"Oh…", Freya and Felter both elongated their voices when they heard this.
If that's the case, then suddenly it feels like it's not so hard to understand.
Box jellyfish are terrifying.
But the status and fearsome reputation of the box jellyfish also come from its deadly toxin.
A box jellyfish that mutated away from its poisonous attribute?
It just doesn't have that kind of maddening appeal anymore.
Asher: "..."
Asher twitched the corner of his mouth.
'You guys are really damn realistic.'
"Even so, this doesn't mean Little Jellyfish isn't powerful," Asher emphasized again.
"Mm, mm!", Freya and Felter nodded perfunctorily.
It's not like they truly don't care about Little Jellyfish at all.
Still the same saying. Even if it mutated, it's still a box jellyfish.
Even without the poison attribute, if they had the chance, they'd still want to contract it.
"Tell us, where exactly did you contract that Little Jellyfish?", Freya couldn't care less now about altars or safety, she just wanted to know this.
Asher: "..."
"Telling you is pointless, luck, it's all luck, just a beautiful coincidence," Asher waved his hand, clearly indicating.
Never mind whether the orphanage still has a second Little Jellyfish.
Just speaking of a mutated box jellyfish, do you think that's some common breed? Obviously not.
So seriously, don't even think about it.
Even if you think about it more, there's still no chance.
Hearing Asher's words, Freya's tears almost burst out with a "woof".
'Sob sob sob!'
'So frustrating!'
'It really hurts!'
'Box jellyfish!'
She was about to cry out tears from the corners of her mouth just seeing it.
That's an all-caps ENVY.
Felter was still sneakily stabbing from the side, "Miss Freya, I really think you should stop thinking about it."
"Even if there's a second mutated box jellyfish, do you still have any contract slots left?"
Freya: "..."
Good question. Direct hit.
Freya's expression was blank, and her heart felt as cold as if she'd been gutting fish for ten years.
"Hehehe."
At this moment, she heard a silly laugh coming from Felter.
"I'm different!"
"I still have contract slots! Several! More than one! Asher, I…"
BANG!
Before Felter finished speaking, he was interrupted by a punch from Freya right on the head.
"Whoo—", Freya calmly blew on her fist, as if blowing off dust.
But as the victim, Felter seemed to see her blowing away blood stains instead.
Asher: "..."
"Forget it, let's skip this topic and continue talking about the altar," Asher was expressionless.
Freya and Felter both looked a bit deflated.
As if they had just suffered a major blow.
Just ask, who could hear such an interesting thing and not have a single thought.
The two of them looked toward Prince beside them, whose expression barely changed and showed no emotion.
There really was someone who seemed not to care much.
But if that's the case… damn it.
They still didn't want to compare themselves to this guy.
"Professor Asher, please continue, what happened at the altar?", Prince looked like he was really enjoying listening to Asher's story.
Asher: "..."
How to put it?
While feeling gratified, there was also a small sense of inexplicable frustration?
'Forget it, that's not important, skip it.'
Asher nodded.
"As for the altar… only specially mutated box jellyfish can enter."
"If any other creature approaches, it will be executed, and the execution…", Asher paused, "Will gradually weaken the power of the Mirage Pearl."
Freya and Felter: "?"
Huh?
The two who were just going crazy suddenly became serious upon hearing this.
This is very important information.
Can't keep going crazy now.
Have to listen.
"The suppressive power of the Mirage Pearl isn't fixed, nor is it unchanging. Over time and with external interference, its effect gradually weakens bit by bit."
Hearing this, Freya nodded gravely.
Even so.
This is understandable.
No matter how powerful a suppressive force, it weakens over time.
"The role of the specially mutated box jellyfish comes in here, they are born in this secret realm and only appear here," Asher's tone was full of emotion.
Of course, changing the location even a bit, like being born in the Spirit Cat basin, the king would starve to death.
The culprit would be other box jellyfish of the same kind.
This kind of thing… hard to explain.
"Mutated box jellyfish have the ability to reinforce suppression, therefore…", Asher paused again.
This part wasn't in the compressed memory.
But rather Asher's reasonable inference based on his encounter with Little Jellyfish.
Although Asher didn't say it outright, Freya and Felter still understood him precisely.
Asher's encounter with the mutated box jellyfish, half of it should be credited to those black sludge-like things.
"Very good," Felter crossed his arms and nodded calmly, his face satisfied, "They thought their plan targeting the special box jellyfish succeeded, and next comes sending wave after wave of ocean creatures to die."
Felter wasn't dumb, just inexperienced.
With all the clues Asher provided, he also figured out a lot.
"There are clearly normal creatures moving on the island, but you can't catch a single fish in the sea…"
Don't blame the box jellyfish.
The sea is huge.
beasts may avoid the box jellyfish, but ordinary fish aren't that smart.
They can't line up to commit suicide in the sea.
So it must've been used by the black sludge to 'feed' the altar.
Just to weaken the altar's suppressive power.
This might be a long process.
But in such a closed secret realm with nothing else to do, even repeatedly doing this kind of work, is it really that big a deal?
It's not even worth mentioning.
"So earlier it tried to trick us into going down there to sacrifice us too?", Felter's brow furrowed further.
