The party reached land. The Merlude invited Braxton and Vixen to go out to eat at their home. The couple gladly excepted. They followed the Merlude and quickly discovered they were two couples. Their idea of a couple was different form humans. To the Merlude couple was a brother and sister or cousins. They lived together and raised the female's children together. They didn't mate with each other. They mated with other couples.
The temples were holy sites for them. Outsiders could be allowed to go there, but would have to be invited. They would also have to participate in the ritual mating.
"Can I ask who those other humanoids were?" Braxton asked.
"Those are our distant cousins. We used to live in the sea and had tails too. Our people developed over many generations. They want to be like us but also able to stay in the sea. We mate with them from time to time. If the offspring have tails we take them to the sea. If they have legs, they bring them to the shore. They are called the Merlouse. They are more warlike than we are." Their host who's name was Finious explained to them.
"How big it this sea?" Braxton inquired.
"It covers much of the surface of our world." Finious stated frankly.
"Like how much of the world? Do you know?" Braxton question curiously.
Finious pulled out a dome. It looked like the top of a globe. The bottom rim was red land surrounding the base. The top was mostly blue with a couple islands of notable size. Then he said "We cannot venture into he red. It is deadly to us. The borderlands are nice and our people live between the two worlds."
"So all this blue is the sea? Wow that is almost the whole world. How do you know what is aggressive in the seas?" Braxton was hoping to learn what would attack him while swimming around.
"If it has sharp teeth and is bigger than you, it will try to eat you." Finious responded vaguely.
"We can travel in the south." Braxton stated.
"Oh? What did you see? How far did you travel?" Finious questioned curiously.
"Hundreds of miles. It's like things are upside down. The roots grow up and the trees are under the ground. There are creatures everywhere. Up here, I haven't seen as many creatures yet. We haven't explored as much yet in the north." Braxton added.
"This is a subject of much interest for me. Do you think you can provide me with information about what is in the mist?" Finious requested.
"I can have a scientist meet with you. They will be able to discuss that with you to your heart's content. Much of what I have found and learned is guesses. We have suits for surviving down there. If not for those, we wouldn't last more that a few hours. So your representation of the world is appropriate. Half of your world is unable to support life, as you know it. I suspect the humanoid from there, would be unable to survive up here to long. Our mounts from there wouldn't come to far up his way." Braxton informed him.
"That is very interesting. I look forward to talking with your scientist." Finious replied.
"Are there many species like the Merlouse and your people in the vastness of the sea?" Braxton pressed the conversation back into an area he was interested.
"There are many. The seas are a violent place. You saw the weapons in the temple, yes?" Finious stated plainly.
"I did. Is it possible to get some of those weapons?" Braxton inquired quickly.
"It could be arranged. I could help a friend acquire some. If I get useable data on the other half on my world, I will help you get weapons." Finious bargained.
"Know this though, they are only useful under the water. We had to adapt them when we came out of the seas." Finious added.
"That's fine, my girl here likes weapons." Braxton said.
"Does she need to mate? She is a very attractive specimen of your species. You could mate with my sister." Finious offered eagerly.
"Um, I'm guessing you haven't learned much of our culture yet." He hadn't though much of being naked until this moment. Finious had been looking at Vixen frequently as they talked. He hadn't thought anything of that either. Braxton had been eyeing his sister too. She was attractive too. Nakedness wasn't uncommon on the beach. People going to the beach were also naked.
Braxton explained the offer to Vixen. She looked Finious up and down, then said with a grin "I don't think he's got enough to satisfy my needs. A few months ago maybe."
Braxton spent a while explaining human relationships to Finious. He seemed disappointed that he wouldn't get a roll with Vixen. His sister seemed crushed she would get a roll with Braxton. She went and got a robe and put it on. Then the rest of them all dressed. The couple left soon after it had become a little awkward.
"This place is interesting. But I think we've learned something, if we want to swim a lot then this place is fun. We'd need flippers and have to wait for weapons. There are loads of potential humanoid enemies out in the seas. I'm thinking we should do some exploring and hunting here. If the creatures and blood are useful we can keep going until I've maxed my points. If not we can go back south. This area can be populated with gates by my fathers workers." Braxton decided.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask if I was ok with you jumping his sister. She was pretty hot." Vixen stated.
Braxton blushed at the unexpected statement. "It was a swap. I didn't want to saddle you with something unsatisfying." He replied weakly.
"Good answer. Let's go kill something." Vixen stated slyly.
The couple went west and killed a few different creatures. Braxton didn't get any benefits from the meat or the blood. After three days of traveling without any progress, they determined it was useless to stay in the northern areas. They dropped another portal near the ocean and returned home. They explained their findings on the northern creatures to his father. He also setup for a scientific team to be dispatched and talk with Finious.
Their findings were refuted. Vector and Cammy told them it took a while but, they were growing stronger and getting skills. It was unclear why it wasn't working for Braxton and Vixen. The only explanation was how much they had consumed in the southern regions.
Another thing that happened when they were back in the world was, blood sales were outlawed. It became a black market product and the prices skyrocketed. The companies that manufactured drugs were taking a serious hit on their sales. The blood sold was curing many illnesses and costing them millions every day.
Braxton called the number on the card. He had fifty vials of the northern blood that was unless for him. He offered them at the same price and made another five million. Then went back into the Blood Furnace.