Chapter 43: The Guardian's Warning

The savage and arrogant blasting harassment continued from dawn until dusk, churning the calm, clear waters of Urquhart Bay into a murky mess.Countless innocent fish corpses bobbed up and down on the lake's surface, the air thick with the smell of nitroglycerin smoke and the stench of death.

That advanced exploration vessel resembled a tireless steel beast, wantonly displaying the most brutal conquest desires of industrial civilization upon this ancient lake.

Lin Jie, William, and Alistair had been quietly monitoring from their disguised fishing boat for an entire day.

During this time, Lin Jie's mental energy was slowly recovering, but the feeling of his head splitting with pain still lingered, preventing him from attempting to use Reverberation Touch again. Instead, he devoted all his energy to observing and recording the behavioral patterns of those "unwelcome guests."

He discovered these people operated with extreme organization and strong purpose, showing complete disdain for the ordinary fish blown up by the explosions. They repeatedly used primitive sonar-like detectors hanging from the ship's side to monitor underwater movements.

"They're mapping the spiritual force field," Lin Jie quickly recorded his assessment in his notebook. "Each explosion isn't just harassment but also a form of 'detection.' They use the spiritual echoes triggered by the explosions to inversely deduce the general outline and location of that massive energy source at the lake bottom. Though brutal, this method is indeed effective."

William's expression was grave, the veteran's voice carrying a hint of killing intent: "I smell war. These aren't ordinary explorers or hunters. Their every move carries military-like discipline and absolute disregard for the target."

"They don't care how many innocent creatures they kill or whether they completely destroy this lake's ecosystem. Their eyes see only that final objective."

Night finally descended slowly.

But tonight's Loch Ness appeared exceptionally eerie. There wasn't the slightest breeze in the sky, and the lake surface remained so calm that not a single ripple could be seen. The absolute silence didn't bring tranquility but rather the oppressive feeling before a massive storm.

Just then, a thin layer of white mist began slowly rising from the lake's center.

At first, it was just wisps of gauze-like thin fog drifting quietly over the lake surface. But within mere minutes, the fog rapidly grew thicker and denser, eventually transforming into an impenetrable wall of mist that enveloped the entire Urquhart Bay in an isolated expanse of whiteness.

"It's 'it'..." the scholar's voice was full of reverence and excitement. "It's that Guardian Deity! Ancient Celtic legends record this! Whenever evil invaders come to the sacred lake, the 'Lake Spirit' summons the 'Lost Fog,' making invaders lose their way within it, eventually to be swallowed by the lake waters!"

Lin Jie's heart also beat violently. He felt that with this heavy fog's appearance, the massive spiritual pulse from the lake depths, which had previously only been somewhat "irritated," was awakening with unprecedented intensity!

It was no longer a gentle sleeping heartbeat, but an ancient behemoth thoroughly enraged, opening its majestic pupils!

A grand and sacred force field spread outward from the lake's center!

"En——!"

This wasn't sound, but a spiritual pressure acting on the soul level!

Lin Jie found his brain seemed gripped by an invisible hand. The cool, Zen-like sensation transmitted from the grip of Serene Heart appeared minimally effective against this grand, heaven-like force field, nearly about to be crushed along with it.

William and the scholar weren't faring well either, both holding their heads while their bodies trembled slightly.

Lin Jie forced himself to observe the exploration vessel enveloped in thick fog through his binoculars.

The moment the heavy fog rose, panicked shouts and curses erupted from that ship. The searchlight beams from the ship could only illuminate less than three meters ahead in the thick fog, forming futile halos of light.

Their advanced internal combustion engine also seemed interfered with by the mysterious force field, emitting unstable stuttering sounds before finally sputtering out completely with a "pfft" sound!

"Their compass failed! All directional alchemical instruments are being blocked by this powerful spiritual force field!" Lin Jie immediately judged their predicament through the panicked, futile actions of the crew members beating various instruments.

That exploration vessel representing cutting-edge industrial technology had become a helpless iron coffin, blind and deaf within this ancient magic-filled heavy fog.

Then something even more bizarre occurred.

The mirror-calm lake surface began surging irregularly within the thick fog!

Hidden currents formed spontaneously beneath the ship's hull, as if possessing their own will, pushing and pulling that powerless exploration vessel.

The burly men aboard fell into panic, running meaninglessly around the ship while shouting loudly. Some fired randomly toward the fog-shrouded lake surface.

Meanwhile, the disguised small fishing boat where Lin Jie and the others were experienced completely different treatment.

When the grand spiritual force field swept over them, seemingly recognizing their pure Knowledge Seeker aura devoid of malicious intent, the spiritual pressure that had nearly crushed the three of them softened.

Then an equally powerful but purely "benevolent" gentle current appeared from nowhere, steadily lifting the bottom of their small fishing boat.

This current held no trace of violence. It resembled a gentle giant's hand, unhurriedly pushing the small boat toward the safe shore away from this chaotic center.

Lin Jie, William, and Alistair lost their ability to speak before this miraculous experience, only dumbly sensing themselves being escorted by an incomprehensible benevolent power.

This was that "Guardian Deity's" warning.

It used the most direct method to demonstrate absolute will toward these two vessels intruding into its territory.

For those desecrators harboring malice and greed, it bestowed the "Lost Fog" and "Chaotic Currents" sufficient to render advanced technology useless.

For those Knowledge Seekers who, though disturbing its peace, held reverence in their hearts, it provided "safe escort" like a mother shooing mischievous children away.

"Boom!"

Just as their small boat was about to be pushed into the shallow waters near shore, an ear-shattering crash of metal colliding with rock came from deep within the thick fog!

Then followed a series of screams rapidly swallowed by the lake waters.

"They... they hit the reefs..." William said with a dry voice. He knew that in this impenetrable fog with its irregular hidden currents, any vessel's fate could only be one—being smashed violently against those ancient reefs hidden beneath Urquhart Bay's waters.

A "divine punishment" personally delivered by the mysterious guardian concluded in a manner representing nature's mighty power and mystical symbolism.

When their small boat was finally pushed by that gentle force to a concealed shore, the massive fog enveloping the entire lake surface dissipated as abruptly as it had appeared.

Moonlight once again bathed the lake surface, the waters remaining calm, as if the heart-stopping divine punishment had been merely an illusion.

Only the faint scent of blood lingering in the air proved that everything that had just occurred was real.