Chapter 469: Yano's Progress

When Chen Yu opened his eyes again, his vision was already in a pitch-black void.

Calling it a void was not entirely accurate either.

The vessel he was inhabiting, Yano, was sitting quietly against a collapsed mast post, and around them were broken pieces of the ship's wreckage,

Dark gray planks, fractured yardarms, scattered wooden crates and ropes, all drifting slowly through the darkness, carried by some invisible current,

Some fragments collided with soft clinks, then were separated by the undercurrent, floating toward deeper darkness in the distance.

But what was even stranger was that the ship beneath their feet had not sunk into the water.

Or rather, this ship had already sunk to who-knows-what depth, and what surrounded them was less like seawater and more like a murky medium somewhere between ocean and void.

Chen Yu recognized the ship beneath his feet - the Golden Lady.

The hull was now riddled with holes, most of the bulwarks were broken, the mainmast had snapped in the middle, with the remaining half slanting into the deck, the splintered wood at the break still bearing charred scorch marks.

Clearly, it had taken an extremely brutal chase to end up in this state.

The battle seemed to be over now, with only the crew busy moving cargo and repairing the vessel.

Not far away, Nilly was gathered with some mages around the damaged Gel Signal Tower, trying to repair this expensive and massive piece of equipment.

Though he didn't know what had happened, they were likely inside the Sea Vortex right now.

But why was Yano not reacting to his arrival?

In the past, whenever his consciousness descended onto Yano, Yano would always sense it.

But now, he sat here quietly, without any reaction at all.

With a soft "pop," Chen Yu detached from Yano's body and landed on his shoulder.

Looking down, he saw that the man's eyes were closed, his breathing long and even, clearly still in a focused state.

But the changes in him did surprise Chen Yu.

In the past, in this idle state, this guy would attack anything that wasn't a slime.

Forget ordinary crew members, even Nilly couldn't wake him.

But now, with all those crew members walking around him, carrying cargo, he showed no reaction at all.

This meant his comprehension of the Great Dao had deepened to another level.

The focused state was no longer just a sealed defensive shell; it could now automatically filter information and distinguish friend from foe.

Chen Yu withdrew his gaze and sent a thought through the Gel Network to Nilly, who was gathered around the damaged signal tower: "Nilly, what happened? Why are you here?"

"?! That's His Majesty's voice!"

Nilly, who had been crouching on the ground, suddenly shot to her feet, looking around wildly, her gaze finally locking onto Chen Yu's direction. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried over.

As she ran closer, she spotted the little slime perched on Yano's shoulder.

"We haven't finished repairing the Gel Signal Tower yet, how did Your Majesty contact my clone?"

"You got in touch with His Majesty?" Captain Jack had somehow drifted over as well.

He still wore his signature tricorn hat, his black hair beneath the brim slightly disheveled, carrying an air of exhaustion.

Chen Yu hopped down from Yano's shoulder and landed on the deck planks: "I've built a new Gel Signal Tower in the Southern Islands, so don't worry about contact for now."

"Now, can you tell me what happened?"

At the mention of this, Nilly was furious.

She planted her hands on her hips, her face full of indignation: "Those damned nobles of the Coral City-States actually conspired with the old nobles who fled from the Merchant Alliance and with pirates!"

"They took Medusa's bounty, not only giving away the fleet's location to Medusa, but also chasing us the entire way. We hid in several ports, but were finally driven to these waters."

"How infuriating! Well, serves them right - everyone's fallen into the Sea Vortex now, let's see how they get out!"

By the end, her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Clearly, the pursuers weren't faring much better at this moment.

Captain Jack, however, coughed: "My dear Majesty, I must remind you - the old nobles expelled from the Merchant Alliance, my old pirate rivals from the past, and those Medusa folk..."

He raised his fingers, counting them one by one, then spread his hands with an innocent look: "The Empire seems to have quite a few enemies in the archipelago."

"The fact that we managed to keep the ship's main structure intact was already the best we could do while being hunted. As for the money and goods..."

He shrugged, the meaning clear enough. Whatever was meant to sink to the bottom of the sea had already sunk.

