After several days of intense work, even the "Activation Aura" could not completely soothe the mental burden.
Once the Steel Sky finally stabilized its course and was safely heading towards the Skullcracker, Lind's tense nerves finally relaxed.
An overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave.
He returned to his bedroom in Blackrock Castle, and before he could even take off his heavy boots, he collapsed onto the soft velvet bed, his consciousness instantly sinking into boundless darkness.
However, this darkness is not silent.
In a hazy state, a strange song pierced through the barrier of slumber and quietly flowed into the depths of his consciousness.
The singing was neither human voice nor musical instrument; it was ethereal and otherworldly, as if woven from the purest seawater and moonlight, carrying a strange rhythm, like a lament, yet containing the power to soothe the soul.
As the song played, Lin De's furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and the burning pain deep in his spirit caused by overwork was soothed and cleansed little by little by the gentle sound waves, like a dried-up riverbed being refreshed by a clear spring.
He was so engrossed in this wonderful comfort that he slept even more soundly.
…………
"Warning! Unknown creature has intruded! Coordinates: G-7, Domestic Water Circulation Filtration Chamber!"
The cold, electronic alarm sounded like a steel needle, piercing Lind's deep dream abruptly and violently pulling him back to reality.
He suddenly opened his eyes, the lingering echo of the song still present in his purple pupils, but it was instantly replaced by alertness.
"G-7 area? Domestic water tanks?"
Linde rubbed his still somewhat throbbing temples as he quickly reconnected to the central core of the Steel Sky.
The real-time surveillance footage was instantly projected into his consciousness.
The scene shows a relatively spacious compartment inside the steel dome, filled with thick pipes and flashing blue indicator lights.
This is one of the areas where seawater is processed; the air is humid, and there are shallow, flowing streams of clean water on the ground.
In this industrial environment filled with the scent of metal and energy, a figure out of place lies soundly asleep in a shallow pool formed by converging water, completely unsuspecting.
Linde's breathing faltered slightly.
Mermaid!
Or rather, it is more in line with the description in ancient books—the siren.
The creatures in the images possess breathtaking beauty.
Her upper body perfectly matched the human imagination of "perfection." Her skin was pearly white like moonlight, so delicate that it seemed to have no pores. Her long, dark blue hair, wet and thick like seaweed, was spread out on the water and swayed gently with the current.
Her exquisite features possessed an ethereal and pure quality that seemed almost superhuman. Long eyelashes covered her eyelids, and her rosy lips were slightly parted, as if she were murmuring in a dream.
However, below her slender waist was a huge fish tail covered with fine, iridescent scales.
Its scales gradually changed from light blue at its waist to deep indigo. Its tail fin was broad and magnificent, as if it were cut from the finest blue silk. At this moment, it was lazily draped over the edge of the pool, occasionally unconsciously slapping the water surface and splashing up tiny water droplets.
A strange sense of beauty washes over you.
She is like a marine treasure left behind in a steel jungle by a storm, fragile yet possessing a wild vitality, creating an extremely strong visual impact against the cold, rational steel sky.
Linde steadied himself and remotely controlled the nearest "Watchman" mech through the central core.
The mech silently glided to the edge of the pool, extended its mechanical arm, and gently touched the mermaid's round, white shoulder exposed above the water with its metal fingertips.
"Foreign life form, please state your identity and purpose. Repeat, please state your identity and purpose."
The mech emitted a emotionless, synthesized electronic voice.
The sleeping siren merely frowned slightly, as if her peaceful slumber had been disturbed.
She didn't even open her eyes; her magnificent fishtail simply swept across the surface casually, with a hint of impatience.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud! That seemingly soft and effortless sweep contained astonishing power!
The heavy mech was struck head-on by a battering ram. The entire machine was lifted off the ground instantly, arcing through the air before crashing heavily into the hard metal bulkhead several meters away. The parts clanged and rattled, and it struggled for a few moments before barely managing to regain its footing. The monitoring screen shook violently.
The culprit simply smacked her lips, adjusted to a more comfortable sleeping position, and the troublesome tail quietly sank back into the water, continuing her sweet dream.
Linde:
"..."
He looked speechlessly at the siren who had fallen into a "deep sleep" again on the screen, and then at the mech soldier who was clearly "concussed".
There have been quite a few "surprises" these past two days.
The elves' "Dreamweaver" is still studying human life in the castle. An ancient dragon turtle that was almost killed by him has now been invaded by a sleeping mermaid who can whip an airplane soldier with one tail.
"It seems that conventional methods won't wake up this carefree 'guest'."
Linde rubbed his temples and decided to try a different approach.
He took a deep breath and concentrated his mental energy once again. With the help of his deep connection with the steel sky, he carefully extended an extremely fine and pure mental tendril, like the gentlest breeze, slowly reaching towards the brow of the sleeping mermaid in the pool.
His intention was simply to give her a gentle nudge, to test her reaction, or to offer a warm greeting.
However, just as his mental tendrils touched that smooth forehead skin—
Buzz!
An incredibly powerful suction force suddenly erupted! It felt like dropping a pebble into a calm sea, instantly creating a massive, all-consuming vortex!
Before Linde could even react, the wisp of mental energy he extended, along with most of the attention he projected into his consciousness, was suddenly grabbed by an invisible hand and dragged away!
The world spun! Consciousness was stripped away!
By the time Linde recovered from the intense pulling sensation, the scene before him had completely changed.
The cold bulkheads of the steel dome, the flashing indicator lights, the flowing water... all disappeared.
He was floating in a bizarre, colorful, and fantastical space.
There is no sky, no earth, only a flowing backdrop that seems to be made of liquid rainbow.
The air was filled with a sweet, almost cloying aroma, like the scent of hundreds of top-quality desserts being baked at the same time.
Most eye-catching of all were the "foods" floating in the air—giant lava cakes dripping with chocolate sauce, radiating heat; castles made of rainbow jelly slowly rotating; and beside a waterfall flowing with honey, a golden-brown, crispy turkey, larger than a person, suspended in the air; and various exotic fruits that Linde had never seen before, yet whose mere appearance was enough to make one's mouth water, dotting the surroundings like stars, radiating an alluring glow…
Everything defied the laws of physics, floating and orbiting the center of this space.
At the center was the sleeping siren, Sirina.
She still retains her mermaid form, but in this spiritual world, her presence is amplified infinitely, like the queen of this dreamlike gourmet kingdom.
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