After listening to Bishop Savlov's brief report, everyone in the room fell into deep thought.
Both Alka and the newly arrived Secret Spell Council needed to reflect on the information they had so far and filter it through their minds.
After a short pause, Savlov continued,"Besides this main landmark island, similar flesh-and-blood disasters have also erupted on the other linked islands. However, these disasters are significantly less severe than those on the landmark island. The problem is that even on the other islands, the resistance is much less."
As he spoke, he took a report from a nearby scholar.
"The Whiteman Island chain connects six islands in total. Four of these six, like Whiteman Island, have now become dens of flesh and blood.
As for the remaining two, personnel on missions have eliminated the flesh and blood base. Therefore, these two islands are our only safe islands in this sea area."
He turned to Alka and said, "The island where the Trial Tower you need is located, while not one of the linked islands, happens to be within the island chain and has also been occupied."
Alka nodded at this.
He had seen this before in the revelation. Knowing that the revelation was referring to their goal, he was mentally prepared and not surprised.
"Since you've cleared the flesh and blood disasters on those two islands, have you figured out where this disaster and this power come from?"
Speaker Anris asked from the side.
This is a very important question.
If he'd asked members of other factions, they might not have known for sure, but he was asking the Holy Machine Church, which has many scholars.
Since they'd already cleared the flesh disasters from two islands, they likely already had some understanding of the source of the flesh problem.
Savlov shook his head and said regretfully, "That's the problem. If we knew the source, that would be great.
The outbreak was too sudden, and we lost so many members. A lot of energy was used to deal with these flesh monsters.
The flesh disasters from those two islands were cleared because they weren't fully erupted. One was cleared right after the outbreak, affecting only a small area, barely a single residential building.
The other flesh disaster, for some reason, perhaps due to a lack of energy or the wrong location on the island, died out shortly after spreading."
After hearing this, everyone probably understood.
In other words, the clearing of the two erupted islands was somewhat accidental.
"However, the only thing we know now is that the rituals that triggered the flesh and blood explosions were actually triggered by the cultists themselves. In other words, they were the cause of the problems within their own flesh and blood and souls. We don't know about the other islands, but the source of the explosions on these two islands was achieved by a group of six cultists, each of whom sacrificed themselves. Furthermore, according to investigations, each cultist has reached the third stage of perfection, reaching the pinnacle of a normal toucher."
After listening to Bishop Safnov's words, the atmosphere once again fell silent. Everyone began to reflect on the new information they had received.
"I observed this flesh and blood island when I first arrived. Is it... moving?" Speaker Anris frowned and asked solemnly.
Saflov nodded. "Indeed, this is the most serious problem, especially at this moment."
After hearing Saflov's definitive answer, Speaker Anris leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow. Clearly, the problems posed by this news were extremely serious.
Hearing this, Arka frowned and began to ponder.
Will the movement of islands cause any serious problems?
No... not the movement of islands, but the movement of landmark islands would bring about enormous problems.
Although Arka and his companions hadn't truly understood the situation, they knew that each landmark island and its chain was crucial to the entire Infinite Sea.
Because this mattered not only to themselves, but to the entire Infinite Sea, even dreams were coordinating to some degree.
Although the Infinite Sea was currently in great chaos, at least there was a certain stability and order within the chaos. This stability and order were brought about by these landmark islands and their chains.
This was what Alka had learned.
But Alka had never delved into the specific secrets behind this, nor had he sought to understand or inquire specifically.
So, he couldn't help but ask curiously.
"So will the movement of the islands cause any serious problems with the functionality of the landmark islands themselves?"
Hearing Alka's question, Anris and Savlev looked up at him.
There was a hint of confusion in their eyes, perhaps surprised that Alka didn't know.
Seeing this, Alka explained briefly, "I'm generally aware of the importance of Signpost Island, but I'm not entirely clear on its specific principles and processes."
Hearing this, Saflev nodded. The members of the meeting were all trustworthy and important, so he didn't hide anything and spoke directly, "The system formed by Signpost Island and its chain of islands was jointly constructed by the Four Gods.
And this concept originated with my Divine One."