'Damn it! Damn black sludge!'
Felter got even angrier.
"That's probably the case," Asher nodded, "Humans, especially beast tamers, after being sacrificed, weaken the Mirage Pearl even more."
After all, the Mirage Pearl exists to suppress 'evil'. A very mysterious thing.
Asher couldn't say more. Guessing, maybe the unicorns weren't sure either. Just thought if they could trick one person down, that's one, and hopefully more would follow like gourd babies rescuing grandpa.
"Oh right," At this point, Asher seemed to remember something, rubbing his forehead helplessly, "A bunch of stuff rushed into my head earlier, and I forgot one thing."
The others all looked at Asher, full of confusion in their eyes.
Asher sighed deeply.
What is it?
That would be…
"The spatial fluctuations, that is, the folded space we detected, are also related to them," Asher opened his eyes, seriously looking at Felter, Prince, and Freya.
Seeing this, even Prince, usually the most unreliable in behavior, showed a serious expression.
For Asher to pull something out this seriously, it definitely wasn't trivial.
"They, the variants, the black sludge, have always been trying to find a way into the human world."
At this point, Asher frowned, "The compressed memory didn't say what their goal is, or what they want to do, but…"
"They definitely don't have good intentions," Freya calmly followed up Asher's words.
So one day box jellyfish became world-protecting heroes?
For real?
Freya's feelings toward the box jellyfish shifted ever so slightly.
But turning her head, Freya remembered how that same box jellyfish had chased them all over not long ago, almost made them scream for help, and instantly she didn't feel like talking.
"This needs special attention," Prince also nodded, "It has the ability to disguise, and its true form is a very hard-to-handle black sludge…"
Speaking, Prince fell silent.
Asher: "?"
"Brother Sterling, do you know something?", Asher keenly sensed that Prince's silence was different from before and turned to look at him.
Felter and Freya both had big question marks pop up.
Wait?
What's different?
What's the difference?
Why couldn't they feel anything?
Asher shook his head, not easy to explain, just a kind of intuition.
"Mm…", Prince wasn't good at lying, and if no one asked, it'd be fine, but now asked, "Hard to say?"
"I just feel it seems a bit familiar?"
"Maybe I saw a similar description somewhere?"
Felter perked up, "Bro! Be reliable! Think harder! I believe in you!"
"Whether you believe me or not, what's that got to do with me?", Prince said he wasn't drinking his little brother's provocation, and even pushed it back.
"If I had to say… maybe at Alliance HQ?", Prince stroked his chin, "Seems like there was a similar record in classified files, I can't remember the specifics."
Freya's face scrunched up like an old woman's, "Damn it!"
"You saying this is no different than not saying anything."
Prince spread his hands, "Even if I could remember, so what?"
"Classified files can't be revealed to people without clearance."
What clearance? Of course, self-viewing clearance.
Freya: *Grumbling*
Freya swore, she was cursing so harshly in her heart.
Honestly got pissed off by this guy.
"Enough," Asher still stepped up and helped shift the topic, "Even if we didn't get useful information, at least now we know. If we want to understand this deeper, we should aim in that direction."
Then Asher smiled, "That's better than running around like headless chickens."
Besides, after leaving… this has to be reported to Alliance HQ.
Asher realized.
The waters here run deeper than he ever imagined.
"In short, it's just as I told you," Asher resumed control of the conversation.
"The spatial fluctuations were deliberate, it's likely they want to use this method…"
"To continuously lure humans in," Freya sighed, "To capture humans this way, how should I put it?"
"They're even smarter than I thought."
Who wouldn't agree?
Asher also nodded.
At least before, he really didn't feel any malice from the unicorn.
Though Asher didn't really have a sixth sense like he said.
But Asher's sixth sense wasn't weak.
And with special talent skills, Asher could sense pets' and beasts' emotions.
The unicorn's emotion was seamless to perfection.
So perfect that even thinking back now, Asher still didn't feel anything wrong.
"Could it be because of that black sludge?", Freya guessed.
After exchanging glances.
They shook their heads.
Can't figure it out.
Then don't think for now.
"I entered the altar smoothly. The abnormal state of the variants, you could say it started then," Asher squeezed the pink slime in his hand, Little Jellyfish.
'Still feels top-notch.'
"They're suppressed by the Mirage Pearl. Maybe there's some special resonance between them and the Pearl," Asher paused.
No, not necessarily between the variants and the Pearl.
Rather… between the Sea Mirage and the Mirage Pearl.
After all, they sound like they come from the same system.
Asher vaguely had an idea.
But he wasn't sure.
"This whole journey was really…", After Asher briefly recounted the experience below, Felter couldn't help but sigh.
What?
Asking what happens next in Asher's story?
Where the Mirage Pearl went?
No need, no need.
Looking at the Little Jellyfish in Asher's arms, it was clear enough.
Besides, to be honest.
The Mirage Pearl and box jellyfish were related in the first place.
If Asher really took it, or if Little Jellyfish did, it wasn't a big issue.
The most important thing is... if it were any one of them going down instead, their little life would be gone.
Compared to their little life.
This mirage pearl just isn't that important.
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