Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 430 - 427

Chapter 430: 427

"The meaning of what you just said... you’ve noticed it too?"

"In the ocean depths, this thing isn’t that hard to come across."

"If we just go ahead and kill this thing, do you think whatever’s underground might erupt?"

"If I weren’t worried about that, I wouldn’t have brought it up."

Like waiting for the dust to settle in an underground space, Ronald and Halbes stood on a relatively flat surface, engaging in conversation.

Their questions and answers were even-paced.

But anyone could hear the tension in their current state of mind.

What should have been a swiftly resolved issue had now become a very passive situation.

Whether it was Halbes or Ronald.

Speaking of dealing with this odd plant from the underground, they could definitely handle such a task on their own.

After all, it was a plant without self-awareness.

Once one grasped the general pattern of its behavior, with a bit of effort, a determined person would not be left at a loss.

But the real problem lay in the fact that there was a volcanic vent hidden beneath this plant, and it was likely the source of energy it depended on for survival.

If they rashly uprooted the plant...

If there was no reaction, that would be one thing, but if the underground volcano erupted due to external stimulation, that was definitely not a problem a normal person would consider, or rather, be willing to face.

So after Ronald and Halbes had exchanged their views,

The mermaid, more familiar with such environments, chose to investigate the situation to confirm the specific conditions they were now facing.

Maintaining a certain distance from the strange flower.

With a sweep of her finger across the ground, Halbes started to draw runes on the earth, not seeming to use any superfluous materials; nearly transparent water stains appeared where her fingertips had brushed.

While continuing her own actions, Halbes also asked Ronald,

"Wuling person, did you make your guess based on the smell of this thing just now?"

"The pungent smell of sulfur is only part of it." Ronald nodded in acknowledgment of Halbes’s speculation, and continued with his suspicions from before, "When the two of us came up from below, didn’t we pass a part of the wall where the material was thick and shiny?"

"That kind of thing is usually left after lava flows over it, so I had some related speculations at that time."

"..."

Upon hearing Ronald’s response, Halbes’s rune-drawing fingers paused slightly.

"Wuling person, has your society actually started researching volcanoes?"

Ronald didn’t want to answer this question rashly.

The fact that the mermaid in front of him could pull out a flashlight from her pocket was enough to give him pause for thought, and now that she showed interest in the study of volcanoes, he certainly did not want to miss the chance to delve deeper into the topic.

So after careful consideration for a few seconds, Ronald replied seriously,

"The existence of volcanoes is not just related to our living environment, but may even determine the origins of life itself; any civilization that sets its sights far should have the most basic understanding and research of it."

"..."

This time, Halbes fell silent for an unusually long time.

It wasn’t until the runes on the ground were fully drawn that she stood up and gave Ronald a serious look.

"If that’s the case, then continue on that path."

"Compared to a wizard studying spells, researching the essential laws of things is more suitable for the progress of a civilization."

With those words, the mermaid patted the ground with her tail.

A not-so-overwhelming magic power entered the runes on the ground and then the entire set of runes melted into the ground, disappearing from sight in an instant.

The spell for investigation didn’t take too long to complete.

Within less than ten breaths, Helbas confirmed the situation beneath the ground and then explained with a grave expression:

"Wuling people, the situation is as we suspected. This creature has established a delicate balance at the mouth of the volcano. If we remove it now, the restless volcano will surely erupt immediately."

With such a result, Ronald’s gaze noticeably darkened.

Driven by a sliver of hope, he continued to question Helbas:

"How big is the volcano below?"

The mermaid lady seemed to misunderstand the tension on Ronald’s face, so she answered in an almost comforting tone:

"Rest assured, this is not one of those super-volcanoes that would affect the entire planet’s biosphere upon eruption, a plant of this size wouldn’t be enough to suppress something of that scale."

First denying the worst-case scenario, Helbas then continued to add:

"However, a volcano is still a volcano. If we let it erupt naturally, the creatures in the vicinity of this island will undoubtedly face a disaster without question."

"..."

This was a very tricky situation.

Ronald was confident that he could use a spell to avoid the dangers of a volcanic eruption.

But what about the others on the island?

Helios, Claudia, Springs, and other casters – facing such a natural disaster-level threat, how many could ensure their own safety?

Ronald could protect himself, but he had no assurances he could rescue the other companions on the island.

The strange flower in front of them might lack self-awareness and wisdom.

But by using its inherent traits, it had created an extreme choice that was difficult to deal with.

Destroy it, and face the consequences of a volcanic eruption;

Leave it be, and the fierce typhoon continues to wreak havoc, with the degree of harm eventually reaching an unbearable level for the people.

"Wuling people, do you want to be ruthless and take action? With your level of casting, escaping from a volcano of this rank shouldn’t be a problem."

Helbas spoke again.

She once more misunderstood what Ronald was thinking right now, analyzing the situation with a rather simplistic view.

Faced with the mermaid lady’s well-meaning but utterly impractical suggestion,

Ronald’s face revealed a wry smile.

"If it were possible, I’d indeed want to handle the matter that simply."

"But the reality now is that my companions are still on the island above us, and I simply cannot ignore their escape..."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Ronald’s eyebrows shot up.

Because at that moment, Claudia’s communication appeared in his mind.

Whether it was due to the bizarre flower itself being damaged, causing the shielding to fail, or the result of the underground space being compromised, he could hear the urgent voices of Claudia and the others.

"Modeste, you and Mr. Connor come to the center of the island as well."

"There are too many monsters; they are too difficult to deal with!"

"Don’t wait for us, go on ahead to the ruins!"

The communication was filled with the urgent and tense voices of his companions.

Perhaps, compared to Ronald in the underground space...

The people above on the island were the ones truly in the most difficult situation right now.