"You should know that after reaching the sixth stage, or the so-called demigod stage, reputation needs to be spread, right?"
Alka nodded. He knew this, after all, their reputation had spread.
"The principle is similar to this.
The Boundless Ocean itself is a fragmented and fragile world. A sixth-stage powerhouse, with themselves as the origin, creates invisible chains that connect to those beings who have heard of your reputation and who have felt admiration, respect, or even respect for you.
These emotions allow you to connect with them, even to hold them back, preventing them from being pulled out of the world in the event of an emergency."
Alka also understood the principle and nodded.
Even without a connection, a normal person wouldn't have any major problems. But generally speaking, connecting is better for the entire community of beings, providing greater stability.
For example, it's less likely to cause a separation between the soul and the body, or to fall into a dream, or to be spiritually compromised by extraterrestrials.
In short, their strength forms a relatively abstract defense on the human spiritual level.
"A signpost island and the islands it links to are similar: they connect the surrounding islands with the signpost island as the origin, and then stabilize a large area centered on the signpost island.
After all, the entire world is pieced together, and therefore fragile. The existence of the signpost island is like a chain within the puzzle, holding the surrounding fragments together."
"According to this system, the signpost island will not move, and the linked islands will be like being pulled by the chain. Although they will drift with the current, they will also be pulled back.
If the signpost island moves, its origin property will be compromised. Then the entire sea area stabilized by its connection will be in chaos.
It's like a wound that has been stitched together, and now one of the ropes breaks, it will inevitably cause problems."
He gave a brief explanation.
Alka and the others nodded in understanding.
"Excuse me, how chaotic will he be?" Simon asked after taking a look.
Savlev nodded and replied directly, "The chaos is as severe as the scars of the world. If the Abyss is willing to expend a certain amount of power, it could even open another entrance to the Abyss here.
However, this also requires a process, so under normal circumstances it won't reach such a serious level. However, this will sow an opportunity and a trigger.
This place is so fragile, as if there are no barriers or order, only chaos, and time and space will be disturbed to a certain extent."
Hearing this, everyone had a clear understanding.
Alka couldn't help but link the problem here with demons.
After all, the timing of the problem was too coincidental.
It's hard not to imagine that this problem was caused by demons. After all, this would make it easier for them to invade the world and even open a second battlefield.
For the demons, the problem is that the entrance is too small, not that they are not numerous enough.
If the entrance were larger or more numerous, this world would have been shattered into a sieve long ago. As for whether the people of the Boundless Sea still have the strength to defend the second battlefield, that's unknown.
But regardless, the demons' advantage will be greatly enhanced.
"So the problem here really has nothing to do with the demons?" Jason couldn't help but ask.
It's mainly because of the sheer coincidence. A little reflection makes it clear that all the blame seems to be pointing at the demons.
There's no need to be overly suspicious; after all, they are the biggest beneficiaries.
Unexpectedly, Savlov shook his head.
"At least as of now, while the demons have benefited greatly, we haven't found any evidence that they're responsible for the problem.
Ever since the information from the Boundless Sea spread, all the signpost islands have strengthened their defenses against the aura of the Abyss and anything demonic."
"We've also analyzed the flesh and aura of the cultists, and the evil god they worship has little to no connection with demons.
If you insist on a demonic connection, it's likely that this evil god struck a deal with the demons. That's the more likely scenario.
But at least the demons aren't directly involved."
Then the group discussed the situation further.
Speaker Anris, sitting opposite, thought for a moment and said, "To solve the problem here, we have to discover it. Which island would be best suited for reconnaissance?
We need to see it for ourselves, to understand the true composition of this flesh and blood, before we can find a solution."
Saflev nodded. He was well prepared and immediately produced the linked map. He pointed to one of the islands, the origin of the direction drawn on the line, and said,
"Black Steel Island, this island has been overrun by flesh and blood, and it's relatively close to here. The problem there is serious, but not overly dangerous, at least not to anyone present.
It's a suitable place for you to investigate and find the problem, and the Church of the Holy Machine has an investigation team there."
Hearing this, Anris nodded.
