Void Beetle Evolution Guide

"No... I don't feel bad anymore."

Their eyes met, and both felt a chill run down their spines.

Chapter 565 Still Feeling Fear

Even after Zoe left, Kai'Sa and Syndra still felt a lingering sense of unease.

Zoe is a playful child, which is normal for kids her age. Kai'Sa herself did something foolish like letting all the sheep in the pen escape when she was already ten years old, while Zoe probably looks like she's not even eight.

However, she wields a terrifying power, capable of manipulating space and time at will, distorting the surrounding arcane mathematical laws, and easily disrupting the physical laws of reality.

Being around such an unstable person is a threat in itself. Despite how much fun she seemed to be having, Kai'Sa didn't feel relaxed at all.

Because you never know what terrible catastrophe or disaster might be triggered by one of her unintentional actions, even if she has no malicious intent whatsoever.

Kai'Sa saw Zoe's appearance as a warning, a warning against any attempts to do anything to Mount Targon. And even after Zoe left, she felt that unease lingering overhead, as if a larger, faster comet might strike at any moment.

She shared her concerns with Wild Hunt, and what she found was shocking.

It turns out that Zoe is a very special being among all the Protoss throughout history.

The process by which she was chosen was quite absurd. She was personally transported to the summit of Mount Targon by a portal opened by the Twilight Protoss, and then the two became one. Her carefree and energetic nature delighted the Protoss.

This little girl has become so extraordinary, as simple as drinking water. Wild Hunt wanted to say something more, but he didn't know what to say. This kind of thing had never happened before.

There are also differences among the Celestials. Other Celestials are either blessed or possessed, unable to unleash the full power of the Celestial Gods. Only Zoe is showered with love and has merged with a spirit from the Celestials, making her the strongest in history.

After that, Zoe went on a journey through the universe, experiencing many different dimensions of reality.

Because of the different flow of time, several hundred years had passed by the time she returned to Runeterra, but she felt that less than a year had passed, and her height and mentality had not changed much.

But this doesn't stop her from exploring important moments in Runeterra's history; she can cross the river of time in an instant and go back to witness change.

She witnessed the rise and fall of the "Armored Villain"; the collapse and destruction of Blessed Island caused by the "Frightening Ghost Festival"; the catastrophe brought about by the "Beautiful Stone Battle"; and the dull kingdom newly established near the "Meaningless Forest".

Going any further back wouldn't work, because that was the Darkin's domain, and the previous Twilight Protoss, Maisa, was still active. She couldn't return to the era of the Darkin Wars; otherwise, the existence of two Twilight Protoss at the same point in time would create a time paradox.

Hearing Wild Hunt's explanation, everyone was only relieved to be safe with Zoe and to have narrowly escaped a fierce battle. Especially since she had initially come for them, but her own negligence ultimately led to nothing.

Wild Hunt asked for their opinions, and they unanimously decided not to approach Mount Targon for the time being, or at least not to pass by in a conspicuous manner. So they went to the nearby seabed to look for Sephiroth instead.

……

The group bypassed Mount Targon and arrived at the western sea area. Suddenly, the ice dragon stopped moving forward and hovered in mid-air, speaking in human language.

"I sensed the presence of my kind."

"It must be Saifei."

Kasha peered down into the deep sea, where ripples were created by the winds whipped up by the dragon's wings.

"So how are we supposed to go down into the sea to find her?"

"Of course, it's skin nails."

Kai'Sa answered without hesitation, then put on her helmet, transforming her Void Skin armor into a sealed diving suit. The pods on her back could also be used as propulsion devices, making it very convenient.

Turning his head, he saw Syndra frowning and staring at him, seemingly having a different opinion.

"What do you want to do?" Kasha asked, her voice emanating from her helmet and turning into a monstrous, wet wail.

Syndra answered her with her actions. She pressed her index and middle fingers to her lips and gently blew air out. The air escaped through the gaps between her fingers, forming a bubble that enveloped her and thus kept her from the seawater.

Not everyone can accept becoming a monster. Syndra disliked the terrifying appearance of the Void Armor without any transmutation, and she didn't want her hair to be covered in salty seawater.

