found another familiar thing in a corner—a peach pit, or rather, a peach kernel.

The fossilized Rufous amber was very clear. This was the conclusion Xu Qian reached after comparing it with the Rufous amber in his backpack.

In Xu Qian's mind, fossils require a long time to form and very specific conditions to form; without either of these, it would be difficult to form the fossils we see today.

Of course, in special circumstances, it is very possible that it could take hundreds or thousands of years.

In short, regardless of how they were formed, what is the relationship between Luo Shi and Hai Po?

Xu Qian picked up the scattered sea hare fossils. As soon as he held them in his hands, a strange sense of repulsion quickly spread from his hand, making him unable to help but let go, as if... he had been sealed.

Xu Qian really couldn't be sure, because at this moment he had lost all his spiritual power, and it was impossible for him to sense whether there was a seal inside. This sense of powerlessness was the same as when he was suffering from the heavenly tribulation.

Master, oh Master, what riddle have you left for me...?

Xu Qian returned to Difen's ship with what could be considered a gain but not quite a gain (he didn't bring the Hai Po fossil). At this time, the large ship was heading towards Melissa Port, which was Ulan's only port for foreign trade.

Despite being a country where theology is dominant, Ulan is not as backward as outsiders might think. Even its military capabilities are only at a medium level, far from being at the bottom. Ulan may be a bit superstitious, but aside from that, their education is actually no worse than that of other countries (mainly because their people are intelligent).

To put it more simply, they are Jews with an exceptionally high level of luck.

Xu Qian couldn't help but think of a conspiracy. Was Ulan using the guise of theology to protect herself? Hmm... I don't know, never mind.

Around 5 p.m., the ship finally arrived at Melissa Port.

Xu Qian looked at his phone, which had suddenly gained a signal, and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

After disembarking, the actual situation in Ulan was far better than the two countries had imagined.

In Ulan, one of the areas affected by the outbreak, there are still many pedestrians on the streets. They are dressed in thick local clothing. Although the war with Al-Ala has had a significant impact on the citizens, surprisingly, they are very optimistic.

At a glance, Xu Qian saw the [Luo Shi Dropped] debuff under the names of many people, but strangely, most of them looked healthy.

Yes, they're very healthy, as if this debuff has no effect on them.

Compared to the simple and honest Ale Kingdom, Ulan is like a European emperor who is always favored by God, just as their 'prophecy' says, a country that can be called the son of God.

Upon arriving in this country, Xu Qian felt as if he were witnessing 21st-century China. No, he should say he felt as if he were witnessing China's strategic deception bureau, a self-contained system within the country while foreign countries make a fuss about it, living a blissful life in its own little nest.

To the outside world, Ulan is a mystical theological country that seems like anyone can bully them, but in reality, no one dares to touch them. Xu Qian believes that after the Ale incident, this 'fear' will reach an even higher level.

For example, Difen and Matanzas, who just arrived in Ulan.

Xu Qian felt that they must be emotionally devastated.

The author has something to say: There's a reason why Ulan is so lucky!

P.S. I'm looking forward to finishing this novel and starting my no-CP (couple pairing) entertainment industry working life story, with the goal of becoming an excellent actor!

***