Chapter 577: The Teleportation Array
"Marcus! Marcus!"
Jade tugged at his arm, finally pulling him out of his appreciation of the twins. "Marcus, help me decide. The purple butterfly swimsuit or the white little bear one?"
She had been going back and forth between the two for quite some time, completely unable to make up her mind. Since she was choosing it for him, she figured he might as well be the one to decide.
"Let me see..."
Jade switched between the two swimsuits, letting him compare them properly. The purple butterfly design made her look lively and radiant, bringing out her playful personality, while the little white bear swimsuit gave her a much sweeter, more innocent appearance. Both suited her perfectly.
Marcus smiled. "My Jade looks like an angel. You’re beautiful either way, so I like them both."
"Marcus!"
Jade puffed out her cheeks. "That’s not fair! Which one do you like more? I’ll wear whichever one you prefer."
"You little troublemaker." Marcus gently tapped her on the nose. "How about this? Butterfly swimsuit today, little bear tomorrow."
"Deal!" Jade immediately brightened and switched into the purple butterfly swimsuit. Apparently satisfied with her decision, she then pulled out several pairs of swim trunks and held them up for Marcus.
"Willow and the others picked these out for you when they were shopping in town. Which one do you like?"
Marcus looked them over and picked the black pair. As his equipment changed, his Corpse Demon combat gear transformed into the swim trunks, leaving him dressed for the beach. The change caught several of the ladies off guard.
Professor Tina, Elara, Crystal, Firebrand, and Icefall had already been somewhat nervous about wearing swimsuits in front of a man, and seeing Marcus casually change into beachwear only made their faces turn even redder. They quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in anything else around them.
Still, their initial embarrassment didn’t last long. Once they remembered that it was Marcus, the person they already knew and trusted, their nervousness gradually faded. That didn’t stop a few curious glances from slipping his way whenever they thought he wasn’t paying attention.
"Marcus is the handsomest!" Jade declared proudly. She grabbed his hand and pointed toward a large surfboard lying nearby. "Look! That one is big enough for two people. I want to surf with you!"
"Then let’s go!" Marcus laughed and called out to the others. "What are you waiting for? Let’s go swimming and surfing!"
The sun had climbed higher by then, bathing the beach in warm light, while the clear seawater looked cool and inviting. With nothing urgent demanding their attention, everyone happily threw themselves into the fun.
They surfed together, explored the coral reefs beneath the water, caught fish, searched for beautiful seashells, and even built sandcastles along the shore. Before anyone realized it, several hours had passed.
Eventually, they logged off for the night. The following day, they logged back into the game and spent another hour enjoying the beach. They had barely finished settling into their leisurely morning when a sharp cry suddenly rang out from above.
"Squawk!" Marcus looked up.
Ironstone was riding toward them on a Three-Tailed Patterned Pheasant. The bird descended gracefully from the sky before landing nearby, and Ironstone quickly dismounted.
"Guardian, sir!" he called. "Thanks to you, Dragon’s Roar Town was saved from disaster. The entire town has prepared a feast in the square to celebrate your victory and express our gratitude."
’Finally, the reward.’ Marcus had been wondering when the town would get around to it.
"Let’s go." He didn’t hesitate. He and the ladies changed back into their combat equipment and followed Ironstone toward the town square.
The square had been transformed into a massive banquet hall. Tables covered nearly every open space, laden with food and drink, and practically every resident of Dragon’s Roar Town had gathered for the occasion. In the very center stood a large red table that had been left conspicuously empty, clearly reserved for Marcus and his ladies.
"The Guardian has arrived!" "Welcome, Guardian!" The moment they entered the square, the crowd erupted into cheers.
Marcus and the others took their seats at the red table while the Town Lord stepped forward and delivered a heartfelt speech of gratitude, praising Marcus for saving the town and bringing their missing soldiers home safely.
Soon enough, the formalities gave way to celebration. Like the feast they had enjoyed in Millbrook Village, the atmosphere was warm and lively. Food and laughter filled the square, while the residents eagerly raised their cups in celebration. Marcus joined in as well, and after several rounds of drinks, even the Town Lord was wearing a broad smile.
Eventually, the Town Lord raised another cup of Fire-Apricot Wine.
Marcus naturally assumed this was the moment they would finally discuss his reward.
Instead, the Town Lord looked at him and asked, "Guardian, you crossed the Storm Seal to reach our island. Do you still remember the route you took?"
Marcus nearly stared at him. ’Seriously?’ They had finally reached the reward discussion, and the first thing the Town Lord wanted to talk about was the route through the Storm Seal?
He quickly concealed his surprise and pretended to think deeply about it. After a moment, he frowned and shook his head.
"Ah... if I remember correctly, the treasure map disappeared when I opened the vault. I wasn’t really paying attention to the exact route through the Storm Seal either. I’m not sure I could make it through the same way again. It may have been a one-time route."
It was a convenient answer, and Marcus had no intention of giving away useful information for free.
According to the game’s mechanics, as long as a player wasn’t in combat or trapped inside some kind of special scenario, a Town Portal Scroll could be used to teleport instantly. Although Twin Wing Island was sealed off from the mainland, it wasn’t classified as a special-instance map.
In other words, Marcus should still be able to return to Dragon’s Peak Citadel whenever he wanted. The Town Lord clearly knew that as well, which meant this conversation wasn’t really about whether Marcus could leave; it was about whether the Town Lord had something valuable enough to make Marcus willing to return.
The Town Lord’s next words, however, caught him completely off guard.
"Guardian, if you can enter the depths of the Storm Seal again, you may be able to reconnect the teleportation array between the mainland and Dragon’s Roar Town."
"Teleportation array?" Marcus blinked. That was the last thing he’d expected to hear.
He had assumed the Town Lord was going to question him about the route through the Storm Seal, perhaps hoping to learn how he had crossed the barrier and whether it could be done again.
Instead, the Town Lord was asking him to restore the teleportation array that had once connected Dragon’s Roar Town to the mainland.
And if that was really possible, this was far more important than simply finding another route through the Storm Seal.