High above the deep sea, a person stood at each of the four corners atop a large ship.

The only woman among them had silver hair that fluttered in the wind, conspicuously drawing the gazes of the other three men.

Behind her, waves hung suspended in mid-air as if a tsunami had been frozen in time. Such immense control made Cassian Sherwood, the Guardian of Niphoria, look on with wary eyes.

He glanced at Linden Grant and saw a fervent light in his eyes.

"I’m not lying. As long as we cooperate, I can release those people immediately."

But the masked man said, "If we take you down, she can still release those people just fine."

Linden Grant’s expression instantly darkened. He glared at the masked man with resentment. "You must be a lackey from The Holy Mountain!"

But the masked man’s voice suddenly turned cold. "The Holy Mountain is no place for someone as foul as you to set foot."

Then, he turned to Cassian Sherwood. "Cassian Sherwood, are you just going to stand by and watch The Shadow Organization harm the people of your country?"

Cassian Sherwood’s face fell slightly. "That’s not my concern," he said faintly.

"So you’d rather watch me than deal with this?" the masked man’s voice was frigid.

"Wrong. I’m watching all of you..."

Cassian Sherwood’s Power suddenly erupted, and a massive Water Dragon soared into the air from behind him.

It coiled like a waterspout as it charged toward Aurora Sinclair.

The masked man immediately blocked the attack, roaring, "Go after him—"

Only then did Aurora Sinclair realize that Linden Grant had already jumped off the ship and was fleeing into the distance. At the same time, the ship beneath their feet began to shake violently. A deafening BOOM echoed from within, as if an explosion had gone off.

"Dammit—"

"Get out of the way!"

Aurora Sinclair had already shot into the air. The sea behind her, which had seemed static, now lunged forward like a ferocious beast, threatening to swallow the entire ship.

Two figures leaped from the vessel. When they looked back, they were stunned by the sight before them.

The slender figure hovered in the air directly in front of the wave. With her arms outstretched and silver hair dancing, her Power Domain crashed into the tsunami-like wall of water, forcibly carving a path through the middle wide enough for a ship to pass.

Standing on a small boat, Linden Grant’s face was ecstatic. "So you’re the true Martial Lord of Sunstone... HAHAHAHA..."

A murderous glint appeared in the eyes of Niphoria’s Guardian as he suddenly struck at Aurora Sinclair’s back.

He unleashed "Sea Dragon," the strongest attack of the Sherwood Clan, viciously striking her in the back.

The masked man roared, his eyes wide with despair, "How dare you—"

He rushed toward Aurora Sinclair, but it was too late. Unable to defend herself while holding back the sea, she was struck hard in the back by the roaring "Sea Dragon."

A mouthful of blood sprayed through the air. The now-uncontrolled wall of water crashed down upon her with destructive force.

"Dawn—"

***

「Meanwhile.」

Alvin Morgan’s heart suddenly felt as if it had been pierced by a needle. His eyes flew open, and he stared at the computer screen in front of him.

Outside, the sky was already beginning to brighten with the dawn.

His forehead was covered in sweat. He had just had a nightmare in which Aurora seemed to have fallen into a bottomless abyss.

"Sir, what’s wrong?" Benjamin Morgan asked with concern, pushing up his glasses.

They were currently on a yacht, slowly heading toward Aurora Sinclair’s location. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The events of the night had been too sudden. They had only received a single message from Aurora Sinclair, saying she was being taken to a laboratory.

They had immediately started tracking her, only to find she had been taken out onto the vast, open sea.

They then had to find a boat, which took some time. They had only just boarded this yacht.

Alvin Morgan wiped his forehead. "I’m fine. What’s the situation with Aurora?"

"The red dot is still in the same area of the sea."

Alvin Morgan breathed a sigh of relief and sent a message to Aurora Sinclair’s watch.

[Be careful. Message me when you’re safe.]

But as time ticked by, second by second, Alvin Morgan realized something was wrong.

"Benjamin, go get authorization for the supercomputer from the Family Head..."

