Linley took out the pearl formed from Pandora's tears. In the dark seawater, the pearl emitted a gentle glow, lighting up the surroundings. By this faint light, Linley could finally see the inside of the stone cave clearly and found it empty and unusually clean.
Swimming through the stone cave, they finally reached the outside. The cave itself was several hundred meters long, making it impossible for ordinary people to swim through by holding their breath. After leaving the cave, they were still in the sea, at a depth of about a hundred meters.
When they surfaced, they saw they were not far from Dionysus Island, and with a slight turn, they could see the Thunderbolt docked at the pier.
"What a letdown," Pandora said. "I thought a hidden passage like this would have treasure or monsters or something."
Linley thought to himself, aren't you a monster yourself? Such a big mermaid who can use magic, but he obviously couldn't say that out loud. "Aren't you the greatest treasure? So beautiful, and your tears can turn into pearls, and you can use magic."
Pandora's face instantly turned red, and she quickly dived into the water, disappearing from sight.
Did I overdo it? Pandora wouldn't just run off like that, would she? Although he had planned to let Pandora go before, after witnessing Pandora's various abilities, he was somewhat reluctant to do so.
I need to learn my lesson and stop being so slick with my words... Just as he was thinking this, Pandora swam back, her face still red, and said, "I'm sorry, I lost my cool just now."
"It's my fault, I shouldn't have said those things," Linley quickly apologized.
"No, I liked hearing it. Say a bit more," Pandora said.
Linley was at a loss for words, racking his brain but unable to think of more compliments. It was like reaching a dialogue option in a game to increase favorability, but the keyboard was broken and he couldn't select it.
"I think Atlantis must be a very beautiful place, otherwise, it couldn't have nurtured such a beautiful princess like you," Linley managed to squeeze out.
"Oh! Oh!" Pandora's face turned red again, and she quickly dived into the water, disappearing from sight.
Does that work? What should I say next? Think of suitable lyrics? Linley usually didn't listen to much music, at most putting on some songs as background noise while working or hearing background music while scrolling through short videos. At this moment, trying to think of lyrics left his mind blank.
Soon, Pandora came back again and said, "I can't take it anymore, if I listen any longer, I'll die of happiness. Lord Linley is truly worthy of being the god of wine, just listening to you talk makes me drunk."
Is it that exaggerated? But that's good, if Linley had to keep talking, he wouldn't have anything new to say. "Let's go to the pier and take a look."
"Shall we sneak over and give them a scare?" Pandora asked.
"That wouldn't be good," Linley said.
"Your subordinates are too lacking in vigilance; scaring them a bit would help them stay alert," Pandora said.
"They'll throw harpoons," Linley said.
"Then we'll just give them a quiet scare," Pandora said, taking Linley's hand. "Let's go!"
Linley heard a ding, indicating that the installation task was completed, but he didn't have time to check it as Pandora led him to the sea near the pier. It was still dark, with a light drizzle falling, and the pier had already become much quieter.
On the mountain, small groups of fishermen and believers gathered, seeking shelter from the sudden downpour. Some people used broken wood to start a small fire, and everyone huddled around it.
The Thunder was half dismantled, leaving the other half stranded at the dock and completely immovable. The dock would remain occupied until the entire ship was dismantled, preventing the fishing boats from going out to sea. If enemies attacked at this time, escaping would be a problem.
At first, the Thunder didn't completely block the dock. When Linley dragged the ship over, he intentionally left a passageway in case of an enemy attack. However, while dismantling the ship, they moved the Thunder to a new position for convenience, completely blocking the dock.
Pandora was right; these people lacked vigilance, focusing only on the convenience of their work without considering the possibility of an enemy attack. Even without enemies, blocking their own route—didn't they need to go out fishing?
"How can we scare them?" Linley asked.
"Just watch," Pandora replied.
She dove into the water, searched for a while, and grabbed a small crab, softly chanting a spell. A phantom emerged from the crab's body, gradually growing larger until it turned into a giant crab over ten meters tall.
Pandora pointed to the dock and ordered the small crab, "Head over there."
The small crab obeyed, swimming toward the dock with the phantom following. From Linley's perspective, the phantom seemed fake because the seawater showed no ripples from its movement.
However, from the dock, the situation looked entirely different. The fishermen soon noticed the giant crab and screamed in panic. Those still on the boats jumped into the water, desperately swimming to shore. The fishermen on the shore picked up harpoons, ready to fight, but when the giant crab approached, they saw its thick armor and huge pincers and retreated.
Someone threw a harpoon at the giant crab, but it passed through the phantom and fell into the sea. Seeing the giant crab about to land, the fishermen screamed in terror and scattered, disappearing without a trace in no time.
Linley suddenly heard a faint sound from the distance. Listening carefully, it was the believers' prayers from Dionysus Island: "My lord, come save us, we are being attacked by a giant crab."
"The sea monster is here! Poseidon is seeking revenge on us, Dionysus, save us!"
"A giant crab, such a big giant crab, we can't win, God save us."
"Lord Dionysus!"
Is this what they call praying? Gods can hear the prayers of their believers. Linley had never heard it before, maybe because his believers had never prayed so earnestly, or perhaps because Linley's level was too low to hear the prayers of believers.
Linley shook his head and said to Pandora, "Cancel your spell."
"I have a better idea," Pandora said.