Chapter 2681: Rescue Operation

"She took the water from here?"

"Is that so hard to understand? Since you could hear of people praying to me for love even in Tobesk, why couldn't there be such a girl in Vesta City?"

The "Mermaid" asked with a smile. She was likely referring to the matter of the damaged grandfather clock, an event Xia De and Yin Yi Yi Lu Na had both experienced firsthand:

"Originally, everything was going smoothly. The Death Apostle already held a fondness for the beautiful Miss Bennett, and under the influence of that water, he loved her even more."

"But unfortunately, that Death Apostle was defeated by you, and even his soul was frozen by you. The connection between the two souls was severed by you, and thus, the poor Miss Bennett was subjected to the reverse effect of the Love Lake's curse. That is why she came here regardless of everything, wanting to obtain true happiness in that eternal dream."

"After all, the happiness she had already attained was severed by your own hands, wasn't it?"

She spoke the final sentence as if it were a poem. Starlight shone upon her fair face and black hair; this scene, like one under a spotlight, was quite dreamlike, but to Xia De, it was also terrifying. Although he felt deeply grateful for the help "Desire" had provided him multiple times, he trusted his intuition: this time, the other party definitely harbored ill intentions.

"If this great lake possesses such curse-like properties solely because of your power, then please, release this witch."

He pointed toward Flora Winslett, who was submerged at the bottom of the great lake. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her gray-black hair swayed in the lake water.

The "Mermaid" smiled and shook her head:

"Although the power of this lake did indeed emerge because of me, it has now perfectly merged with this magical woodland. This ancient region possesses power that even I cannot contend with today. My power remains strong even within this woodland, but if I were to erase it, it would cause the delicate balance of the woodland to be broken immediately."

She smiled and arched an eyebrow, her right hand reaching out from the lake water beside her head to cradle her right cheek:

"It's hard to say what consequences that might trigger, but it would likely be swarms of insects waking from 'hibernation,' or more buried secrets reviving all at once. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"So you mean to say you are also powerless regarding the situation here?"

Yin Yi Yi Lu Na asked, and the head in the water covered its mouth and giggled:

"Simple, silly girl. If you want to negotiate with a man, you must first demonstrate the difficulty of the situation. Otherwise, how could you make a man realize that you have made a huge sacrifice to help him? If he doesn't realize this, wouldn't your efforts just be self-indulgent?"

She wagged a finger at Yin Yi Yi Lu Na, but the mental suggestion within it did not affect the increasingly displeased eighteen-year-old girl in the slightest.

"I will not erase the power of this lake, but that does not mean you cannot save your beloved witch. It is very simple. You have already woken from the dream, haven't you? Now, enter the lake, take her hand, and enter the dream with her once more."

"When you have awakened her in the dream, have this beautiful girl with heterochromatic eyes behind you stand on the shore and pull you both up. Wouldn't that be the end of it?"

Although she was complimented as "beautiful," Yin Yi Yi Lu Na would not change her attitude because of it:

"Are you trying to persuade Xia De to re-enter this lake?"

She reached out and took Xia De's hand:

"How ridiculous. Do you think I would let Xia De do such a thing again? And after he enters the dream this time, how can we be sure he will remain in a conscious state?"

"Do you have so little faith in your man? Your methods are far inferior to those of the witches."

The head in the lake smiled and asked Xia De:

"Such an interesting soul. Since you were able to wake up once, you can certainly wake up a second time. The only question now is, are you willing to do this for the witch?"

【Do not worry, that dream is already useless to you.】

Xia De did not answer, so the head and arm drifted together toward the center of the lake:

"There is only this one way, and whether you are willing to do it is up to you. Oh, I must also remind you: once you enter the lake while maintaining consciousness, some terrible things might emerge from the water, so don't forget to have your companions prepare for battle."

Starlight no longer shone upon the head, and thus she seemed to melt into the night. A glowing pink perfume bottle rose from the bottom of the water and drifted to the shore. Xia De looked at it but did not reach out to pick it up.

"Xia De, you aren't really going to go back into the water, are you?"

Yin Yi Yi Lu Na asked again. She was very worried, but if Xia De had truly made a decision, she would not stop him.

Xia De turned around, holding her hand, and walked toward the camp:

"Let's go ask Luweiya for her opinion."

Little Mia, acting as the "Xia De detector," very accurately knew that Xia De and Yin Yi Yi Lu Na had returned. The cat, having performed a great service tonight, was now under everyone's protection; after all, this cat was the only creature capable of entering the water normally.

The ladies in the camp did not know about the conversation that had just taken place outside; it was dangerous to let them hear the "Mermaid's" voice. After Xia De and Yin Yi Yi Lu Na returned, Xia De did not hide anything and explained the method for rescuing Flora.

