Chapter 140: Scales

"Yes, but I don't know the exact quantity. The energy conversion array beneath that sea area is in ruins, causing the energy there to be highly chaotic. I can't sense it clearly!" Mavis had been unable to receive converted energy for many years; otherwise, she would not be in this state.

"Understood!" Hughes searched the entire laboratory bench, only to find that, aside from a few vessels, it was as empty as Mavis had described.

"Let's go!" Since there was nothing left, Hughes had no intention of staying. He didn't know what might be waiting for them outside.

Hughes stepped back onto the circular lift, preparing to return to the surface.

"Boom!" The lift, which had been rising steadily, suddenly jolted violently as if it had been struck.

"What's happening?" Hughes was startled by the sudden tremor.

"Something has reached the shore!" Mavis said, her face grim. She knew exactly what kind of creatures inhabited those waters.

"Is there any way to deal with it?" Although Hughes had anticipated this, hearing it confirmed still filled him with dread. After all, anything raised by a bloodline wizard would not be easy to handle.

"It’s difficult. The offensive wizard arrays in the manor have no energy left. The best course of action is to leave immediately, or things will only get worse!" Mavis grew anxious. Hughes was no match for the creatures in the sea, but if Hughes died, there was no guarantee she would be spared.

"Let's get to the top first!" Standing on the lift, Hughes pondered his options.

The lift, which was already slow, became even more sluggish after the violent impact.

"What is that smell?" As soon as Hughes returned to the room, he was hit by a pungent, fishy odor.

"It seems they have multiplied quite a bit over the years!" Mavis sensed the situation and understood what was happening.

"It's the Sea Beast Clan!" Mavis provided the answer.

"The Sea Beast Clan?" This was the first time Hughes had heard of such a thing.

"They are sea monsters! My former master raised them because they lacked intelligence, making them easy to feed. Since they haven't been controlled for so long, their numbers must be immense," Mavis explained, her form flickering continuously as she attempted to regain control of the manor.

Seeing her efforts, Hughes did not disturb her.

"It's no use! Many of the manor's arrays have collapsed, and without energy support, there is nothing I can do!" Mavis said anxiously.

"How strong are these sea monsters?" Hughes figured that if all else failed, he would have to fight his way out.

"There was a Devil-Disk Octopus in the sea, a Tier 2 wizard-level entity! I just don't know..." Mavis didn't finish, but the implication was clear: with so much food in the sea, it was highly unlikely it had perished.

"Tier 2..." Hughes's expression darkened. A single Tier 2 creature could wipe out all five of them.

"There's no time left. Forget about them; take the scale and let's leave this place as soon as possible!" Mavis urged him to hurry.

The scale was tiny, no larger than a thumbnail. Hughes scanned it with his spiritual power, but found nothing.

"Chip! Scan this scale!" Hughes trusted that Mavis wouldn't lie to him, so the secret must lie within the object.

"Beep! Unidentified energy coverage detected!"

"This scale must be unsealed before it can be used," Mavis whispered, watching as Hughes inspected it.

"Unseal it then! Otherwise, it will be hard to explain if we go out like this," Hughes said, shaking the bloodline vial in his hand.

"Do you have a ring or something similar? This spatial magic artifact needs to be fused with an object to be used," Mavis explained softly.

"An object..." Hughes checked himself. Aside from his Silver Rose badge, he had no other accessories. He never paid much attention to such things, but the Silver Rose badge clearly couldn't be used; if it were discovered during an exchange, he would be doomed.

"I have it!" Hughes suddenly remembered one other item he possessed and pulled the 'Guided Guardian' from around his neck.

After crafting this low-level magic item, Hughes had used it very few times. Since his promotion to a Tier 1 wizard, his own defensive barrier far exceeded the protection offered by the Guided Guardian, causing him to gradually forget about it.

"Will this work?" Hughes asked, holding the Guided Guardian flat in his palm.

"The Guided Guardian!! No, this is just a low-level magic item!" Mavis was shocked; she had participated in the creation of this very item years ago and could never forget it.

"You recognize it?" Hughes felt it couldn't just be a coincidence; it felt as if everything had been preordained.

"I do. The original Guided Guardian was created by the master and me. I never thought I would see it again after so many years!" Mavis reached out to touch it, but her phantom hand passed straight through. She paused, then pulled her hand back.

"Have you been to the Extreme North?" Hughes asked, recalling how he had obtained the blueprints for the Guided Guardian.

"The Extreme North... the North..." Mavis fell silent, seemingly struggling to recall memories from an era long past.

"Are you referring to the Extreme Northern Territory? That's all I remember. But the blueprints for the Guided Guardian were left there. Did I remember it wrong, or has the name changed?" Mavis said uncertainly.

"The Extreme North is likely the Extreme Northern Territory you speak of. Perhaps too much time has passed," Hughes replied, certain that she had indeed been there.

"Perhaps. We also went to the nearby Alkeri—what a strange place that was. But the Eternal Gutt was interesting; it possessed power comparable to a Tier 6 wizard!" Mavis's eyes were filled with longing.

"Alkeri..." Hughes's expression grew complex. He found the natural progression of these coincidences unsettling.

"This low-level Guided Guardian can be used. Even if you upgrade it later, it won't affect the space inside!" Mavis was determined; even if Hughes didn't upgrade it, she would do it herself.

"Does this magic item hold some special significance?" Hughes was curious; a high-level magic item meant little to a Tier 3 wizard.

"Nothing special. Like you, it was just something used for self-preservation in the early days," Mavis replied, withholding the secret. It was a matter between her and her master, after all.

"Fair enough. I suppose I was overthinking it," Hughes sighed, feeling disappointed that there wasn't a grander story behind it.

"I will fuse it for you now, but it requires your soul essence so that it truly belongs to you. Follow my instructions—the fusion of soul essence must not go wrong!" Mavis warned him sternly before beginning the unsealing and fusion process.

"Understood. Begin!" Hughes prepared to split a portion of his soul essence.

Mavis closed her eyes, chanting in the air with a sacred expression and a melodious voice. The scale began to react, and a black, snake-shaped rune upon it slowly faded away.

"That voice sounds a bit like a Siren," Hughes thought, remembering the sirens he had encountered at the Shadow Ring.