Lᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 𝘈𝘳𝘬𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘥
Tɪᴍᴇ: 6:13𝘢𝘮 (𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘹 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘰'𝘴 𝘌𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦)
It was a hectic morning, a day has passed after the battle in the royal castle of Arkheist. It was a peaceful day and the water city of Blesmund located in the regions of Arkheist was enjoying a peaceful day under the protection of it's underwater defence. It remained that way even after an ordinary looking sparrow passed by it's surface undisturbed.
The flying animal however seemed strange, the reason is that it kept glancing here and there curiously as thought it had never seen the sea before. Grandly, it opened it's mouth.
Ishigami: "According to the GPS Bunny gave me, Skyler is thousands of kilometres away from Molonia. It looks like I only covered half the distance after 8 days of flying, geez❗"
After failing to rescue Skyler through the werewolf units, Bunny had given an order to Ishigami in Neko's stead. It was to rescue Skyler who was presently located in the country of elves, Halheiven.
Azathoth: "Pretty sure you shouldn't have taken that long if you hadn't went in different places to do sightseeing."
Ishigami: "Wait, so it's my fault❗❓"
Along with Azathoth's unannounced visit in his thoughts, Ishigami replied bitterly while flapping his wings unsteadily. In order to get to his destination faster, he assumed the form of an aerial animal before he set off.
Ishigami: "Did you want anything, Hiiro❓"
Azathoth: "No, I just came to give you a piece of information. For the most part, you should delay your rescue of Skyler. In fact, you shouldn't save him."
Ishigami: "Really❓ Are you sure I'm allowed to do that❓"
Azathoth: "Ofcourse, do you think he would die?"
After hesitating a bit, Ishigami let out a sigh and shook his head to say that he's right. It's not like Azathoth would let him die so easily. Ishigami's voice was changed to match that of his current bird form so he was being reluctant in speaking out loud, though birds like that shouldn't even be able to talk to begin with.
Azathoth: "You don't need to save him."
Ishigami: "If you say so..."
Azathoth: "Afterall, I don't want you guys to ruin what I want to happen."
He pretended not to hear the last words Azathoth uttered out. Soon after that, Ishigami changed course and halted in his pursuit of Skyler. Since his job was cancelled and he was already far away from the base anyway, he thought it a good idea to stay in a place and get some food.
Ishigami: (I'm hungry...)
Before he had started his mission, he was given rations to last the journey. But because he extended the time of his travels, the rations he received ran out faster than calculated by the Coalition and as such he had to resort to eating fruits that he saw on the way.
Ishigami: "The food I asked them to send to me will arrive tomorrow."
After sulking in mid air for a couple of seconds, he felt something strange. As if something cold and foreign entered his body... This was a sensation felt by a mana user whenever there is a large cluster of magic nearby. This could only mean a few things. It's either a rare magic core from a powerful monster, or an energy produced by a large population of this world's inhabitants... And as in this world, the only species that could hold a significant amount of mana and have a large population are the humans or humanoid races, this could only mean two things... A city or a boss monster.
After making a swirling right turn and diving down across the skies, he afterwards penetrated the vast sea's hydrosphere and entered underwater. It may look strange for a bird to dive right in the sea unless he was a seagle searching for food but he didn't care much either way and muttered.
Ishigami: "Create Potion Combo! [𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯]❗"
Green liquid wrapped and coated Ishigami's body. Then slowly, his figure began to increase in size to that of a creature six times the size of a blue whale.
*Sounds of water splashing and expanding*
The creature had the appearance of a colossal snake with majestic azure scales. A mythical being sometimes referred to as the World Serpent, or the... Leviathan.
The leviathan which was Ishigami, casually dived underwater. The reason he chose this form instead of a cute small clownfish to breath underwater was because there was a high possibility there existed creatures here that could kill him in the blink of an eye if he ever did turn into one. Even in the previous world, such thing was possible. While being a strong mythical monster like a leviathan gives him the impression of being a threat, this makes him intimidating to almost all monsters but at the cost of having a bounty on his head if he was seen by humans.
