### Chapter 4: The Deep Sea Mystery (2)
==============================
“Why?”
Luo Ying seemed to have finally caught a glimmer of hope to undermine Lin Nan’s authority. Hands on her hips, she spoke with righteous indignation.
“From what we’ve gathered so far, the Flowerless Palace fleet left Nightmare Island no more than half a day ago. While we don’t know their exact route, the longer we wait, the larger our search area becomes.
Shouldn’t we be setting off immediately?
Otherwise, they might just slip away right under our noses.”
Fatty chimed in, “What Master Sister said makes total sense! Bro, why don’t you reconsider?”
Even though he wasn’t aware of the wager between the two, during the journey, he and the second persona had originally regarded Luo Ying with respect, following her lead. But somehow, it had turned into Lin Nan needing to approve everything they did with Luo Ying.
Of course, Fatty wasn’t fully conscious of this shift; he had unwittingly accepted this new dynamic.
After all, up until now, Lin Nan had done a lot in unraveling the mystery of the sudden disappearance of the Flowerless Palace’s people, not-so-ironically becoming the de facto leader of their trio.
“Swish…”
The waves tirelessly lapped at the beach, gradually erasing the shallow footprints left by the Flowerless Palace crew.
A salt-tinged breeze blew in, the icy chill causing the trio to instinctively tilt sideways to avoid the wind.
Lin Nan glanced at the rolling waves and vast sea, then turned to the two of them.
“Have you considered this? If the Flowerless Palace fleet is heading far away, to a land much farther than the islands of the East Sea, they would need to stock up on plenty of food, fresh water, supplies, and winter clothing.
Yet, what you both just saw on the islands was telling.
They hardly took anything—gold and jewels representing wealth, warm clothing to fend off the cold, and the warehouses were even full of food supplies meant for winter.
From this, I can conclude that the fleet isn’t going far.
Otherwise, they’d probably freeze or starve before they even reached their destination.”
Luo Ying frowned, “While your reasoning is sound, it doesn’t stop us from checking the situation and figuring out their intentions, does it? Isn’t saving White Peach our most urgent task?”
The moment Fatty heard White Peach’s name, he jumped into action, “Yes! We really need to hurry! After all, we still don’t know what’s up with the Second Palace Master! What if they went out to the depths of the ocean to destroy the evidence? What then?”
“Calm down, both of you. You know what they say: ‘anxious hearts create chaos’.”
Lin Nan said, “If something were to happen to the Second Palace Master, Fatty, she might have already met her end the night you were shut in the coffin. If they wanted to destroy the evidence, why go all the way to the deep sea?
If that were the case, she wouldn’t even have a chance of becoming the Sect Leader.”
Lin Nan continued,
“That brings us to further speculation—what exactly is this destination? Why would the Flowerless Palace abandon everything, even their palace that has been passed down for thousands of years?”
Fatty thought for a moment and spoke up, “Treasure? Something incredibly powerful, the kind that could destroy the world if unleashed?”
Lin Nan replied, “If that were true, then the Flowerless Palace could simply send out their top experts. Why drag along those low-ranking Outer Door Disciples?”
Luo Ying furrowed her brow, struggling to produce a response.
Clearly, this was beyond her grasp.
No matter how she thought about it, the actions of the Flowerless Palace’s group felt utterly bizarre, impossible to predict.
Frustrated, she looked at Lin Nan, “Then what do you think their purpose is?”
Lin Nan smiled,
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure—just speculating.
The nearly five hundred people Fatty discovered under the Flowerless Palace, along with many Outer Door Disciples and servants on the affiliated islands, what do they have in common?
Well, they’re all quite weak, offering no real value in a combat situation.
If the Flowerless Palace were to mobilize for battle, taking them along would simply weigh them down. A competent decision-maker wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
So, the answer is obvious—
Their only role is to fill the numbers!
For instance, some small cave heavens only activate when a thousand people are present. Bringing them along might have been to meet some quirky condition like that.”
Luo Ying immediately retorted, “There’s no way there’s such a strange small cave heaven! I’ve never seen one!”
“Not seeing one doesn’t mean they don’t exist, and this is just my hypothesis. No need to jump to conclusions yet.”
Lin Nan glanced at her, and Luo Ying opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.
Darn it, he completely outshone her!
And yet she couldn’t find a solid reason to turn the tables on him. Ugh…
Fatty blinked, sensing some kind of secret tension between the two. Why did their expressions shift so suddenly, like they were in a dramatic play right in front of him?
“Also, have you two thought about what the purpose of Nightmare Island is? Why are Nightmare Beasts appearing in the East Sea?”
Luo Ying replied, “…”
If I knew, would I let you prattle on here?
Lin Nan had witnessed the immense power of the Nightmare Beast firsthand, able to drag the entire population of Thousand Bird City into a dream— the sheer energy it wielded was astonishing.
It stayed alone in the East Sea, and aside from Nightmare Island being its habitat, there had to be some secrets lurking beneath the surface.
As Lin Nan pondered this, a strange voice suddenly rang in his head.
【Master, can you hear me?
I’m your Hand Warmer!】
“Hand Warmer? What on earth is that?”
Upon hearing that voice, he nearly chuckled. Panic rising, Lin Nan quickly replied, “I was just joking! You’re not back in Thousand Bird City? How can you talk to me?”
Wow, thought it had turned into a massive four-legged stone statue, holding up the Floating City before it croaked.
But here it was, alive and kicking at this crucial moment. Moreover, how did it know the soul residing in Male Character at that moment belonged to the Cold Moon Witch?
Could it be because it’s a Nightmare Beast, so it not only controls people’s dreams but can also see through the true soul hidden beneath the human facade?
After hearing Lin Nan’s explanation, the Nightmare Beast burst into giggles.
【I actually don’t know what’s going on either! It’s like waking up from a refreshing sleep; suddenly, I opened my eyes and found you here in Nightmare Island.】
……
ps: The Hand Warmer is back in action! You sure you don’t want to give it a little vote?
