At the southernmost tip of the Basharan Empire, it borders a small country called Mersin. This country is quite small in area, even smaller than a single southern region of Basharan, but it has a highly developed port trade... In many discussions, it is precisely because this country has maritime trade with many nations that, under immense public pressure, it was not annexed by the Basharan Empire back then.
The residents here are mostly engaged in marine industries—fishing, treasure hunting... almost every activity takes place on the sea. Sometimes, of course, they venture far into the deep ocean to search, hoping to find some special fish that can fetch a good price.
Humans are, after all, land-dwelling creatures, always filled with awe for the vast ocean, but that doesn’t stop curiosity and exploration. Historical lessons teach us that people never learn from historical lessons!
On the sea... “The wind direction is strange today, like the seawater is flowing in a different direction than usual,” said one sailor. “Maybe it’s a current, but with weather like this, we’d better find a place to take shelter, or we might run into danger if the weather changes,” said another sailor. “We’ve sailed this route for years! When have the knights of the sea ever been afraid?” “Haha... knights, we are all knights. This sea will eventually belong to us!” As they spoke, several sailors cheered, raising their cups of wine. “Look! Isn’t there an island ahead?” “Seems like it.”
The sailors noticed a protruding patch in the distance ahead, something they had never seen before. “Let’s go check it out!” ……………………
The attack began exactly on the second day. The previous night had seen no ambushes, which was somewhat strange... In previous days, even if the goat-men didn’t dare to attack, they would occasionally wander around the camp, but now there was nothing.
Freya and Ashur led the troops toward Tacoma City. The mist had almost dissipated by then. They could see the surroundings, but not far, and the entire environment was eerily quiet—very unsettling! “Why suddenly organize an attack on the enemy? Our investigation isn’t finished yet?” Ashur asked Freya. Both were leaders of this wizard organization, along with another high-ranking wizard and the commander of the Black Feather Knight Corps. “There’s no need to figure it out anymore,” Freya said. “What do you mean?”
Many of the leaders looked over. Freya was the highest-ranked among them, and due to her special identity and background, many had to heed her opinions. It was she who had suddenly decided to launch the attack at the banquet yesterday, without consulting anyone. “I should have brought this up earlier. I realized the enemy’s goal is to waste our time. They’re waiting for the final summoning ritual to complete, and if we keep waiting, we’ll just be playing into their hands.” Freya’s explanation startled everyone. “You know their goal?” “Not entirely, but at least it’s clear that when those ten stars above us align, something terrible will appear.” This was Freya’s later interpretation of the Deep Ones’ words.
That thing had been mocking them, but if you thought back carefully, its words contained a lot of information. Freya had figured it out that way. “What is that thing? What are they summoning?” “Aslan! Don’t pry into the roots of the world... Some things we should never touch.” It was the wizard Ashur who spoke. As one of the current leaders of Elinta, he was also known among wizards as a scholar. “I understand. That’s why Tacoma became like this. Probably the same as what happened in Koga City... someone is stirring trouble behind the scenes, trying to summon those monsters from the magical abyss.” With just that brief information, Ashur could deduce more. “Who told you this?” he asked. “Remember the mutant we captured? I found out yesterday while interrogating him. He could understand us all along.” Freya didn’t mention Sean. “He could understand?” “Yes.”
So you see why I said they’re wasting our time. Freya’s words plunged everyone into thought... “Look! Are the stars above moving again?!” ……………………
Sean didn’t know how long it had been since he last got up. He had vomited once. Now he found himself in a place he had no idea about. He had clearly heard a sound behind the door and opened it to check... Unexpectedly, that step led him into another realm.
Around him was like a vast cosmic starry sky, with twinkling stars everywhere. Beneath his feet was pitch black, yet he could stand on it solidly. As for what was in front of him... Sean took a deep breath and cast [Clarity] on himself again to keep his sanity. Because what lay before him... Sean felt that in both his lives, he had seen all kinds of terrifying visual impacts, but seeing this still made his hair stand on end. For the first time, he felt his body trembling involuntarily. More importantly, the moment he stared directly at it, his head felt like it was about to explode, and his mind was under an unimaginable pressure... [Clarity] [Calm]
He kept using magic to steady himself and stood up again. It seemed he could stand now. Earlier, when he opened the door and saw the giant eye, he had collapsed without preparation. “How interesting. You carry a familiar aura. You managed to find me through the ‘door.’ Among the ones I know, only one could do that.”
Sean hadn’t expected it to speak. It was a massive sphere like a planet, rust-red, with a huge eye wide open in the center! “So, did you summon me here, brother?”
It could actually talk to him! Sean cautiously looked up. This time, the sensation seemed much weaker. That giant eye hanging in the starry sky was still staring at him... and in his vision, it still appeared as [%￥#%]—a jumble of garbled code. This thing before him was likely the same eye that had appeared at the end of the Koga City incident.
The Eye of Chaos. That’s what the wizards called it. But what did it just say? I summoned it here? How could that be...