Ning Busan said, “I need to make a trip to Atlantis.”
Leo sneered. “Can you even control your fishtail? Are you familiar with how a jiaoren attacks? Do you know anything about the deep sea? Do you even know where the Realm of Eternal Night is?”
“The deep sea isn't like the Elven Valley. It's teeming with monsters and demons. You know nothing and have prepared nothing, yet you dare to go alone?”
“Louis, you've let it go to your head!”
Ning Busan began to reflect and realized he was indeed being a bit impulsive.
Once his reflection was over, Ning Busan stretched his hand out toward Leo.
Leo was dumbfounded. “What?”
Ning Busan said righteously, “Waiting for you to drop some loot.”
Leo: “...”
He was truly speechless at this shameless guy.
Leo pried open his chest cavity and pulled out a parchment scroll from inside.
“I've never been to the deep sea, but I know a pirate whose ancestors spent their entire lives exploring its secrets. This parchment scroll records the deep-sea food chain, as well as the habits and weaknesses of various sea monsters. Memorize it over the next few days.”
Ning Busan accepted the Deep Sea Journal, thought for a moment, and said, “I also want a map to Atlantis.”
“I've got a slap right here, do you want that?” Leo laughed in anger. “Do you think I'm some kind of magic pocket that has everything?”
Ning Busan coughed lightly. “If you don't have it, just say so. Why get so worked up?”
“Who's worked up?” Leo offered a suggestion. “If you really want to know, go ask the Book of Sages. It definitely knows where Atlantis is.”
“Once you're in the deep sea, no matter what problems you face, just work it like a donkey. It definitely won't mind!”
The Book of Sages: [Gee, thanks a lot.]
Ning Busan looked at his fishtail, then at Leo, and chuckled. “I can't walk on land like this. Why don't you escort me to the sea?”
Leo ground his teeth. “Fine! Now you're working me like a donkey!”
...
Silver Sail Port.
Silver Sail Port was a port city located at the southernmost tip of the continent, right along the coastline.
This maritime region was relatively safe, with stable currents and numerous islands, making it the primary area for human seafaring activities.
Using Novalia's hand-written decree, Leo directly requisitioned a warship to escort Ning Busan out to sea.
Inside the luxurious suite, a massive nautical chart hung on the wall above the bed, marking shipping routes all over the world.
Leo had already studied this chart thoroughly. He pointed at the map and said to Ning Busan:
“We've been sailing for seven days now, and we'll soon reach the Sea of Mists. The Sea of Mists is covered in thick fog year-round, making navigation extremely difficult. You'll disembark there.”
“Once you cross the Sea of Mists, you'll enter the Storm Fjord. From there, bypass the nesting grounds of the giant sea beasts, and you'll reach the deep-sea territory.”
Ning Busan said confidently, “Don't worry, I've memorized the entire map.”
Next to Leo was a custom-made fish tank that took up half the room.
Ning Busan was currently inside the tank, practicing how to swim with his tail, though his movements were completely crooked and awkward.
Why won't this stupid tail listen to me?
Ning Busan even imagined a scenario where, if he encountered danger underwater and panicked, he might very well end up knocking himself unconscious by ramming headfirst into a reef.
Leo asked again, “Have you finished reading the parchment scroll?”
Ning Busan said, “Finished it ages ago. But there are so many types of sea monsters—thousands of them!”
Leo said, “Sea monsters are naturally ferocious. Be careful when you reach the deep sea.”
Ning Busan raised his chin. “In the deep sea, the jiaoren are at the very top of the food chain. I'm practically an apex predator!”
After looking Ning Busan up and down, Leo curled his lip in disgust. “An apex predator? You look like you're only fit to get beaten up. Just don't end up slapping yourself to death with your own tail.”
Ning Busan argued, “Even though I've turned into a jiaoren, I can still use magic. Do you think a Grand Archmage is that easy to kill?”
Right after saying this, he failed to brake in time and slammed headfirst into the glass of the tank.
Leo scratched his skull, suddenly feeling a wave of regret.
Was this trip to the deep sea absolutely necessary?
Let's just go home. Why don't we just go home?
Going home was out of the question, because they had already arrived at the Sea of Mists.
Before they parted, Leo became uncharacteristically serious. “The Siren Clan is obsessive and crazy when it comes to emotions. Whether it's romance, friendship, or family, in their eyes, liking someone means absolute love, and disliking someone means absolute hatred.”
Ning Busan thinking of Kani, couldn't help but sigh. “For humans, that kind of intense emotion is actually a burden.”
Leo continued, “The boundary between love and hate is very blurry for them. Once it reaches a certain extreme, it can easily flip into its opposite.”
“Someone who is willing to die for you one second might raise a blade against you the next. So, Louis, don't rely too much on your intuition.”
Ning Busan muttered, “Alright, stop speaking in riddles. Just say what you want to say.”
“You idiot, you still don't get it?” Leo grumbled. “I'm telling you to be careful so you don't get eaten alive by those sirens until not even your bones are left!”
With that, he opened the window and tossed Ning Busan right out.
Ning Busan surfaced, just in time to hear Leo's wild and arrogant laughter: “Now get lost! Your son is mine!”
With that, Leo slammed the window shut.
Ning Busan's fists clenched.
What a miscalculation!
He shouldn't have left Lobao in the Dawn Empire. He should have sent him to the Shadow Forest instead.
As the warship sailed further away, Ning Busan dove into the ocean, beginning his very first deep-sea journey.
The silence of the ocean inspired an inexplicable sense of awe.
As Ning Busan swam deeper, the light gradually faded. The sunlight above was filtered through layers of seawater, eventually leaving only scattered specks of light.
However, the surrounding darkness was not frightening, as bioluminescent creatures occasionally flashed in the distance, and schools of colorful fish darted through the water.
Ning Busan's body gradually adapted to the water pressure. The sweeps of his tail grew more powerful, and with each flick, his body glided forward like an arrow.
He knew this trip to the deep sea wouldn't be completely smooth sailing, but he hadn't expected it to go this poorly.
Ever heard of dying before the battle even begins?
Before he could even catch a glimpse of the deep sea, Ning Busan was captured by pirates.
Those damn fishmongers!
Dammit!
Rate on N.U.
