It was already late when Wang Nan left the souvenir shop. After a quick dinner, he returned to the hotel.
The next morning, Zhang Lexuan returned from the imperial palace very early.
After revealing her identity, the Douling Empire's imperial family not only disclosed all the information they had gathered but also personally escorted Zhang Lexuan back to the hotel, preparing to send people to accompany them on their supervisory mission.
Of course, this was merely a courtesy due to their identity as Shrek Disciples; after all, it was precisely because the imperial family found it inconvenient to act that Wang Nan and the others had come here.
In the end, Zhang Lexuan declined the imperial family's arrangements.
After leaving Lingdou City, the group flew southeast towards Linhai City.
As its name suggests, Linhai City is a coastal city, surrounded by many villages where people live by the sea. Most of them are ordinary folk, and the presence of Spirit Masters is rare.
"I never imagined so many ordinary people lived so close to the sea," Ye Xiaosheng remarked with emotion as the group landed, his gaze fixed on the distant sea bathed in the setting sun.
"Junior Brother Ye, you don't know, but for ordinary people, the seaside is actually safer," Dai Yueheng replied.
"Oh? Why is that? I remember reading in books that the number of Spirit Beasts in the sea exceeds those on land, right?"
"That's true. Sea Soul Beasts were originally vast in number, and because our Spirit Masters' strength is greatly reduced once we enter the sea, we rarely use Sea Soul Beasts as a source for spirit rings. Therefore, the overall strength of Sea Soul Beasts is also superior to those on land."
"Doesn't that make the sea more dangerous? How can so many ordinary people still live by the sea?"
A hint of pride appeared on Dai Yueheng's face. "That's because ten thousand years ago, Ancestor Tang San, one of the first-generation Shrek Seven Devils, achieved Sea Godhood. Under his command, all Sea Soul Beasts retreated to live in the deep sea and no longer easily approach the shore."
"So, for ordinary people, the seaside is actually relatively safe. It's also for this reason that the major Empires' maritime transport routes are relatively close to the mainland, avoiding contact with the Spirit Beasts in the deep sea."
"Why did the Sea God issue such a command?" Ye Xiaosheng asked.
"Hmm… Of course, it was to protect the ordinary people living by the sea," Dai Yueheng replied after a slight pause, as though he hadn't expected Ye Xiaosheng to ask such a question.
Wang Nan, who had been listening quietly, was thinking about other matters.
The conflict between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts on land is intensifying, and hunting Sea Soul Beasts is actually a viable alternative. With the continuous development of spirit tools, it's only a matter of time before people venture into the sea.
"Senior Brother Ye, has the Soul Guidance System not researched spirit tools that can be used in the ocean?"
Ye Xiaosheng glanced at Wang Nan. "Actually, there's nothing to hide. It's said that the Sun Moon Empire is already researching a device called an all-terrain spirit tool."
"It's a spirit tool that allows Spirit Masters to ride inside, but it's too complex, and the academy has never figured out how it's made. If the Sun Moon Empire continues to research in this direction, they may soon develop spirit tools that can delve deep into the ocean."
"Alright, let's stop chatting for now. Did everyone bring their Shrek Supervisory Group uniforms? Change into them; it's almost time," Zhang Lexuan interrupted their conversation as night fell. "Senior Sister Han, I'll leave the control to you."
"Okay," Han Ruoruo nodded slightly.
Although the Shrek Supervisory Group's missions carried a certain degree of danger, the process was relatively simple. Most missions involved arriving at the destination based on intelligence and eradicating local Evil Soul Masters; that was all there was to it.
The Shrek Supervisory Group's uniforms were dark green, and because they came with masks and cloaks, once the group changed, it was hard to tell who was who, except for rough judgments based on their figures.
"According to the information provided by the Douling Empire, the missing children recently are all little girls around six years old. Someone saw them in the city, and our primary goal is to confirm the location of these children and try our best to rescue them," Zhang Lexuan instructed.
"Once we confirm that the target is an Evil Soul Master, act decisively. Let's go."
Although called a city, its scale was quite small. There were only two relatively wide streets in the city, intersecting to divide Linhai City into four parts. The city walls were only about a dozen meters high, and since they were all Spirit Masters, they easily scaled them with little effort.
Unlike Lingdou City, the capital, the entire city was dark shortly after nightfall, with hardly any pedestrians on the streets. Occasionally, loud shouts from drunkards could be heard emanating from some tavern.
In the distance, several tall houses still had their lights on. Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly at the sight, as the intelligence provided by the Douling Empire's imperial family indicated that this was where someone had seen the missing children.
Are these people really so arrogant?
Zhang Lexuan wondered, and after some thought, she said, "You all wait here; I'll go check the situation first."
"Wait, Le Xuan, it's better to have someone go with you; two people can look out for each other," Han Ruoruo said, stopping her.
"I'll go with Senior Sister," Wang Nan volunteered proactively. He was also very puzzled; ever since entering the city, the light cluster in his mental sea had shown no movement. If there truly were Evil Soul Masters in the city, the light cluster should have at least flickered slightly.
Zhang Lexuan looked at Wang Nan, her expression obscured by the mask. "Alright, you follow behind me. Retreat immediately if there's any danger, understood?"
Wang Nan nodded, and the two headed towards those houses.
As they got closer, Wang Nan's confusion deepened. Even if the people inside were weak, as long as they were Evil Soul Masters, the light cluster should have reacted by now.
Could it be that these disappearances of children were not done by Evil Soul Masters at all?
As they advanced, Wang Nan suddenly felt the surrounding air was more humid than before. The city was by the sea, so the air was naturally more humid than other places. But Wang Nan had been paying close attention to the environment due to the light cluster's reaction. Although the change was minor, his mental force detected this subtle shift.
"Senior Sister, be careful!" Wang Nan whispered, stopping abruptly. "We must have been discovered."
Zhang Lexuan turned back, her expression puzzled. But she still trusted Wang Nan's judgment. Her Spirit activated, six spirit rings rose in an instant, and Zhang Lexuan grabbed Wang Nan, her figure rapidly retreating.
The others waiting in the distance saw the situation and immediately activated their Spirits as well. Ma Xiaotao took the lead, rushing towards them at high speed.
"Who's there?" a loud shout came from inside the room.