"This looks really fun. Can I have a bubble too?" Cassiopeia asked shamelessly. Although Syndra always had a grumpy face, she was surprisingly easy to talk to, as long as you didn't do anything to upset her.

Syndra didn't say anything, but simply blew a bubble for her. Cassiopeia smiled and thanked her, then, taking advantage of Katarina's inattention, pushed her and they both fell into the bubble.

"Cassiopeia! What are you doing?!" The bubble was just the right size for one person, but it was a bit crowded for two. Katarina scolded her self-righteous sister, but she couldn't break through the latter's thick skin at all.

“It’s alright for the two sisters to stay together, isn’t it? It saves her from having to control another bubble, which would be too presumptuous,” Cassiopeia said with a grin, already reaching out from behind to wrap her arms around her sister’s waist and resting her chin on her shoulder, looking like they were having an incredibly “good” relationship.

Katarina glared at her. She'd already said everything, both good and bad, so what was there to say? Rejection meant she wasn't satisfied with Syndra's bubbles, and she didn't want to incur the wrath of this petty woman.

"Whatever, just hurry up and follow." Kai'Sa was too lazy to say anything to Syndra, who was always going against her, and took the lead in leaping from the dragon's back into the sea.

Syndra then controlled the bubble to sink into the seawater. The inside of the bubble was weightless, so even though the two sisters could not float, they would not sink.

Once everyone had left his back, Portil transformed into human form and plunged into the sea.

They swam downwards, and the area was filled with traces left by giant sea dragons, crushed coral reefs, and the remains of unknown sea monsters covered in teeth marks, guiding them to their hiding place.

"Stop! Who are you?!" As they passed a glowing coral tower, several figures suddenly rushed out from the coral reef below, blocking Kasha and her companions' path with their long-handled weapons without a word. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)

A figure blocked Kasha and the others' path and began questioning them. They had smooth skin that was either blue or green, and their heads were angular like fish heads. There was no indentation between their foreheads and noses, and they had no eyebrows. Their features looked very strange.

They had seaweed-like hair, so thick it was almost explosive, that floated with the waves. Their bodies were covered with many fin-like organs that wrapped around their limbs, as well as their private areas, such as their chests and groin.

Holding a long-handled weapon made of blue ore and some kind of animal rib, its shape somewhere between a hook and a sickle, it swung the seawater, causing it to surge with white, bubbly waves that looked as if it were boiling.

Chapter 566 The Merfolk

"You must be the Merfolk?" Kasha spoke to several Ocean Guardians through her helmet. According to the information Lilia received in her dream, Sephiroth was receiving offerings from the Merfolk and living a very comfortable life.

“We are Mara, only land travelers would call us merfolk,” the guards corrected.

"Whether they are the Merfolk or the Mara, they are ultimately a branch of Vastaya."

"Uh...that's true. But it's best not to say that." (The rest of the text appears to be a jumbled collection of characters and phrases, possibly from different sources, and doesn't form coherent sentences.)

“Alright, Mara.” Kasha didn’t want to dwell on the form of address, and then said, “I’m asking you, has a great sea dragon recently come here?”

The merman guards looked at each other in bewilderment. They were the ones who had questioned them first, so how did it turn into the other side questioning them?

The aura of Kaisa and her group was simply too strong, while they were just a few naive and innocent girls who had never left their hometown to go on adventures, so they were naturally outshone in terms of presence.

At the very least, the fact that a few land-dwellers can move freely underwater is already quite remarkable.

“That’s true. What do you want?” one of the guards replied.

“Take us to see that great sea dragon; we’ve known her for a while now.”

The guards started whispering again, but they seemed to underestimate human hearing, plotting loudly.

"What should we do? These guys don't seem very friendly. Will they cause trouble if we bring them to the village?"

"The Dragon Queen did say that if anyone came looking for her, she should bring them to see her."

"I wonder if they are really the Dragon Queen's friends. What if they come seeking revenge and a fight breaks out?"

"How about this? Recently, the village's food supply has been insufficient, as the Dragon Queen has eaten it all. If these people are willing to give up some of their food, we can take them over. That way, we won't lose out, whether it's us or not."

