Chapter 643: Song Under the Moon

According to a long-held assumption, Liszt had always thought the three Milon Mind Fruits would be found in his domain, or at least appear somewhere near him.

Never did he expect to find them on a desolate island in the vast sea.

The withered tree was less than a meter tall, with three fist-sized, iridescent fruits hanging from its dead branches—somewhat resembling apples but rounder and smoother.

There was no scent emanating from them, nor any magic power leaking.

Even if Liszt closed his eyes and focused on sensing the ambient mana in the air, he couldn’t detect the presence of these three Milon Mind Fruits.

Only when he activated his Magic Eye could he perceive the astonishing magic power beneath their shimmering glow.

The magic aura’s glow manifested as a murky, chaotic hue—like hazy smog, yet more peculiar. At a glance, it appeared gray and indistinct, but upon closer inspection, it seemed illusory and transparent. Change your angle slightly, and it might solidify into tangible mist.

Neither black nor white, both illusory and real, like fog yet akin to haze.

"The concentration of magic here feels almost saturated, far surpassing any other magic-infused fruit, including the bloodline fruit. Such potent magic could truly overwhelm even a dragon!" Liszt didn’t rush to pluck the fruits. Instead, he meticulously examined both the fruits and the withered tree.

Confirming that the tree was truly dead, with no signs of revival,

he refused to leave it behind. He pulled out a bone shovel from his gemstone space and began carefully excavating the tree’s roots, intending to store both the three Milon Mind Fruits and the withered tree in his gemstone space—such precious items required the utmost care.

The digging took over an hour, but he finally managed to lift the entire soil block without damaging the roots. Encasing it in mana, he placed it into the now-cleared gemstone space.

Inside the space, the three Milon Mind Fruits still shimmered brilliantly.

Liszt exhaled deeply in relief: "Whew, now it’s safe! Next time I go to Dodo Island to train, I’ll feed one to the Fire Drake Leo and test its effects! If Leo gets overwhelmed, I’ll just mount the Dragon Tooth Platform and seal the contract first—figure out the rest later!"

After spending such a great cost to revive Leo, tending to it with care for so long, finding volcanic sites for its training, and transporting food for it...

He'd cared for it like a parent, yet it wouldn’t even let him ride it once.

Faced with such a stubborn dragon,

Liszt was filled with resentment. Thus, he had no moral qualms about resorting to such less-than-honorable strong-arm tactics: "It’s not like I’m killing it—would one ride really kill it?"

After glancing at the large pit left behind,

Liszt clapped his hands and scanned the fern-covered hilltop again. He swept the area twice with his Magic Eye but found no plants with magic power. Even with his naked eye, he observed no plants resembling the withered tree in height or shape, confirming there was nothing else of value here.

"Though it’s not entirely worthless—what if another Milon Mind Fruit sapling sprouts here? Let’s name this island Mind Island. It can serve as a resting point at sea and a potential site for new Milon Mind Fruit. I’ll have to keep an eye on it in the future."

He named the island Mind Island and the withered tree the Mind Fruit Tree.

Then, Liszt dove into the sea and left Mind Island, continuing toward the Roaring River Estuary's coastal waters. As September's chill set in, Liszt, Acheronides, and Rose had already spent two days exploring the nearby waters without locating the ruins shown on their map.

No sign of the ancient sea witch either.

They hadn’t even come across another deserted island, though they did encounter a few sea monsters, all quickly dispatched by Acheronides and left for Liszt to grill at sea.

His gem storage held charcoal, a portable stove, and all the cooking gear they needed, allowing him to enjoy barbecues on the open sea.

Not only did Liszt love the grilled meat, but Rose also relished it. Truth be told, life was pretty good, so he felt no urgency.

Especially after eating his fill, listening to Acheronides’ melodious singing was pure bliss.

"If only there were a piano in this setting…" Liszt sighed with regret once more. Playing the piano occasionally could refine one’s temperament and soothe restless emotions.

But just as he was lost in thought—

Acheronides' singing abruptly halted, and she gasped, "Brother, I sense the presence of another siren nearby!"

Liszt immediately bolted up from the cabin of the sampan, "Really? Can you tell where it is?"

"It's a bit tricky. The sensation isn't very clear—it's faint and fading in and out," Acheronides frowned, straining to sense her kin.

"Remember this spot. Let’s try heading north and see if the feeling becomes clearer!"

After a short while, Acheronides stopped swimming and shook her head, "Brother, it’s gone now."

"Looks like the siren isn’t to the north. Let’s go back!"

Upon returning, the feeling reappeared.

This time, Liszt had them head south, but the sensation faded again once they reached the southern area. They then returned to the starting point and set off westward, covering a good ten kilometers. This time, the sensation not only persisted but grew increasingly distinct.

"This is the direction—let’s keep going!"

As they swam, Liszt occasionally jumped up, scouting the area with a telescope. After such prolonged searching, it became clear that the siren hadn’t moved, likely remaining stationary among some reefs. Any suspicious islands or rocks they spotted could very well be the siren's hiding place.

After keeping at it, relying on Acheronides' connection with the siren, they finally discovered a coral reef uncovered as the tide went out before nightfall. This was an underwater coral reef that hadn’t surfaced, but the outline of its circular white reef could be seen submerged just one or two meters below the water.

Similar to the ringed reef near Flower Town, this coral island was also circular, with a shallow lagoon at its center, completely enclosed by the surrounding higher coral formations.

Around this large coral reef, there were several smaller ones, none of which had surfaced either.

They are almost invisible during high tide, only faintly discernible by their outlines when the tide recedes.

"Right here, Acheronides, let's search." Liszt didn’t pause, activating his Magic Eye to scan back and forth among the coral reefs.

After searching for a long time, the moon had already risen, yet they still hadn’t found the hiding place of the siren.

Left with no choice, he asked Acheronides to try luring the siren out with her song. Her hauntingly pure and lilting voice echoed among the coral reefs.

Moments later.

Suddenly, from a distant small coral island, a wan, mournful, and delicate song emerged, harmonizing with Acheronides' voice. This song was equally beautiful, but compared to the innocence and simplicity in Acheronides' voice, it carried a more mature and rich tone, steeped in untold stories.

Liszt wasn’t in the mood for singing. He immediately pinpointed the location of the elderly siren and waved Acheronides over toward her.