Chapter 70: The Underwater Kingdom, Aquavera (1)

Kai waited patiently without interrupting the reunion between the two people.

After spending an hour exchanging stories they hadn’t been able to share over the past twenty years, they finally approached Kai. “Thank you for waiting.”

“No problem. It’s been twenty years since you two last met. I’m happy to wait,” Kai replied.

“Thank you so much." Crawford then turn toward Helene. "Helene, this is Kai, the adventurer who helped us meet.”

“Oh my, then you’re our savior!”

“Yes, we owe him a debt we could never repay.”

Helene and Crawford looked at Kai with eyes full of gratitude.

In an instant, Kai smiled kindly and responded with the most exemplary response. “I was just doing what anyone should do.”

“Oh my, you’re so humble!”

“You really are...!”

[Helene’s affinity increased.]

[Crawford Wonderfield’s affinity has increased.]

Their affinity levels were rising rapidly!

Kai, looking at the message window with a look of satisfaction at having guessed correctly, asked, “So, what will you two do now?”

Bariton would be furious once he found out the knights he assigned to Crawford had gone missing. And naturally, Crawford wouldn’t be able to safely roam around Aquaria or the nearby territories.

“Oh, about that...” Helene raised her hand shyly and looked at Crawford. “Crawford, do you remember the suggestion I made to you before? You said you'd think about it.”

“Of course. I haven't forgotten a single word you said.”

“Oh, Crawford...”

Kai cut off their tender moment before it went too far. “So, what was that suggestion about?”

“Oh, I once suggested to Crawford that we live underwater together.”

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Underwater, as in...?”

“The home of us merfolk and the only kingdom located underwater, Aquavera.”

“But humans can't breathe underwater, right?”

Kai's question made Helene chuckle. “You don’t think I would suggest something harmful to Crawford, do you? There’s a spell that allows him to breathe underwater.”

“For a lifetime?”

“Well, I’d have to cast the spell for him as long as we live.”

Kai gave Crawford a sympathetic look. “...You should stay on Helene’s good side, Crawford.”

“Ahem, yes, I’ll make sure to treat her well for the rest of our lives.”

It was a harsh married life where Crawford could drown if they were on bad terms!

Understanding this, Kai shivered and replied, “So when do you two plan to leave?”

“I’m ready to leave right now if that’s okay... Crawford, do you need more time?”

“No, I don't really have much to take with me.”

“Then let’s leave immediately before the humans arrive.”

As Helene prepared to leave, Kai carefully asked, “Excuse me, Helene. Is there any special requirement for visiting Aquavera?”

“Anyone who’s a friend of the merfolk is welcome.”

“Th-then, could I go with you too?”

“Pardon? Weren’t you planning to come along? You should at least give us a chance to repay our savior.”

“Taking me to Aquavera is more than enough! Visiting that place has been one of my dreams for a long time,” Kai, whose dream had started just two weeks ago, bowed his head.

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for us, Kai. Now, wait just a moment, both of you.”

Helene, with her eyes closed, murmured something, then waved her hand toward Crawford and Kai. At the same time, a clear bubble appeared over both of their heads.

“Helene, what is this?” Kai asked as he stared at the hubble on his head with curiosity.

“It’s a spell that allows you to breathe underwater. The effect lasts only a day, but I can cast it whenever needed, so don't worry.”

“I see. But how do you get to Aquavera? Is it by dolphin, perhaps?” Kai remembered the fairy tales he had read as a child

“Pardon? What are you talking about?”

As Helene snapped her fingers, a portal appeared in front of her. “We use teleportation magic, of course. Dolphins are way too slow. Why would we use them?”

Kai was speechless at the evidence that merfolks were a race that freely wielded magic!

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Kai entered the portal first as they suggested. Then, the scene shifted.

“Wow...!”

Suddenly, he felt as if his body was weighed down with lead. He tried taking a step, but it was as slow as walking in a swimming pool.

I won't be able to fight like this.

However, the developers wouldn’t have added such a penalty without a solution.

With a relaxed attitude, Kai began to look around. He saw several-meter-tall kelp and beautiful corals of various colors.

This is the underwater scenery!

Kai became the only human to explore the deep sea without a modern submarine!

Schools of fish moving in formation and curious marine creatures crawling along the seafloor caught his attention.

I always thought the deep sea would be terrifying...

But the scenery was much more open but also cozier than expected. He thought it would be pitch black without any light, but many glowing jellyfish floated around, and, above all, magic street lamps were embedded in the ocean floor, preventing it from becoming dark.

“Do you like the underwater scenery?”

Helene’s voice came from behind, and Kai nodded.

But how do you talk underwater?

Noticing Kai's concern, Helene smiled and explained, “Just speak as you normally would on land. Magic is quite convenient.”

“Oh, oh.” Kai realized his voice came out clearly and said, “I didn't realize the underwater world would be this beautiful.”

“Haha, thank you for thinking so. Shall we head to Aquavera now, my hometown?”

