Heading to the Dungeon

Unspoken rules—everyone knew the score.

Besides, not everyone needed a teleportation circle base capable of withstanding instantaneous mana peaks.

It wouldn't be too late to buy one when they actually needed it for future development.

Speaking of eating, not long after the two settled their business, Gu Xiaobei came out with breakfast.

At that point, everyone stopped fishing and set aside their wandering thoughts, gathering around the table in the bamboo pavilion to enjoy the meal.

It was only then that Lan Qingyou noticed the Hierophant's shelter was actually a bamboo raft moored by the shore.

However, this raft was quite large, and its structure and layout made it look more like the painted boats on the Qinhuai River.

Was this the "night fishing shelter" the old man had been talking about?

If so, it really did cater to his interests.

"This steamed sea fish tastes good. Did you add a bit of soy sauce and light soy sauce?"

"Yes, and a bit of freshly made wild peanut oil too," Gu Xiaobei said with pride in response to the Hierophant's question.

Why was she always on the leaderboard?

It was because she was constantly developing seasonings that didn't exist in this world—or rather, seasonings better suited to the tastes of people from Blue Star—which earned her the recognition of the world consciousness.

Since the ingredients today were exceptionally fresh, Gu Xiaobei hadn't over-processed them.

The meal consisted mainly of steamed, alcohol-poached, and sashimi-style fish.

In addition to increasing defense, agility, and strength, it also provided some water element resistance.

She had even prepared other foods, clearly having made full preparations for this dungeon run.

Once everyone had their fill, the Hierophant steered the bamboo raft—now equipped with an engine provided by Chariot—toward the designated sea area.

Sitting at the bow, Lan Qingyou closed her eyes and felt the salty, damp sea breeze against her face.

Although the weather was starting to warm up, the temperature hadn't yet reached a "pleasant" level.

Even with Lan Qingyou wearing her constant-temperature witch set, the unique stinging sensation of the cold wind still bit at her face.

But it was fine. To a kid from the inland who had never seen the ocean, such a small thing was like a southerner seeing snow in the north—there were no thoughts other than wanting to play.

If Lan Qingyou felt this way, the two little ones were naturally no better.

However, the two little creatures weren't on her person right now; they were being held by Vivian the High Priestess, Ingrid the Sun, and Gu Xiaobei the Empress.

They took turns playing with them, swapping whenever one person got tired.

It was fair to say that both Steel Wool and Spoon were being petted quite ruthlessly.

They could only gaze piteously at the back of Lan Qingyou's head as she refused to look back.

It couldn't be helped; they were just too cute.

Vivian and Ingrid were naturally playful, while Gu Xiaobei was making up for not having the chance to pet them during their last meeting.

So this time, she was determined to get her fill of cuddles no matter what.

After the bamboo raft had traveled for about half an hour, they arrived at a steep cliff eroded by the waves.

Before they even got close, they saw a light blue vortex in the water at the edge of the cliff.

This blue vortex stood in stark contrast to the surrounding seawater, looking as out of place as a pasted-on texture, yet it looked very much like a real whirlpool due to the rotating mana.

If they hadn't known a dungeon entrance was here, very few people—aside from Lan Qingyou with her Analytic Magic Eye—would have associated it with a dungeon portal.

Oh, except for the Hierophant, the fishing fanatic.

After all, fishing fanatics had a way of randomly spawning anywhere there was water.

"Going in?" Lan Qingyou asked, sitting on her magic broom.

By now, everyone had gathered at the bow since they had reached their destination.

The two little ones had long since escaped the clutches of the girls and were shivering inside Lan Qingyou's robe.

"Wait a moment, let me dock the boat first."

With that, the Hierophant dropped the anchor. Since the boat itself was a shelter, even though it could move, it still possessed the rule of shelter invulnerability.

Therefore, he didn't have to worry about anyone driving the boat away even if it was left here.

Once the boat was fully stabilized, the Hierophant took out several small spheres from his cards and began distributing them.

"Anyone who can't swim, take one of these."

【Bubble Bead (D)】

【Effect: Creates a bubble containing air that lasts for ten minutes.】

【Description: If you've ever played with bubble balls, you should know that you can walk on water with this thing.】

【Recipe: Turtle Grass, Evil Ribbon Oarfish swim bladder...】

After seeing the identification results, Lan Qingyou took one as well.

Although she could fly and didn't need it, taking one back to study was a good idea.

But...

"What do we need these for?" Gu Xiaobei asked, acting as the group's voice.

"The area after entering the dungeon is on the sea. We have to swim about thirty meters to board the ship graveyard," the Hierophant explained.

With an experienced person who had been there before, no one dared to underestimate the situation. Since he had prepared these for the dungeon conquest, there had to be a reason.

The Hierophant then demonstrated how to use the bubble. With a slight squeeze, the small ball expanded rapidly, eventually forming a large bubble that encased him completely.

Then, he jumped from the boat into the dungeon portal.

Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Lan Qingyou was no exception, though she flew in diagonally.

Even if she appeared in the water, she could fly out of it immediately; it was no big deal.

Moreover, the Hierophant had said they would have to swim a certain distance.

This meant the area behind the portal was likely on the sea surface, just like the portal itself, so there was no fear of drowning.

Sure enough.

After Lan Qingyou flew through, she emerged from the other side of the portal into the sky, as if passing through a mirror.

Entering downward flipped to emerging upward.

It felt rather magical.

Then, she saw a scene similar to the one before.

It was still a seaside cliff, but the ship graveyard was located in a place surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides.

It was a natural harbor for those shipwrecks.

"Why do I suddenly feel cold?" Ingrid the Sun said, tightening her white fur coat while standing in her bubble on the sea.

"Me too. It feels a bit strange," Gu Xiaobei added, frowning.

After all, they all had constant-temperature clothes provided by the Star—upgraded versions with intermediate enchantments. Logically, this shouldn't be happening.

"Tower, you've encountered this before, haven't you?" Wheel of Fortune turned to look at Lan Qingyou, who was flying a meter above the sea.

"I have, back at the Ancient Tree, but the temperature drop wasn't this severe."

Since she was used to the constant-temperature clothes, Lan Qingyou was still wearing her witch's robe. While the temperature here hadn't reached freezing yet, the robe alone was a bit insufficient.

So, she pulled out her long down jacket and put it on.