Chapter 126: A Fortuitous Encounter

What was this deep blue, mysterious liquid? What were its effects? Why was it placed in such a location? Bellamy racked his brain for a long time but couldn't recall any useful information. Nothing like this had ever appeared in the original story, and the Lvneel Kingdom was just a minor, insignificant entity in the North Blue, practically non-existent.

This liquid, hidden countless meters underground, covered by innumerable beetles and a million skeletons, with a Poneglyph suppressing it from above… hidden so securely, it was clear that no one was meant to find it.

"Hidden in such a place, how do they even use it themselves?" It had taken Bellamy so much effort just to get down here; if it were anyone else, they could dig for days and nights and still not necessarily reach this spot.

This question made him hesitate for a moment, but he soon perceived the trick. "These plant root-like, intangible tentacles can pass through solid matter at will." "Since those people could set up such a mechanism, they can surely control it." When they wanted to use it, they could just summon these tentacles to bring up a bit of the liquid.

If Bellamy's guess was correct, then this liquid should also be intangible. Thinking this, Bellamy deactivated his Observation Haki. Once his mind's eye closed, all the blue fluorescence vanished. Without a light source, the entire secret chamber instantly plunged into darkness.

Bellamy brought his hands together and rubbed his palms vigorously. Tssla-la! A sound like metal grinding against metal, and countless sparks showered from in front of him. By this dim light, the anticipated scene appeared before his eyes. The stone platform was, indeed, completely empty. This deep blue liquid could not be seen by the naked eye.

"Intangible matter… it should be some kind of mystical item related to the soul."

No one could tell him what effects this thing had, or what side effects. To figure out what this substance truly was, he would have to test it personally. No matter how he looked at it, this thing was incredibly bizarre. If possible, Bellamy actually wasn't very keen on touching it. But he had already come all this way; was he to leave empty-handed?

Reactivating his Observation Haki and casually dodging the tentacles' attacks, Bellamy stood in place, thinking for a moment. He decided not to touch it for the time being. He grabbed a large handful of beetles from outside and tossed them towards the stone platform. Since it was something related to the soul, and beetles were living creatures, he'd test it on them first.

Bellamy hadn't expected that this simple toss would trigger some special mechanism. The moment these beetles approached the small puddle, the tentacles that had been motionless around the stone platform instantly sprang to life. Within this small secret chamber, dozens of extremely dangerous, strange roots suddenly shot out.

Bellamy didn't dare to be careless and, with a small leap, retreated out of the secret chamber. But the activated tentacles didn't seem to appreciate his caution, closely following behind him along with the original four, lunging towards him at high speed.

"Life Return!"

There were too many of these tentacles. If he kept dodging, he wouldn't be able to continue exploring. Bellamy tried using his hair, imbuing it with Armament Haki, and struck out. Armament Haki truly lived up to its reputation as one of this world's top-tier powers. Although the amount he could imbue was minuscule, its inherent quality was undeniable. Just a wisp at the tip of his hair, upon contact with these roots, immediately sent them flying.

"It works." Since he could hit them, these tentacles posed no further threat to him.

Just as Bellamy was thinking this, the tentacle that had been knocked away trembled violently in mid-air and then shot towards him with even greater speed. It was as if a creature that previously only had basic instincts had suddenly had its aggression triggered. Bellamy's counterattack not only failed to improve the situation but actually made the cavern even more dangerous.

"This thing is definitely alive!" A non-living object wouldn't react like this. What in the world were these strange tentacles?

Fortunately, no matter how fast this thing was, its attack method was still too simplistic. For some unknown reason, "they" were stubbornly determined to pierce the crown of Bellamy's head. If it weren't for their sheer numbers, filling half the underground space as they moved, Bellamy wouldn't even bother with them.

However, watching the tentacles weaving all over the place, a flash of inspiration struck Bellamy. This thing's behavior was very mechanical and followed a pattern. If that was the case…

Bellamy leaped into the air and began to rapidly circle the entire cavern. He sprinted ahead, with a large cluster of fluorescent blue tentacles madly chasing after him. Before long, they had completed several large circles in the air. Just then, Bellamy suddenly jumped up and down several times consecutively. These roots followed suit, darting up and down chaotically, and ended up completely entangled with each other.

Looking at the roots tangled into a messy ball, Bellamy nodded with satisfaction. "Finally, some peace and quiet."

Now, he could finally properly test what that deep blue liquid was. Bellamy once again grabbed some beetles and returned to the secret chamber. He carefully placed one beetle into the blue liquid and waited quietly for a change to occur.

The mysterious liquid did not disappoint him. Soon, the beetle began to tremble rapidly. Then, a miraculous scene unfolded. Within his Observation Haki's perception, a new sound suddenly appeared in the previously empty secret chamber. This sound was like a newborn infant crying out desperately.

After coming into contact with this mysterious liquid, the beetle had actually gained sentience and self-awareness. It could feel fear, it could cry out. Even if its intelligence was very low, this beetle had still become a truly living being.

At this point, Bellamy was finally certain that this small puddle of liquid was indeed a treasure rarely seen in the world. The Lvneel Kingdom had not hesitated to slaughter a million of its own people, possibly over a period exceeding a hundred years, painstakingly accumulating this tiny puddle. And now, it lay completely unguarded before Bellamy.

Why would Bellamy be polite with such scum? He immediately picked up his Den Den Mushi and called Drake.

"Go buy a clean cloth and some ink." "Then go capture a pirate, alive." "After that, everyone gather in the underground passage."

So much time had passed; he wondered if the Lvneel Kingdom had realized what was happening yet. But it didn't matter. Even if they had, so what? A mere tiny kingdom – he had casually killed their king last time. Killing him again wouldn't take much effort.

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