Chapter 576: Mirrorheart's Warning

As soon as he realized what that massive thing was, Loren reacted swiftly. In an instant, he released Melody from the bottle and then immediately sucked the giant ocean creature beneath the ship into it.

The Ship in a Bottle only cared about quantity, not size. As long as it wasn't something on the level of a Starry Sky Whale, it could fit inside. A mere sea giant was nothing.

After the thing below vanished, the ghost ship also fell from the sky. Loren released the bottle and wrapped both arms around Veronica's and Melody's waists, holding them at his sides.

Once he landed steadily, Loren kicked the Ship in a Bottle away, set Veronica down firmly, and then caught the bottle as it shot back down from above.

"It's fine now."

Loren didn't put Melody down. She was prone to injury on the deck.

Only then did Loren have time to check what was inside the bottle now. It contained a whale, a whale made of rock.

"We can switch transportation."

After seeing what was inside, Loren didn't rush. Instead, a smile spread across his face.

"Is that a Rock Whale?"

Melody turned her head and spotted the thing in the bottle nearby.

"Yes."

Seeing Veronica's confused expression, Loren explained to her:

"A Rock Whale is a type of Deep-sea Leviathan. It's nearly three hundred meters long.

"Its body is incredibly hard, comparable to steel. It's huge but moves extremely fast, and a single ramming strike is as powerful as a high-level spell.

"It has a gentle temperament and feeds on rocks or metal. Because its body structure is different, it's almost never contaminated. Very safe.

"It's the ideal vehicle for us."

"Three hundred meters..."

This number felt foreign to Veronica. She had no concept of what that meant.

"It's about the height of a hundred-story building."

In this world, houses were usually at most two or three stories tall. Even with Loren's explanation, Veronica still didn't quite understand, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Forget it. You'll see for yourself in a bit. Wait for me on the ship. I'll negotiate with the Rock Whale."

Loren carried Melody and flew into the air. Once he reached a far enough distance, he finally took out the bottle.

The Rock Whale was too massive. If he just dropped it directly, the resulting tsunami would probably wash Veronica right off the ship.

The ghost ship wasn't afraid of waves, but that didn't mean it was immune to tsunamis. Even if the ship survived, the people on board would be swept away.

"Alright."

Sure he was far enough, Loren released the Rock Whale. As it plunged into the sea, Loren could feel the ocean tremble.

It took a long time for the sea to calm. The Rock Whale hadn't moved at all, staying obediently in place, as if it knew Loren had business with it.

Then Loren landed on the Rock Whale's body. Because it was so enormous, Loren had no idea where its ears were, so he simply stood on its head and tried to communicate.

"Can you hear me, big fella?"

Loren set Melody down on the Rock Whale's back and knocked on its skull. Loren figured that for a creature this size, hitting it with a steamroller would only feel like a light tap.

Melody didn't trigger the curse while on the Rock Whale's body. It counted as a sea creature, not land.

"May I ask what business you have, sir?"

Soon, Loren heard the Rock Whale's response. It spoke in an old-fashioned, literary way, using archaic language.

"I'm heading to solve the ocean pollution problem, but I ran into a bit of trouble along the way. Could I trouble you to give me a ride?"

What Loren said was true. The root of the ocean's pollution was the Orthodox Gods. If they killed the Orthodox Gods and the rules were complete, the Outer Gods wouldn't be able to reach this place, and the ocean wouldn't be polluted.

"You act for the greater good, truly admirable. Since you are in difficulty, I cannot refuse. I will do my utmost to help."

"..."

Loren was a bit speechless, but at least he understood what the Rock Whale was saying. It agreed.

"Then please wait here for a bit. I need to go get someone.

"Melody, the Rock Whale is fast, so I don't have time to fish. Could you catch some edible fish?"

"Okay!"

Melody raised her hand, a little excited. Finally, they could eat.

...

When Loren returned carrying Veronica, Melody had already caught plenty of fish, spread directly across the Rock Whale's back.

Loren directly used Abundant Magic to create a small shelter on the Rock Whale's back to block the wind.

"Let's go, big fella. We're heading to the east coast of the Western Continent, a little to the north."

Loren planned to first go to the territory of the God of Night and Thunder. He had promised earlier that he would find Lilith first, and he could also find Cecelia along the way.

With Cecelia's help, spreading his honorific name would be much easier.

Hearing Loren's command, the Rock Whale began to move. It was fast but very steady, so steady that even the campfire didn't scatter.

Ocean currents and the like couldn't budge a behemoth like the Rock Whale. Loren and the others happily started a picnic on its back.

"How comfortable..."

After eating and drinking her fill, Melody lay down on the ground, a look of pure bliss on her face.

Veronica didn't eat much either. She couldn't even finish a single fish.

"..."

Loren instinctively prepared to roast the next batch of fish. Usually, one batch wasn't even enough to whet Anna's appetite.

But Anna wasn't here this time. Loren, Melody, and Veronica each only needed one fish to be full.

In the end, Loren could only throw the remaining fish back into the sea. These saltwater fish had strong vitality; they hadn't died even after being out of the ocean for so long.

"Are you thinking about Anna and the others?"

Melody noticed Loren's momentary distraction and asked.

"Yeah."

Loren admitted it. Right now, he only had one Witch by his side. He couldn't even have someone in both arms when he slept. It felt a little lonely.

"By the way, before I left, I told them to find the Merfolk. Did you run into them?"

Hearing this, Melody shook her head:

"Only Mirrorheart came to find me. I didn't see any trace of the others."

"Is that so..."

Loren didn't know whether to feel relieved or regretful. He asked further:

"Did Mirrorheart say anything else to you?"

Melody thought for a moment before answering:

"Mirrorheart said the Witches have scattered all over the world. She doesn't have a single Witch by her side right now.

"And she also emphasized that a woman named Seraphina has gone crazy. She told me to be careful of her.

"I don't know why Mirrorheart insisted I tell you that. It's almost like she was certain I would run into you."

"..."

These few sentences revealed a lot of information. Loren didn't respond to Melody right away, instead sinking into thought.

First, how did Mirrorheart know he would run into Melody? Second, why did she specifically emphasize that Seraphina had gone crazy?

It was perfectly normal for Loren's death to drive the Witches mad, and their Arcane Abilities would even evolve. That seemed far more terrifying than Seraphina.

Yet Mirrorheart specifically emphasized Seraphina...

Could it be that Seraphina was even more frightening than the Witches after she went mad?

Loren began to think. In his memory, Seraphina had always been as gentle and kind as an angel. He couldn't imagine what she looked like when she was insane.