As he moved, he took one glance from behind him to observe his rear. His whole body seemed to be slithering in the water to propel itself and allow movement, with the azure scales that covered his body shimmering from the reflection of the tiny fragments of light above water. He also noticed that this form of his had a pair of arms and legs, although they were not large enough to make him walk on two feet, his appearance matched that of a chinese celestial dragon.
He looked downwards.
Ishigami: (I knew it❗ So it was an underwater civilization after all❗)
If one were to look into Ishigami's perspective. There is a gigantic silhouette nonchalantly lying at the bottom of the sea. It is the very figure of the Blesmund city itself, the silhouette were just the shadows of all the buildings in the area which numbered over 90. Each building had transparent cubes that connected one building to another, allowing safe transportation.
Ishigami: (I'm really interested. But how do I get in❓)
He kept turning his head looking for an entrance like a tunnel connecting it to land but there weren't such a thing.
He floated lazily in place and made himself invisible with one of his potions. It would be troublesome if he were to be seen. Even he knew what leviathans are and that he would be subdued if ever he was found.
While racking his head, he saw something approaching the underwater city.
Ishigami: "A submarine❓"
He said. But bubbles came out of his mouth instead of comprehensible words.
The submarine silently went closer and eventually entered, not the city but a cave. Ishigami followed suite while having trouble with the narrowness of the cave.
The interior was lit with glowing crystals embedded on the walls. The submarine made it's way through the cavity in the cave. A few minutes later, Ishigami couldn't help but look up, there was a surface there. This was an underwater cave that has it's own supply of oxygen.
"The first batch of transportation watercrafts from the Longren region for today are here. We welcome you to our blessed Blesmund, the city loved by the water goddess, Aqua!"
The sounds of a big group of people disembarking the submarine could be heard by Ishigami through the vibrations in the water caused by the soundwaves.
"What do you mean, blessed by the water Goddess Aqua?! I don't remember blessing anything in this world!! I already knew when I came here that I didn't know this place!"
A girl with blue aquatic hair who just got out of the submarine started shouting at the people, to be more precise it was to the man who welcomed them in.
"O-Oi! Stop making a ruckus you shitty, Goddess! Please excuse her, she has brain issues, to make it worse, she's probably just tired from the journey. Just think of her as one of those 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 of people."
"Who are you calling a shitty goddess, Kazuma?! You should be thankful I'm giving you hospitality to this place surrounded by my divine water!!"
A young man with brown hair followed her out and instantly held her hands behind her back while apologizing deeply to everyone with a sorrowful look. His name was Satou Kazuma, someone who died and reincarnated in another world.
Kazuma: "You just said you didn't bless anything here!!"
Aqua: "I did not!"
The two kept blabbering and throwing insults at each other without mercy. The people looked at them unpleasantly.
"Poor girl... She must have had it rough in the submarine. Specially with that condition of hers... She even had amnesia..."
An old plump woman wearing a pink dress spewed out while looking at Aqua with sorrowful, tearful eyes. A man who seemed like her son wiped her tears. Everyone was convinced by Kazuma and begun to direct pity at Aqua.
Aqua: "K-Kazuma!!
Aqua sobbed while throwing weak punches at Kazuma's chest after understanding that she had just become the target of pity.
Darkness: "How does it feel being looked at like you're a dead person, Aqua?"
This time, another girl appeared. But unlike the last, she had blonde hair, a crusader outfit and a rather perverted look on her face. Upon seeing this, Kazuma smirked while looking at Aqua.
Megumin: "Ugh... We're underwater, does this mean I can't do explosions here, Kazuma?"
A displeased voice cried out behind Darkness the crusader, it was a loli with a witch outfit having a piggy back ride on Darkness.
Kazuma: "That's right, I don't want to have a debt even in this world too, Megumin. Wait, did I just set a flag?"
"You did."
The three girls answered in chorus. Kazuma was immediately placed in unease.
Kazuma: "Ah, shit."
After everyone from the outside got bored of their idle talk, they each left one by one.
"Hey, what's that thing in the water?"
There was a jellyfish. Poking it's head from the cavewater's surface.
Ishigami: (So there are Roleplayers here too.)
"It's just a jellyfish. How did it even end up here?"
"I don't know, probably followed the water craft."
