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This mother-son reunion scene lasted for five minutes.
Arthur kept pouring out his longing to Atlanna, while she listened quietly, offering comfort from time to time, letting Arthur feel a long-lost maternal love.
After a while, Arthur finally calmed down, wiped his face messily with his sleeve, and scratched his head embarrassedly: "Sorry Mom, I was so busy talking on and on that I forgot about you. Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Atlanna's expression stiffened slightly: "Child, hearing you talk is enough for me. Let's save other things for later."
She had saved up over twenty years of things she wanted to say to her son, all of which she had just blurted out to Darian in one go.
Now asking her to repeat it all again felt indescribably awkward.
Fortunately, Arthur was always thick-skinned, so he didn't notice anything amiss, simply attributing it to the greatness of maternal love, and felt another wave of emotion.
He couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect that even though I've changed so much, you could still recognize me. As expected, no mother would ever misidentify her own child."
Atlanna: "..."
Darian watched from the side, amused.
He wasn't surprised at all about Arthur's biological mother coming back to life.
After all, Arthur's evaluation clearly stated that both his parents were alive, so naturally, Atlanna wouldn't have actually been successfully sacrificed.
Placed within The Seven, Arthur was definitely a winner in life; just saying "my mom and dad are calling me home for dinner" would be enough to break most members.
"This isn't the place to talk. Follow me."
Atlanna waved her hand and turned to lead the three of them deep into the island.
The group passed through a dense primeval jungle; the canopy overhead blocked out the sun, with only sporadic spots of light falling through.
The local residents here weren't very friendly; along the way, they encountered several waves of dinosaur attacks, and even ran into a robust T-Rex.
However, none of the people present were ordinary.
These top predators, standing at the top of the food chain, were in their eyes at best just overgrown wild cats, and the T-Rex's ferocious roar was about the same as a kitten's hiss.
Facts proved that when you are weak, even your anger seems cute.
With one punch from Darian, the star predator instantly became ingredients, which he cut up with Bear Grylls' knife and put into his game inventory.
The group continued moving forward and finally arrived in front of a hidden cave.
Walking into the cave, the view suddenly opened up. Everywhere one could see the ruins of ancient buildings, and some carved patterns could still be vaguely identified on the walls.
Judging from the features of the remaining architecture, this should be the ruins of a city left behind by ancient Atlantis, which had probably been silent here for countless years.
Arthur looked around, his gaze sweeping over the broken stone pillars and carvings, before turning to look at Atlanna: "By the way, Mom, how did you end up in this place?"
Atlanna sighed and explained: "Back then, King Orvax sacrificed me to The Trench, but when I thought of you and your father, I wasn't willing to die just like that. So I fought with all my might, broke through the encirclement, and like you, passed through that portal to get here, where I've stayed for over twenty years."
One had to admit, Atlanna was truly worthy of being the Queen of Atlantis.
If not for Darian stepping in, it would undoubtedly have been a near-death experience for Arthur and Mera alone to reach here safely.
Not to mention anything else, just the tens of thousands of The Trench under the sea would be enough to deter anyone.
Yet, Atlanna had been alone back then, and had managed to carve a bloody path out of the siege of The Trench; she was practically a war god.
Arthur's physique was much stronger than the average Atlantean, having inherited a good deal of Atlanna's genes.
Arthur asked in confusion: "If that's the case, then why didn't you go home?"
Atlanna shook her head, a hint of bitterness appearing on her face: "It's not that I don't want to go back, but that I can't. That portal is one-way—you can enter but not exit. To leave this place, there is only one way, and that is to obtain the holy trident sealed in these waters."
Mera immediately asked upon hearing this: "Is the legendary holy trident really here?"
Atlanna nodded, her expression serious: "That's right, the holy trident is real. It is guarded by the legendary beast Karathen. Pass through that waterfall and jump into the water below, and you will see it."
She raised her hand, pointing to the waterfall rushing down deep in the cave.
