Elaine actually didn't want to come into contact with that group of stalkers at all.
But since their group stayed in this city as guests and were summoned by the other party, it was impossible not to come into contact with those weirdos. What if they did something rude to make the other party angry and started fighting directly?
.
Fortunately, he maintains his white lion transformation. This transformation is at least not afraid of being attacked by sneak attacks - all sneak attacks will be immune to him using [Attenuation]. Even if he is besieged, he can still use the royal lion's roar to get out of trouble.
Thinking like this, Elaine gradually became bolder, and of course he had no intention of letting down his guard.
"Hello." Elaine walked up and said to the half-fish man with a little hunchback and a weird look: "Yes, what's the matter?"
"Hello, guest." The stalker put down the right hand that was waving, "Guest, I have an audience with the miko. The miko wants to talk."
"Miko?"
"Great man. Ancient man. Daughter of the sea." The other party replied briefly: "If you see it, you will naturally understand."
Is it ancient——
This word caught Elaine's attention. The ancient people in Atlantis were considered great people by this group of stalkers. Could it be that they were members of the Neptune family?
"I, I understand. Please lead the way." The white lion boy made up his mind to meet this witch.
"Okay. Follow me." The stalker turned around and walked in front without any precautions, with his back to Elaine.
At this time, Elaine could suddenly rush up and hold the guy's neck hostage with a sword. There were several guards on the side, but they were just holding primitive spears. They would probably be helpless in the face of Elaine's kidnapping.
Bar.
But of course he chose to do nothing and silently followed the stalker and began to walk into the city streets.
There should be no distinction between day and night on the sixth floor of the Atlantis underground maze, and those stalkers just live an ordinary life here. Elaine can see a fairly lively market when walking on the street, and there are actually a lot of people.
A few fish people were setting up street stalls selling something.
Most of the goods on the stall were strange-shaped stones collected from unknown sources. Elaine estimated that they were materials used for weapons, and should be fragments of various special alloys scattered in the underground labyrinth of Atlantis.
.
There are also some street stalls that should be food. Elaine recognized some of the fragments of crab-claw-like animal carcasses. It is obvious that the stalkers know the skills of hunting steam crabs and can kill those that are difficult to kill under normal circumstances.
The giant crabs were cut into such pieces and used as ingredients. The white lion boy even recognized some processed fish meat. The type of fish should be the piranhas in the underground layer.
These weirdos even sell the legs of spiders and the bodies of worms with their heads removed. Can such things be eaten?
Evil. Elaine not only swallowed her saliva.
Very rarely, some stalls even display the meat of some sea beasts and sea fish from outside. Logically speaking, these meats cannot be obtained in the maze, unless you leave Atlantis and go to the outside sea to catch them.
fish.
"Have you ever been to the outside world?" Elaine then asked: "How, how did you get the sea fish?"
"I haven't been here before, the system caught me."
"System?"
"Defense system. Protect this place." The stalker replied: "Occasionally, do unnecessary things."
Elaine frowned.
"We're here." The stalker stopped in front of a building. The building was somewhat similar to the house where Elaine and the others stayed. It was not as tall as other high-rise buildings. The highest was only about ten floors. There were more than a dozen people in front of the building.
The guards are guarding it, and you can tell at a glance that this is a very important facility.
"You alone, go in." Stalker waved his hand and said, "Miko, I'll see you alone."
"Really, is there really no problem?" Elaine asked in a low voice. Since the witch lady is so important, why are the stalkers willing to let an outsider like Elaine go to see her alone? Aren't they afraid of danger?
"Miko-sama's instructions." The other party said. Even the group of guards in front of the building moved out of the way.
The white lion boy shrugged and walked into the building.
"On the top of the building." The stalker who led the way ordered again: "Be more solemn."
Elaine didn't know whether the "more solemn" the other party meant meant that he should walk solemnly or talk and behave solemnly. In short, he walked in solemnly and walked up the stairs.
He originally thought that climbing ten floors would be very tiring - considering how weak the white lion man's transformation was. But there seemed to be some kind of special gravity field in the floors, which made him feel his body as he walked up the stairs.
Especially brisk.
There is not a single figure in the entire building. This seems to be where the miko-sama lives, and other stalkers are not allowed to enter. However, it seems inappropriate to say that this is where the miko-sama lives. This building
There is no atmosphere of anyone living there at all. The floors are all empty, and the first nine floors are all empty rooms, as if they exist only to isolate other people from the miko-sama.
It wasn't until Elaine reached the highest level of the building that he saw a figure through the doorless entrance to the room.
That is the woman sleeping in the huge crystal.