His access had been restricted because he had nearly deployed the supercomputer’s weapon systems in Masovia, which had greatly displeased certain people. Now, he needed Cassius Morgan’s authorization to use it.

"Sir, what is it?"

"The red dot... it hasn’t moved at all."

Benjamin Morgan’s eyes sharpened. He picked up his phone and began to contact Flynn Morgan.

Half an hour later, Alvin Morgan shot to his feet, his face pale, and roared, "Faster—"

On his computer screen, the area of the sea where the red dot was located was completely empty.

At the same time, on the other side, Drake Trent had also discovered that Aurora Sinclair was missing and immediately went to Neve Sherwood to have her found.

Neve Sherwood, of course, knew where Aurora Sinclair had gone, but she played along and sent people to search for her.

A few minutes later, Beta Morgan ran back, shouting, "Family Head, we’ve found her! It looks like she was taken to the laboratory by Master Trent’s people."

Drake Trent’s expression instantly darkened. He spun around and slapped August Trent hard across the face, then glared at Victor Trent. "If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you!"

Neve Sherwood seized the opportunity and ordered, "Quickly, to the coast! Find her!"

But just as they were about to leave, they were stopped by Yul Sherwood. "The Grand Elder has ordered that no Sherwood Clansmen are to leave the premises."

Hearing this, Drake Trent’s expression grew even darker. "A servant from my household is missing."

Yul Sherwood’s face was calm as he stepped aside for him. The meaning was clear: the Trent Family could go on their own, but the Sherwood Clansmen were forbidden.

Furious, Drake Trent clenched his fists tightly and strode out.

Neve Sherwood’s heart tightened. She pressed, "Mr. Yuri, why can’t the clansmen go?"

Yul Sherwood said flatly, "There are enemies at sea."

Neve Sherwood froze.

***

A small, dilapidated fishing boat drifted on the vast sea.

The fisherman cast his net into the sea, just as he always did.

"Dad, is that a big fish over there?" a little girl in the boat asked, pointing at something white floating in the distance.

The fisherman straightened up and looked in the direction his daughter was pointing. His expression suddenly turned to one of shock, and he turned to shout into the cabin, "Quick, help me save someone..."

Soon, a silver-haired girl, clad only in a thin layer of white, was pulled onto the boat.

The little girl huddled behind the fisherman and asked fearfully, "Dad, is she still alive?"

"She should be... I think..." The fisherman crouched down to check for breath, but there was none.

Just as he was about to shake his head, the girl lying on the boat like a corpse suddenly opened her eyes. Clutching her chest, she coughed up a large amount of seawater.

"Where... am I...?" A voice, so hoarse it barely sounded female, came from the girl’s mouth.

Aurora Sinclair had swum for three days and three nights. Utterly exhausted, she had stopped fighting and let the sea carry her. She had no idea how long she had been drifting.

She had not an ounce of Strength left in her body. She opened her eyes and looked at the man beside her.

His features were different from those of the people of Veridia or Niphoria. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

’Did I swim in the wrong direction?’

She asked again in the international common tongue, but the man didn’t seem to understand. The language he spoke with the little girl beside him was also foreign to her.

The man then carried her into the cabin, where a woman immediately covered her with a blanket.

Perhaps because she was finally safe for the moment, her consciousness began to fade.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a swaying horse-drawn carriage.

Beside her were several other girls about her age.

Seeing that she was awake, one of the girls asked kindly, "Are you feeling better?"

But Aurora Sinclair couldn’t understand her, so she asked in the international common tongue, "Where is this?"

The girls in the carriage looked at each other in confusion, but one of them managed to ask in broken Veridian, "Are... are you from Veridia?"

Aurora Sinclair’s eyes lit up. "Yes," she replied immediately. "Where is this?"

The girl answered hesitantly, "Greycliff Town."

"How far is this from Niphoria or Veridia?"

The girl shook her head. "I don’t know. A long way, I heard..."

"What about the people who saved me?"

"Are you asking about a father and daughter?"

Aurora Sinclair nodded, but a trace of pity appeared in the other girl’s eyes. "They sold you. Just like the rest of us."