As it turned out, the journey to the destination that the Ancient Aquatic Artifact pointed me toward was anticlimactically uneventful.
I had expected to encounter enemies on the way there. Aggressive spirit beasts or hostile demonic monsters like the merfolk or Megalodon. But nothing. Interestingly enough, just like most of Earth's terrestrial creatures before the manifestation of spiritual qi, most marine spirit beasts tended to ignore humans if left unprovoked. Despite the desire to hunt a Megalodon or two, when I actually saw them swim past, I decided to leave them alone.
There was little point in attacking them when they weren't bothering me. Coexistence was good. It always irked me that in web novels and manhua, the protagonists and their sects would hunt down like hundreds of spirit beasts and gather their cores or whatever just to pass their sects' trials or some bullshit like that. It was a wonder that the poor spirit beasts didn't go extinct after the mass hunting that took place every year.
Given the rate that protagonists slaughtered the poor spirit beasts (usually by the hundreds), I was surprised that they didn't cause irreparable to the setting's ecosystem. Of course, the authors were usually edgy people who wanted to show off how overpowered and talented their protagonists were and didn't do any research into how their actions might affect the ecology of their worlds. Most of them just rip off each other's web novels and manhuas or based the logic off games, where a near infinite number of monsters spawn as long as you explored an area.
Unlike reality, the monsters were spawned by random number generators, so you could theoretically hunt an infinite number of them without worrying about the ecosystem.
In the real world, though, we had to worry about overfishing. Take out too many Megalodons or apex predators, and that would mess up the food chain, leading to an overbreeding of the creatures just lower down on the food chain. Without the threat of predators, those secondary predators would reproduce to an overabundance and overeat the tertiary organisms lower down on the food chain. It had a domino effect…
-Can the user please stop delivering a lecture on ecology? Nobody wants to listen to your tedious monologue. Focus on your mission. –
"Right, sorry. Wait, you're actually replying to me when it doesn't matter? Why do you always speak up for the most trivial nonsense, but don't respond when I ask you questions?"
Silence. As expected, the system only talked when it wanted to. I was beginning to feel like An Lin. Maybe I was a fake cultivator as well, given that my specialty was summoning. Then again, I had been relying on conventional cultivation techniques to combat and defeat spirit beasts and other enemies. I was about to say that I used my cultivation techniques to subjugate spirit beasts, but that was only true for the Xiao Ke, Hei Ba the Abyssal Serpent and Long Wang, the Deep Sea King.
If I recalled correctly, Xiao Huo, Da Hai and the Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes agreed to be my spirit beasts and submitted without me ever fighting them. Hell, Xiao Ke was defeated by Da Hai before I captured him, and even Hei Ba was brought down by a Synchronize attack from me and my aquatic armada. I didn't know if Synchronization counted as a cultivation technique. It was a summoner ability gifted to me by the system, so I doubted I could consider it as a cultivation technique.
Yeah, I was starting to be a fake cultivator like An Lin. If only I had a War God System to rely on instead of a Super Summoning System. Maybe I might be able to talk to a beautiful fairy. What was her name again? Tina?
-This system can guarantee the user that it will not transform into a beautiful fairy or anime girl, so please stop fantasizing based off the dongman you have watched. –
Damn it, didn't Tencents appreciate me promoting their other titles? I was about to talk about the Anime made by Bilibili channel on YouTube, but I guess I was digressing too much.
Part of it was because I was so bored by the uneventful journey to the cavern that the Ancient Aquatic Artifact led me to that I allowed my imagination to run wild. Even as I leisurely swam across the sea, all I saw were distant pods of whales, vibrant shoals of fishes of countless colors, families of dolphins, and even the fierce mosasaurs in the distance. A manta ray flapped its wings as it cruised the currents, while a stingray banked about. Jellyfish floated idly, their membranous bodies glittering in the faint sunlight that penetrated the surface of the sea from above. Several plesiosaurs swam together, their long necks stretching outward as they hunted for fish that darted away in a frenzy when their shoals were suddenly intruded upon by hungry predators.
Whenever I saw a pod of whales, I would crane my neck, probably hoping to see the Whale Lord again. No such luck. The sovereign of the sea was probably resting in the depths somewhere, not willing to expose himself to the view of curious humans.
"Whoa!"