Atlanna continued: "Unfortunately, I have tried countless times over the years, and every time I have failed. Karathen only allows the true monarch to pass. Anyone who does not meet the criteria and sets foot in that area will be attacked by it."
Darian became interested: "What is Karathen?"
Mera took over the explanation: "That is the ancient Guardian of Atlantis. Like the holy trident, it has only ever existed in legends. It is said that its size is as massive as a mountain, it has a hard shell, and its body is covered in octopus-like tentacles."
Darian licked his lips, his eyes lighting up: "Sounds like it would be delicious."
Everyone: "..."
Arthur stated firmly: "No matter what, I must get the holy trident. Orm is already uniting other undersea nations, preparing to launch a full-scale war on the surface. I must stop him; this concerns the survival of Atlantis."
Mera looked confused: "Arthur, didn't you get that backward? Orm attacking the surface—how does that concern the survival of Atlantis?"
Arthur said with a helpless tone: "You don't understand. The friends I know on the surface, none of them are to be trifled with."
To keep The Seven from wiping Atlantis off the map, he was truly giving it his all.
"Since the thing is down there, let's get going immediately."
Darian couldn't wait to see that Karathen.
The ancient Guardian of Atlantis, it must have lived for at least a few thousand years. If it were used for a barbecue, the effect should be better than that thousand-year-old salted fish, right?
Darian didn't wait for Arthur; he leaped and jumped straight into the waterfall.
Atlanna was shocked when she saw this and said to Arthur: "Quick, call your friend back! Karathen does not allow any race other than Atlanteans to step into that area. If your friend rushes in like that, Karathen will definitely kill him."
Arthur, however, was calm and waved his hand: "Don't worry, my friend is very strong."
He knew Darian quite well; even legendary characters like Gabriel and Son of Satan were no match for him, and in the entire The Seven, only Clark could put up a fight against him.
Seeing Arthur like this, Atlanna couldn't help but ask: "How strong?"
Arthur thought for a moment and gave a very realistic answer: "As long as he wants, Karathen will appear on his menu."
"???"
Behind the waterfall was the entrance to an underground cave.
Darian dove in, and the surrounding seawater, as usual, retreated from him, automatically clearing a dry space.
He immediately unfurled his single wing, soared into the air, and flew deeper along the golden guide line.
He didn't fly far before a broken ancient ruin appeared in the deep sea.
Directly in front of the ruins stood a massive stone throne, its surface covered in the scars of time.
On the throne sat a skeleton, wearing gold-green armor, a golden crown on its head, and its hands tightly gripping a golden trident.
The skeleton's head hung low, its long hair and remaining cloak gently swaying with the water currents, as if it were deep in thought with eyes closed.
Although it had been dead for many years, one could still feel an aura of regal dominance emanating from the skeleton, fully displaying the demeanor of an emperor.
Without needing to guess, one knew this must be the first King of Atlantis.
The golden trident in its hand was continuously releasing ripples outward, as if waiting for someone's summons.
Darian's gaze fell on the golden trident, and the relevant information automatically appeared before his eyes.
[holy trident]
[Description: Forged from Poseidon steel, indestructible, capable of releasing energy blasts, commanding marine life, controlling water currents, etc. Only usable by holders of the Atlantis royal bloodline]
Good stuff, pity it has usage restrictions.
After all, the first King of Atlantis wasn't a fool; how could a divine artifact he had spent so much effort forging be allowed to fall into the hands of an outsider so easily?
Boom!
A loud noise suddenly exploded, and the entire underwater ruin began to shake violently.
Debris kept falling from the surrounding broken stone pillars and walls, smashing into the mud and sand, stirring up clouds of turbid dust that churned in the water.
The shaking showed no signs of stopping; instead, it became increasingly intense, as if some long-dormant behemoth was awakening.
From the darkness, several incomparably huge tentacles reached out.
The diameter of the tentacles was at least several meters, thicker than a subway carriage, covered with a layer of gray-black hard shell, with sharp barbs along the edges and huge suction cups densely packed underneath.
