Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength-Chapter 1238 - 1232: Princess Claudia

"It should be..."

Faced with Ronald's inquiry, Mou Li replied blankly.

However, she quickly reacted, then changed her response by pointing to the newly built camp opposite:

"Ronald, hold on for a moment!"

"Miss Catherine and Her Highness have discussed many things. You should find out the details first and then decide."

Upon hearing this, Ronald raised his hand to wipe the nonexistent sweat from his face, then turned to express his gratitude and rushed towards the camp.

Seeing this, Nicole said goodbye and returned to her post, continuing to help monitor the lava lake that could spawn powerful monsters at any time.

Everything seemed orderly and was gradually returning to a manageable state.

But one person was feeling utterly miserable now—the mermaid.

Lulu did not show fear because of the monsters in the lava, nor did she become dejected for failing to assist during the descent, but ever since hearing Mou Li's news, her face had turned extremely ugly.

"Ronald, are we going down into the lava?"

The path to the camp was not far, yet before arriving, Lulu couldn't help but speak up.

"If nothing unexpected happens, probably." Ronald responded.

Ronald had indeed noticed Lulu's condition. As a mermaid who favored water environments, it was only natural that she couldn't adapt to the terrain of a lava lake.

Therefore, after answering, Ronald asked with concern:

"Lulu, you probably don't have a good way to protect yourself in the lava, do you?"

Ronald understood Lulu's mindset very well.

For someone keen on adventure, encountering such an obstacle mid-journey definitely wasn't a good experience.

Lulu bluntly nodded in acknowledgment:

"Correct, I don't have equipment to dive into the lava."

"After all, in my original plan, I was just planning on exploring the ocean and mountains—who knew we'd end up in such a secret realm?"

Rather than complaining, now Lulu seemed more anxious.

She evidently wanted to see what's in the lava lake, but the reality was—with her current ability, in less than ten minutes on the descent she'd turn into a grilled fish, and if she stayed any longer, not even ash would remain!

Feeling Lulu's excitement, Ronald began to comfort her:

"Don't worry yet, I might have a way to help."

Lulu eagerly clutched Ronald's arm:

"You have a way? What way?"

Ronald replied:

"It's related to my spells; we can try it out soon."

"..."

In conversation and while on their way, the camp arrived quickly.

Although Lulu was curious about Ronald's 'method,' she knew it wasn't the time to cling to him, so she obediently let go.

However, before they reached Claudia's tent, the First Princess of Gred herself came out to meet them.

"Ronald, you finally caught up!"

Claudia greeted them with a smile.

And Ronald had to admit—Claudia had changed a lot.

Although her stance and appearance were the same as before, after months of sailing, contacting various forces, and dealing with all sorts of issues, Claudia had genuinely become the leader of the fleet.

Through such transformation, she now began to reveal her leadership temperament.

It was the kind of determination, straightforwardness, clarity, and outspoken attitude towards pursuing goals.

In different contexts, such traits might not make Claudia a mature leader.

But in this world filled with magic, the outcome might be unpredictable.

Many thoughts crossed Ronald's mind before he finally showed a friendly smile and greeted Claudia:

"Of course, I said before I left, I'd definitely catch up. But—where are Costate and Il? According to their character, they should have emerged on their own by now, right?"

"They went with Miss Catherine," Claudia concisely replied, "Ronald, I know you must be very curious about the events here. But before we officially start, let's find somewhere to sit and talk."

Ronald nodded in agreement.

He still trusted Catherine.

If Costate and Il were presently with the head of the astronomy division, Ronald thought there shouldn't be any problems.

Following Claudia's lead, the group entered a tent.

For someone only here for less than a day, the tent was equipped with tables and chairs crudely constructed with spells, merely passable.

Claudia casually seated herself on a stone chair, then began to speak:

"By the way, Ronald."

"In the day we've been here, the pirates outside shouldn't have boarded our ship, right?"

Ronald replied:

"The fleet is very secure."

"At least when we entered, no one could have sneaked aboard."

Patricia affirmed Ronald's statement:

"Your Highness, when Ronald entered here, he launched assaults against the pirates; they should have no strength left to come here afterward."

Patricia's attitude towards Ronald caught Claudia's attention.

She keenly observed Patricia until the swordswoman felt awkward, and Claudia left a teasing glance before steering the conversation back:

"Alright, let's talk about the important matters now."

"Ronald, I've learned quite a bit from Catherine. You can ask questions you're curious about, or I can tell you everything fully—take your pick."

Ronald pondered for several seconds before asking:

"What's Catherine's purpose in staying here?"

"She's suppressing the monsters in the lava lake—according to her, when this world approaches collapse, it attracts the attention of a particular entity, so we must prevent it from invading."

Ronald continued asking:

"So the purpose of setting all this up..."

"Setting this up is because she needs your help. Relying solely on Catherine to enter the other world cannot achieve the feat of 'deicide.'"

"..."

"Deicide?" Ronald's tone was somewhat uncontrolled, but he still tried to keep calm, "I've never heard of such an entity. The mysterious books at most describe entities like man-made deities!"

Claudia shrugged, clearly exasperated too.

"Before coming here, I thought the same as you. As for now—in my understanding, that entity is likely what cultist magicians refer to as the 'Great Being.'"

The atmosphere in the tent grew tense, and everyone's heartbeat quickened due to the topic.

But unexpectedly, Mermaid Lulu interrupted suddenly:

"I do know the truth about this matter."

"Deities do exist, you know."