It only took ten minutes to find their man – after all, Singapore is a place where it is expensive to live and work.

Mr. Entrepreneur was acquired for 20 HDM crystals and will receive two additional bonuses if they return to Singapore. The captain's name is Sukarno, a cunning middle-aged man who used to come from Indonesia. Taking advantage of Singapore's openness to immigrants to gifted mages, the water transporter found his way to the city and now operates a small trawler named 12 for a crew member searching for shrimp and squid in coastal waters. The ship itself seems weathered and weathered, but it is also well maintained by the proud captain, who insists on regularly inspecting every nook and cranny for mechanical faults and mysterious malfunctions.

Gwen was fascinated by the mechanics of the boat itself, and she had never seen a trawler in action, even in her old world. Two arms reach out from the sides of the 80-foot-long ship, anchored to its riveted hull, giving it a comical expression as a ship moves in the wind. There are all sorts of accessories hanging from the arms – sunplates to attract squid, nylon nets to trawl shrimp.

"You're looking for an island called Abang, in the Riau Sea, about 60 kilometers from Batam," Captain Sukarno repeated after pocketing 10 HDM crystals, and the other half returned safely. "It's a black area, so we have to zoom in and out quickly. ”

He turned to Gwen with both interest and suspicion.

"It's a bit dangerous for a kid like you. You look too delicate to be eaten by the people of the island. ”

Tell me how your ship is, what's her name?" Gwen discussed the topic as they made their way down the dock towards Kingfisher 5. When Gwen asked further why it was "5", Sukarno told her that it had led others to think he had four more trawlers.

"What if we run into a merfolk outside the fence?"

"It's unlikely. If we are Kena, are you responsible? We don't fully comply with maritime agreements, so I only brought Kaki's trusted crew. If we are sunk, do not count on the help of the Navy. ”

"You're not going to let that happen, huh?" Gwen replied with the natural inflection point of an infectious particle of speech - to do as the Romans did in Rome.

"Huh. Sukarno grinned. "I'll take you all back, ah. No problem. ”

They boarded the ship at the end of the harbor, attracting the curious glances of the crews of the other ships. No matter where Gwen is, especially in the gaze of strangers. Even in a sea of benchmarked boats and knotted sails, it's hard to miss a 6-foot-tall Asian in a green vintage dress.

"You should change something that won't absorb so much water," Sukarno suggested his crew to come out to greet the mages, bowing deeply, not daring to meet the eyes in their eyes when their names were announced. Sukarno pointed to the last name in a row of vague black fonts. "This is Arnaf, my first mate. ”

A scrawny Indian who looked to be in his thirties waved at them, staring straight at his feet.

"Hi, I'm Gwen, Gwen Song, this is my companion, Paul, Taj, Jonah, this is my father, Moyer. ”

In response, Arnaf quickly leaned down and bowed, greeting each of them before leaving, still staring intently at the ground and beginning to manipulate the rigging.

"I'm sorry, ah. They rarely deal with mages. Usually it's just me, and they know me. ”

"It doesn't matter. Gwen looked at the crew, six ordinary crew members were manipulating the ship's crank and joystick, and they began to float out of the dock. Oddly enough, the sailors seemed to have avoided them altogether, not even looking at them or herself with curious eyes.

The trawler quietly left the mooring. Once the Soekarno's attachments and cables were removed, Soekarno activated the Mana engine, which spewed two jets of water from the stern of the ship and propelled the ship toward the Egg in the Singapore Strait.

As soon as the ship passed through the first layer of protection stations in the fortified city, the air immediately became cool and salty.

"What a difference," Gwen said to her companion. "I wonder why it's so hot in the city?"

"It's a shielded resonator," Sukarno shouted. "Singapore is a very safe city. We have three layers of protective shields! Major stations in Batam, Strait Artificial Island and Sentosa Island. The problem is that it makes the city very humid in the summer. ”

"Singapore is the safest border region in the southern hemisphere," Jonas affirmed Sukarno's comments. "It's almost as expensive as a Tier 1 city, especially around the CBD and Clementi Hill. ”

The conversation drifted here and there, and whenever Sukarno's curiosity shifted to Gwen, her family, and life in Australia, the conversation shifted to Singapore and the island. After a few minutes of silence, the captain accepted the hint.

The artificial islands they passed through went from commercial to industrial, and then to separate military facilities. Cargo ships also form a line around the Singapore Strait, forming a veritable cargo fortress.

