Chapter 134: Chapter 122: Treasure in the Underwater Volcano

"A hundred percent, assuming no surprises." Flora Bloom glanced at the group, her voice full of confidence. She then had Cynthia Grant’s vines wrap around her and Caleb’s waists as they slowly approached the tiger shark from the rear.

The tiger shark was so enormous that by the time Flora Bloom and Caleb reached its tail fin, it was still frantically ramming the yacht’s hull.

Watching it strike the same spot every time, Flora Bloom knew there was no time to lose. The dented section of the hull looked like it couldn’t take many more hits.

"Caleb, now."

A special black magnetic field radiated from Caleb, rippling out toward the tiger shark’s head.

The tiger shark was still ramming the hull, but when the energy of Caleb’s magnetic field made contact with its head through his spiritual power, its movements slowed noticeably.

Unlike the big white goose leader they had encountered before, it wasn’t immediately branded with a spiritual imprint. This was definitive proof that the massive tiger shark’s level was higher than the goose leader’s.

After all, Caleb was already Level 3. A creature that a Level 3 spiritual power couldn’t imprint had to be at least of an intermediate rank.

"Caleb, don’t stop. Just use your spiritual power to communicate with it. Its level is higher than yours, so you’ll get hurt if you try to force an imprint."

Caleb obediently continued to emit his spiritual magnetic field. The energy washed over the tiger shark’s brain in successive ripples until, finally, it came to a halt.

Seeing it hovering motionlessly in the sea as if in a daze, Flora Bloom shouted to Cynthia Grant, "Lower us."

Cynthia Grant’s vines lowered them further until Flora Bloom’s feet touched the tiger shark’s tail fin. The moment she made contact, the massive shark vanished from the ocean’s surface.

Less than a second later, however, its enormous form reappeared in the sea out of thin air.

She had released the tiger shark back into the sea so quickly mainly because it was simply too big. Her Spatial Spirit River was already crowded, and the instant the tiger shark materialized inside, it had crushed a large pile of harvested vegetables she had set aside.

And so, Flora Bloom had let it out.

Startled by the shark’s reappearance, Cynthia Grant immediately pulled Flora and Caleb back onto the yacht’s deck. However, seeing the relaxed look on Flora Bloom’s face, the others had a good idea of what had happened.

"Don’t worry. From now on, Ash—this tiger shark—is our bodyguard at sea. It won’t attack us anymore." Flora Bloom’s naming convention for her pets remained as simple as ever. The green mantis was Vert and the white tiger was Bai, so naturally, the gray tiger shark was now Ash.

Hearing Flora Bloom’s words, everyone finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.

At that moment, however, Flora Bloom was receiving a message through her spiritual link with the shark.

Ash told Flora Bloom that it had once been the King of this stretch of ocean, living deep beneath the surface. But a month ago, the earth’s crust beneath its territory had rumbled, and an underwater volcano had emerged. Inside the volcano was an object whose scent was remarkably similar to the scent of her personal space.

This treasure had attracted many dominant creatures from distant seas, all vying for it. Ash had been driven out by a more powerful creature during the conflict, which was why it had ended up lurking in these shallows and attacking passing ships.

’Oh? The same scent as my space?’

Flora Bloom’s gaze suddenly fixed on Cynthia Grant. If she recalled correctly, when Cynthia Grant first met the white tiger cub, the cub had told her it detected a scent on Cynthia that was very similar to her space.

So she asked Cynthia Grant, "Cynthia, have you ever been on a mission far out at sea? To a place in the triangular area between Azuregard City and Morhaven?"

"How did you know?" Cynthia Grant asked, puzzled. She glanced at Sherman Lynch, and after he nodded, she continued, "A few months ago, I went on a mission to a small island in that area and nearly drowned. I have no idea who saved me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up back at the base."

Flora Bloom was surprised. "If you had to go there again, would you remember the location?"

Irvin Holden, who was nearby, suddenly chimed in. "Leader, I was the one who led that mission. I recognize the location!"

Flora Bloom nodded, understanding. ’It seems the reason Cynthia has a scent similar to my space is closely tied to the location of that mission.’

’Furthermore, my space is a special dimension, created after my rebirth when the deep blue Crystal Stone from my past life merged with the space in my bracelet. It has the waters of the Spirit River and the soil of the Spirit Fields.’

’After I merged with this special space, my Water Ability became different from the ordinary one I had in my past life. Not only did its color turn deep blue, but it also gained the power to cleanse the zombie virus.’

’All of this was thanks to that deep blue Crystal Stone!’

’If a treasure exists with a scent so similar to my space, does that mean there are other Crystal Stones in this world?’

’I’ve always felt my space was incomplete. The river has no upstream or downstream; its ends, along with the edges of the fields and the area beyond the thatched cottage, are all shrouded in thick fog. And I can clearly sense a profound, unknown mystery lurking behind that fog.’

Unfortunately, she learned from Ash’s account that this place was not in the same direction as their destination. Moreover, according to Ash, the treasure was currently being fought over by many creatures even more powerful than it.

’With my current strength, I’d be powerless. Going there now would just be a suicide mission.’

’Looks like I’ll need to level up my strength quickly after I find Joel Bloom. I have a feeling there’s much more to my precious space. For now, though, the treasure is still being contested by various sea creatures, so it’s unlikely a person will get their hands on it.’

With Ash the tiger shark traveling alongside them, their journey became much more secure. More than half of their estimated travel time had already passed, and in just a few more days, they would reach the coast of Morhaven.

Over the past few days, however, Ash’s stomach had proven to be a bottomless pit. It would disappear for several hours each day to hunt. This made Flora Bloom suddenly realize that even evolved creatures needed contact with the outside world and nature; they had to hone their hunting and killing skills to grow stronger quickly!

She looked inward at the idle, evolved creatures in her space. They spent their days eating the fruits and vegetables from her space, drinking and swimming in the Spirit River, and playfully roughhousing with one another.

’Once we get to Morhaven, it’s time to let them out to stretch their legs.’

One day, with only a day left until they reached Morhaven, Ash had been out hunting for less than half an hour when it spotted a plump white goose in the sky, flapping its wings as it hunted a fish in the water below.

Ash, being accustomed to a diet of fish, was intrigued to see a different kind of fleshy prey in its hunting grounds—and such a plump-looking one at that. On a whim, it flicked its tail fin, leaped out of the water, and lunged for the fat goose in mid-air.

’Fat goose! Fresh meat! Delicious! I want to eat it!’

When these excited and eager words flooded Flora Bloom’s spiritual link, she was so shocked she nearly bit her tongue off.

However, she didn’t dismiss Ash’s choice of words. ’Fat goose.’ Creatures that lived in or on the ocean were a far cry from anything one might call a goose. The specific phrase "fat goose" instantly made her think of the big white goose leader.