Otherwise, you can find another savior.

This bold and fearless statement drew laughter from everyone else, but Scáthach remained expressionless, looking at Shiomi as if she were prey.

"My beloved student has great courage."

"Master, Master?" tide Jian felt a tingling sensation down her spine.

He was then pulled away from Morgan's arms, and seeing his master's expression as if he was about to enjoy a feast, Shio knew that a new round of battle was about to begin.

After all, since the master has taken action, the others cannot lag behind.

Of course, the result was still very happy.

He must admit this.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Exhaustion

By the time the team that went out to investigate and explore returned, it was already evening.

For the first time, Shiomi experienced what it felt like to be "ravaged".

Although it was the kind of happiness that was full of joy.

Giving up any action and letting them take the lead was surprisingly refreshing.

"Why do Mother and Master both look so tired? Did they encounter a powerful enemy while searching for Father?"

Sakura hugged Shiomi and asked earnestly.

They said this in the Storm Border activity room.

Morgan and the others were all exhausted, some lying on the sofa, others slumped over the table, looking like office workers who had been working overtime for a whole month.

Sakura and the others, who had just returned to the ship, unsurprisingly showed a shocked reaction. Shiomi was already used to this kind of shock, and after explaining things, there was no problem.

Although Sakura insisted on hugging him, Shiomi had no way to refuse and just let it be.

"Well..." tide Jian was a little unsure how to explain.

"We encountered a formidable enemy in the forest, and despite our best efforts, we were unable to defeat them. We managed to escape by sheer luck," Orange explained lazily to Sakura and the others, reclining on the sofa.

Karen nodded: "There was indeed a huge tremor in the underground world, but we were unable to investigate because of the distance. At first, we thought it was an earthquake."

“That was my fault.” Shio carefully changed the subject. “Although I was worried that it would cause the entire underground world to collapse and bury everyone here, the situation was critical at the time, and I couldn’t think about that.”

“‘Mother Earth’s Dinner’.” Bavan Shi said thoughtfully, “It was enough to force Father to fight like this, yet he was still stripped of his important powers… It’s a miracle that Father is safe and sound.”

“But it’s incredible that you’ll turn into a child after your powers are taken away.” Sakura looked at Shiomi from behind, feeling her heart pounding.

She became Shiomi's daughter around this age.

For several years after that, when Shiomi took her and Karen out for trips, she would often hold them like this.

"It's just that her body has shrunk. Her face looks cute, but her expression and eyes are still the same." Karen poked Shiomi's face. "Should I say I'm relieved, or should I say I'm not?"

“Instead of this, why don’t you go back and rest first?” Shio said. “The temperature here is hot, and even with the protection of magical costumes, it’s hard not to feel tired.”

His intention was simply to care about Sakura and the others, but it backfired.

"Oh no... do I smell really bad?" Sakura blushed and pushed Shio into Karen's arms. "It's really not right for Dad to sit in my lap."

"No, no, I didn't smell any sweat." Xi Jian quickly added, "Don't be so nervous. It's just that you feel sticky and uncomfortable after sweating. Take a shower and change your clothes, and then we can discuss what you've found out today."

Grey then said, "Speaking of finds, we discovered a cave in that angular rock mountain that we can see from Storm Border."

“Yes, yes, the residents of this Lostbelt live there.” Bawan Shi smiled amusedly. “After communicating with them, they said they were reluctant to leave their secluded place. If there’s anything, we can visit them again.”

"Isn't he just one of those common reclusive people?" Shiomi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you making that face, Bawan Xi?"

Kallen had the same expression: "Dad, don't be surprised, this 'human' in the Lostbelt is actually—"

"Dinosaur people?" Shio reacted quickly, guessing the possible answer from previous events. "Or leopard people?"

His answer startled them again.

"Dad has the ability to foresee the future?" Sakura covered her mouth.

At this moment, Scáthach, who was fiddling with chess pieces on the table, turned her head and said, "When I met up with my beloved disciple, he was encountering a dinosaur that had become a Dead Apostle. Looking back, it was probably intelligent beings who were turned into Dead Apostles."

“I see.” Karen was surprised. “However, the dinosaur-man we met wasn’t a Dead Apostle. He seemed to live alone in a cave and was continuously observing the stars.”

"It sounds somewhat similar to Chaldea," Shiomi said. "But it's probably mostly just observation for the sake of observation. Is there any other information besides that?"

