Fresh air struck my nose as soon as I stepped my foot on this place. And when I say fresh, I meant like crazy fresh! How is the air quality here even better than above?! There is just the right amount of grassy and woody mixture along with the right amount of cold air that makes you feel so alive just from breathing it. I am literally breathing through my mouth and nose as it was so intoxicating. It was like coming out of a metro for the first time. How are the elves able to grow trees or plants underwater? There must be a lot of greenery here in order to achieve such fresh air mixture down here.
Come to think of it, why didn't I settle down here in the first place? Oh right, I'm not an elf.
You're probably wondering, why would the elves even built an underwater city instead of staying on the surface? Your guess is as good as mine. I seriously hope it is not due to some discovery about some underwater slugs.
Rose quickly went around exploring while leaving me behind. The ground was made of pebbles but it was perfectly even to walk on. I followed after her like a father taking his child for a stroll as she was running around looking at everything that piqued her interest. I turned my gaze back to the ship. It was being dragged by the very same chain to somewhere else. Most probably to a shipyard or something to check on its status.
But wouldn't that damage the ship by dragging it like that? Alright, my mistake. Not only do they have circular ship pedals, they even have wooden wheels too. Why am I not surprised. I couldn't see those wheels as they were underwater at the dock in the surface.
I followed after Rose as she was literally running left and right looking at everything. I gave her a light karate chop to the head and told her that we are on a ticking time bomb here. We need information on where the Viking Lord's tradition is taking place. I hope that it's inside the glass dome. But how would a dragon fit in here then?
As of luck, there was a huge signboard that pointed the way to all the locations. Ranging from parks to forestry and many other attractions. Am I really underwater right now or am I just dreaming? Why does it feel like I'm in some sort of amusement park right now? I ignored all the attractions and aimed for the taverns. We decided to head to the closest one as we were getting hungry after experiencing such death defying experience in order to reach here. Never in my life did I lose so much calories just by freaking out and sweating.
We headed towards the closest tavern that was written on the signboard. This feels so surreal. Imagine a completely normal civilisation and the only thing that makes you realised that you're underwater is when you look above. You would think there would be chaos or riot by now when you're in such a restrictive space but the elves just made it work. It feels peaceful here as we were strolling around. There were children running around playing with what looked like a colourful ball. Random elvish pedestrians were greeting us with a smile. A child even ran up to her father and sat on his shoulder. Yikes, that father is huge! Not to mention he was holding a hand drill.
I still can't believe that I'm in an underwater city right now. It felt so surreal that I'm finally here. Maybe I'm just dreaming and will wake up at any moment now.
As we were walking along, it was clear that trees and bushes are being grown here. It certainly had the feeling of a countryside despite being inside a city. Very amazing indeed. Rose was literally smiling all the way. It would seemed that she cannot contain her excitement of actually being here. Alright, if we live to see another day, we can stay here for a couple of days. No point in rushing back when the journey here was so death inducing.
A small breeze blew against us. Wow, how did the elves even made artificial breeze down here? I turned my gaze towards Rose as she fixed her hair exposing her left ear.
thump
Huh? What was that? Did my heart just skipped a beat?
I quickly turned to look at Rose once more. Hmm, nothing. What was that earlier? I find it hard to believe that my heart would skip a beat for her. Must be all the excitement of being in a new place or something.
***
We reached the tavern and headed in. Wow, almost everyone here are elves. We might be the only few humans that had actually set foot here. I proceeded to the counter to ask what food was available here. Hmm, all of them were healthy foods. Mostly roasted, boiled or steamed meals. Where are the unhealthy meals?! Sigh.
I ordered two sets of roasted jikenette and realised something too late. Do they even use the same currency as the Western continent? Shoot— I should have visited the bank first.
Thankfully the innkeeper was willing to accept our currency. She said that it was common for adventurers to rush here upon reaching the city. She was also willing to help us change some of our currency coins into what they normally accepts here. Elven currency had higher value compared to the West but it doesn't mean that items here are more expensive. Surprisingly, they use paper money and wooden coins here. Talk about potential fire hazards.
They call their currency as EVC. ElVenCoins or ElVishCoins, I guess? Either way, they have coins that is valued at 10, 20 and 50 which they call it Shil. A single 50 shil is worth a copper coin. This means that one EVC is valued at two copper coins. A silver coin is valued at twenty five EVC while a gold coin is valued at 625 EVC. A little bit confusing I know, but I still gotta eat. I converted some of my Western currency to pay for my meals. I have no desire to stay here for too long so there wasn't much point in me changing too much of them.
I won't lie though, the elves sure know how to cook their cuisine. Their roasted meal is definitely superior to my favourite tavern. The ingredients are fresh and succulent to eat. I won't be surprised that they even have farms down here.