The journey to Abang is expected to take six hours. By the fourth hour, they had left the safety buffer zone created by the last barrier shield.

"Everyone!Arnaf!Keep an eye out for the merfolk!," Soekarno yelled at his crew, then politely asked Gwen and his party to be on guard as well.

Thankfully, their last two hours of journey were uneventful. There have been some strange incidents of local marine life coming to inspect trawlers, but some of the apparent explosions from Gwen have inspired confidence in the crew and vigilance for local wildlife.

"Wow! quasi-elemental! Great," Sukarno shouted happily. The more passengers he transports, the safer it is for them to travel casually outside the shield. Regardless of what his passengers had on the island, Sukarno was not averse to easier money.

"Thank you. Gwen grinned, causing the captain to smile gratefully. When the wind blew and the waves were too strong, the group retreated to the cabin of the boat that Sokarno was piloting.

Soekarno gave her a copy of the newspaper he had picked up at the Port Authority, with a Sydney-centric headline written in dark lettering.

"Hey, you Australians, hey, sorry, Sydney, that sounds like a tragedy. I hope you all are safe. ”

The men picked up the newspaper and skimmed through the headlines, gritting their jaws as they read the latest cadaver counts. When Jonas turned to the fourth page, he stopped and cast a bleak look at Gwen.

"What's wrong?" Gwen noticed a sudden tension in the air. "What's the matter?"

Jonas folded the paper and handed it over.

She opened the newsstand and read silently.

SYDNEY – Seven days after the Sydney Incident, Judge Henry Kilroy was buried in a ceremony attended by his colleagues, presided over by his apprentices, the paladin Gunther von Schultz and the famous witch Alexia de Botton, who are still recovering from their injuries sustained in defending the city

There is a full-color piece of paper that says Alesia sitting in a wheelchair next to Ganse, along with other famous judges, carrying the coffin through the Cathedral of St Andrews, and it is assumed that her master's empty sarcophagus will be symbolically buried in the crypt, along with the mages who used to serve the city.

It is a great honour to be remembered and remembered in a place of public worship, an honor that Gunther fought for with all his might.

"In honour of the late Lord Justice Kielroy, Lord Gunther paid a eulogy to a number of eminent personalities, enumerating Lord Kielroy's contribution to the establishment of the tower system, his heroic actions in the Sowara War and the ongoing conflict in the Coral Sea, and his indelible contribution to the prosperity enjoyed by Sydney prior to the incident. In closing, Lord Gunther pledged to continue his master's legacy, dedicating his life to rebuilding Sydney and restoring its glory as the economic centre of the Coral Sea. The news was not surprising at all, as both Melburn and Brisbane Tolls voted to transfer Lord Gunther to the position of master......"

Gwen went through the article and found a particular quote that was meant to make the reporter bleed.

"Thank you to the relatives of my host, who cannot be here today, no matter where you are, no matter how far you are from Sydney, our hearts are with you. ”

It was an innocuous remark, but Gwen knew that her master had no other family left, and Gunther was planning for herself. She clutched the paper in her hand and felt an indescribable feeling tugging at her. Although it was only for a minute, Gwen felt a longing for the familiar, a longing for the place she had left seven days ago — she felt homesick.

"Are you alright?" Jonas's voice was amiable and reassuring.

"Yes. Gwen looked ahead, the waves crashing against the glass of the cabin. "I'm fine. ”

The island was soon there.

In the silence of the last hour that followed, the party was replaced by a long-sleeved leather suit made from a material that was both breathable and flexible. The bronze suit was standard military equipment, thus exposing Gwen's unreasonable ankle length, making the professional outfit appear to be Jerkins' unexpected laughter. The amphibious hiking boots they bought from the quartermaster in Brisbane Tower also have low ankle lines, which further guarantees that her muscles several centimeters long are exposed. In this case, though, this doesn't help. Stimulated by the suspicious hallucinations of seeing bugs and wayward snakes in the inconspicuous bushes, Gwen pondered whether it would be possible to wear bark for the entire operation. Outside her leather cloak, she wore a set of battle nets to make her breasts less noticeable, filled with healing, all-purpose antidotes and healing potions.

When Moyer appeared, Gwen was surprised to find that her father's musculature was as carved as that of a military man, with little to no excess fat on his torso. Since he likes slightly loose shirts and casual wear, she always imagines Moyer with a cute little beer belly and muffin top.