"The 'humans' living in this Lostbelt are beings who call themselves Dinos." Sakura recalled the information she had obtained after the exchange. "That Dinos named Tepeu has learned from someone that this is a Lostbelt and that there is a Pan-Human History."

"Really?" Shio was surprised.

“But Tepeu didn’t tell us who that person was,” Karen shook her head. “But he said he didn’t intend to see us as enemies, at most as guests. In his eyes, we are not invaders or conquerors who pose a threat to this world, but friends from a different world who have come to accomplish ‘what we must do’.”

Shiomi pondered, "Judging from the reaction of the Lostbelt residents, it's far too rational. We can't really be considered invaders or conquerors, but we will destroy this Lostbelt, and even then, he doesn't care?"

“Because Dinos isn’t interested in this,” Bavan Shi continued. “According to them, perhaps our pan-human history isn’t like this, but this underground world of Dinos is destined to be destroyed.”

With such an open-minded attitude, even just through Sakura and the others' retelling, Shiomi could sense that the Dinos named Tepeu possessed profound wisdom that rivaled that of humans.

“Is that so? In that case, I really want to go and meet them and have a talk.” Shio nodded. “If we can get their support, it will help us understand the situation here.”

After all, the powers that have been taken away are scattered in different regions, and it would be better to have a guide who knows the situation when going to those unknown regions.

“In that case, we should combine contacting Dinos with the search for the location of the enemy who stole the power, right?” Karen understood Shiomi’s intention. “But now that Dad is back, we will stay on the ship. I will mark the route on the Storm Border scan results later.”

"Then let me accompany you, just to avoid causing any chaos, okay?"

Bawan Shi offered to be the guide.

At that moment, Shiomi did a somersault, got off Karen's lap, and stood on the floor.

"Before that, you should go take a shower and relax, then we'll have dinner together... And please don't clap, it'll look like you're watching a relative's kid perform a talent show, okay?"

They could only suppress their laughter and nod in response to tide Jian.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Awaiting Orders

The A group, who returned later, brought back even more in-depth intelligence.

They followed different routes and eventually reached the boundary of the Storm Border landing area.

The path forward from there is blocked by a wide body of water, and the chaotic magnetic field makes it extremely difficult to travel alone using magic.

"Moreover, even though the surrounding environment was very peaceful when we got close to that area, we were unable to transmit the data from the site to Storm Border in real time due to the special environmental conditions."

Fujimaru Ritsuka, holding a kettle, explained the situation to Neshio in the lounge.

The others who returned with us had also eaten dinner and were resting and exchanging information here.

The data has been submitted to Romani, and Storm Border is working diligently to analyze it.

After all, if this underground world is affected by a magnetic field and cannot be traversed by high-altitude navigation, then the entire ship's voyage will be hindered.

"So, what else did you see at the scene?" Shio asked.

“I estimate there is a riverbed stretching for more than ten kilometers,” Kirshtalia said. “From the riverbank, you can see that this part of the ring-shaped underground world is a complete waterway.”

Kadoc said with a serious expression, "Not only that, what lies before us is not a wide, flat lake or river, but a river with countless waterfalls of all sizes in the middle of the channel. It seems that these waters eventually flow into the deeper underground world."

He also struggled to describe that peculiar feeling.

After all, the underground world is a cylindrical object.

To put it simply, the water in the entire water belt seems to flow out of the cylinder or enter the ground for water circulation.

"Actually, the terrain is secondary. If we can fly over the Storm Border, there's no need to worry about it." Peperoncino looked satisfied.

Although the exploration encountered a battle, the freshmen Group A worked together and it wasn't too difficult.

So everyone, including Hinako Akuta, was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Although Peperoncino spent most of his time talking to the girls about girls, especially gossip about Shiomi's love life.

The shared adventure that had been impossible for so long finally came to fruition here, and Peperoncino was actually quite satisfied.

The rest is up to us to see when Debit will finally show up and meet everyone in person.

"So what's the main thing?" Shiomi continued to ask.

Tomorrow we're going to contact Dinos, a man named Tepeu, to get more information about this underground world and seek his assistance.

Before that, it's also important to learn as much as possible about the current situation in the surrounding area.

“It’s a barrier.” Ophelia seemed a little nervous. “It’s very complex in its construction, but its main purpose is to prevent anyone from crossing that body of water.”