"Did anyone notice the water pressure drop a little earlier?"
After seeing the surface, Ishigami immediately changed his form into a jelly fish. If there was a surface in a cave where a submarine gets itself into, there was bound to be people in it, atleast according to the movies he watched. It was the right choice because being in such a big form, even if he's invisible, it doesn't change the fact his body had mass and it was separating the water apart. But right now, he can't see a thing due to being a jellyfish. Though he can sense almost everything in the water due to his tentacles that act as his eyes, ears, and nose. Despite the simple structure of a jellyfish's nervous system, he can think just fine.
This place is what they call a terminal. A watercraft or a submarine acts as a transportation vehicle in this human settlement to deliver people from the harbors to this place. There are a total of 5 watercrafts and they can only transport people 3 times a day. Morning, Afternoon then Evening, respectively.
After the workers who welcomed the people averted their eyes from his insignificant appearance, Ishigami snuck out of the water and reverted back to being a human to blend in with the crowd.
Ishigami: (Having my potion skills sure is handy in this world.)
For a moment he thought a guard noticed that he was not from the watercraft but they didn't really question him so he proceeded entering the city pretending that he actually did.
Ishigami: "So this is a city underwater, huh."
"Is this your first time here, sir?"
After he entered the crowd, families, pairs and one person were given guides. The one who Ishigami received was a girl with a twin-tailed dark blue hair. It was also the same person who noticed that Ishigami was being suspicious. Her blue eyes sparked every time he does any strange movements.
Ishigami: "Y-Yeah, it's my first time here. Since we'll be going through the city, what should I call you?"
Yumi: " I'm Yumire Ie Valenzein. But you can call me Yumi, that's what everyone calls me. My family has been working for Arkheist ever since it's creation."
Ishigami: "What's Arkheist?"
Despite not knowing what that is, he still feels like he heard it somewhere before.
Yumi's eyes narrowed vigilantly and sparked yet again with a dangerous amber color.
Yumi: "Why don't you know one of the five famous countries on Amalgia?"
She threw out a question at him as if she was a snake waiting to pounce on him at any second. Ishigami averted his eyes out of nervousness, it only made him look more suspicious though.
Ishigami: "About that... I'm actually what you would call a hikikomori..."
Yumi: "Hiki-komori?"
She repeated.
Her expression changed slightly from cautious to less-cautious out of curiosity.
Ishigami: "It's someone who shuts himself in their room all the time. Not caring about what's happening in the world outside."
Yumi: "Is that so... So where are your guardians?"
However, she didn't seem to give up just yet on her questions. She continued pestering him. It made Ishigami think, Is she really a guide?
Ishigami: "I only have my dad, my mother and father separated when I was young. My father, uh... He's busy researching alchemy."
Yumi: "Interesting, so your father is an alchemist. What does that have to do with you not knowing about Arkheist?"
She's really persistent, Ishigami scratched the side of his head and thought up some bullshits he can use to trick her.
Ishigami: "Because my father was busy with his job, I shut myself in my room and also studied alchemy."
Just like this, they continued chatting about themselves while walking through the city. As expected, inside the city, it looked similar to that of being in a large aquarium. Despite the chatty personality of Yumi, she didn't forget to introduce the buildings and their utilities to Ishigami. Well, she is a guide afterall.
Yumi: "This is the alchemy guild. You mentioned studying alchemy, right? So if you want, you can register here to study, buy and sell potions with the cooperation of Blesmund's best alchemists. If you become a successful alchemist, don't forget me, alright?"
While on the way to the South-East district, Yumi showed Ishigami to a building that looked like it was out of a witch's tale. Because it absolutely looked like a spooky tavern with all that dead grass by it's lawn and the suspicious aura oozing out from it, coupled with the spider webs on it's corners.
Yumi: "This is the Alchemist Guild."
With a bright smile on her face, she looked at the building proudly as if she owned the place. Ishigami ignored that and went inside alone.
Yumi: "H-Hey! Don't leave me out here!"
The first thing Ishigami saw was a place lit by bright dazzling lanterns that floated in midair, giving the surroundings a gloomy yet fantastical feel to it.
Yumi: "Geez! Don't leave me alone like that!"