Helene seemed excited, eager to show off Aquavera.

“Yes, but... is that Aquavera?” Kai, looking confused, pointed ahead and asked.

The entrance to Aquavera appeared shabby, lacking even basic fortifications like a wooden fence, let alone city walls.

He wondered if the merfolk collectively suffered from a lack of concern for safety.

“Pardon? Safety? No need to worry about that,” Helene replied with a confident voice, brimming with pride. “In the sea, the only real enemies are the nagas, and they can't breach the magical barrier surrounding Aquavera. In fact, finding Aquavera itself isn't easy.”

“There's a magical barrier?” Kai asked, searching for the invisible wall that wasn't there.

“The barrier is invisible to guests who’ve been formally invited by the merfolk. If you hadn't been invited by me, you wouldn't even know Aquavera was right in front of you. The entire kingdom has a spell that obscures spatial perception.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Amazing.”

Aquavera's level of security clearly demonstrated why magic was called all-powerful.

As Kai and Crawford voiced their admiration, Helene led them into Aquavera, a city that seemed less secure than Frica Village. Therefore, Kai wasn't even entirely convinced he was really in Aquavera until he saw the message pop up.

Ding!

[Unique title acquired: Discoverer of Aquavera.]

[

Discoverer of Aquavera

]

Rank: Special

Description: A title bestowed upon the person who was first to discover Aquavera.

Effects: +10 to all stats, +30% movement speed when swimming. (This effect remains even when title is unequipped.)

“Woow.”

Only after achieving the accomplishment of being the first to discover Aquavera did it sink in that he was in an underwater city.

When Kai noticed that his body felt lighter and that he could move more fluidly, he began walking slowly, admiring the surrounding architecture.

Sure is different from human buildings.

Most of the merfolk buildings were made from modified giant clam shells or conches. Fish and dolphins swam freely between buildings as if they were at home, while young merfolk played with them. It was a truly beautiful scene, one that seemed to cleanse a soul tainted by the mundane world.

And merfolk aren't just one type, huh.

Kai had thought all merfolk would look the same, but that was a huge misconception. While they all shared the common trait of having human upper bodies and finned lower bodies, they seemed to come from different species.

Are they orca-type merfolk? Their fins are black and white. And is that person a largehead hairtail?

Each merfolk's fins had unique colors and characteristics!

As Kai watched and observed them, the merfolk began to show interest in him.

“Humans came to Aquavera!”

“Weren’t humans only from books?”

“Mom! Those people don’t have fins!”

“Strange! Scary! But intriguing!”

Curious merfolk quickly gathered around.

As Kai watched them darken the waters with their approach, he let out a deep sigh.

So, this is what it’s like to be famous, huh?

It was like the struggles top stars faced at airports, but even worse in some aspects. While they only had to watch their front, back, left, and right, Kai had merfolk swimming over his head.

“Human visitors have come to the city?”

A clear, energetic voice reached Kai’s ear. At the same time, the crowd of merfolk parted as if Moses himself had appeared. Swimming through them was a male merfolk with bright blue fins.

A shark...?

His fin had the iconic shape of a shark's dorsal fin, and his upper body, larger than other merfolk, showed impressive muscles.

Swimming powerfully, he suddenly grabbed Kai's hand. “Welcome to our merfolk city, stranger. I'm Cyrus, son of Karius, the benevolent king who watches over his people.”

“My name is Kai. I’m an adventurer.”

After greeting Kai, Cyrus also greeted Crawford, then looked at Helene. “By the way, Helene, I thought you were a regular spinster, but now you're bringing home two husbands? You’re more capable than I thought.”

“P-pardon!? It’s not what it seems like!” Helene shouted, hugging Crawford tightly to defend her point. “This is my fiancé, Crawford. He's the only one. That other man is the adventurer who helped us meet!”

“Oh, you only said you were bringing back your husband when you left, so... My bad, I misunderstood.”

Scratching his head, Cyrus apologized and invited Kai's group to his home. Cyrus' home, with its exterior made from a massive coral reef, was impressive enough to befit a crown prince.

As he served cold drinks, Cyrus slowly began to say, “This is the first time in hundreds of years that humans have come to our city, so it’s natural for the merfolk to be this excited. Please forgive them if they were rude.”

“No, it was actually nice to get attention from the beautiful merfolk...

ahem

. I wasn't bothered at all.”

As Kai quickly waved his hands to dismiss any concern, Cyrus laughed heartily and continued saying, “In fact, I'm a merfolk who is also personally interested in...”

Bzzz, bzzz.

“...Humans, so the moment I heard humans were in the city, I...”

Bzzz, bzzz.

“Rushed to find you two...”

Cyrus' words were repeatedly cut off, then continued.

It wasn't just Kai who noticed, and all four of them turned their gaze to the same spot.

“What’s with that all of a sudden?” Cyrus tilted his head with a confused look.

But Kai, who had spotted the bright golden light emitting from an object, smiled and murmured, “...Found it.”