"Then we'll set sail right away."
Hearing this, Alka turned to look at the people around him, and they nodded, perhaps understanding Alka's meaning.
"Then let's go and take a look."
Saflev had no objection and nodded.
Finally, he said, "Based on what we've learned so far, under optimistic circumstances, we must find a solution and eliminate the flesh and blood on Whiteman Island within 50 days.
If the island's movement speed increases faster than we expected, then this timeframe could very well be shortened."
Both parties nodded.
They had a rough idea.
Then they all left the conference room.
Back on the Voice of the Dawn.
Watching the Council of Spellcasters sailing ahead, Alka and the others slowly followed.
Everyone gathered in the conference room.
"What do you think? Should we stay and resolve the issue, or should we just forcibly remove the Trial Tower?" Alka asked.
Although he didn't know the Trial Island's condition, judging by the tower's durability, it should be relatively well-preserved.
He had just briefly entered the small world, entered one of the Trial Towers, and inquired about the situation.
Although the instructors and the people in the Trial Temple didn't know the situation outside the Trial Tower, at least their tests had confirmed that it was fine.
This meant they could forcibly remove the Trial Tower, as long as they could withstand the attack of the flesh and blood on the island.
"I'm more inclined to resolve the problem here. This is clearly a premeditated action. Identifying the root cause is the key," Simon said.
Julia and the others nodded.
After all, they had nearly two months.
Although they were pressed for time, if the problem here fully erupted, the consequences would be even more serious.
Hearing their discussion, Alka nodded.
"Then let's find a way to resolve the problem here as soon as possible."
Now that he thought about it, the problem was truly enormous.
The entire Infinite Ocean was in chaos.
The journey from their location to Black Steel Island wasn't far.
It took only about a day.
They soon came into sight of the Black Steel Island.
Everyone was observing from the deck.
Both they and the members of the Council of Spellcasters were observing the island's perimeter. A steel ship could be seen outside, keeping a relatively safe distance.
That ship must have been the so-called survey team.
After circling the island, the only thing they discovered was that, although the island was covered in flesh and blood, many buildings were clearly visible.
This was likely once an island for mining and steelmaking; factories could be seen.
The flesh and blood had taken over roughly half of the island, with no signs of further spread.
The other half, however, was covered in numerous flesh and blood creatures of various kinds, roaming unsteadily.
After a quick tour, the two ships landed next to the steel vessel.
The steel vessel seemed to have received the news as well.
A middle-aged man carried a chainsaw-like power sword on his back.
Blood and flesh shreds could be seen tangled on it. He was also surrounded by a group of Power Knights.
They were similar to the Church's Wheatear Knights, belonging to the armed forces of the Holy Machine Church.
They wore steel armor. "Welcome everyone. If there's anything you need to know, we'll be happy to share."
Anris nodded and asked directly, "Do you know anything about this flesh and blood we saw this morning?"
"These flesh and blood have the same characteristics as those on Whiteman Island, but they've only spread to half the area and have remained that way for over two weeks, with no further expansion.
We suspect we're running low on energy or flesh and blood. These flesh and blood can't grow indefinitely; they must require certain conditions to continue expanding and covering the area.
As for those distorted
"These monsters feel like random pieces of living flesh and blood, devoid of souls, moving like completely dummy shells.
These flesh and blood are extremely aggressive, and we can't get close, so we can only learn about them."
Hearing this, Anris nodded, then looked at Alka and the others nearby.
"Want to go up to the island together and check it out?" "
Alka nodded.
Then, led by the research team, they arrived at the landing site the previous team had been using.
They could see that it resembled a defensive position.
There were various barricades, fences, and other crude defensive measures.
Although crude, it had indeed cleared a relatively safe area.
The boat docked, and everyone jumped onto the edge of the island.
In the distance, the slowly moving flesh and blood husks could be seen. They didn't seem to be preparing to attack.
"They have a certain attack range. If they sense someone within about 500 meters, they will attack.
And if one senses it, a large area of flesh and blood monsters will also sense it.
This means that if you disturb even one, you'll attract a large attack, making it very difficult to deal with."
The captain said.