Alright, then.

Chen Yu let out a silent sigh inwardly.

Maritime trade was hugely profitable, but the risks were also enormous - he understood that logic.

Still, those archipelago nobles daring to betray the Empire's fleet and cost the Empire so much wealth... it looked like he'd need to pay a visit to the Coral City-States at some point.

His gaze landed on Nilly, then swept around, scanning the mages and sailors busy on the deck.

"You and Yano both have Fake Cores, and Jack is an Extraordinary professional. This team of yours would be considered a considerable force in any sea. How did you end up like this?"

Nilly looked a bit guilty: "You might not believe this... but we ran into the bane of the Stone Descendants."

"The bane of the Stone Descendants?" Chen Yu asked, puzzled. "You have petrification immunity, you're immune to Medusa's petrification, and you have Assassin professions and Fake Cores."

"What could possibly be your bane?"

Captain Jack smoothly picked up the thread: "Your Majesty, please forgive Lady Nilly's modesty. That was no ordinary opponent. What we faced was the legend of the seas, the alchemist, Mr. Hopkins."

"A genius alchemist who supposedly vanished from the oceans a thousand years ago. And it was he who originally created the predecessors of the Stone Descendants."

Chen Yu remembered now.

The original activation ritual of the Stone Descendants had been born from this alchemist's hands.

Those royal members who had been eroded by Medusa's Petrification Curse, after turning to stone, were given the ability to move again by Hopkins using some kind of dark alchemy.

Although in a sense, he was also the creator of the Stone Descendants, this creation carried the intention of enslavement and control from the very beginning.

Later, the Stone Descendants escaped during a disaster, crossed the ocean to the mainland, and no one had ever seen this alchemist again.

What Chen Yu hadn't expected was that this alchemist, vanished for a thousand years, would suddenly reappear at this moment.

Jack's face was unusually grim: "Mr. Hopkins is a Legendary, and he holds spells that can affect the Stone Descendants."

"Any Stone Descendant who approaches that being will have their consciousness thrown into chaos, degrading into beast-like existence... possibly even falling back under his control."

Nilly chimed in angrily: "Who knows where this guy crawled out from, actually forming an alliance with Medusa to jointly hunt down the Stone Descendants."

"Good thing this auntie can hide in the shadows, or else he would have gotten his way."

Chen Yu's gaze returned to Yano: "Then what about Yano?"

Nilly shrugged: "No idea. After we entered the Coral City-States, he said he needed to do some focused cultivation, and he's been in this state ever since."

"But it's not like there's been no progress. At least now he won't punch his own auntie, and he can understand some simple commands."

Captain Jack added approvingly: "If it weren't for Mr. Yano, I doubt we'd have escaped from that Legendary alchemist's grasp this trip."

"Hopkins's spells could take effect on Stone Descendants, but when facing Yano in this state, they completely failed."

"In the end, it was him holding back that Legendary mage that allowed us to escape into the Sea Vortex."

"An Extraordinary professional managing to retreat unscathed from a Legendary mage's spells - that's enough to be recorded in maritime legends."

Chen Yu hadn't expected Yano's comprehension of the Great Dao to progress so quickly either.

While some credit went to the Fake Core, this sea voyage was also inextricably linked.

Indeed, calm seas never made skilled sailors - sending him out to adventure had been the right call.

True Great Dao was never something understood by shutting oneself away; it needed repeated collision through magnificent circumstances before it could finally condense into form.

Even cultivators of Xu Xuan Heaven sometimes had to undergo worldly training when comprehending the Great Dao.

"What about you then?" He shifted his gaze to Nilly.

"Huh?" Nilly was first confused, then realizing he was asking "why haven't you comprehended the Great Dao," a slightly guilty expression crept onto her face.

"This... what Great Dao is this, I've never seen it before. This is clearly discrimination against your auntie! Look, Yano can comprehend it, so why can't I!"

Alright, then.

Chen Yu reached a conclusion internally.

Nilly truly had no aptitude for comprehending the Great Dao.

