The vertical current catapulted the "Orange Mothership" sky-high, then along a parabola into calm waters.
Sunlight pierced the surface, refracting fish-scale spots of light; below lay the huge double-layer bubble—Fish-Man Island.Leon stood on the observation deck, the counter on his right hand ticking: 119:30:00.[System Alert:Uranus fragment coordinates locked·Sea Forest]Nami adjusted the water-pressure gauge, frowning: "Large cannons are banned inside the bubble membrane. We must park the mothership outside and walk in."Leon nodded and spawned a "Submarine Block"—a transparent glass sphere filled with air, capable of diving ten thousand metres.The two entered the sphere, descended through the bubble membrane, and were instantly surrounded by warm sea water.
In the distance fish-man guards swam forward, tridents in hand, eyeing the two "strangers who fly" with suspicion.The lead tuna-fish man barked: "Humans? Why carry the scent of Sea-Prism Stone?"Leon raised his hand; a "pseudo Sea-Prism ring" appeared—he pinched it into a badge and pinned it to his chest: "We seek the lost fragment in the 'Sea Forest', no hostility."The tuna frowned. "The Sea Forest is a royal cemetery; outsiders forbidden."Before he finished a pink figure swam closer—Princess Shirahoshi, ten metres tall yet with a child's smile: "They are the 'pixel envoys' Lord Laboon spoke of—let them pass."The guards withdrew; Shirahoshi leaned down, huge eyes reflecting Leon: "Laboon says you can unlock the 'source-code stele' in the forest—follow me."They passed through coral arches and reached the "Sea Forest"—an ancient seabed forest whose trunks were crystal-encased, as if time had frozen.
In the centre stood a hundred-metre black stele covered in glowing blue circuits like nano-pathways on a motherboard.Leon touched the stele; the system interface popped automatically:[Detection:Uranus fragment·Source-Code Stele]
[Upload remaining 50% coordinate seed?Y/N]He drew a deep breath and pressed Y.
Instantly the entire stele lit up, blue current spreading along the ground, linking the whole forest into a giant circuit diagram.
The centre of the stele cracked, and a fist-sized "Uranus Core" rose slowly—like a black sun covered in floating pixel characters.Shirahoshi recoiled in awe: "This is… the 'Uranus' our ancestors guarded?"Leon reached out and grasped the core; system prompts flooded in:[Uranus fragment acquired]
[Coordinate seed 100% complete]
[Count-down stopped:00:00:00]
[Return portal open:Return immediately?Y/N]He froze—the gate home was now in his palm.
Nami sensed something wrong and pressed his wrist: "If you leave now, what of the Orange Flag? What of Shirahoshi? What of the entire East Blue?"Leon was silent, looking into Shirahoshi's expectant yet uneasy eyes, then at the sky-citadel mothership parked in the distance.
He suddenly smiled and raised the "Uranus Core" high: "I choose to stay—but I will use this power to turn the whole world into a free 'pixel sea'!"The system voice changed accordingly:[Protocol altered:Player chooses permanent residence]
[New World quest-chain unlocked]
[Count-down cancelled:Permanent residency confirmed]Shirahoshi's tail slapped the waves in joy, her huge smile radiant: "Then welcome to the true 'Sea Forest', pixel envoy!"Leon gazed across the endless seabed, his eyes reflecting countless blue circuits—the source code of the entire world, waiting to be rewritten.Count-down—permanently stopped.