"Queen of Dragons?" Portil's eyes twitched. That great female dragon hadn't even hatched an egg yet dared to call herself Queen of Dragons. She had no shame at all. She stepped forward and said, "You lot, stop your nonsense. If there's even the slightest bit of falsehood in what we're saying, then let us become that great female dragon's food. That way, you won't have to go looking for food everywhere."

"Oh right!" The young female guards suddenly realized and finally agreed to take the group to find Sephie.

They first passed by a Mala village, a village built on the seabed that was completely different from everything on land.

The colorful coral reefs adorn everything in a bizarre and wonderful way, while the floating bioluminescent jellyfish illuminate the seabed like bright lamps.

The magic was so intense that it manifested with the ocean currents, creating a beautiful aurora-like scene. Schools of sardines swam in pursuit of the light, and everything looked so beautiful and harmonious.

Kasha saw some merfolk emerge from the giant anemones, casting curious glances at them. Those anemones seemed to be their homes or beds, which could isolate them from the outside world when locked inside.

People on land would easily get lost here, as the seabed is completely filled with corals, leaving no paths. Kasha silently noted down the original environment, hoping it might serve as a reference for future ecological reconstruction of the underground caverns.

"Before we go to see the Dragon Queen, we need to inform our Holy Mother. She is the most senior person in the village, or as you landwalkers would say, the clan chief."

The Mara guards led the group to the center of the village, where they saw the so-called Mara Mother of God, who lay on the resilient petals of a giant anemone that bloomed like a Rafflesia flower.

"Ella, what brings you back? And who are these people?"

The Virgin Mary rose to greet them. She was twice the size of the other Mara people, a giant compared to the guards. But she did not intimidate them; instead, she was very kind.

Her hair, like a lion's mane, covered her entire head, and her tanned skin was covered with wrinkles and age spots, making her look very old.

It had many purple "mushrooms" growing on its back, shaped like orange juice with pulp. Below the waist were not legs but a fish tail, covered with long, thin scales like feathers, making it look exceptionally heavy.

The staff in his hand seemed to be made of some kind of waterproof wood, which is quite rare at the bottom of the sea.

"Reporting to the Holy Mother, they are here to see the Dragon Queen, saying they are her friends."

"Is that so? Then please rest here for a while. I will send someone to confirm with the Dragon Queen before taking you there."

The Virgin Mary smiled and said that her eyes were so big that they looked as if she had no eyelids, which made her look somewhat strange.

Kasha was a little reluctant to have to wait again, but she understood the other party's caution.

"Ella, go and call Nami over here."

"it is good."

As Kasha watched the guards' retreating figures, she asked with some confusion, "Holy Mother, if I may ask, why is it that some of you, belonging to the same race, have fish tails while others have grown legs?"

“Oh, this,” said the Holy Mother. “Actually, this is related to the function of our clan… The Mara clan is actually a branch of the Vastaya. When the bloodline is thick enough, the newborn will have a fish tail. Conversely, those with thinner bloodlines will grow legs.”

She added, "We don't favor one over the other because of bloodline differences, but rather we selectively train them. Those with fish tails tend to have stronger magic and are more suitable as spellcasters. Those with legs are trained as warriors, and if there's anything that needs to be done ashore, we have to rely on them to do it."

"So that's how it is."

Kasha nodded; the Vastaya race had once again broadened her understanding. Despite sharing a common ancestor, their physical appearances differed so greatly, as if they were all desperately evolving to adapt to their environment.

She suddenly missed Ahri. She wasn't there when Wild Hunt took Syndra to Dream Garden, so she didn't see Ahri.

Kasha chatted with the Mara Mother for a while longer, and then she saw a figure rushing towards her.

She was a young and beautiful Mala woman, riding the tides at great speed. She wore a sea-blue jeweled crown, with only a few fins, which adorned her chest and forearms just right, making her look like flowing silk, quite in line with human aesthetics.

"Holy Mother, have you finally agreed to let me go to the deep sea abyss?" She rushed over, her face full of excitement, not even noticing the others.

