Free Web NovelChapter 799: Chapter 387: Island-Destroying Lava (Part 2)
But she always felt uneasy, her hand constantly pressing down on the skirt behind her while keeping an eye on Li Ang’s gaze.
"Why do we have to descend in such a swaying manner? Isn’t there a more stable way?" Dorothy complained softly after landing.
"What did you say before? That you’d rely on the Demon-Born Flower for effort?"
"I am trying, but climbing this thing isn’t comfortable at all."
"Actually, there are short-distance Magic Gates or deployable elevators specifically for descending to the ground without a Sky Port in situations like this. But I thought we wouldn’t need it for the moment, and we don’t have the funds to buy something that expensive anyway."
Li Ang pointed at the bottom of the Eternal Summer: "Adventurers, this height is nothing."
He gestured, the Magic Power connected to the nursery, the hatch near the bottom of the ship opened, and three Demons descended from the sky.
They were entirely fiery red, and while still airborne, spread their red-and-white wings, gliding down to the ground.
"Wow!"
The young girls all looked joyfully at the Salamanders their team had nurtured, even Meimei had a relieved expression.
This marked the growing completeness of their team’s strength.
The three Salamanders were larger than they’d imagined, and when they landed in front, their forelimbs supported their upper bodies in a squatting position, the young girls had to look up at them.
Typically, Salamanders aren’t this big; it’s the Power of the nursery that raised them exceedingly well.
"Now, everyone meet the Salamanders bred by our Star Flower Travel Corps. I’ve named them, the first, second, and third are called Firelight, Flame, and Fire respectively."
The Salamanders, more like Sub-dragons than large lizards, nudged their heads forward toward the surrounding team members.
"Wow, I never thought Salamanders would hatch looking so nice, completely different from the sticky eggs. They grow so fast; well, too fast even," Zoe, ALulu, and Andasu didn’t find anything strange, the same went for Meimei. But Dorothy, while stroking the warm feathers of the Fire Feathered Lizard, felt something was off.
She was born in the Giant Garden, the Campbell Family relied on her mother’s provision of Elf Secret Technique to mass nurture Demons on their territory. She had some concept of the growth time of Demons.
"Diana blessed the Eternal Summer, providing a better growth environment."
Li Ang half-jokingly said.
"I see, hmm, this one’s so obedient, it’s in the middle, should be called Flame, right? I’ll ride it," Dorothy said.
"Six people with just three. The saddles are for two people." The Fire Feathered Lizards lined up under Li Ang’s gesture, lowered their bodies, the stirrups just at the right height for mounting.
"Is the team leader coming?"
Anna lifted her chin and invited Li Ang: "My size is small, so I can share with the team leader and the Divine Child."
"I’m also quite slim," said Andasu, cutting in before Zoe could say "okay."
"Me too!" Dorothy hurriedly interjected.
"You’re so fat," Zoe looked at the Golden Canary’s distracting shapeliness and said.
"I’m also quite petite." ALulu joined in the fray.
"Your pair could just launch the team leader into the air."
"My brother could sit behind me!"
"What’s the point in fighting over this? It’s nonsense."
The environment originally had the rumbling background sound of the volcano, but at this moment, it was completely overshadowed by the clamor.
A headache-ridden Li Ang immediately summoned the Armor of Wind to float overhead.
"I don’t need it, just choose your pairings for riding."
The troublesome women were stunned, then seemed somewhat deflated, perhaps regretting pressing too hard and prompting him to simply fly away.
Thus, Meimei and Dorothy on one, Zoe and Anna on another, ALulu and Andasu on the third.
The volcanic dust on Volcano Island made the daylight dim, even in the early morning. If advancing on foot, no, even if using Magic to construct a shield, it would feel unpleasant.
Yet the three Salamanders were at ease, like being at home, their limbs and abdomen already evolved to navigate volcanic terrains seamlessly, while at a glance their speed may not seem fast; they skillfully traversed the complex terrains caused by solidified lava as if it were flat ground.
Soon, the young girls were immersed in the joy of riding the Demons, cheering as they ran.
