It was the fifteen AFSB Squad-9 bodyguards who had arrived to help their young master, chauffeur, and head bodyguard out of the river.After a brief moment of rest, Gerald looked up at them.“How did you guys find us?”It was Head Bodyguard Kevin himself who then elaborated that he had long set up various signals with which his underlings would be able to find without outright alerting the enemy.After all, it should be recalled that the base of The Herder Bandit was in this very forest, and they were currently hunting for Gerald and his bodyguards. They could have attacked them at the set-up camp if it wasn't for the dangerous Amur Leopards breaking free of the chains and then fighting their way back to freedom, all thanks to the techno dragonflies that Chauffeur Richard had brilliantly used.There was no doubt that the Herder Bandit already had it out for Gerald and his crew. Therefore, Head Bodyguard Kevin had to be incredibly smart and discreet about how he signaled to his lost u

Gerald was still a bit stunned by everything. His journey to the outskirts of Sole Wood City has truly opened his eyes to a part of the world that was either never spoken seriously about enough or was indulged in terms of entertainment, faction, and not to be taken seriously at all.First, it was his telepathic power, which he still hasn't learned enough about. He was still dealing with the fact that he was able to do something like that, only to unexpectedly find himself in the middle of a tragic history where he could now talk to the lingering spirit of a little girl who tragically passed away centuries ago.And it was due to his telepathy. Somehow, Gerald was able to communicate with the dead, and with his deduction, he's been suspecting that telepathy might not be his only gift.Back to the present,Gerald reached out to carry the corpse of Priestess Alice Thorn in his arms, and he was ready to leave when he felt an immense rumble, the walls shaking and starting to… unravel?Gera

Gerald watched on as the huge serpent and Alice Thorn's spirit argued back and forth like they were old buddies who couldn't stand each other. Also surprising was the little girl's total change in attitude when interacting with the huge snake.He was wondering how to make these two stop arguing when he suddenly felt his throat starting to seriously burn. Then he was reminded where he was and how he had got here in the first place - deep in the abyss of Cone Rock River, breathing in water thanks to the miraculous temporary gill-making fruit that Alice Thorn introduced him to.But there was also the fact that the time limit for the effect of this fruit was limited, of which he should have gotten Alice Thorn's intact corpse out of the gushing river by now. But meeting this great serpent protector of the great river spirit was an unexpected turn of events that took up a lot of time Now, he had run out of it. He needed to get to the surface within a minute. Otherwise, he would suffocate

The great spirit of Cone Rock River began to descend towards Gerald, the proximity only making it obvious how tall she was in comparison to the human below her.Gerald was already above six feet tall in height. But before this water spirit, he felt truly small, and this feeling went far beyond the physical aspect. The aura that the great spirit exuded was overwhelmingly mighty.The great river spirit suddenly stopped her steady descent and shifted her stiff but somewhat soft gaze beyond the revolving boundary of the air bubble she had created for Gerald.She was particularly staring at the great serpent and Alice Thorn's spirit.“You two, enough arguing.”Both entities immediately moved closer to the boundary of the revolving water orb, not daring to enter without permission. Instead, they showed their respect from the edge.“Apologies, goddess. We didn't mean to be nuisances!”Both Alice Thorn and the huge snake spoke these words with great reverence in their tone and deep bows. The

Gerald felt his body lift upwards, levitating towards the tall and slender feminine figure who then reached out a hand, slowly touching one of her long, blue fingernails, which looked like flowing water, to his forehead.A light glowed, and Gerald felt an immense burning sensation rush from that glowing fingernail straight into his head. He wanted to let out a guttural scream of pain, but he felt his body refuse, as if it didn't want to express such emotion in reverence of the divine being before him And then he passed out.By the time Gerald regained consciousness, he found himself being pushed towards the surface of Cone Rock River, where there was actual natural light from the sun reaching this shallow part.Looking down, he found the huge body of the great serpent pushing him upward. It was then that he realized that he was no longer in the orb of revolving water, and hence, needed to hold his breath while underwater.But then, how did he not fill his lungs while he was unconsci