"Phew, phew, phew... finally... here we are." Simbady felt his body relax when he saw the small pool in front of them again.
"Thank the Three Gods, thank the Son of Earth and Mother Sea," he murmured in his heart. At this moment, the cave was bright, which allowed them to escape as fast as they could. The closer they got to the sea, the more the cave shrank, like the mouth of a crock. This was probably why the Giant Armored Scorpions did not chase after them.
However, this did not mean that they were completely safe.
Simbady did not forget the tide-like sound. He would not be surprised even if all the desert scorpions in the entire Endless Cape were here. Simbady only knew that these predators could cross the stone wall at any time, follow the smell, and tear them into pieces.
Fortunately, scorpions could not swim. As long as they escaped into the sea, they would be safe.
"Quick, put on your helmet!" Simbady grabbed the diving helmet on the ground and hurriedly put it on.
However, he found that the Fjords man did not move.
"Hey, what are you waiting for?"
"You... go first," Rex said in a low voice with his back facing him.
"Go first?" Simbady was stunned. "Damn it, is this guy still thinking about those glowing relics?"
Anger welled up in his heart. He strode forward and grabbed the man's shoulder. "Are you crazy? Do you know what's going on? "
Simbady's words got stuck in his throat. He looked at Rex's chest in astonishment, only to see that the soft leather and intestinal membrane had been cut open, and there was blood on both sides of the cut.
"Your diving suit..."
"It's broken." Rex forced a smile that was uglier than a crying face. "The desert scorpion didn't stab me, but its pincers scratched my suit."
The Sand Nation man fell silent. The wound on Rex's chest was not big, just a cut. However, the damage to his diving suit meant that seawater would pour into his helmet along his neck.
After a while, Simbady said, "If we only use the air pipe..."
Rex shook his head with a wry smile. "Unless we're very close to the water, you'll have to inhale as hard as the air pump."
The two pipes had to be connected to each other to maintain balance.
This was something that the other party had told him long ago.
That was why she had been so hesitant when answering his question …
Perhaps the people of the Fjords had already realized their predicament at that time.
Thunder untied his waist bag and handed it to him. "This is the sample of the stone tablet. Please give it to my assistant. Tell him that I have found something as good as Lord Thunder."
Simbady noticed that his fingers were trembling.
"Does your assistant … have a spare diving suit?"
"Only these two. From the selection of materials to the stitching, it will take at least half a year to make a set of clothes." Rex took a deep breath. It was obvious that he was trying his best to control his emotions. "I know what you're thinking. In fact, I've thought of all the possible ways to get out of the cave without a diving suit. Perhaps, this is fate … "
"Fate?"
"The people of the Society of Wondrous Crafts... can never be real explorers." He bit his lip. "You'd better leave before the scorpion comes! As long as you can bring the news back, even if I can't be called an explorer, my name will definitely be known throughout the Fjords along with this invention! "
Simbady tilted his head and looked at the pool. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "I refuse."
"Huh?" Rex widened his eyes in disbelief.
"You still owe me 29 Golden Dragon. If you die, who am I going to ask for it? " Simbady said grumpily. "Only you, me, and Mully know about this agreement. I don't think your assistant will pay for it. I can tell from their clothes that they are no better than the Sand Nation people."
"We just don't have money now!" Rex protested. "To, to buy a steam engine from Graycastle... we spent a little more than we expected... When the diving suit becomes famous, a lot of Chambers of Commerce will come to buy it. By then, we won't have to worry about money at all!"
"But the problem is, the money has nothing to do with me, and probably won't even have anything to do with you." Simbady threw his waist bag and helmet on the ground. "If you become scorpion feces, do you think people will still insist that you invented the diving suit? As long as you change your story a little, you can gain both fame and fortune. There's nothing more worthwhile than this. So, not only will I lose my 29 Golden Dragon, but your wish will also probably not come true. "
"... What do you want to do?"
"Accept the unknown and overcome yourself. "
Simbady repeated the words in his mind and let out a long sigh. "Mojins don't like to be owed, nor do they like to break their promises. An agreement is an agreement, no matter whether the other party is the King of Graycastle or the Fjords people. I promised to help you to the end, right?"
Rex was stunned. "But how are you going to..."
"Look at the pool." He took off his waterproof suit. "Don't you see that it's getting smaller?"
Only then did Rex notice that there was a circle of wet bluestones around the pool, which indicated that the water level was falling.
"The tide of the Swirling Sea is low, which means that the distance we need to wade through the water is getting shorter," Simbady said word by word. "If everything goes well, we'll be rescued as long as we swim 10 meters above the water. It's impossible to do that in the diving suit, but you might have a chance if you take off all your clothes, including the stones you've collected. Now, take off your clothes. "
"Take, take off my clothes?"
"That's right. If we want to survive until the tide is as low as possible, we have to be prepared to stop the desert scorpions, and the most effective way is to set a fire." Simbady nodded. "But it's too steamy here, so flowers and plants can't be easily ignited. So we need some kindling." He pointed to the oil lamp. "Grease and leather should be able to keep the fire burning for a while."
Rex was silent for a long time. "... Don't try. It's impossible."
"Why?"
"You can't tell when the tide will recede. For every meter the sea level rises, the distance through the water hole will be several times longer. If we act rashly, we'll only use up all the air in the long water hole, "Rex said with a pained expression." Most importantly, I can't swim! It's ridiculous, isn't it? I'm from the Fjords. Even seasickness is better than this! Because I can't swim, I can't throw myself into the sea like other people and become a real explorer! "
"I already knew that when I was diving," Simbady said calmly.
"Wh... what?"
"You rely on the basket to get up and down, and you're very clumsy. Without this suit, I'm afraid you can't even get into the water."
"Since you know that, why do you still want to swim?"
"Because you don't need to swim. You just need to hold your breath. It might be a little painful, and you might even lose consciousness. But as long as you don't move, I can get you out," Simbady said slowly.
"Just by yourself?" Rex asked incredulously.
"I've told you that there was a deep pool in the oasis I grew up in. Everyone liked to compete to see who could dive deeper and longer," Simbady said, raising his head. "I've never been the best in my tribe... but it's not because I've tried my best, but because I'm afraid."
"You're... afraid?"
"Yes, it's as deep as a giant mouth. I feel like I'll be sucked in if I dive any deeper. So I always hold my breath and pretend to be exhausted in front of everyone... Over time, even I believe it myself, "Simbady said, looking straight into Rex's eyes. He looked straight at Rex. "You said that I've been underestimating myself. Maybe it's true. So I want to try and see what my limits are."
"Similarly, you can't leave if you can't swim? Are you sure that's your limit? "Simbady said loudly." You really haven't underestimated yourself! "
Rex unconsciously clenched his fists.
"At least you're not afraid of the sea at all. In this respect, you're much better than me," Simbady said with a smile. "How about it? Do you want to have a bet with me? You're an explorer... How can you be a real explorer without taking some risks? "
...
Two hours later, the entire cave was filled with choking smoke.
The pool gradually receded into the cave, which was just enough for the two of them to hide in.
The faint sound of desert scorpions crawling came from the other side of the smoke.
It was like a sweeping wave.
The two of them looked at each other and knew that this was the last moment.
"Let's go, Mr. Honorary Explorer." Simbady took a deep breath and dove into the water with Rex.
The cool seawater melted into his body.
It was as if he had returned to his childhood.
But this time, there was no Carlone or other tribesmen by his side.
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