"No. Nami, I sent you here to relay the news about these guests to Daenerys."

“I don’t have time to waste on this kind of thing right now!” The Mala tribeswoman named Nami’s expression changed immediately, becoming anxious and uneasy: “Rasha hasn’t returned for a whole month, and the light of the moonstone is gradually dimming. I can’t wait any longer!”

"Don't worry. The great Dragon Mother has promised us that if Rasha doesn't return, she will help me deal with the monsters in the abyss," the Holy Mother said calmly.

"What if she can't handle it either? We can't entrust the future of our people to an outsider!"

"Wait... what abyssal monster?!" Kasha interrupted the conversation between the old man and the young man, sensing that Sephiroth seemed to have been caught up in some terrible event.

Chapter 567 The Secret History of Mermaids

On

"Actually, it's just..." Nami hesitated, looking at the Holy Mother with some uncertainty, unsure whether she should reveal the clan's secrets to these outsiders.

Seeing this, Kasha said, "We are the Dragon Queen's friends. Since she has agreed to help you, we will also do our part... but only if we know what happened?"

The crowd wore varying expressions, some worried, some calm, all awaiting the Holy Mother's decision. She closed her eyes and pondered for a while, then sighed softly as if about to fall asleep.

"Sigh. Nami, you should take them to find the Dragon Queen first, and explain the whole story along the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty! Gentlemen, please follow me."

Nami led the group to swim towards a place outside the village, and then explained why she was in such a hurry.

"Let me tell you, our tribe has guarded a bottomless abyss for generations to prevent those terrifying dark creatures from spreading out and wiping out everything."

"The monsters in the abyss...that sounds familiar."

"What's wrong?"

Kaisa's muttering caught Nami's attention, and she shook her head to let the latter continue.

"To combat the monsters at the bottom of the abyss, we placed a radiant moonstone at the entrance to the abyss. Legend has it that this moonstone possesses the stellar magic infused by heaven, and its holy light can repel the darkness in the depths and protect the safety of the merfolk."

“Every hundred years or so, the moonstone will begin to dim. At that time, the tribe will select the strongest warrior and bestow upon him the title of Tidecaller.”

"To earn the title of Tidecaller, one must dive into the frigid abyss, overcome all sorts of terrible obstacles, and bring back a deep-sea pearl. If successful, the Tidecaller will represent the Merfolk on the shore to trade with the Radiant Wanderers from the summit of Mount Targon, exchanging the pearl for moonstones in exchange for a century of peace."

"When I came of age, the Moonstone darkened for the first time in a hundred years, so I participated in the selection of the Tidecaller. But the elders thought I was too impulsive and ultimately chose the more cautious Rasha to participate in the final trial."

“But Rasha has been in the abyss for a whole month now, and there’s still no news of him. That’s why I’m so anxious, wanting to retrieve the deep-sea pearl for my people. But every time I bring it up, the elders say to wait a little longer…”

"How long will the moonstone's glow last?" Kai'Sa asked.

She glanced at the others. Syndra seemed indifferent, as if the life or death of the Merfolk was none of her business. The two sisters and the Dragon Girl didn't show their attitude on their faces. In the end, they would listen to the Wild Hunt's advice. If the Wild Hunt told them to act, they would act; if they told them to stand by, they would stand by.

Kaisa understands that she can't make the decision alone, so what she needs to do now is to extract as much useful information as possible from Nami so that the Wild Hunt can make the right decision.

“A few months shouldn’t be a problem,” Nami answered Kaisa’s question, then her eyes dimmed again. “But the problem is that the trade date with the Radiant Wanderers is approaching. If we don’t find the Deep Sea Pearl soon, I’m afraid it will be too late…”

“Time is running out.” Kai’Sa pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized she had missed a crucial piece of information. “If I heard correctly, you just said that the Radiant Wanderer comes from the summit of Mount Targon?”

"That's what the legend says."

“There are only one kind of people who can come down from the summit of Mount Targon.” Kai’Sa paused for a moment. “The so-called Radiant Wanderers you mentioned are actually Protoss, and specifically, Luna Protoss.”