"Wow, that's a lot better than what my department used to ration," Moyer said happily as he pulled the stretchy fabric. "Ofik too, very good. ”

"What did you wear before?"

"Cotton without magic," Moyer pulled his tank top and pants over the tights, but I put this on top anyway. It felt weird to walk around in a suit. ”

Gwen felt like she was beginning to realize the tights. She has mesh cloth on it, but maybe she should wear pants too?but it will hinder her movements, get tangled in branches or bushes, and even get caught in unsafe places by insects.

With a quarter of an hour left on their journey, the island came into view. Even from a distance, they could see that Abang is a lush area of wildlife, with a canopy of 20 to 30 meters high, well beyond the base of the island. Many of the islands in the strait were formed by volcanic eruptions. The scenery here is often unpredictable, with caves, hills, steep slopes, and even vertical cliffs that emerge from nowhere.

"We will anchor in a bay in the south of the island, where there should be a pebble beach," Soekarno explained. ”。 "You have two nights, three days. It's high tide on Sunday, and I'm going back to the mainland, okay?"

Theoretically, that's enough time. The island is small enough to walk around in a day. It was the jungle that held them back.

Jonas discovers an information device the size of an arm.

"We'll be in touch sooner or later. If it exceeds the agreed time, we will give you additional remuneration. ”

"Of course," Captain Sukarno tilted his head in acknowledgement, pulled the correspondent on military issues towards him and examined it. "Oh, of course, remember, I also need to think about the safety of the crew. ”

"Agreed. Jonas turned to Paul. "Let's go. ”

Paul drew several symbols at the meeting. "Massive Water Walk"

As Paul cast his magic, the trawler sailed into the bay and anchored about a hundred meters from the shore. The heavy anchor slammed into the bottom, stirring up the white sand below and kicking up a cloud of silt and silica. When the chains were tightened, Sukarno said the party was free to proceed.

Walking on water is a strange experience that feels like jumping back and forth on a series of trampolines. The spell-casting magic creates a layer of hydrophobic mana around the caster's lower body, lifting them out of the liquid and propelling them to move from one foothold after another.

Gwen almost lost her footing a couple of times, but the others caught her before she touched the water and turned into a mess.

When they reached the shore, Gwen was sure that Sukarno and the crew were being ridiculed for her comical incompetence.

Count quickly on the beach and the party is right next to the trees.

The vegetation in front of them was taller than they expected, as they faced a verdant growth. The palm itself reaches tens of meters and is as thick as a man's torso. Deep in the canopy, sunlight becomes a rare luxury.

"All right! Stand up!" Jonas commanded the party. "Gear check!"

When Gwen was in the right position, the Major secured the combat belt and carefully checked the belt to make sure that Gwen and his men were properly dressed. Moyer, he left well, the mage said he didn't want to be bullied, he said he would put on his luxurious salt armor if he had the chance.

Okay, okay, "Quick!"

"Large pieces of bark. ”

"Quality resistance. ”

"Massive aid. ”

"Lots of dark scenes. ”

Gwen was chosen as an additional addition to Paul and the Taj Mahal, and they also graced themselves.

"Enhance physical fitness. ”

"Antivirus"

That group then formed a marching procession. The Taj Mahal, with his shield and earth mage armor, was molded into a set of halves around him. She is followed by Gwen, who is Lightning's main dividend per share output, especially her Void. The middle part is controlled by Moyer, who can either immediately help Gwen renounce his beliefs, or he can maintain his beliefs through his own metamorphosis. Their fourth and fifth men were Jonas, followed by Paul, who was responsible for leaving traces of his transposition spell.

"Detect magic!" Gwen said a spell, her eyes flashing with a soft glow of prophecy.

She glanced at the distance of about 30 meters in front of her, and found a black miasma of mana seeping through the dense foliage like a colorful pendant.

"It's too dense. "I can't see the trees in the forest. Gwen dispelled her probing magic, her eyes resting, and mana poured out of her pupils.

"Then it's useless. Be vigilant. The Taj Mahal took the first step, brandishing a machete that had been blessed with a keen blessing and entered the flowers.

As they move deeper into the rainforest, Gwen begins to spot exotic animals that quickly swoop into hiding as they make their way through dense tropical jungles.

A pair of curious white-beaked birds of paradise began to follow them, perhaps wary of their intrusion into their home, and they began to follow them, chirping whenever Taj brought the blades to the vines and trellis that blocked them.