I was forced to divert my path when a horde of cephalopods swam past, their tentacles dangling horizontally in the water. Giant squids squirting ink as they confused a bunch of sharks to escape, while an octopus crawled lazily over a reef, its tentacles gripping a clam shell and attempting to crush it to get to the meat inside.
Pincers clacked as crustaceans crawled below me, their legs digging into the seabed. Giant crabs the size of tanks hammered away at the soil, digging loose underwater sand as they caught tubular aquatic worms writhing inside. Large lobsters, each as big as a lorry, lumbered, generating whirlpools to suck in hapless fishes for them to devour.
Honestly, it was kind of sad that I was leaving such an amazing marine ecosystem for the surface. I would miss these awesome sights when I returned home. I could take photos with my smartphone, and I did so occasionally to show my family when I got back, but seeing them in the flesh and looking at photos were two different experiences.
And just like that, I found myself stopping at the entrance of an underwater cavern. The azure light from the Ancient Aquatic Artifact terminated here, and I wasn't sure if I was making a mistake. I took my glasses off and rubbed my eyes before confirming that this was the place that the relic wanted me to come to.
"Might as well go inside."
I swam into the cavern and was surprised to see that the water ended, a pocket of air occupying the majority of the interior. Of course, there was still plenty of submerged spaces, lakes of water huge enough for my aquatic armada to play around in. Having that sensation, I summoned my Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes so that they could have fun and frolic inside the submerged lakes. Da Hai and Xiao Ke joined them, but I didn't dare summon Hei Ba because he might ruin everything. Same with the Deep Sea King, Long Wang.
I could even summon Xiao Huo and give her a little run out. She appeared before running around gratefully, happy to stretch her legs and light up the moss-grown walls with her flames. Wagging her three tails, she turned to me, and I patted her head.
"Sorry for taking so long to summon you. At least there's air here."
Once I made sure that everyone was satisfied, I took the Ancient Aquatic Artifact out and stared at it curiously.
"Why did you want to bring me here? What's up?"
-Quest completed. The user has found the dungeon. Registering this dungeon under the user's ownership. Registration successful. –
"Huh? What? Did you just say dungeon?!"
-That is correct. Please name the dungeon. –
"W…wait!" I waved my hands frantically, still confused at what was going on. "What's going on? This is a dungeon!? There's nothing in here! And how did it suddenly become mine!? What on earth is a dungeon in the first place?!"
-A dungeon is a personal dimensional space filled with spirit beasts and treasures. A dungeon can also serve as a primary summoning space, which is superior to the current summoning space as it grants the user's spirit beasts unparalleled freedom of movement and space to train and grow stronger instead of lying dormant. As an owner of this dungeon, the user will have access to all of its resources. In return, the user is expected to maintain and protect the dungeon from raiders. The user can also expand the dungeon by conquering territory and adding more sections to it, or constructing new areas. –
Yeah, my life just turned from a typical Chinese cultivation web novel to a Korean dungeon one. What in the bloody hell was going on right now?
-Please name the dungeon. –
"R…right." I looked around, still bewildered. Fortunately, I quickly came to terms with it and came to a decision. "Deep Sea Palace."
-Understood. This dungeon shall be registered under the name, Deep Sea Palace. –
That was easy. I still couldn't believe that I was now a proud owner of a dungeon. Whoa.
-To finalize the dungeon's activation, the user should place the Ancient Aquatic Artifact as the dungeon core. –
The glowing windows indicated a central podium right smack in the middle of the cavern, where an altar-shaped pedestal made entirely of stone lay. Even though it looked like a natural formation, there were designs on it that were most definitely artificial. Especially the arcane runes carved into its surface, which emanated power.
I approached it, finding an inlet where I could set the Ancient Aquatic Artifact in. There was a click and the altar came to life, the runes glowing fiercely with azure light. A low hum spread across the dungeon, along with ripples of aquatic qi. The Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes cheered as they soaked in the dense energies.
-Your spirit beasts can also breed and reproduce here. The dungeon also serves as a habitat for the owner's personal spirit beasts. –
"Cool." I could hardly believe what had just fallen into my hands. Not only did I get a brand new, upgraded summoning space for my spirit beasts, it appeared that I would eventually be able to generate resources. "Do I need to collect down gems to upgrade the dungeon?"
