Chapter 320: Sand Castle

After being stopped, the two looked toward Faraway, but he just shook his head calmly, signaling for them to be patient.

“The Sea Star Race’s story does have some illogical points, and there’s more than one hole in it.”

“The Golden Sand Venerable Lord can make exchanges using pain, yet he hasn’t traded for a way to leave this place.”

“There might be other reasons for this, so we must go to the Sand Castle to find the Broken Core and uncover more of the truth.”

“But the Golden Sand Venerable Lord’s life is tied to the Sea Star Race, so if possible, our priority should be to control them.”

“We also need to be prepared for traps.”

Faraway first pointed out the logical flaws in Sand Reef’s story, then reconfirmed the team’s objective and main goal for this operation.

Finally, under his lead, the party of players set out once more, heading in the direction Sand Reef had indicated.

Luo Ge felt a wave of emotion after listening to the players’ analysis.

He had to admit, these players were incredibly quick-witted. He had only just sensed something was off, but Faraway and Skyrim had already identified the flaws.

His own comprehensive planning ability was merely a result of the Power of the Spirit Candle and the information advantage he held. On a level playing field, he estimated he’d only be slightly better than players like Li Miao.

Of course, this didn’t mean he was subpar. It was just that the player base was full of talent, with outstanding individuals like Faraway and Skyrim.

This made Luo Ge feel, once again, that he had made the right choice.

‘Although Sand Reef’s story is full of holes, it’s unlikely he was lying. It’s more plausible that his body has been affected, gradually and subtly changing him into his current state…’

‘So why doesn’t the Golden Sand Venerable Lord use pain to trade for a way out of here? Creating energy out of thin air… that’s probably harder than crossing through a region, isn’t it…?’

As Luo Ge advanced, he organized and analyzed the information he had gathered.

At the same time, he updated the mission he had issued to the group.

[Special Mission Updated: Proceed to the Sand Castle.]

They didn’t encounter any more monster attacks for the rest of their voyage.

It seemed the Golden Sand Venerable Lord had run out of minions to command.

However, the group did find two more Reef Islands along the way.

One of them was just like the first island they’d encountered, breeding tentacled wolfhounds.

The scene on the other island was more bizarre.

It was a paddy field centered on a statue of pain. Black rice grew around the statue, which emanated a dark-red Power of Painful, as if providing nutrients for the crop.

Luo Ge picked some of the rice, planning to take it back for research.

The players’ fleet sailed on. The Dark Boundary was now close at hand.

And soon, the enormous and conspicuous Sand Castle came into view.

True to its name, the Sand Castle was built from sand, apparently mixed with some kind of slime to hold its shape. Coral Blocks and kelp were interwoven throughout its structure.

It was quite large, resembling a manor, with high outer walls topped with numerous Sea Urchin Spines. The style was bizarre.

But both the Coral Blocks and the kelp had decayed and withered. The sand, which should have been a bright gold, was now eroded and appeared dull and dark.

“ROAR!”

BAM!

In front of the Sand Castle, two bloated humanoid monsters had just roared when they were effortlessly beaten to death, one by Brother Mangzi and the other by Bu Long.

“There are some wrecked ships over there.” Skyrim pointed out what he’d found. “They probably belong to the people the Sea Star Race chief mentioned—the ones who came looking for the Golden Sand Venerable Lord.”

Everyone looked, and sure enough, several small, broken boats lay there silently, looking as if they had been carelessly abandoned.

“Could it be the Firewood Gatherers? Or Le Ti?” Forgotten Dao mused, rubbing his chin.

No one present could answer his question. There was too little information; a few wrecked boats proved nothing.

The group turned their attention to the main gate of the Sand Castle.

Black Mountain Little Demon stepped forward. He frowned as he eyed the heavy, closed gate and the Sea Urchin Spines lining the top.

He tried attacking the gate, but to little effect. Then he attempted to climb the wall, only to be pricked by the Sea Urchin Spines, inflicting him with a Poisoned Effect. He was thoroughly frustrated.

He could only shake his head at the group.

“No use. I can’t get in.”

“The key must be nearby. I’ll go look for it,” Li Miao said, about to head off.

Shore agreed and prepared to follow him.

But just then, Brother Mangzi scowled.

“Look for a key? What a pain. You guys just didn’t use enough force. I’ll do it!”

Brother Mangzi’s brow tightened. He shoved Black Mountain Little Demon aside and spat twice onto his palms.

“Ptui, ptui.”

The next moment, he hefted his great hammer. His muscles rippled as he let out a furious roar, and Warfire ignited around him.

Li Miao and Shore exchanged a look and shrugged, deciding to wait and see.

In truth, neither of them had much faith in Brother Mangzi. The wall was simply too high and thick.

Meanwhile, Niuniu, completely unfazed by the gore, began rummaging through the two bloated monster corpses, searching for a key or something of the sort.

“AWOOOO—”

The next moment, a faint wolf howl echoed from Brother Mangzi as a crimson aura swirled around him.

Brother Lang’s [Blood of Madness]! It burns Blood Volume to increase Attack Power and grants a minor life-leech Effect!

VMMMM—

But that wasn’t all. With the activation of another Combat Skill, a golden sheen suddenly coated Brother Mangzi, and the muscles in his legs swelled, growing even larger.

The Golden Bull Guard’s [Rampage]! It enhances the body’s Resilience and impact force!