The intangible Hand of Soul Splitting passed through the Water Shield unobstructed, directly rushing into No. 03’s body.
No. 03’s movements halted for a moment. Yet soon, she resumed as if unaffected, continuing to generate water ripples.
"Something is blocking the Hand of Soul Splitting... Your Soul has a barrier?" Nis asked in surprise.
No. 03 ignored Nis’s inquiry, but her lips curved slightly. While displaying triumphant feelings, she silently mocked Nis.
"I’m leaving first. As for that mechanical head... if you have the guts, keep destroying it, the unknown punishment will surely befall you."
As soon as Number 03 finished speaking, water ripples had already formed, and half her body was submerged within them.
"Are the people from your ghostly base only capable of running away?" Ferro said in frustration.
"Hehe, never fight an unprepared battle, that’s my motto." Accompanied by the faint sound of water, Number 03’s figure completely vanished into the water ripples.
In Number 03’s view, Ferro and Nis outside were venting their anger on the surroundings. Ferro was burning the head of the Surge Alchemist while Nis summoned a large skeleton army to wantonly destroy everything around, seemingly trying to force Number 03 out from hiding.
Number 03 sneered and shook her head, "As long as I don’t show myself, the ability of the Watermark, even Number 01 and Number 02 can’t break it. You, hmph."
Upon saying that, Number 03 turned to delve deeper into the Watermark.
However, just as she turned around, Number 03 felt a faint dizziness before her eyes.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her eyelids softly, "Am I too tired recently?"
When she reopened her eyes, the dizziness had vanished, and the familiar setup surrounded her: the golden pool, with water columns gushing high and foaming inside, and the statue of a praying maiden in the center, carved in her likeness.
This Golden Pool is the core within the Watermark, an alchemy creation rewarded to her by the faction. The water spurting inside the pool is pure Water Force.
Previously, when the Surge Alchemist was wounded, he was immersed in the pool and quickly recovered through the soothing of Water Force.
Around the pool, there’s a living area paved with crystals—there’s a sofa, tables and chairs, mirrors, a wardrobe, and some knickknacks.
Number 03 called this place the Crystal Zone.
Usually, when Number 03 enters the Watermark, she would rest in this Crystal Zone.
She exhaled the turbid air from her mouth and stumbled slightly as she sat down on the sofa in the Crystal Zone. Perhaps it was due to repeatedly using her spell technique through the Watermark that she felt a little dizzy.
After resting on the sofa for quite a while, she felt somewhat better.
She looked up instinctively at the Golden Pool.
For some reason, she felt that the Golden Pool seemed bland today, as if the steam wasn’t dense enough.
She stood up, wanting to check out the pool, but just as she stood, her head spun again and her vision blurred, forcing her to sit back down.
After resting a bit more, she felt refreshed and looked at the Golden Pool again... the density of the steam had restored to normal.
Did she misinterpret earlier? Number 03 pinched her brows, something felt off, but upon careful thought, everything seemed alright too.
The situation felt a bit eerie; Number 03 decided to meditate and examine herself.
Just as she was about to meditate, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from outside. She hesitated, raising her hand to swipe before her, conjuring a water mirror displaying the outside scene.
Upon closer scrutiny, the screams previously heard were from Nis and Ferro, shouting in anger because they couldn’t find Number 03.
"Jumping clowns." Number 03 transmitted her mocking voice out of the Watermark.
Upon hearing it, Ferro and Nis became even more furious.
Watching the two wizards outside in their incensed state, Number 03 inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction.
She even carried a strange yet superior feeling as she approached the wardrobe, interestedly selecting a few bathrobes, standing before a full-length mirror, gauging which suited her better.
"When Numbers 01 and 02 return, I’ll wear the gleaming gown bestowed upon us and go out; when those two bastards see it, they’re bound to be even more annoyed." Her expression in the mirror was filled with slyness and an eerie delight, "The unhappier they are, the happier I get!"
—While they destroy outside, I leisurely bathe and change clothes within the Watermark. Anyone knowing this would feel upset.
Thinking of this, Number 03 even started humming a little tune with unexplainable delight.
Then... she took off the blue-scaled formal gown, revealing underneath a curvaceous, fair, and slender body.
Looking at the perfect form in the mirror, Number 03 even narcissistically caressed herself.
The only thing that dissatisfied her was the numeric tattoo on her face.
"As long as this operation succeeds, the upper echelon will certainly reward me, and then I can request to erase the tattoo from my face like... those people."
Murmuring to herself for a while, Number 03 got lost again in the mirror at the sight of such an exquisite version of herself.
She flaunted several alluring poses while being stark naked until a strange noise rang unexpectedly.
Gulp—Tsk—
This sound was akin to someone gulping.
More importantly, the sound... was close at hand!!
Number 03 froze, why would she hear such noise?
Could there be someone else here? Impossible, this is the inside of the Watermark!
But if no one is here, then where did the gulping sound come from?
She looked around perplexedly.
Looking at the magnificent Golden Pool far away, looking at the sofa and tables, and then back to the mirror before her... everything seemed familiar, yet everything appeared alien.
This isn’t right, something’s really off!
Number 03 rubbed her temples as if pondering something deeply.
"Right, I remember now!" Number 03 suddenly rushed to the pool’s edge, madly reaching her hand into the pool.
Despite the rippling water before her eyes, she didn’t feel any moisture.
Or rather, there was a moist sensation, but it felt like an external simulation, not the real thing!
As a Water System wizard, she knew water’s feel very well.
The water in the pool was a complete fake!
If even the water was fake, then could this entire space possibly be...