### Chapter 3: Deep Sea Mysteries (1) (Extra Update)
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Upon hearing Lin Nan’s speculation, Luo Ying and Fatty couldn’t help but feel invigorated. While they were still unclear about the specific purpose of their group’s departure from the islands, at least they now had a lead to follow.
With this new direction in mind, Fatty immediately jumped up and waved his fists, shouting, “No time to waste! Let’s go chase them down—it’s possible we can catch up with their fleet!”
But Luo Ying’s gaze turned to Lin Nan.
If it weren’t for Lin Nan’s insight earlier, they would have been stumbling around in the fog for a long time. If they delayed any longer, they might miss everything.
She gritted her teeth, feeling a tad unwilling.
She thought this gamble would be easy, but from the moment she met Fatty, it all vanished. Everything about the Flowerless Palace had become a tangled mess.
Sure, she had the strength, but in this situation, she felt utterly helpless. For the initial stretch, she was leading the pair around like headless chickens, completely missing the point.
Would Lin Nan have done better if he had been in charge from the start?
No way! That was impossible! Back then, everyone was just as clueless—there’s no way they could have suddenly turned calm.
Besides, he only stumbled upon this breakthrough after he’d searched those islands.
Without her initial decision, it’s unlikely his epiphany would have found fertile ground.
Right! There’s still a chance!
As long as they can catch up to the Flowerless Palace’s fleet, all mysteries can be unraveled.
“Fatty’s suggestion is solid! Let’s set off now!”
“Wait…”
Lin Nan gulped down his soy milk. “The East Sea is vast and unclear. A slight miscalculation could land us thousands of miles off! Do you even know which way to chase?”
Fatty, “…”
Luo Ying, “…”
“We need to set a direction! If we’re just hoping for luck, we might as well give up and save ourselves the time.”
Luo Ying argued, “What else do you suggest, huh? You’ve said all your good and bad points. So spill it! Where should we go?”
Fatty chimed in, “Yeah! It’s a vast ocean. Who knows where they took off to? Say, is it possible there’s an East Japan, and since the East Sea goes east, could they be heading there to become mountain kings?”
Lin Nan, “…”
Can we please not bring real-world geography into this game? If Fatty keeps babbling, the system might just lock his character.
Realizing Luo Ying was still beside him, Fatty quickly pulled back, sticking out his tongue and shutting his mouth tight.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind what Fatty was mumbling, instead, her eyes remained fixed on Lin Nan, as if waiting for him to make a valuable decision.
Lin Nan merely said one line.
Luo Ying suddenly realized, “Yes! That place is the most suspicious!”
Nightmare Island—a place where she and the Male Character had inadvertently created a deep bond.
“Heh, I almost thought of that just now! Too bad you beat me to it. That island holds significant meaning for me; how could I not have some clues about it?”
She tried to maintain her calm demeanor.
Lin Nan didn’t burst her bubble. After all, they had agreed that for three days, he would listen to Luo Ying’s command. Yet, so far, many crucial decisions had come from him.
Luo Ying felt uneasy about this discrepancy in their roles, her usual way of arguing strangely resurfacing like a temperamental girlfriend.
Fatty didn’t think that hard. Upon hearing “Nightmare Island” from both of them, he clapped his hands and exclaimed,
“Exactly! Nightmare Island is where the Nightmare Beasts live! Ji Shen put in so much effort to catch them—without the Monster King’s Evil Incarnation helping, they probably wouldn’t have succeeded so smoothly.
But, if the Nightmare Beasts aren’t there anymore…
What are the Flowerless Palace crew doing on Nightmare Island?”
Lin Nan replied, “Your worries aren’t without merit, but I can assure you of one thing: the vast sea to the east makes Nightmare Island a perfect relay point. They might be refueling midway, and for the Flowerless Palace, the familiar Nightmare Island should be their first choice.
Plus, there might be other secrets hidden on Nightmare Island that we don’t know about yet.”
Luo Ying declared decisively, “Fatty, stop talking! We’re going to Nightmare Island; there must be something we want there!”
Seeing both Luo Ying and Lin Nan insisting, Fatty didn’t protest any further.
In any case, the journey ahead was long; it didn’t matter to him where they went.
His only concern was White Peach’s safety.
The three didn’t waste any time and set off overnight.
Fortunately, cultivators recover much faster than ordinary people, so even after several nights without sleep, they could stay alert through self-regulation.
Besides, at this urgent juncture, stopping for a break would be torture. Even closing their eyes wouldn’t bring them rest.
Luckily, Fatty had been to Nightmare Island before and had left his trail on the map.
With Fatty acting as their navigator, they barely made any wrong turns and rushed ahead.
Finally, as dawn broke the next day, light shone on their faces, revealing the misty Nightmare Island on the horizon.
The three felt a surge of excitement and sped up.
Luo Ying’s drink had long run dry, and exposed to the cold winds along the way, the moment they leaped off their flying swords, their bodies felt as if they had just been dragged out of an ice cellar—completely stiff.
After a moment of moving around on the beach, they finally managed to loosen up.
“Whether as their destination or a temporary stop, there will definitely be traces of their activities here on Nightmare Island,” Lin Nan said. “Moreover, they’re not alone; there must be several hundred of them underground on the main island. Their daily needs can’t be trivial. This island should have a freshwater source; otherwise, Ji Shen wouldn’t have set up a temporary camp here.”
Fatty gave him a thumbs-up. “Bro, it’s comforting to hear that! We’ve got a solid plan now.”
Luo Ying secretly pouted. Though she felt her authority was diminishing, she had to admit that Lin Nan’s cool analysis far surpassed her guesses.
The three then spread out on the beach.
Without the Nightmare Beasts, Nightmare Island shouldn’t hold much danger. Still, they agreed to scream if anything went wrong.
About an hour later, they returned to their starting point.
“Bro, you’re amazing! There are fresh, wet footprints everywhere by the spring. They must have been left just recently!”
Luo Ying added, “There are signs of cutting in the woods, with sap still leaking out. I believe they haven’t been gone long; we should hurry and catch up!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Ying felt something was off.
Wait, why did she sound like she was negotiating with Lin Nan?
Shouldn’t she be giving commands right now?
But the moment she saw Lin Nan deep in thought, the commanding tone she intended to use was swallowed back down without her realizing it.
“We can’t leave just yet,” Lin Nan suddenly said.
“What?”
Luo Ying and Fatty exclaimed in unison, questioning whether they had misheard him.
…
P.S.: Four updates with bl**d! Please vote!
