Throne of Magical Arcana

Shaking water was everywhere, and bizarre-shaped fish swam in it slowly and casually. The deep blue had gradually turned into pitch dark. The sunlight from up above could barely extend any further. However, this place was not in complete darkness. Once in a while, scaleless fish with bodies that glowed and crab-like sea monsters that seemed to be holding two-color lanterns could be seen. Their lights further added to the haziness and creepiness of the deep ocean.

After Lucien and Natasha left Doris, they dived into the depths of the ocean and moved along a strange current that was entirely different from the surroundings. They saw the amazing view that was entirely different from the shallow ocean and sensed the water pressure that was getting greater and greater and was about to crush them.

Therefore, shimmers of light were added around Lucien’s body, blocking the seawater and the pressure. He seemed to be in a different world.

Small, terrifying swords of light raged around Natasha and cut out a territory that was absolutely under her control and exchanged the necessities with the water around.

After sinking for another hundred meters, Lucien suddenly stopped and spoke through the telepathic bond, “I’m going to measure the environmental factors of this place. You keep an eye on the surroundings.”

Natasha nodded. As a silver and plain longsword was raised, all the waves and quakes around immediately stopped.

At their depths, there were already no special ocean creatures that could emit their own lights. It was absolutely dark and soundless.

In such an environment, any intelligent life with a normal mind would be grasped by inexplicable fear, as if monsters were lurking in the dark water that brought immense pressure. They were watching the strangers indifferently and waiting for an opportunity to devour them.

“Aren’t we in a hurry to go to the Blue Gate?” Natasha was rather puzzled that Lucien was still doing experiments at such a moment. “Whether or not it is associated with the anomalies deep inside the Boundless Ocean, it is by far our most important lead.”

Lucien tossed out his “experiment cabin” and let it grow into a complete laboratory. He then covered it with a layer of silver light so that it would not be corroded by the seawater.

“For me, collecting the environmental factors is equally important to the exploration of the Blue Gate, if not more. In arcana studies, comparing abundant data is the key to many mysteries,” Lucien replied casually and focused his eyes on the experiment cabin. His attention was immediately gathered on it.

Natasha stopped asking. After all, it was not a field that she was good at. Believing in authorities and “professors” was her only choice now.

Holding the Sword of Truth, she swam around like a mermaid, keeping an eye on the unexpected attack of the deep-sea monsters.

Although she had strong willpower and keen senses as a legendary knight, her perception of the environment had been greatly lowered in the deep sea where the pressure was horrifying and the light was gone. She might be missing something if she was careless for one second. Even if Lucien enhanced her with spells that turned a certain range in the ocean into the equivalent of a continent, it could not reach any further.

In the quiet ocean, Lucien was completely devoted to his experiment. Now and then, the sea monsters that had sensed intruders would come at him while waving their tentacles and clamps, but most of them slipped away when Natasha stared at them. Those whose minds were overwhelmed by the lust for slaughter, on the other hand, were cut into countless tiny meat pieces with just a flash of sword, thus allowing the weaker fish around to take the advantage.

Just like that, Lucien pressed forward along the undercurrents that went deep into the ocean. He stopped for experiments and collected data every now and then.

Gulu. Gulu.

Natasha, who was staying on alert next to Lucien, suddenly sensed certain noises. Many creatures seemed to be surging over from a different undercurrent.

……

The monsters with fish heads and human bodies traveled fast amidst the undercurrents, holding the elves whose skin was deep and whose ears were pointy. With their strength, the pressure at such depths should’ve been too much, but the priests in the team who held the staff created an enormous bubble together and transferred the pressure on it.

“How long will it take before we arrive at the Blue Gate?” one of the Kuo-toan warriors asked the priest impatiently.

As the land of miracles for the sea clans, the Blue Gate had been praised by the Kuo-toans, the Gipps, the sea clans, the sea drakes, the mutated seahorses for generations after generations. It was their dreamland that they had always looked forward to. Therefore, when they heard that they could go to the Blue Gate that had never been confirmed before, those sea creatures were so excited that they could barely contain themselves.

The priest nearby was also obviously excited. “According to Doris, it will take about another half a day.”

The Kuo-toan who asked bared his glittering eyes and poked the elven captive that he was escorting with his trident. “Swim faster!”

The sea elf glared at the Kuo-toan with her eyes, from which fire seemed to be spurting out, as if she were about to launch a desperate attack.

“What are you looking at? You are captives. I can eat you immediately!” Sea elves were certainly among the foods of the Kuo-toans.

The female sea wolf said with a clear and angry voice, “Her Majesty will come to save us!”

“Hehe. If your queen could save you, she would’ve already saved you. Although she blocked His Majesty with her filthy scheme, there is nothing she can do to save you!” The Kuo-toan couldn’t feel more regretful when he recalled the battle. How did the elven queen become so tough?