As expected, just like Yin Yi Yi Lu Na, most of the ladies maintained a not-so-strong attitude of opposition. Or rather, aside from Grandma Cassandra who did not express an opinion, and Luweiya who frowned in silence, everyone else expressed their concerns.

"Xia De, do you really believe the words of such a thing?"

The Countess's attitude was particularly intense; after all, back in Moon Bay, she and her maids had all been drugged unconscious at the Earl of Dalmaning's mansion.

"Xia De, what are your own intentions? Do you really want to enter that lake again?"

Vanessa asked, her attitude being somewhat gentler:

"If you truly intend to do this, then at least gather everyone. Miss Jia Lin Na, Megan, Audrey, Shivi, Miss Ilithyia, Sister Daifulin, oh, and those two Chosen Ones."

"Sir, you want to go into the lake now, right?"

Helen asked, and Grace tugged at her sister's hand.

"Luweiya."

Xia De looked at the purple-eyed diviner. The latter nodded, took her coins, and went to the less crowded Chocobo camp. Not long after, she returned with the blonde elf:

"You can go now. You entered the lake at ten in the morning; if more than twelve hours pass, even if you enter the dream with her, it is highly likely you will be unable to wake her. Have everyone prepare for battle. Once you enter the lake in a moment, the consciousnesses of the people who have dissolved in the water over thousands of years will be awakened by you. They are not undead, but they are even more troublesome."

"Amelia, do you think I should go into the lake?"

Xia De asked the elf. The latter did not say anything like "I am not Amelia," but instead quickly shoved the diary-style object she had been reading into her pocket, then held the 【Flute of Time】 and said nervously:

"You can, but you must be careful. This trip will be somewhat dangerous."

"Very well. Prepare for battle. I will enter the lake in half an hour."

Since Xia De had made his decision, even though most of the witches felt it was dangerous, no one continued to oppose him. However, Miss Sylvia suggested that Xia De take Little Mia into the lake with him, but Xia De refused:

"Let Mia stay on the shore with Luweiya. Yes, stay with Luweiya."

And so, the worried ladies called upon their respective followers to prepare for battle. Since Luweiya had said they would be contending with "resentment," there were naturally specialized means to restrain them.

The advantage of having a large number of people was that even if not everyone was skilled in combat, at least most of the girls possessed buff-type spells. The pre-battle mobilization and preparation did not actually take half an hour, and since the 13th-tier Vanessa was here, Luweiya did not actually think the shore would be more dangerous than the water.

After leaving a small number of people to guard the camp to prevent the worst-case scenario, the group walked out of the camp.

Xia De summoned the 【Chains of Sin】 to tie around his waist, then handed the end of the chain to Yin Yi Yi Lu Na. The worried girl wanted to say something, but another red-haired girl hugged Xia De directly, and she did so in front of all the witches.

Dorothy smiled and looked at Luweiya. Luweiya showed no expression on the surface, but the writer, who knew her well, knew she was secretly smug.

"Be careful."

Miss Danister reached into Xia De's chest, wanting to find the jar of umbilical cord, but Xia De grabbed her hand:

"It's not necessary this time."

And so, Danister Gustav retreated into the crowd with a blushing face. Luweiya said to Xia De again:

"Be careful. We will wait for you on the shore for ten minutes. After ten minutes, no matter what, have Yin Yi Yi Lu Na pull you up. If you don't succeed, you can rest a while before going back into the water."

Her right hand held a long black staff, and Little Mia squatted on her left shoulder. For some reason, Xia De imagined her wearing a white robe, standing in this posture under the moonlight.

"Be careful. If you don't come back, I'll go down and find you."

Yin Yi Yi Lu Na said the same. Xia De nodded to everyone:

"Then you all be careful too."

He then turned and walked into the water, plunged forward, and with a splash, completely submerged beneath the surface.

Wind suddenly blew through the woodland, and the silver light on the torches along the lake shore extinguished one by one. Splashing sounds echoed continuously from the lake, accompanied by wet, sliding footsteps; something had appeared in the water.

Four golden stairs illuminated the great lake in the forest, and then, brass-colored light followed the appearance of one destiny ring after another, even suppressing the darkness born of resentment.

Boom!

Luweiya's long staff struck the ground with a thud, emitting a distant sound like a bell. A massive ritual array unfolded from beneath her feet. Viewed from the air, one could not see any patterns within the array, only thirteen colors of light brushing over everyone's bodies in turn. Afterward, regardless of what power the ladies used, they all heard "the voice of another me" in their ears:

【Receiving blessings... Your total attributes/resistance/miracle/curse/secret arts effects have been enhanced. Stamina, Spirit, Mental Power, and Vitality are continuously recovering.】

Purple eyes glowed coldly under the night sky. ===== CHAPTER 2682 =====