Every time the tentacles moved, the surrounding water was churned upside down, creating waves of undercurrents.
Just the tentacles were this massive; one couldn't even imagine how big the main body was.
This was none other than the ancient Guardian of Atlantis, Karathen.
"Roar!"
A low roar came from the depths of the sea, making the water waves tremble.
However, when it reached Darian's ears, the roar was automatically converted into familiar Chinese dubbing by his built-in translation function.
"I have guarded here for thousands of years and have seen many challengers, but this is the first time I have seen a human set foot here."
You know, the game's translation function didn't just translate human languages; it also included the languages of aliens and all intelligent beings.
As long as the other party possessed a certain degree of intelligence and clear logic, and could communicate normally, the translation function could convert their meaning into content that Darian could understand.
Of course, if it was like an animal without developed linguistic logic, the translation function wouldn't trigger, and it would be no different from ordinary cries.
Karathen's voice paused, and its tone suddenly sank: "However, you are not an Atlantean. You don't even have the qualifications to challenge. How dare you trespass here, coveting the most precious treasure of Atlantis—you are simply courting death!"
Like the divine beasts that guarded treasures in novels, Karathen's duty here was to screen for someone with the qualifications of a monarch on behalf of the first king and hand the holy trident to them.
As for those who failed the challenge, they would all be silenced by it to ensure that the secret of the holy trident would not be leaked.
Over so many years, only Atlanna, as a challenger, had survived.
Firstly, her strength was sufficient; even if she couldn't win, she could run. Secondly, she possessed pure Atlantis royal blood in her body, and Karathen wouldn't kill her for the sake of the first king's descendant.
Of course, partly it was also because Karathen was simply too bored, and keeping Atlanna alive gave it some fun.
Darian smiled slightly: "Don't misunderstand. I have no interest in the holy trident."
"You can understand my words?"
Karathen was somewhat surprised to hear Darian's words.
Darian nodded: "Of course."
"Interesting. A human is actually able to understand my words."
Karathen's voice carried a hint of regret: "It's a pity. Even if you can understand me, you are ultimately not an Atlantean and do not possess the qualifications to own the holy trident."
For so many years, other than the first King of Atlantis, no one had ever been able to truly converse with it.
According to the established rules, as long as one could communicate with it, it was equivalent to proving that the other party had the potential to serve as King of Atlantis, and it could directly let them pass and try to pull out the holy trident.
But the problem was that it could feel that the Darian before it was a "human," not an Atlantean, and he didn't even have the qualifications to compete, let alone pull out the holy trident.
Darian laughed: "It doesn't matter. I said I didn't come for the holy trident. I came for you."
Karathen: "?"
It had guarded here for thousands of years, and during that time many intruders had come here; which one of them didn't come for the holy trident?
But it was the first time it had heard someone come for itself, and it was completely thrown off.
Karathen couldn't help but ask: "What do you want with me?"
Darian chuckled, his tongue licking his lips: "I think you should be quite delicious. Would you mind letting me have a taste?"
Karathen paused for a moment and said coldly: "Are you provoking me? Human challenger!"
"You got one thing wrong."
Darian flew high into the air, his eyes filled with disdain: "Karathen, you are the challenger."
"Bastard!"
Karathen let out a furious roar.
The slight bit of goodwill that had arisen because Darian could understand it instantly vanished at this moment.
A tentacle, wrapped in terrifying force, smashed down toward Darian's head. The water was forcefully torn open, leaving a white trail, the speed so fast it didn't seem like it should belong to a creature of this size.
Darian flapped his single wing, and his whole body dodged to the side.
At the same time, two golden electric beams suddenly shot from his eyes, splitting the water and striking directly on the surface of the tentacle, causing the shell on the tentacle to instantly explode into a charred black mark.
However, this bit of damage really didn't amount to much for Karathen.
That charred patch on its tentacle was, at best, equivalent to a human's leg hair being singed by a cigarette butt.