LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 135
Karma Empire’s early morning. The streets were vibrant as the sun just started to rise. Thanks to the dissipating influence of Kashpa, the frigid winter chill was beginning to lift, bringing warm air along with it.
Pretty little sprouts were poking through the flower beds prepared along the roadside.
I stood facing the meeting spot with my client, feeling the breeze blowing in from the Blue Sea. The crashing waves, the cries of seagulls from above, and the rough shouts of workers were all mixed together in this space. It was the Karma Empire’s Port.
At the meeting spot, there were others who had arrived before us. Four of them. Among them stood a wizard clad in a Blue Robe.
How on earth did the client manage to hire a wizard? I approached them with a puzzled expression.
“You are…?”
The wizard, seemingly recognizing me, displayed a look of surprise. It seemed they had seen me during the competition. I waved cheerfully with a light smile.
“You all gathered here because of Bluemet’s request, right? To explore the ruins sleeping beneath the sea…”
The wizard nodded at my question. Then, Su and Shu, who had been following me, began to whisper.
“It seems like they know the wizard…”
“Emily said they entered the Mage Tower.”
“I thought that was a lie.”
“Emily doesn’t lie. Shu, try trusting people a bit.”
“Yeah…”
I shifted my gaze from the wizard to the three others standing beside him. They weren’t wearing swords, so they didn’t seem like swordsmen, but if I were to ask if they wielded other weapons, I wouldn’t say that either.
As I was observing the trio, the wizard in the Blue Robe approached me and spoke.
“They are specialized divers hired by the client. They primarily make money recovering drowned bodies or valuable items dropped by sailors.”
“Oh… You seem to know quite a bit.”
“It’s because I have a personal relationship with the client…”
I nodded with an “Ah” as I finally found out who this client was that could afford to hire a wizard.
“Where is the client, Bluemet?”
“They should be meeting the captain of the ship we will be taking. I believe they’ll be here soon… Ah, I’m Bersen. You can see I’m from the Blue Tower.”
With Bersen’s self-introduction, the introductions of the party members gathered here began. The three divers were named Ban, Mack, and Jane.
I also introduced myself shortly along with Su and Shu. I didn’t particularly want to hide the fact that I was a wizard, but since it was the Silver Grade swordsman Seris participating in this mission, I didn’t introduce myself as a wizard.
Then, the client Bluemet approached accompanied by a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was saturated with the salty smell that sailors tend to have. He seemed to be someone who had lived on the sea for a long time, likely the captain of the ship we were about to board.
“Oh, I’m sorry. We were loading something onto the ship… But you’ve all gathered, I see. Shall we move as is?”
“Is this everyone?”
“Yes. I wanted to find a few more… but the three Silver Grade adventurers who accepted the request are you guys.”
Bluemet wore an apologetic smile and turned away slightly. Following him were Bersen and the three divers.
I couldn’t believe that only the three of us had taken this request. I recalled the receptionist’s hesitant expression when I spoke of accepting this job. It seemed there was a reason others hadn’t taken on this request.
“Shall we go as well?”
However, since we had already accepted the request, there was no way to back out now. I pulled Su and Shu along and tugged on Nightmare’s bridle.
We arrived at a secluded spot in the dock, where a fully prepared ship was waiting for us.
“Um, swordsman?”
“Me?”
The sudden voice came from the captain. When I tilted my head questioningly, he looked a bit reluctant as he pointed at Nightmare.
“Are you thinking of loading that horse onto the ship?”
“Yes.”
“Hm… are you sure that’s okay? My ship doesn’t have a stable for that horse to rest, nor any food…”
“It’s fine. He can sleep anywhere.”
The captain made a distressed face in response to my words and shifted his gaze to Bluemet. He seemed to be asking for a solution. However, Bluemet only shrugged without saying much. In the end, Nightmare was able to climb aboard the large ship.
In truth, bringing Nightmare along for this job was not necessary. But I couldn’t leave this troublemaker behind alone. If left alone, he’d kick and rattle the stable out of boredom. I had no idea what might happen if I was absent for an extended period.
Once aboard the ship, the first thing I did was lay down a soft blanket on the floor. This spot was to be Nightmare’s sleeping place. He buried his head down, sniffed the air, and then lay down on it.
He knew it himself; that he had no role in this request. After giving Nightmare’s belly a gentle pat, I stood up.
“Wow… what a fascinating horse.”
The captain shook his head and began preparing for departure. Under his command, the crew began moving with haste.
“Set sail!”
Whoosh-!
With the captain’s hearty shout, the sails unfurled. The massive ship started to glide toward the Blue Sea, riding the cool morning breeze.