Kirshtalia then added, "We have tried to analyze the barrier. The barrier itself is exquisite and complex, a divine skill that only an extremely skilled magician could accomplish."

At this point, he looked at Shiomi with slight caution and added:

"From my perspective, even if I were on Olympus, I might not be able to weave such an exquisite, complex, and malfunction-free barrier."

“You mean—” tide Jian guessed what he was going to say.

“In my opinion, only a magician like your wife could do that,” Kirshtalia stated solemnly.

tide Jian raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is that so?"

It wasn't that he didn't care, but rather that he had considered this point, as well as his previous experiences.

As the first obstacle Chaldea must face in their exploration of the underground world, it is self-evident who is there.

Moreover, the power that was taken away and one's own senses also pointed in that direction.

“Shiomi doesn’t seem to care at all,” Peperonchino joked.

"I do care, but since I already know the answer, there's nothing to say." Xi Jian scratched her head, not minding the joke, and instead raised her hand with a grin, "Raise your hand if you want to know the answer, and I'll tell you right now."

Everyone raised their hands, but Hinako Akuta didn't, though her eyes fell on Shiomi.

“Her name is Morgan,” Shiomi said. “But to be clear, she is not Azuma who is on the ship now, but the enchantress who came from Pan-Human History and once plotted to overthrow the Round Table and destroy King Arthur’s rule.”

His answer surprised others somewhat, but they also found it understandable.

And why, when they returned, the director informed them, and for now, referred to Morgan as Ash.

They thought it was some kind of fun couple activity that everyone would participate in, but it turned out to be for such a serious reason.

"Why the demon queen from Pan-Human History would appear in this Lostbelt is hard to say for now," Shiomi added, leaning back in her chair. "But she appeared among the forces that attacked me, stole a third of my power, and is now entrenched in the ring-shaped waters of the underground world—"

"Our opponent is that vixen, so it's going to be a tough fight," Kirshtalia said. "We will do our best to provide as much assistance as possible in the operation."

tide Jian raised her hand: "No, this time you don't have to work so hard."

"Oh?" Peperoncino's expression suddenly became quite interesting. "You don't need us to take action? Does that mean even Mr. Shiomi can't take action?"

He switched back to using a more formal form of address.

“It’s a pity, because this opponent is extremely special.” Shiomi shrugged. “My wife plans to take action herself and deal with the demon queen of the Pan-Human History one-on-one.”

The plan sounds a bit reckless, yet it's undeniably absurd.

Put yourself in their shoes: if your parallel self appeared before you and took away something important from someone important to you, then you would also stand up and solve the problem on your own.

“That being said, we must also consider the other forces in this Lostbelt, including the possibility of interference from Debit.” Kirshtalia pondered, offering her own insights. “The situation in this Lostbelt has changed a lot compared to when I was the captain of the Hidden Ones.”

“That’s our job, isn’t it?” Kadoc said. “To keep watch on the surroundings while they fight, to prevent third or even fourth parties from appearing and disrupting the balance of the battlefield.”

Peperoncino then reminded him, "There's also the work of protecting Storm Border. If a large number of enemies appear, we'll need to summon Servants to fight."

"In short, during the next attempt to access the ring-shaped waters, you will need to take on the responsibility of protecting this ship." Shiomi smiled lightly. "Don't worry, after all, the main combat force is here, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Awakening

tide Jiantianxi woke up suddenly from her dream; it was already daytime the next day.

In this underground world of the South American Lostbelt, there are normal sunrises and sunsets, saving everyone the trouble of planning their daily routines.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying in Skadi's arms, and what came into view was purple underwear and fair, full breasts.

The soft fragrance surrounded his nose, and he couldn't help but press his face against it, feeling the comfort of being surrounded by this warmth.

"Very good, very good~" Skadi chuckled, patting his shoulder with her other hand. "You didn't sleep very well just now. Were you tired last night?"

"No, I slept very well." Shiomi placed her hand on Skadi's waist. "I just had a little dream again."

"A dream? What did you foresee this time?" she asked with great interest.

“No, this time I just dreamt about my mother,” Shiomi explained.

Skadi understood and didn't ask any further questions.

After all, it was common knowledge that his spirit was connected to Tiamat's.

If we meet in a dream, that's perfectly normal.