The female sea elf’s eyes became dim. She said in self-consolation, “Her Majesty is merely using you to find the Blue Gate. That’s why she didn’t save us. Chances are that she is following you right now!”

Recently, she had been listening to those goddamn murlocs discussing the Blue Gate all the time. She was quite curious about it too. If she weren’t going there as a captive, she would’ve been very excited about the journey.

“Haha. Do you believe what you said? How could she have known that we were coming to the Blue Gate?” The Kuo-toan destroyed the hope of the sea elf, who was now forced to think of the miserable ending that was waiting for her. Would she be used by Harex as the material to open the Blue Gate?

In the middle of her desperation, a silver light suddenly popped up in the dark water up ahead.

It was so clear and pure that it seemed to be Mountain Paradise at the dark bottom of the ocean thousands of meters deep.

“That’s…” The sea elf was shocked. She looked there in confusion. Vaguely, she saw that it was a metal cabin in the middle of the light.

Huh. A metal cabin?

Why was there a metal cabin in the deep, dark ocean?

Her heart was suddenly filled with hope. Was it Harex’s enemy?

Suddenly, her widened eyes reflected a tiny glittering sword. It grew large quickly and occupied her whole horizon.

The female sea elf felt that soundless sword that could cut everything filled the environment, but she could see nothing except for one cold and indifferent light. The bubble was broken, and so were the Kuo-toans, the mutated seahorses, the jellyfish, and other sea creatures.

By the time the light of the sword was gone, the female sea elf discovered that the other sea creatures except for the captives and one priest had all been reduced into tiny pieces of meat, with illusionary, terrifying light wandering on their remains.

“Are you alright?” A pleasant voice that carried both care and intimidation came into the sea elves’ ears.

The female sea elf was back to herself from her shock, only to discover that an elegant purple-haired lady was floating before her with a smiling and gentle face.

For some reason, her heart was suddenly warm. The frustration and desperation that she suffered recently all surged up, as she sobbed and asked, “Are you here to save us?”

She felt that the female knight touched her head with her left hand that was not holding the sword, so her tears ran even faster. Had it not been for her other concerns, she would’ve jumped into her arms and cried out aloud.

“I am Natasha from the Kingdom of Holm. I am an ally of the Elven Court. We met you by accident.” Natasha briefly introduced her identity. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“That day, the big villain Harex launched an assault at our territory…” The female sea elf explained what had happened while sobbing.

After hearing her out, Natasha said to Lucien in the telepathic bond. “It’s basically the same as what Doris said, with much more details. It seems that Harex has really been heavily wounded. Perhaps he’s bringing the captives to the Blue Gate for a quick recovery?”

Lucien was reminded by Natasha when the Kuo-toans approached, not because they were dangerous, but because they might be carrying important intelligence. At this moment, having enhanced the captured sea elves with protective bubbles, he nodded. “That’s a possibility. Let’s ask the priest again.”

It was not until then that the female sea elf realized that a man was standing in the water further away. His black double-breasted suit, under the contrast of the darkness of the deep ocean and the silver light, emitted a mysterious and creepy air, and his handsome face was particularly familiar.

“M… Master Evans?” The female sea elf suddenly remembered who he was. Although she did not know much about the things on the continent, every music-loving elf had heard the name Lucien Evans and seen his picture before.

“A grand arcanist of the Congress of Magic…” She was completely relaxed because she was now safe. So, she cried even harder.

After asking the priest, Lucien said to those sea elves, “We’ll take a look at the Blue Gate. If possible, we will try to rescue your compatriots.”

Those sea elves were about to express their gratitude in delight when Lucien said, “However, until then, I would like you to forget about us.”

“What?” Those sea elves raised their heads, all having the illusion that Mr. Evans had suddenly reached before them. They could see his eyes clearly, the eyes that were deep and peaceful like an ocean…

The sea elves left ignorantly. Lucien said to Natasha, “My data collection is almost done, and the Blue Gate is not far away from here. Let’s go over and take a look.”

“Alright. Take care.” Although Natasha was a knight who preferred to lead the charge, she had always been prudent before any battle.

The two of them went deeper and deeper and closer and closer to the bottom of the ocean. Suddenly, a weird huge hollow appeared before them; one that did not have a single drop of water in the hundreds of square kilometers nearby.

Centered at a vague blue gate far away, the water around seemed to have been pumped away, and the water further away could not enter the area at all. Only the strange reefs and the loose sand proved that it was still the bottom of an ocean.

“I was thinking of turning into a fish to sneak over for reconnaissance. It seems that we have to try a different approach now.” Lucien became rather solemn.