This woman hadn't even graduated from basic academy education; asking her to ponder those profound and mysterious "Daos" was genuinely asking too much.

Nilly seemed to see through his little look, and flushed with embarrassment: "What's that look supposed to mean, Your Majesty? After realizing I couldn't help, I reluctantly parted with my clone and gave it to Jack!"

Captain Jack waved at him and smiled slightly.

Chen Yu didn't continue to press the matter, instead asking: "What are your plans now?"

"No need to worry about the Coral City-States. Those old nobles and the nobles who conspired with them will all face the Empire's judgment."

Jack pondered: "Your Majesty, we've found clues about the overseas Stone Descendants. All signs indicate they're currently hiding deep inside the Sea Vortex."

Nilly nodded and added: "Our ancestor Hailam has already become a Legendary. He's the Stoneheart Family's last hope. As long as we can contact this ancestor, we might be able to turn defeat into victory."

Hiding inside the Sea Vortex?

Chen Yu closed his eyes, extending his Divine Sense outward, sweeping across this pitch-black void.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again and discovered this place truly wasn't an empty void.

The seawater flowed under the pull of undercurrents in a slow, inexorable rhythm, with many islands of various sizes floating around,

Some were only the size of a reef, while others had lush vegetation, even faint outlines of growing trees visible,

Clearly, over the long years, an independent ecosystem had evolved here.

If someone wanted to survive in this space, it was indeed not impossible.

But Chen Yu wasn't optimistic about Jack and Nilly's plan.

Since that Legendary alchemist could plunge Stone Descendants into chaos, then the legendary Stone-Heart Hailam might not necessarily be his match either.

Hopkins understood the Stone Descendants too deeply - so deeply that those spells had been etched into the very depths of their bloodline.

Even if Hailam was already a Legendary, facing an alchemist who had grasped the lifeline of their race a thousand years ago, the advantage might not be on his side.

However...

He thought for a moment, then decided not to intervene.

Sometimes, crises weren't necessarily bad things.

This deep-sea journey might just be the push that fully completes Yano's comprehension of the Great Dao.

And the overseas Stone Descendants held the Legendary Trial of their race. While Nilly couldn't comprehend the Great Dao, she could still become a Legendary through the Trial.

As long as the plan went smoothly enough, they might just survive against all odds.

His little face turned serious: "Very well, since you're so confident, then prove it to me. I won't help you from here on out."

Nilly's eyes widened, dumbfounded.

Oh no, she might have exaggerated a bit too much.

"Huh? Your Majesty, are you serious? If you really abandon us..."

She quickly stepped closer, "Um... I actually think staying in the vortex isn't a particularly great idea. Would Your Majesty reconsider?"

Chen Yu said slowly: "Didn't you just say that as long as you find that Legendary Stone Descendant, you can join forces to defeat Hopkins?"

Nilly was speechless, stammering for a long while before squeezing out: "Your Majesty, that was... that was just bragging."

"Oh." Chen Yu simply had no intention of helping.

Captain Jack stood to the side, taking off his tricorn hat and giving Nilly a gentlemanly bow: "My dear Lady Nilly, it seems we'll have to experience this deep-sea journey on our own."

"Your Majesty, please reconsider..."

Nilly chased after Chen Yu as he hopped toward the stern, crouching down and carefully poking him with her finger: "Just a little help, even just a tiny bit."

"Look, our ship is this broken. Can you bear to watch your most loyal, most adorable, most hardworking..."

"Oh, I'm leaving."

With that, his form merged back into Yano, reverting to the Fake Core.

Nilly clicked her tongue: "Fine, a mere Legendary - your auntie can handle it all by herself anyway."

"Even without His Majesty's help, it'll be a breeze."

Captain Jack leaned against the broken stump of the mast, slowly clapping twice: "Excellent. Then shall we set sail and twist that Legendary alchemist's head off to use as a wine flask?"

"Uh... no need to rush that much. Let's think of a plan first."

Tough talk aside, she knew her own limits well.

Hopkins was a true Legendary mage, and he could control Stone Descendants.

If they really ran into him, they'd have to find a way to run.