Chapter 292 - 292: Anina’s Transformation, Cocoon
Chapter 292 - 292: Anina’s Transformation, Cocoon
Without their Sea Heir leader, they seemed like soulless creatures. While they still possessed some resistance, they no longer posed a significant threat.
Daro and his team were temporarily tasked with the cleanup. Ji Chen carried Anina back to her residence and laid her on the bed.
Up to this point, Anina remained in a state of unconsciousness. However, it appeared to be a self-protective mechanism rather than a result of the Sea Heir leader’s mental attack.
Her breathing was steady, her complexion healthy, showing no signs of injury.
Simultaneously, Ji Chen could feel the energy fluctuations within her growing stronger, similar to when Alice underwent advancement.
Ji Chen recalled the second state on Anina’s panel, aside from her unconsciousness, which was “Transformation”.
Could “Transformation” be synonymous with advancement?
Out of curiosity, he opened the military talent tree panel and found Anina’s page.
He immediately noticed the words inscribed there:
[Dragon Whale Hero: Anina, awakened her ancient Dragon Whale bloodline due to intense mental pressure, breaking through her current life form.]
[She is currently in a state of Transformation. After the Transformation is complete, her tier will advance to the Red-Legacy Tier Hero, and her potential will rise to the Orange-Legendary Tier.]
[There are currently 71 hours, 12 minutes, and 24 seconds remaining for the Transformation.]
It seemed that Anina had inadvertently benefited from the intense mental attack she endured. Although she suffered greatly, she had now gained an even greater opportunity.
When she woke up, she would become a Red Hero like Alice, and her potential would skyrocket from Rare to Legendary, a significant leap forward.
Seeing that Anina was indeed in no major trouble, Ji Chen felt relieved. He instructed the maid to keep a close eye on her condition and then left the room.
Outside, there was a mess waiting for him to clean up.
Over the next two days, the Crown of the Ocean’s army scoured the Sea Heirs from all corners, gathering their bodies for safe disposal by cremation.
The residents who had taken refuge in the caves gradually returned, repairing the buildings and facilities damaged by the Sea Heirs. This was especially true for the sea rice fields, which had been trampled as if a tank had rolled over them. The nearly ripe sea rice lay flattened, causing the responsible farmers to unleash a string of curses.
Destroying the food supply was even more painful than killing them.
During this battle, the fortress on the northeastern sub-island suffered the most severe damage. Its walls were riddled with pockmarks corroded by acid, and spikes deeply embedded in the walls. There wasn’t a single intact spot left. This fortress, which had recently undergone extensive repairs using a significant amount of stone, had once again turned into ruins within a single day.
However, this time, the Sea Heirs didn’t breach the core area of the Crown of the Ocean, so most of the crucial structures and facilities, such as the military recruitment camp, remained intact, and the residents were unharmed.
With its foundation intact and just a few days’ time, the Crown of the Ocean renewed its vitality and appeared thriving once again.
However, this time, the frontline forces that resisted the Sea Heirs suffered considerable casualties.
Almost every military unit had some losses, with the Ocean Guardians and Ruins Guardians being the hardest hit.
These alchemical creations had been directly facing the Sea Heirs, using their bodies to block the attacks.
Out of over two thousand Ocean Guardians, fewer than five hundred remained, and out of over eight hundred Ruins Guardians, only two hundred survived. The losses were indeed severe.
Once all the post-battle mess was dealt with, Ji Chen finally had some free time to look into other matters.
On the chat channel, he noticed that there were more than a dozen private messages that had accumulated over time.
Upon closer inspection, most of them were from “l_Love_Black_Stockings.”
Three days ago in the morning:
“Ji Chen, we’ve urgently discussed it on our end and decided to start trading with you as soon as possible. How is the situation on your side?”
“I’ve almost got things sorted out here. We can start anytime.”
Three days ago in the evening:
“Ji Chen, are you busy? If you see this message, just let me know. We’re eagerly waiting on our end.”
Two days ago at noon:
“Hey, hey, hey, big boss, have you eaten? Talk to me. I had dry rations and water today, but I’m still a bit hungry.”
“Hey, are you there? Say something, you’re worrying me. The other members are already starting to doubt whether I’ve made a deal with you. 1 almost got threatened with a knife!”
One day ago in the morning:
“Big boss, no, bro, big boss, daddy! Are you there? Don’t get into trouble, at least finish this deal before anything happens!”
“If you don’t reply soon, the other members are going to tie me up to a wooden frame and set me on fire!”
Early this morning:
“Ji Chen big boss, you’re not really in trouble, are you?! At least reply to me! I’m bringing people to help you!”
From this point on, messages were sent almost every few hours.
The most recent message was at noon today.
As Ji Chen read through, he realized the emotional journey of l_Love_Black_Stockings, from calmness to anxiety, and finally, to impatience.
“1 have some matters to take care of these few days, so 1 didn’t read your messages.”
In just a few seconds, I_Love_Black_Stockings’ response popped up.
“Oh my god, big boss, you finally replied! I thought you’d run into some serious trouble!! 1 was about to gather an army and come see what’s happening over there!”