The dilapidated ruins on the city’s outskirts swiftly passed by, the Salamanders suddenly entered the central area, where the wide road was convenient for running lava, except for the slightly taller buildings, everything else was buried beneath.
"Looks like there’s something up ahead?"
Zoe swayed her head left and right, then flicked the reins in her hand: "Let’s go, Firelight, go take a look!"
The young girls naturally picked the leader among the three lizards. The clever Salamander perfectly executed Zoe’s wishes, heading where Zoe wanted. Upon reaching the spot, she exclaimed: "Hurry, you guys come take a look!"
Firelight and Flame also reached the spot, and all four people on their backs screamed in unison.
Li Ang descended from the air, ahead lay a landscape enough to horrify anyone.
Countless humanoid rock statues covered by lava frantically fled in one direction, eternally integrated into it, the devastation reversed human perception, even knowing these were victims from decades ago, they still looked like Purgatory Evil Ghosts.
"This... is truly miserable," even the usually calm Andasu couldn’t find words.
ALulu closed her eyes in prayer, while Dorothy nudged Li Ang, asking softly: "Why did they die like this?"
"What are you trying to ask?"
"I mean, the lava is so hot, shouldn’t it have melted them?"
"Indeed, it doesn’t make sense."
Perishing by being engulfed in lava or buried by volcanic ash aligns more with conventional understandings, but these people shouldn’t have had the capacity to struggle before the lava.
Li Ang stepped forward to observe, discovering their ferociously sustained expressions.
"It’s Magic Power."
"What?"
"A massive amount of Magic Power flowed along with the lava to this city, or rather, it’s lava created by Magic Power."
Li Ang told Dorothy and the three young girls attracted by their conversation: "Magic Power creates substances with high malleability. They were first enveloped by specific Magic Power, then lava formed directly outside their bodies."
"Is it truly like this?"
The Half Elf was surprised, Zoe, who had been immersed in thought all along, furrowed her brows with indignation.
This person, really has sharp intuition.
Li Ang sensed she had come to the same conclusion he had.
"I always thought it was strange, Lupus such an ancient country, situated by the volcano for so many years without noticing any problems with the volcano."
"The Sky Island Volcano erupted and spewed island-engulfing lava, relying just on the Fire Element accumulated in the Sky Island, where did all that lava come from? Wouldn’t this imply the island’s underground is entirely lava? That its structure is unstable, or calamities would have occurred long ago."
Li Ang lightly touched the surface of the victims, sensing the already dissipated yet trace-marks-laden Magic Power, even some Spirit could be slightly felt within.
The sensation was quite unique.
"Some sudden Magic Power created a vast amount of lava that destroyed the Lupus Island Country."
Li Ang could practically determine it.
The young girls recalled the prior goal of the Eternal Summer’s search yesterday, understanding his implications.
Zoe’s tone was low: "On such an island, possessing such strong Magic Power, it’s only it, right?"
Li Ang nodded, while Anna calmly said: "It’s the Molten Mountain Star Soul."
Before, all except for the Annihilation Star Soul encountered were friendly Star Souls, and even with the Annihilation Star Soul under control by the Eye of God, the group didn’t equate it with other Star Souls.
Yet Lupus Island was given by Eden as a location purported as "relatively peaceful," inhabited by an affable Star Soul.
"Why would it do this?"
Zoe clenched her fists, looking around; due to the capabilities of the Star Soul Greenhouse, she already sensed something off about the lava.
The Light of the Star Soul.
In fact, there was a vague awareness from the time of landing, it seemed the Light of the Star Soul was widely dispersed in the island-destroying lava, hence it felt elusive.
Anna said: "In the information transmitted by the Thunderstorm Star Soul, the Molten Mountain Star Soul is a gentle and reserved Giant Beast."
"The volcano’s wrath seems to have expressed the anger of this gentle Star Soul, it spewed island-destroying lava in its fury."
Li Ang walked forward a few steps into the midst of the victims, trying to see more clearly.
He just turned to face the team members when he noticed a peculiar anomaly.
"Come look at this lava statue."
The young girls came to his side and found that the backside of this lava statue had cracked open, revealing a hollow interior, leaving only an empty shell.