No one who accepted this request knew where the ruins were. They just trusted Bluemet’s words and began to sail into the vast ocean. Occasionally, I caught glimpses of Bluemet whispering with the captain, indicating they knew a location only the two of them were aware of.
Time flowed slowly, like the clouds floating in the sky. How long had it been? Just as I was about to stifle a yawn out of boredom, Bluemet approached me, pulling something out from his robes.
What he held was a very old map. You could clearly see the marks of time on it. The writings on the map were very faded, and it emitted a musty smell from the yellowed paper.
“I’m sure everyone has been wondering. Where we are going, and what we are searching for.”
Bluemet unfolded the map wide so everyone could see. Squinting as I looked at it, I realized it was a world map. It detailed all regions that could be called the ends of the world: the Grimshade Kingdom to the north, Green Pool to the south, Monster Island to the west, and Bluemet to the east.
Bluemet pointed to a small island that was slightly separated from the Karma Empire. It had a Red X Mark drawn on it.
“This is our destination. A place where ruins from ancient times sleep, long forgotten.”
“Is there treasure there?”
The one who asked the question was Shu. He leaned against the ship’s railing, arms crossed. Being tall, he managed to look pretty good even standing casually. I picked up on his cues and stretched my legs out, leaning against the wall.
“Yes, there is.”
Bluemet nodded and pulled out a gold coin from his robe. It wasn’t regular currency. It was a gold coin with a design I had never seen before. Bluemet affectionately rubbed the faded characters engraved on the gold coin as he continued.
“We are about to go back in time. Back to the ancient times that have faded from everyone’s memory.”
The wind from over the Blue Sea roughly shook the map that Bluemet was holding.
*
About three days later, we arrived at our destination. A very small island was lonely situated there. The grand ship folded its sails and began preparing to drop anchor.
I approached Bluemet, who was leaning against the railing, gazing at the island.
“Bluemet.”
“Ah, Seris.”
“Is the ruin on that island?”
“No, it’s beneath the island. That’s why we hired divers.”
“Besides the gold coin you showed, haven’t you found anything else?”
“Unfortunately… when I came previously, I didn’t have much prepared. I just stopped by for confirmation…”
“Hmm…”
“Everyone is starting to disembark. We should too.”
Nodding to Bluemet’s remark, I retrieved Nightmare, who had been lying on the floor. The little guy, having sprawled for three days, galloped wildly as soon as he hit the pristine white sands.
Everyone had disembarked, but we didn’t immediately start the investigation. The first thing to do was to set up a Base Camp and eradicate the monsters inside the island.
I pulled out my sword along with Su and Shu and headed toward the jungle deep within the island. Perhaps due to being cut off from the outside for so long? The island possessed its own unique ecosystem.
The fruits hanging from the trees looked rather bizarre, and the monsters we occasionally encountered had an unfamiliar appearance as well.
“Over there, it ran away!”
“Catch it!”
Su and Shu dashed through the jungle in a frenzy. I stepped back a bit, pulling out a small notebook to register the appearance of the monsters, while also taking notes on how the children’s movements were changing.
The monster extermination continued until that evening. The three of us returned to the Base Camp dragging the remains of the monsters we caught that day.
The Base Camp, built after clearing a side of the forest, appeared quite cozy. Inside the camp, where a wooden fence had already been set up, a large bonfire was crackling.
*
The next morning, the formal investigation of the ruins began. Before I, Su, Shu, and the three divers entered the sea, the wizard Bersen approached us and cast a spell. The magic he created formed several small spheres made of wind.
“This spell allows you to breathe underwater. If you find yourself struggling for breath, reach out towards the spheres.”
When Bersen lightly waved his hand, a small ball of wind flew over and began floating around the people.
With that, we were ready to enter the sea. I changed into lighter clothing, packed the Ice Dragon Sword and Fire Dragon Sword, and dashed toward the depths of the ocean.
“Ah, Emily!”
“Let’s go together!”
I heard Su and Shu’s voices from behind, but I didn’t stop. Without hesitation, I dove into the water.
Splash-!
As the cold seawater enveloped my body, a beautiful world unfolded before my eyes. Beyond the bubbling white foam, multicolored coral zones sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
I closed my eyes and focused on the surrounding sounds. Unlike the noisy outside world, the underwater ambiance was endlessly peaceful. I felt calm. It was a comforting feeling, as if I had returned to my hometown.
The Sea God’s powers manifested even beneath the sea. Even in the depths where breathing should be impossible, I could breathe as usual. With a slight smile, I began to move my body toward the depths of the ocean.