Gwen couldn't help but notice that some vine plants also exuded a strange red substance, and instead of strangling the white ice fields common to creeping plants, Gwen attracted a large number of insects, such as flat-headed ants with wide jaws as wide as their bodies and wasps with orange coats to greedily sneak into the crystallized carmine residue.

Paul corrected your triangular coordinates with a fourth-degree angle. The Taj Mahal adjusted his position and changed the direction in which they were headed. Paul holds a magic compass in his hand, which resists the distractions of bewilderment magic and nature, keeping a true northerner who does not bother with illusions or magic.

Their progress slowed as the floppy palm groves turned into dense dwarf forests of white jasmine and moon orchids. The Taj Mahal became more cautious as he chopped the leaves and beware of falling reptiles and slippery things, many legs slipping things as they crashed into the green.

"Oh my God, what does that smell like!" said Gwen, who had been trekking for hours when they suddenly smelled a terrible smell of decay.

"What dead thing, from its smell, carrion?, the Taj Mahal ripped open a clump of vines. "I think I saw something. ”

They came to a small clearing, where a huge light bulb towered towards the dim light of the canopy. Its flowers are already in full bloom, revealing a purple-pink fleshy turban wrapped around a huge ochre** that is up to 3 meters high.

The Taj Mahal exclaimed, "It smells like ...... Shit, what shit. ”。 "Oh my God, what the hell is going on?"

"Okay, stand up and don't move. Open your eyes. Jonas ordered: "We are going to check for enemies and then bypass it." ”。 "Gwen?"

"Detect magic!"

The jungle itself is verdant, full of particles of water and earth elements. As she looked at the flower, she couldn't help but notice that the flower that exuded the scent of a corpse seemed to condense dark, gloomy spots at its base.

"I felt... At its core is negative energy. Gwen sensed an exciting moment that catalyzed an ambitious hypothesis. "Do you think there is negative energy in nature?"

"The balance between life and death, this is the law of nature. Jonas scanned the jungle with his eyes. "If I remember, it's a corpse flower, a Titan konjac, a carnivore that attracts insects by its rotting stench—

"Wait. Gwen motioned for everyone to stay still, I see something coming. ”

"Walding Bond. The Taj Mahal chanted a mantra softly, and a silent, earthy glow filled the banquet. Gwen sees it as a renunciation spell that allows the caster and target to share the damage, giving the entire team the ability to resist both magical and mundane damage.

In Gwen's eyes, she saw a meandering and crawling stream of elemental earth, with a bit of negative mana, descending from the canopy of the tree, vividly displaying the vibrant elements and gray-black negative energy to the flowers.

In the eyes of the others, they saw a giant centipede a meter long, as thick as Gwen's thigh, winding its way through the small clearing towards the stem of the Titan konjac. It's like two sets of perfectly synchronized piano keys in motion, its legs locked to the stem.

"Is it prey?" asked Gwen.

To their surprise, the centipede did not try to climb onto the flower. Instead, it tries to borrow directly from the base to the nectar of necrotic energy.

"Clever guys. Paul grimaced. "I think it's probably a magical creature with at least a very low level of cunning. ”

At the same time, Gwen couldn't take her eyes off the condensed core of negative energy. She recalls her lightning-fast growth in affinity after Caliban took Vanka in. Does this also mean that she can replenish her affinity for the Void Element by consuming natural flora and fauna?

"I need that," Gwen announced to everyone. "If things go well, can I get some cover?"

Moyer looked up in exasperation, but said nothing.

"What are you thinking?"

"Absorb these creatures," Gwen admits, albeit somewhat misleading their understanding of her methodology. "The Calibans need to eat live prey to mature. ”

The men saw the look of disgust on each other's faces.

"Okay, go ahead. The Taj Mahal checked his guarantee and agreed.

The opportunity to acquire resources for one's craft rarely arises in everyday life. It is only in such adventures that mages encounter occasional grievances. Risking mortal injuries and quickly gaining unique abilities by testing yourself against the chaotic flora and fauna of the wilderness.

"Caliban!" Gwen whispered, kneeling on the ground and discreetly releasing Caleban. To her surprise, it was not a spider that appeared, but its usual snake-like resemblance. Did the Caliban adjust its appearance to suit the occasion? It was useless to mentally order the Caliban to transform on the ship.

The slippery Caliban silently meandered through the tall grass, getting closer and closer to the busy centipede.

When it came within range, it turned its lamprey's mouth to Gwen to plead.

"Want to help?"