Not only were there two guards on each side of the gate, but there was also a guard every five steps around the visible area. Even the sky above where they were was covered with a spiritual power net.

Just as Longman had said, they seemed to be under guard. A merman approached, but was restrained under the pretext of protecting the heirs' safety.

Seeing Yu Ai handing over two things, Long Man and Rui Kou both looked at her. Rui Kou took the long tube, which was only the width of a palm and less than two fingers wide in diameter, and looked at it and asked, "What is this?"

"The sound cannon," You Ai pointed out the one she had just redeemed at the store. "It has a round ring at the bottom. If anything happens, just pull the ring out and the cannon will spin and make a sound."

"This is some instant powder on the other end. It's not poisonous, but it can quickly turn the surrounding area into a rainbow of colors, affecting your vision. Carry it with you. If you encounter a situation that's difficult to resolve, just pull it out."

Although he didn't know why Yu Ai had such a thing, he felt something was amiss in the current situation, and it would be helpful to have more things to protect himself. Long Man nodded and put the things away, and Rui Kou also put them away.

"Otherwise," Youai said to Ruiko, "Will you rest with me?" Ruiko's ability level was too low, and she was a little worried.

"Ah!" Ruiko stared at her, looked around, and said hesitantly: "It's not that bad, is it?"

When You Ai said this, he felt that he was a little too worried. After all, there were so many heirs from various races living here. Even if Shoal Harbor really had some conspiracy, they probably wouldn't dare to use it here.

She changed her tone and said, "Forget it, let's go back and rest."

Not long after, they each went back. You Ai watched from the window and found that the mermaids who were still outside were persuaded to go back by the guards and were not allowed to wander outside.

Although it was a bit early to rest, You Ai still lay down. When he opened his eyes, he found that there was a pattern painted on the top, which was a starry sky.

I didn't expect Shoal Harbor to be so thoughtful. Painting here makes me feel a little dizzy...

[Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Beep, beep...]

You Ai suddenly woke up. She seemed to have lost herself for a moment.

【Car?】

[I am here, Master.]

What's wrong with me?

You are hypnotized.

You Ai raised her eyes and looked at the starry sky again. This was probably what hypnotized her.

She wondered: Is it just her room, or is it in every other room?

I half-stood up and looked out the window, but there was nothing there - no, there was a guard!

When she saw the guard, she lay back down, closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The guard approached but did not enter the room, only looking outside before moving on to the next room.

Judging from the situation, I’m afraid that the mermaids in every room have been hypnotized, You Ai thought.

[Post the next task: Participate in the selection.]

[Huh? How can we participate? If everyone is hypnotized, can the audition still proceed?]

Just as You Ai finished asking, he heard the sound of doors opening, and the sound of doors opening one after another, from all directions. Everyone came out of the room and swam forward.

【Please carry out the mission! 】

The sound of the door opening continued, and the system was urging him on. You Ai gritted his teeth, opened the door, and swam out, stopping in a relatively open area in front of the gate.

She glanced around calmly and saw that everyone's eyes were dull. She was sure that they were all hypnotized.

The guards surrounded them. When You Ai was wondering why there were only two guards watching the gate, the spiritual power net in the sky was spread out.

There was a guard holding a blue flag. He waved to everyone and they all swam over.

Well, let’s follow the tour guide and see where they will go!

The guards went out from the top first, followed by the army. Yu Ai spotted Ruiko with his sharp eyes and followed her quietly.

The tour guide...the guard was holding a blue flag and leading them forward. If Youai was not mistaken in the direction, this direction was opposite to where Mai Fei and the others lived.

I wonder how Mai Fei and the others are doing now? Can we find any abnormalities? Or have they started to change?

However, with their abilities, Shoal Harbor shouldn't be able to do anything to them. Furthermore, the number of guards from various races who came with them was at least twice that of the Heirs, so it was unclear how long it would take for them to discover they were being controlled.

Forget it, there’s no point thinking about these things right now, let’s first see where we are going!

The leading guard waved a flag and led the way, with other guards surrounding them.

Were they afraid of being hypnotized and suddenly waking up and running away? You Ai glanced at the eyes of the mermaids around him. That one had a blank look in his eyes. It probably wouldn't be easy for him to wake up.

There were no obvious landmarks, and You Ai had no idea where to go. He only saw the leading guard stop, and everyone else followed suit.

But the air here seemed to be a bit off, and Youai was already having trouble breathing. Not only her, but the surrounding guards were also beginning to feel unwell, but the hypnotized group didn't react much.

"Why do I feel a tightness in my chest?" said Guard A next to Ruiko.

"Me too." Guard B patted his chest and said.

Guard A glanced ahead and said, "This is terrible!"

Guard B reminded, "Keep your voice down, don't let the captain hear."

Guard A, listening, poked his head out and glanced ahead disapprovingly, his voice still lowered. "They've all been hypnotized. They don't recognize anything except the flag. And they want us to come with them? It's really unnecessary."

They were talking in whispers under the cover of Riko and Yuai, so Yuai heard every word.

Guard B continued, "After all, some of the abilities here are quite high. If we lose control and get exposed, it's all over."

Guard A lowered his voice, but the sarcasm in his voice remained unmistakable. "Didn't you say it was foolproof? You made such a big promise, and you're still talking about taking precautions?!"

"Okay, okay, don't be too resentful. I just followed you here. I didn't ask you to go in with me." Guard B said.

"I'm not going in. It's usually said to be a forbidden area, and people aren't even allowed to get close. But now people from other races are coming in droves."

Seeing that Guard A spoke without reservation, Guard B shook his head. He glanced and saw the guard leader coming over here, so he quickly pulled Guard A and both of them fell silent.

A forbidden area? What kind of place is that? Is it an exit like the elves? No, it shouldn't be!

Yu Ai was thinking, while trying to regulate her breathing, when she suddenly saw a guard swimming straight towards her.