She was unheard. Why? Because Ishigami was currently engrossed in surveying the place right now that he even forgot that he was being accompanied by someone.
This place's structure looked like that of a pub's. Except the receptionists not only manage the guild's paperworks, but they also serve booze. And... Potions?
The sound of the door crashing open resonated in the room. It didn't seem to bother anyone though and the person who appeared by the entrance wore a blue scarf on his neck. His light armor was colored lime which was the same as his hair and eyes.
The newcomer approached a haggard-looking receptionist.
"Yo! I've come to buy healing potions again!"
"Eh? Sir, didn't you just buy 4 earlier?"
With a stupefied expression, the receptionist asked in disbelief.
"Well. Today on my way to the labyrinth, I actually found a party of Adventurers gravely wounded in the second floor, so I used them all to heal the reckless guys."
"I see... What a generous heart you have. But that wouldn't exempt you from paying the exact price of the potions, I believe?"
"Haha! Ofcourse! They paid me extra for the money it costed me to save them, so I can actually buy two more now."
Ishigami and Yumi watched the two as they conversed.
Yumi: "Those two seem to get along well."
Ishigami: "Do you know them❓"
Yumire shook her head.
Yumi: "Not really, I just see them together when I come here sometimes."
Ishigami: "What do you do here❓"
Yumi: "Well, I do have alot of part-time jobs and one of them just so happens to be a delivery girl. So once in a while I'm asked to deliver potions from this guild! Phew~ this talking work is getting me thirsty."
She licked her lips and pulled out a bottle of water from her pockets and began to drink it's contents.
"Wh-What?! We're truly sorry to inform you, adventurer. But it turns out we've ran out of healing potions."
"Holy slime, how?! It shouldn't run out this early in the morning!"
"Well, it's because this morning, a caravan from the knights orders came to the guild and bought from us many of our supplies..."
The adventurer stood there nonplussed of his current situation. Whether he should be mad or not.
Yumi: "It must be an attack from Sarcia again. They've been so active in offending our kingdom lately."
She whispered to Ishigami in a low voice. The latter on the other hand approached and placed his hand on the Adventurer's left shoulder.
Ishigami: "You're having trouble with potions, right❓ I can sell you some."
"Eh? You can?"
Ishigami: "Yup. I'm an alchemist."
"Sir Alchemist, may I see your guild card before beginning your business?"
Ishigami froze in place before replying.
Ishigami: "About that, I'm just about to register today."
The receptionist looked suspiciously at Ishigami as he started to walk to the reception desk.
"Welcome to the Alchemist Guild, are you here to register as an alchemist?"
She asked him. Surely this would have been her millionth time already, observing how she was able to act like a professional.
Ishigami: "Yeah, I wanna register."
"Understood. Then please sign this form please and we will prepare your guild card after looking into your information in that piece of paper. As an alchemist, we best suggest that you keep your identity anonymous."
Ishigami received a paper and quill. Before writing, he first glanced and read through the form he was to fill up.
"Name:
Age:
Gender:
Birthplace:
Address:
Nationalization:
Social Status:
Class:
Religion:
Constellation:
Element:"
He picked up the quill and wrote on the paper all his answers truthfully. Except the name which he configured.
After finishing the questions, he handed the paper over to the receptionist who began to read it.
"This looks okay. I see the names of places I have never heard of before, but the world is wide so it must be there. And thank you for your cooperation."
The woman walked inside a room that was beside her desk. Ishigami and Yumi, including the Adventurer waited at the front of the counter.
However, instead of bringing in Ishigami's guild card, a large amount of paper came into view and was dumped right in front of him atop the receptionist desk.
Author Note
HiiroAzathoth:
"Heya! I am here to apologise to everyone who read WRBI for my sudden disappearance and hiatus of the novels. Apparently, I got a little disoriented with my novels' stories and their developments was something to be wary of, so I gotta do it right. Most importantly, I actually was thinking that I suck at writing until someone encouraged me back on my feet. So, now I'm back and I will atleast publish 1 chapter a week as agreed with my artist partner.
A picture of my two children, Clodwal and Atala Okamura. (This was made by my mangaka friend)