I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1215 - 1105: The Ruins (Part 1)

We really can't go back...

The stubborn old merman refused to believe the retellings of the other two tribe leaders, insisting that Leon take him down to have a look. But after personally passing through the sea eye and seeing the world on the other side, the old merman's hopeful thinking was ultimately crushed mercilessly by the cold reality.

Although the sea eye they came through hadn't disappeared, the other end was no longer the seafloor of the present world, but an endless cold sea in the Cold Spring Realm. Even trying to shuttle back from the Cold Spring Realm through the sea eye couldn't reach the present world or the Tidal Realm and would still end up returning to this cold new plane.

It's over, it's really over this time.

After being shivering hauled up out of the sea by Leon, and seeing the same despair in the eyes of his two old friends, the old merman couldn't help but close his eyes in pain and collapse weakly onto the ice pillar.

Knowing his own affairs best, since all three of them were trapped here, the current Tidal Realm had probably turned into Evangelin's playground. If under her leadership, the Sea Race barely avoids being disbanded by calamity, it would be considered good.

What's worse is that although the authority of the sea could be held on behalf, without the active transfer by the three former holders including himself, it would take Evangelin and her group at least several decades of effort to grow to the pillar god level.

And with the Sea Race losing all its top combat power at once, without even one pillar god in the entire tribe, it would inevitably lose all qualifications to negotiate terms and might really only end up serving humans...

Could this be a conspiracy by the Cleansing Bureau?

"Why are you looking at me?"

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the old merman's suspicious eyes, Leon, who was wringing out his coat, couldn't help but frown and said:

"We agreed beforehand that if I sent you down, you'd help me find someone. Although now the sea eye connects to somewhere else, and you can't return, I've completed what I promised you. So you should also keep your word!"

"..."

Is this even about keeping promises? We can't go back anymore! How can you still be so... Wait!

Noticing something strange, looking at the expression on Leon's face which was still relatively composed, the old merman asked in shock and uncertainty:

"Leon... do you have a way to return to the present world?"

"No."

Leon shook his head and said:

"I can't even figure out where this is, so how could I have a way to return to the present world?"

"Then why aren't you worried?"

"Because worrying is useless, and although I don't have a way to return to the present world, that doesn't mean others don't have one."

"Others? Do you mean..."

"Have you forgotten about the Scorpio Director and the Cancer Director?"

Glancing at the old merman's extremely chaotic Heart Lake, Leon put on his wet coat again and calmly reminded:

"It's uncertain with the Cancer Director, but the Scorpio Director returned from the Old Soil just two months ago, and should be familiar with the situation there. Plus, he carries a small pouch of star dust, which can temporarily open a star gate to travel between planes..."

"So if we find those two, we can return to the present world?"

"Theoretically, yes."

Nodding in response to the renewed Spirit of the three old members of the Sea Race energized by his words, Leon said:

"But by the time they arrived in this world, it should have already been some time. If they realized they couldn't directly return to the present world, they might have used up the star dust to leave here. In that case..."

"Find them! Let's find them now!"

Faced with the possibility of returning home, the three previously spiritless old members of the Sea Race suddenly sprang into action like monkeys with their butts on fire, filled with boundless vitality.

"I'll fly up and take a look!"

Once their subjective initiative was fully activated, the tribe leader who previously vowed never to cooperate with humans immediately flared up the transparent fin membranes on their back and proposed:

"If those... those Directors weren't frozen, after finding out they couldn't return to the present world via the sea eye, they probably left here to gather information from the locals of this plane. I'm most sensitive to life auras and can quickly find native cities."

"Then I'll check the situation under the sea."

The wave tribe leader hesitated briefly before following up:

"I have the strongest perception of the sea. If those two Directors, like us, had no means to deal with the sea, they could have been frozen and swept away by the current. I can search the ocean floor to see if there are ice sculptures formed from them being frozen."

"Then I'll..."

"You come with me."

Interrupting the old merman's words, Leon pointed towards the barely visible patch of land in the distance.

"There seems to be some land over there. Although there are no soul reactions, there seem to be buildings. Scorpio Director and the others might have landed there... you can cut off a small piece of the ice pillar and use the sea current to take us over there and have a look."

"Okay!"

Fearing that a delay in actions might cause them to miss the "express" return of the Scorpio Director, the one human and three merfolk immediately parted ways, heading in different directions to search for the whereabouts of the two Directors.

Among the three old members of the Sea Race, the old merman was the most proactive. Propelled by the controlled sea current, a large ice raft more than ten meters in diameter burst forth with a terrifying speed comparable to a short-range jet plane.

In just a matter of minutes, the distant "mountain" shaped sea island already emerged in front of Leon and him.

The entire gray-white island showed no signs of life—no birds in flight, no insects chirping, not even trees. The only sound around was the swishing of the dark blue sea water washing over the gray-white sandy beach.

If placed on a sunlit golden beach, accompanied by crisp bird songs and the laughter of tourists, the low, rhythmic swashing might barely be considered pleasant, at least not so unpleasant.

But on this gray-white sandy beach, colored like bone chips, by the cold and desolate sea, the swashing sounded like some shadowy, persistent cry, akin to a lonely moan from a neglected grave upon seeing visitors.

In short... it doesn't seem like a good place.

Offering a rather negative judgment, Leon bent down to touch the fine sand on the island's shore. After confirming it was safe, he stepped onto it.

Though this gray-white sandy beach was constantly bathed by sea currents, Leon's step was like walking into a heap of dry ash, stirring up a cloud of fine powder and dust that mixed with the cold, fishy sea breeze, swirling in all directions.

There seems to be something underneath.

Feeling the sloped dry sandy beach underfoot, Leon furrowed his brow and then looked back at the old merman behind him:

"Your Sea Race should have the ability to summon storms, right? Can you use it here?"

"I'll give it a try."

After hearing Leon's request, the old merman took a deep breath, then raised his right arm, spreading fingers webbed with thin membranes, and made a forceful gesture towards this peculiar island.

"Whoosh!!!"

A small whirlwind quickly formed on the sea surface hundreds of meters behind them, swiftly growing in size until it became a gloomy storm within a few breaths.

Guided by the old merman's hand movements, the storm, reaching nearly thirty meters in diameter, advanced from outside the island towards the interior, sweeping away all the gray-white fine sand along the way and revealing a black stone monument buried askew under the sand...

As well as the merman skeletons deeply buried beneath the sands.