So a mystery was solved. There was no sign that anyone had lived here, because no one had ever lived here. The miko-sama was just sleeping, inside that mysterious crystal. Maybe she had slept for thousands of years.
Today, Elaine's eyesight is not very good. Fortunately, he wears glasses and can roughly observe the woman sleeping in the crystal from this distance.
That woman is quite beautiful, even from an orc's point of view.
She is not a human being, she should be some kind of humanoid creature, with a vaguely human-like appearance.
It's just that the skin on her body is gray-blue (perhaps a more vivid blue, but Elaine's eyes have achromatopsia, so I can't identify it now). There are tiny, star-like scales on it, and they appear under the light.
Shining like stars below.
Moreover, the woman's ears are fins. She has large and small fins on her shoulders, elbows, thighs, calves and ankles. There is also a long and graceful fish tail behind her. She and the mermaid tribe
A bit similar, but she has two legs and an extra fish tail.
...Is this the Sea Royal Family? When observing the woman's graceful appearance, Elaine was almost certain in his heart. Although he did not make a complete conclusion.
"You are finally here, Master Guanghui." A woman's voice greeted Elaine's arrival. Or perhaps it was the small, glowing crystal floating next to the huge crystal that was making the sound.
"Glory...?" Elaine walked into the room subconsciously, and stopped about ten yards away from the woman sleeping in the crystal: "You, do you admit it?"
"No mistake." The woman said: "Lord Glory. Heir to the Fire. Immortal. Redeemer. You have many names. But we all recognize you. The star spirits of Gaia can recognize you, Art."
Naturally, the stars of Lantis will not admit their mistakes."
"You, you still know Gaia...?"
"I know you. I know where you come from and where you are going." The woman continued: "I am the [Memory Engraver] of Atlantis, Lisanna, the daughter of the sea."
However, the person you are talking to now is not the real Lisanna, she is sleeping. I am an artificial intelligence construct created by her, similar to her clone.
I am responsible for recording everything that happens in this millennium, and then she will wake up for a few seconds every millennium, synchronize her memory with me, and use the synchronized memory to create a new clone, and continue to record the next millennium."
"So, it's you who is talking..." Elaine turned her eyes to the small glowing crystal aside.
"Exactly." The crystal made a voice, answering Elaine's question.
"Are you, are you an Atlantean?" Elaine asked again: "What happened to your people? Are they all extinct?"
"Deteriorated, but not extinct."
"Deterioration?"
"The star spirits of Atlantis gradually assimilated with the [Heart of Disaster], and it has become like a candle in the wind." The clone crystal replied: "The Atlanteans and the star spirits are a [community of destiny], and one will perish."
, and the other one cannot survive. Now that the star spirits have deteriorated, the people of Atlantis have also deteriorated to a very serious level. The creatures with low intelligence you see are the Atlanteans after their degradation."
"Stalkers?!" Elaine said in shock.
No wonder the stalkers seem to live in their own hometown and regard this underground labyrinth as their home. Because this was originally their home. It’s just that the stalkers are no longer the original people of the sea royal family (Atlantis)
.
Although it is said that the human race has deteriorated, the stalkers still retain their most basic civilization, and they may still have good intelligence. God knows how smart the Neptune people were before they deteriorated.
"Can a race become like this if only the star spirit deteriorates..." Elaine turned to look at the woman sleeping in the crystal: "You, your body... is because
Did you avoid being degraded by sleeping all this time?"
"No. Deterioration proceeds slowly from generation to generation. Although the first generation of Atlanteans who came to the earth were physically weak and had low fertility, they still maintained their original appearance. Rei sleeping in the crystal
Shana also belongs to that generation. Then the second generation a hundred years later, and the third generation a hundred years later, little by little, from physical to mental, their appearance finally deteriorated into what they are now.
Dozens of thousands of years have passed, and it is difficult for these sub-human races you call [stalkers] to be called Atlanteans anymore. They neither have the wisdom of the Atlanteans nor the intelligence of the Atlanteans.
Without the spirit and pride of the Atlanteans, even the civilization and culture that we are most proud of could not be well preserved."
That's really a pity. Elaine thought to herself. The originally superior and beautiful ancient race has gradually turned into an inferior race like barbarians... And it seems that their civilization will only decline more and more. It is no longer possible.
Getting better.
"In a few thousand years," the clone of the Sea Girl continued: "When the [Heart of Disaster] completely assimilates with the star spirit of Atlantis and devours it, these ugly little creatures will also be completely destroyed and extinct."
Bar.
Before it completely becomes like that, I have a request, Lord Guanghui——"
The glowing crystal slowly said: "Please destroy this place. Please bury the city of Atlantis, along with the Heart of Disaster. Please put an end to everything here. Before everything becomes too late."