-Not down gems, but spirit stones. – The system corrected. I cursed myself for mixing up reality with a Korean manhwa.
"Okay, spirit stones. I'll be sure to get them."
-The user can send out contracted spirit beasts to collect spirit stones from all over the sea if so desired. –
"Okay." I stared at the Little Anglers, wondering if I should task them with the job. Then I recalled the marine life outside. As if reading my mind, the system responded.
-With the dungeon, the user has been granted one hundred ordinary ranked spirit contracts. –
As per their name, they could only be used on ordinary ranked spirit beasts. So I wouldn't be getting an overpowered army anytime soon. But that was fine because I didn't need combatants at the moment. Taking a deep breath, I dove into the pool and went outside.
Less than an hour later, I returned with an armada of Collector Crabs. These were ordinary ranked spirit beasts that were cute little crabs, each the size of my hand. They stared at me with huge eyes, their orange pincers clacking in anticipation. They weren't adorable Nagas, but they were still cute all the same.
"All right, guys! I'll provide you guys with home and shelter in here, and in return, you guys go out and collect spirit stones for this dungeon!"
The Collector Crabs cheered, bubbles foaming from their mouths.
"Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes, you'll be the escorts. Guard the dungeon well, and protect the Collector Crabs!"
My deep-sea armada agreed with the clapping of fins and waving of their anglers.
"Da Hai and Xiao Ke and Xiao Huo, you'll be the main guardians of this place." The three of them nodded, and I considered for another minute. "But I'll still be summoning all of you guys on the surface whenever I need to, if that's fine with you."
They nodded. None of my spirit beasts appeared to have any objections. I sighed in relief and considered for a moment before deciding to take the risk.
"Okay, Long Wang."
The Deep Sea King manifested in his human form, still dressed in his black robes and sporting antler like horns instead of ears. His long, black hair cascaded behind his back, and his handsome features were set in a neutral expression. He bowed respectfully.
"My lord."
"You don't have to call me that."
"You defeated me and bound me to a spirit contract. It is a fact that you are my master now."
I sighed, feeling weary all of a sudden. "You don't have to be so formal. You can relax, you know. I'm not a tyrant."
"With all due respect, my lord, you should be more assertive. That kindness of yours will be a weakness."
"That's what I have you for."
Was it my imagination, or did I see a smile curl across Long Wang's lips?
"Anyway, my lord, what have you called me here for?" He looked around. "I see that you have a dungeon set as your new summoning space. I will be honored to protect it for you while you're gone."
"Thanks, but I'll need more than that. I need you to be my steward, to manage the dungeon in my stead."
In other words, I was appointing Long Wang as my butler. Too bad he wasn't a cute Naga maid of heroic rank, but this was reality. You didn't conveniently get a cute waifu because of plot. That said, Long Wang could be my Alfred, and my Deep Sea Palace my dragon cave.
"First, I apologize for making an unreasonable request, but I hope you do not undertake actions that would harm people. don't provoke other powerful spirit beasts unnecessarily. If you need to hunt and fish to keep the residents of our Deep Sea Palace fed, so be it, but don't start wars and ruthlessly conquer territory unprovoked. I'll focus on expanding the dungeon through spirit stones."
"Understood, my lord. And no need for apologies. I am more than happy to carry out my duty."
I wondered if he was telling the truth. Shaking my head, I sighed.
"Well, I kind of feel bad that you're stuck here managing a dungeon after spending thousand of years being sealed. I mean, I kind of understand why you had to be sealed, and I don't regret binding you to a spirit contract, but…yeah, sorry."
"Again, no need for apologies, my lord." Long Wang raised his head and grinned. "After spending millennia in deep slumber, it does feel refreshing to move around again, even if my power has been suppressed. And if I am reading your personality right, my lord, you will grant me freedom so long as I do not hurt other people or spirit beasts unprovoked, correct?"
"Yeah."
"That is fine." Long Wang bowed once more. "It will take some getting used, admittedly, but I think I will be content with my current role."
"That's a relief to hear." I exhaled and smiled. "Oh, and please take care of the other spirit beasts here. Don't be too hard on them. I want this dungeon to be a place where everyone can be happy and enjoy themselves in safety, not a toxic work atmosphere where they are little more than slaves. Is that understood?"
"Understood, my lord." Long Wang kept his head lowered. "It will be as you will it."