Chapter 131: The Boiling Sea and the Unseen Threat

“Blast it, damn it!”

Ellie Roth Charlotte halted, standing upon the air wall conjured by her arcanist spell.

She gazed at the distant cruise ship, a vessel that did not belong to the Charlotte Family. The very presence of a cruise ship in such a remote location was abnormal in itself. Coupled with the inexplicable premonition she felt, she was certain that person—her fated nemesis—was aboard that ship.

At this moment, her spiritual core churned violently, its essence on the verge of manifesting physically. Yet, she was compelled to return to her own vessel; the utter destruction of the submarines was no trivial matter. After all, she was representing her family now, and she could not simply ignore such an event. No matter how arrogant and unrestrained she might be, she could not indulge her whims at such a critical juncture.

After casting a deep, lingering look at the distant cruise ship, Ellie Roth Charlotte reluctantly turned back towards her own ship.

Bai Yu watched Ellie Roth Charlotte through her binoculars, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw her retreat. It seemed the Captain had been right; it truly was her own misconception. How could anyone sense her prying gaze from such a distance?

Settling onto the bed, a burden lifted from her shoulders, Bai Yu began to examine the map. It appeared the battle had concluded, allowing them to proceed unimpeded. At their current speed, they would reach Nemos Academy in three days.

Bai Yu exhaled, relieved. Despite encountering numerous incidents along the way, the outcome, despite everything, was favorable.

But just then, Bai Yu heard a peculiar, rather loud sound from outside her window, like water boiling furiously.

“What’s happening? Is someone boiling water?” Bai Yu asked, perplexed. She leaned out the window, observing a thick, swirling mist beginning to rise outside. The vapor hovered low over the sea’s surface, completely obscuring her vision.

Bai Yu frowned, a sense of unease creeping over her. Where had this mist come from? Moments ago, there had been nothing amiss, so why this sudden change? Moreover, Bai Yu felt the surrounding temperature steadily rising, which was distinctly abnormal. While she, as a Witch, possessed exceptional resilience to extreme weather, such conditions would be unbearable for ordinary individuals.

Bai Yu quickly dashed out, rushing onto the deck. Moweila also emerged from her room at the same time.

The sight before them made Bai Yu’s eyes widen in disbelief. The entire expanse of the sea, as far as she could see, was engulfed in mist, and the deafening sound of boiling water permeated the air. Leaning over the railing, Bai Yu looked down to find the ocean surface covered in bursting bubbles. A terrifying spectacle unfolded across the entire sea region, and an unbearable heat permeated the entire environment.

“Xiao Yu, how are you feeling?” Stella hurried over. Bai Yu could see beads of sweat glistening on Stella’s face, but as a high-tier Arcanist, Stella was unbothered by the conditions. She inquired about Bai Yu’s state because Bai Yu was the lowest ranked among them.

Bai Yu shook her head; she hadn’t even broken a sweat. ‘What a joke,’ she thought. ‘I can remain completely unharmed even when engulfed by Heaven’s Fire. This place is like a warm bath to me.’ Bai Yu even felt she could jump into the water without issue, given this paltry temperature.

“That’s good. I’ll go ask the Captain what’s going on. It’s likely some unique mystical phenomenon, but it doesn’t seem like a major problem.”

Stella walked to the Captain’s cabin, where she found Li Hua piloting the cruise ship. The vessel was fleeing the area at full speed.

“Something is very wrong here.” Unlike Stella, Li Hua’s expression was noticeably more tense, her brow furrowed as she exerted all her effort to control the cruise ship.

“What’s happened?” Stella asked cautiously. Unfamiliar with the intricacies of maritime conditions, she dared not make hasty judgments.

Not only was the sea boiling, but a colossal whirlpool had also appeared, growing larger and its current ever swifter.

Li Hua’s expression tightened with tension. This situation was unprecedented, not just for Stella, but for Li Hua herself. No recorded mystical phenomenon in history corresponded to this. The boiling ocean could be explained by a spiritual leyline beneath the seabed having gone awry. However, a whirlpool of this magnitude was almost impossible, and even if one were to appear, they should have detected it long before entering its range. This sudden, unforeseen situation had caught them entirely off guard, and no one knew why.

“Can we get out?” Stella asked faintly, already knowing the answer in her heart.

“It’s difficult. Prepare for the worst,” Li Hua said gravely. The ‘worst preparation’ meant abandoning ship and fleeing. But what abandoning ship in the middle of the vast ocean truly implied remained unknown to everyone.

“Don’t we have teleportation arcanist spells?” Stella asked. Logically, such long-distance sea voyages would surely include similar arcanist equipment. Bai Yu even had some herself, so it seemed impossible that they couldn’t escape. At worst, they would just have to start over.

“Hmph, do you think I haven’t considered that? Try using a teleportation arcanist spell here. You’ll find it won’t work.”

Teleportation arcanist spells were indeed unusable.

Stella quickly checked and discovered that all teleportation arcanist spells, for reasons unknown, had been rendered unusable. “How is this possible? My other arcanist spells are still functional!” Stella exclaimed, staring at the conch in her hand—a life-saving artifact she had purchased years ago at great expense, capable of teleporting her to a designated location, though its destination could only be changed once a month. As for Bai Yu, her mother had also left her a teleportation arcanist spell; everything had seemed so secure.

Li Hua continued to pilot the cruise ship, murmuring, “A powerful spiritual aura within this whirlpool has severed all connection to the outside world, making all teleportation arcanist spells unusable. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be this difficult.”

Li Hua said gravely. She could already feel the whirlpool’s current accelerating. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before their ship was completely engulfed.

“Go tell Bai Yu. There’s a rescue submarine on board; perhaps it can withstand it for a while at the bottom of the sea.” Li Hua’s expression was grave. In their current situation, they could only hope the escape pod would last until the whirlpool’s barrier disappeared.

Stella nodded. She thought of Bai Yu’s wings. Perhaps Bai Yu could fly them out?

Stella relayed this idea to Li Hua, who was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t imagined Bai Yu could possess such a powerful arcanist spell at her current rank. Flight arcanist spells were inherently rare; it was almost impossible to obtain one unless it was an innate arcanist spell. Even at Tier 7, the spiritual energy consumption for flight was enormous. Li Hua herself lacked the confidence to fly out of this sea region before her spiritual energy was completely depleted. Thus, she shook her head, dismissing the idea. Bai Yu was only Tier 3; where would she find so much spiritual energy?

Discarding the idea, Li Hua continued to control the cruise ship.