Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 253: A Polluted Zone Awakens
Yue Yue looked at Xing Luoye with worried eyes. She was still holding the two small griffin cubs tightly in her arms.
The loud boom and the sudden orange shield outside had scared everyone.
Xing Luoye immediately moved closer and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.
He pulled her and the cubs against his chest, trying his best to calm her shaken nerves and soothe the frightened children.
"Shh... it’s okay," Xing Luoye whispered softly, his voice warm and steady. He rubbed Yue Yue’s back in slow circles while gently patting the cubs’ tiny backs. "I’m here. You’re safe. The babies are safe too."
The griffin cubs were still sobbing with tiny, broken chirps. Their small bodies trembled in Yue Yue’s arms.
Xing Luoye kept hugging them, using his own gentle energy to comfort the little ones. Slowly, their crying became softer.
Yue Yue leaned into his embrace, feeling a little calmer because of his warmth.
After a few moments, she finally looked up at him and asked in a quiet, anxious voice, "Luoye... do you think something bad happened? How could there be a blast like that?"
Xing Luoye kept one arm around her and turned his head to look outside the large transparent window.
The massive orange shield still glowed brightly in the distance. His eyebrows furrowed deeply as he stared at the dark sky.
He could sense something strange in the air, it is a very dark energy swirling far away. It felt just like the polluted zones he had visited many times before.
He had gone to several polluted zones in the past, so he knew exactly how that kind of dark energy affected normal beast people.
Maybe that was why the cubs were crying so much. The polluted energy must have reached them even inside the palace. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Xing Luoye took a deep breath and gently enveloped Yue Yue, the cubs, and Xiao Bai in a soft protective shield of his own energy.
The moment the gentle shield surrounded them, the griffin cubs stopped sobbing completely. They calmed down and only let out small, tired chirps now and then.
Yue Yue looked at him with wide eyes. "So you really know what actually happened, right?"
Xing Luoye nodded slowly, his expression serious and concerned. "I’m not completely confirmed yet... but right after the blast, I felt a lot of polluted energy spreading in the air. It feels like a new polluted zone has suddenly appeared near the palace."
Yue Yue’s eyes widened even more. "A polluted zone? Here?"
Xing Luoye continued explaining carefully, his voice low but clear.
"This could be the only reason. And most importantly, it seems the polluted energy is rapidly increasing. It is trying to swallow the entire area beside the new polluted zone and merge everything into itself. The Sea Palace itself is now in its range. That is why the polluted energy has become so strong in the air around us."
Yue Yue stared at him in shock.
"What? How could there be a polluted zone in such a close area to the living spaces? This is the place where all the merpeople stay. And most importantly, the Sea Palace is right in the center of the entire Sea Empire. So you are telling me that the appearance of a polluted zone here would endanger everyone?"
Xing Luoye nodded gravely. "Yes. It would put everyone at risk."
Yue Yue shook her head, still trying to understand. "But how could it be possible? Weren’t all the empires built in a way that there was almost no chance of a polluted zone appearing in the living areas?"
Xing Luoye nodded again. "Yes, all the empires were designed like that on purpose. But there was always a small chance it could happen... if the purification level of the queen dropped."
Yue Yue was stunned. She blinked several times before asking, "Purification level? What is that?"
Xing Luoye kept his arms around her and the cubs as he explained further.
"You already know that the entire world was once turned into a polluted zone long ago. But the first queen was the one who pushed the pollution aside and created safe living spaces for the beast people and orcs."
Yue Yue nodded. She remembered hearing this story before.
Xing Luoye continued, "After the first queen died, she left behind a special orb. That orb was placed at the center of the original empire to keep the polluted energy far away."
"Later, when the single empire divided into the Sand Empire, Land Empire, Sea Empire, and Sky Empire, each empire received a small part of that powerful orb."
"They kept their piece in the main populated area. This is the reason why polluted zones almost never appeared in the places where people lived. The orb fragments kept the dark energy away."
He paused for a moment, his expression turning even more serious. "But now a polluted zone has appeared in such a close range to the palace. That means something is really off. The fragment of the orb in the Sea Empire must not be working properly anymore."
Yue Yue listened quietly, her heart beating faster with every word. She hugged the griffin cubs a little tighter. Xiao Bai stayed curled on her shoulder, still tense but calm inside Xing Luoye’s protective shield. fгeewebnovёl.com
"So... the purification level dropped?" she asked softly.
Xing Luoye nodded. "Exactly. If the queen’s purification power becomes weak, the orb fragment loses its strength. The polluted energy can then break through and create a new polluted zone even near the safest areas."
"That loud blast we heard was probably the moment the polluted energy broke through the barrier. And now it is spreading fast, trying to swallow more land."
Yue Yue’s face turned pale. She looked out the window again at the glowing orange shield.
"But... this is the Sea Empire. The palace is in the center. If a polluted zone appears here, it would endanger all the merpeople, all the families, and everyone living in the empire. How did this happen so suddenly?"