After finishing our meals, I spoke to the innkeeper about whether she knew about the Viking Lord's tradition. I'm glad she spoke the human tongue as all I heard around me were elven language. She told me that it was actually a well known tradition here. It was actually the first Viking Lord that approached the elves to proposed them to build a city under the ocean. They were the first to discover about mermaids and the Underwater Dragon King. Since vikings often travel the waterways more often than any other guilds, it is no wonder they discovered so many secrets of the ocean.
I asked the innkeep on whether she knew about how the tradition came about in the first place. She explained that it was the Underwater Dragon King that proposed this idea to the first Viking Lord. Legend has it that the Viking Lord at that time had fallen in love with a mermaid which happened to be one of the daughter of the Underwater Dragon King. Should the Viking Lord wished to be with the mermaid, he will need to prove his strength to the Underwater Dragon King.
How was it possible for the first Viking Lord to fight underwater last time? From what the legend foretold, the Underwater Dragon King agreed to fight above the surface. It was many decades later that the elves discovered a method to breathe underwater. They made something called the bubble helmet which allowed you to breathe as though you are on the surface. Over time, you will need to replenish your air with a sort of portable pump.
Well well, seems like there is a method to breathe underwater after all. Which means there is a chance that the tradition could be somewhere outside of the dome area.
But— what about the water pressure? I doubt a little bubble is going to prevents us from being crushed instantly. She clarified that the entirety of City of Underwater Marrydia and its surroundings are being controlled by the Underwater Dragon King. With his powers, you will not feel as though you're in underwater at all. You can walk outside as though you are taking a stroll on the surface. No doubt the gravity is still much lower than the surface as you are still underwater.
Alright. Now all I need is the location of where the tradition is going to take place and when. She told us that the location was at the sacred ceremonial site which is located north of the glass dome and it's supposed to be taking place right now.
What?! Now?? Damn it, we seriously need to make our way there on the double. And here I thought I can still enjoy the atmosphere a little bit more. I asked for directions on how to reach the site and she said all I needed to do was head northwards until I reached the northern entrance and then it is a straight way from there. I quickly asked on whether there was any vacant room that we can check-in to store our excess luggage. I am not going to be bringing around all of my other equipment into battle. Not only would I risk breaking them, there's a chance that I might end up abandoning them altogether if the need to run arises.
Thankfully there was one remaining vacant room vacant for us. It can fit two person so I said yes and never thought much about it. The innkeeper was kind enough to help us in bringing up our luggage so I quickly left it with them. As we were heading out, she reminded us to make sure to bring along our bubble helmets before we headed out of the dome.
We ran all the way to the northern entrance while following directions from the signboards. Rose kept reminding me that we do not have bubble helmets yet but that was the least of my concern. It was not long until we reached the supposedly northern entrance. Upon reaching, a huge crowd could be seen waiting around. Now that's not a good sign.
Upon enquiring with the gatekeeper, the entrance will only open in 30 minutes time according to their schedule. I told them that it's an emergency and I am needed at the sacred ceremonial site for the Viking's tradition. Sadly, they were firm that all entry and exit on foot will only be opened at a fixed interval each time. This is to prevent the water pump and drainage from being overused and maintained properly between each interval. I must also be wearing a bubble helmet if I wish to exit the entrance.
Damn it. And here I thought I can quickly rush over to help John. And I do not need a bubble helmet since I had made a breakthrough in my alchemy recently. I did not spend that whole month doing nothing while waiting for John to invite me. I guess we have a little bit of time to spare. Might as well purchase a bubble helmet for the both of us to avoid any further delays in the meantime.
Rose suspected something was up as I did not considered buying bubble helmets as my priority. You would think that getting a breathing equipment would be the main priority instead of rushing outside. I whispered to her that I discovered an alchemy recipe that will change the entire lifestyle of this underwater city. Not only would it possibly rundown the entire bubble helmet company, it completely eliminates the restrictions of being underwater.
"Behold! The 'Potion of Fish Gill'," I dramatically showed my potion to Rose.
She made a speechless expression that can only be described as massive disappointment. What? How is she not impressed by this potion? It will be extremely valuable for the upcoming battle, not to mention its one of my prized possession right now!
"Onii-chan, that's a terrible name. Why not just call it 'Potion of Water Breathing' instead?" she asked me.
Oh, so it was the name that she was not impressed by and not the potion itself.
"Hm, that's a pretty common generic name. I was looking for something— a little more unique or ear-catching," I put on my thinking face.
"Alright, how about— 'Mermaid's Breath' or 'Potion of Mermaid's Breath'?" she asked after giving some thought.
