Three days later.
Simbady rose slowly from the sea in a hanging basket.
"How do you feel?" As soon as Simbady took off his heavy helmet, Mully came up to him excitedly. "Is the underwater world interesting?"
It was not much better than the desert. Although there were many strange animals and plants, it was better to have nothing at all. Every time he sank into the sea, he felt like he was being swallowed by the pressure. The omnipresent pressure made it difficult for him to move and even breathe. Simbady thought so, but when he saw Mully's expectant eyes, he swallowed his words and said, "How should I put it... the scenery is beautiful."
"That's great... If only I could go down and have a look," Mully sighed.
Looking into her big light brown eyes, Simbady suddenly remembered that a year and a half ago, when his clansmen set out from the Port of Clearwater to the southern end of the desert, she had the same look on her face when she was on the stone boat. In such an unfamiliar environment, she could still spare some energy to comfort him, which made her look like a freak among the panic-stricken crowd.
Simbady did not know why, but he felt a little uneasy.
"Well done, your performance really surprised me." Rex was the next one to be hoisted out of the water. He clapped his hands and walked down from the basket. "Balance, air intake, calmness, sense of direction — all the qualities required for diving are so outstanding. Is this the innate talent of the Sand Nation, or is this what you're good at? I don't mean to offend you, but when I was chatting with Miss Mully, she mentioned that you're not a strong warrior in your clan. "
Mully stuck her tongue out at Simbady and turned to chat with her assistant.
"There's a pool in the oasis where the Fishbone Clan lives. When we were kids, we liked to compete to see who could dive deeper, so I'm not completely inexperienced..." Simbady said helplessly. "But she's right. I'm not the best in the clan. If Carlone was here, he might be able to do it in one day."
"Carlone? Who's that? "
"He's the strongest among the younger generation. Whether it's hunting or fighting, he's not inferior to his peers in the big clans. But he only participated in one dispatch team, so he should be working in the Port of Clearwater now... It's too late to find him. "
"Really?" Rex shrugged. "I don't think so."
"Not necessarily what?"
"He's better than you." The Fjords man took off his diving suit bit by bit. "If you want to go deep into the sea, technique isn't the most important thing. The first thing you need is an open heart. "
"An open... heart?" Simbady was surprised.
"Accept the unknown and overcome yourself. This is the difference between a pond and the ocean." He looked in the direction of the Festive Harbor. "Incredible changes are happening here. That Carlone you mentioned only came here once. He's far behind you in this regard. If I were to find him, I probably wouldn't be able to convince him to put on a diving suit and go into the water. "
Simbady rolled his eyes at him. "If Mully hadn't said she wanted to try it herself, I wouldn't have agreed."
He had planned to lead them to the water cave, take the ten gold royals, and then leave. As for this group of people, they could do whatever they wanted with them. However, he did not expect that Mully had already become so interested in the strange device. When she learned that they needed a helper for the salvage work, she raised her hand almost immediately.
Simbady had no choice but to agree to help the Society of Wondrous Crafts to the end and follow Rex into the water cave. He did not trust Mully to take the risk before he confirmed the safety of the diving suit, let alone with a Fjords man. Although he knew she would have to go into the water one day, at least the risk would be much lower.
"Hahaha," Rex laughed carelessly. "But you've finally crossed the boundary and taken a step into a new field, haven't you? Maybe that's why Mully likes to get along with you. "
"Wait, what... what did you say?"
"What? Haven't you noticed?" He spread out his hands. "When I was chatting with that girl, your name came up a lot. She said you were a timid kid and often cried when you were beaten, but you were very curious. However, you became more restrained and quiet after you grew up. "
Simbady twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "She really... tells you everything."
"I guess it's easier for outsiders to talk about it," Rex said with a grin. "I don't really understand the customs of the Sand Nation. Maybe personal strength is important, but maybe you've always underestimated yourself."
"You know nothing," Simbady snorted in a low voice.
Although he said so, he did not really resent Rex. In fact, even he found it incredible that he had become so familiar with a Fjords man in just a few days. At first, he had been reluctant to stay and help Rex because he did not want to see Mully alone.
On second thought, Simbady found that there was not a trace of disdain in Roland's words and actions. Roland was surprisingly easy to get along with. Compared with the arrogant nobles of the Northern Kingdom or the merchants of the Fjords, this was very unusual. Probably because of this, Mully would visit the camp of the Society of Wondrous Crafts whenever she had time.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked Rex this question.
"Why..." Rex said after a moment's thought. "There's no special reason. Because we've tasted enough discrimination and contempt."
"Tasted... enough?" Simbady was stunned. "Since Rex can promise 30 Golden Dragons in one go, he must have a high social status, right? But where does the contempt come from? " Before Simbady could ask further, an assistant came over and said, "Sir, the equipment has been tested. We can dive at any time."
"How about it?" Rex looked at him. "Diving is no stranger to you, right?"
Simbady had to suppress his doubts. "As long as there's nothing wrong with the gadgets you made."
"Of course. I've been studying it for almost 10 years. In order to make sure nothing goes wrong, I've invested almost all my money in it..."
"What?"
"Ahem, ahem, ahem... No, nothing. Don't mind me." Rex turned his head away. "In that case, I announce that we'll enter the water cave after noon and start our first exploration!"
...
The reason for choosing noon was simple. Since the air duct could meet the depth requirement, ensuring a good view was the top priority for diving. At this time, the sun was right above the cliff, almost shining directly into the sea. The seabed was more than 50 meters deep, not to mention the water cave halfway up the cliff.
If they waited until the tide ebbed in the evening, it would be easy to get lost.
"I'll wait for you at the entrance." Rex put on his helmet and gave a thumbs-up. Then he entered the basket and dived into the sea.
About 15 minutes later, the assistant nodded to Simbady and said, "It's your turn."
Simbady took a deep breath and put on the heavy helmet. Mully stepped forward and fastened the helmet for him. Then she said loudly against the helmet, "Come on, I'll wait for you here!"
He gave her a deep look and turned to walk to the basket.
With the roar of the steam engine, Simbady slid down bit by bit. The surging blue sea was getting closer and closer to him, gradually occupying his entire field of vision. For a moment, he had the illusion that he was not falling, but that the sea had taken the initiative to meet him and wanted to swallow him whole.
A familiar sense of fear reappeared in his heart.
But it only lasted for less than a breath's time before he recovered.
"Accept the unknown and overcome yourself. "
Besides Mully's sparkling eyes, Rex's words also appeared in his mind.
Simbady sighed and accepted the embrace of the sea.
In an instant, the whole world turned into a clear blue. Sunlight sprinkled down from above like countless swimming golden snakes.
After slowly descending for 20 meters, the basket stopped moving.
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