That sounds— pretty good actually. I might consider it. I passed her a few potions in case she needed to handout to the other adventurers during the battle. I had created a considerable amount as it was not difficult to make nor was it expensive. It— just involves using a lot of slimy and disgusting ingredients that I am certain that many beings aren't willing to explore. I'll leave that to your imagination.
We quickly rushed to the closest merchant store located near the northern entrance. We assumed that we can purchase our bubble helmet here but as it would seemed, it was completely sold out. It is always the merchant closest to each entrance that ends up selling all their stocks first. Why they don't keep more stock in hand is beyond me. Ah shit, I am getting deja vu like that time at the port on the surface. I told Rose to wait by the entrance and stall them if I ended up not being able to find any bubble helmets nearby.
I ran as fast as my feet brought me. I am fairly confident in my agility as it was the easiest for me to increase. Maybe I did inherit this trait from my father. I made quick enquiries with a couple of merchant stores and eventually found one that thankfully had some in stock. Good thing it was not too far away from the entrance. Maybe I can check out what other items that might come in handy later. I made the purchase for two bubble helmets, a portable pump and some stats scrolls. Better to purchase them quickly before someone comes along and snatches all the remaining helmets. I did a quick browsing and sadly, there was nothing of interest to me.
Hang on, what is that? That looks— beautiful. I asked the merchant on what that item was without taking my eyes off it. It looked like a bracelet with a beautiful green gemstone in the middle. I'm not sure why I was so fascinated by this jewellery but I asked the merchant whether there was any magical attributes on it. As it turned out, there were some properties to it. It actually increases the user's perception and intuition when worn. Aww, I was hoping that it can perhaps turn back time or something. Perhaps it reminded me of Lily's emerald hair tips and silvery hair. Should I even buy this? It doesn't even increase stats at all.
"Would you kindly let me take a closer look?" I asked.
The merchant was kind and allowed me to view the bracelet closer. It is certainly beautiful. Silver bracelet with an emerald in the middle. It completely describes Lily as a whole. It felt like I was buying on impulse but something was urging me to buy it. Perhaps my guts was telling me something, which made me caved and bought it on impulse. Good thing the merchant was willing to accept some of my Western currencies as I did not have enough EVC to pay fully for it.
As I walked out of the store, instant regret took over me. What am I even doing? I should be rushing back to the northern entrance quickly where Rose is waiting for me. I sighed as I kept the bracelet in my back pouch, making sure that it's stored in a safe place. All my consumables are usually kept in my hip pouch for easier access. This is to ensure only important items are kept safely.
I hurried back to the northern entrance only to make it in time before the entrance opened. Rose was looking worried towards my direction but grew brighter upon finally seeing me in her vision. I passed her a bubble helmet and a stats scroll and as it has been a while since either of us had checked our stats. I sort of stopped bothering to check on my stats ever since I hit 35 skill stats to unlock the second hidden spell. Despite using stats scrolls intensively during alchemy testing, I often ignored the stats portion and focused on the potion's effects exclusively.
Both of us blew on the scroll and waited for the result. Wow— seems like our stats had increased significantly compared to the previous time we checked.
Zen Hawthorne
Strength - 40
Skill - 38
Agility - 60
Constitution - 30
Rose Starr
Strength - 35
Skill - 45
Agility - 50
Constitution - 40
What the hell? Rose just needs five more skill stats and she can figure out what's the last hidden spell from my gauntlets. Not that I will let her wield it. I poured a whole year of my life digging this up and I won't be handing it over to someone else. Not even my little sister!
Her stats were always well-rounded. Her low strength stat is probably due to her using a rapier most of the time. She also don't do workouts that improve her strength. Perhaps she's too dependent on using her spell to boost her strength. But I guess it's fine. She is a girl after all and there is not much reason for her to have so much strength in the first place.
Sigh, I never knew how to increase constitution specifically. I certainly need to be more careful when taking damage as I will certainly die before anyone else does. I am certain even Lily's constitution is higher than me now judging from the initial stats we compared with each other previously.
Finally, the entrance is being opened now. Time to head towards the sacred ceremonial site and save my potentially long lost cousin. Hopefully he is still alive and not squashed flat by the Underwater Dragon King. I put on the bubble helmet and made sure I was ready. My vision instantly went blurry and nauseating to look at as it gave a sort of fish eye effect. Now all I need is to find a little sister to place on my shoulder. Oh wait, she's right at the side of me right now.
I nodded to Rose as we waited for the water to fill up the enclosed area. I closed my eyes as water began to pour in. There will not be anyone saving us today. I am certain that there won't be any great powers hanging around to conveniently save us this time.
Today, I am ready for whatever comes at me. This time, I will be the one saving people. I must.