Chapter Nine: Entering the Sea

"In my tribe—the Cursed Ones—there has always been such a legend."

"We were not always like this. We lost our home because we failed to protect our deity. It was only when the deity laid a curse upon us before dying that we became these ugly, repulsive creatures."

"But the world has not entirely abandoned us. New deities will emerge to lead us to a new promised land, where we shall cast off our curse and rebuild our home."

The bloated monster clumsily bowed its body, prostrating itself on the ground.

"I believe you are the salvation foretold in the prophecy."

Xius widened his eyes, speaking in disbelief: "Wait, you mean... there are many of you? Have you always been like this? Have you never tried venturing into the deep sea?"

The bloated monster nodded. "Yes. For various reasons, our tribe has been trapped in the shallow seas. After I formed the symbiotic pact with you, I ventured alone into deeper waters. True enough, the curse upon me began to weaken rapidly... I have already informed the others, and I have come today to ask you to witness our transformation!"

When it mentioned the "symbiotic pact," its eyes flickered, and as if recalling something, it buried its head even lower.

Xius did not notice this. He glanced at the ocean surface in the distance. "I... I may not be able to witness it. As you can see, I am neither a deity, nor can I breathe underwater... Wait!"

A possibility suddenly struck him—a possibility that made his heart race. He stared at the bloated monster before him, his fingers beginning to tremble slightly.

"I can sense the water, and I can sense your position. Could it be that..."

"Yes, my lord. The symbiotic pact of my kin can grant the other party the ability to survive in water. Neither the deep sea nor land will hinder your movements any longer."

Blood surged from his heart, and excitement boiled within his mind. Xius’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Humanity had always been confined by the land; even the Empress of the Empire could only look out at the vast ocean in helplessness.

But now, he could set foot into the sea!

Turning his gaze toward the sea surface within the cavern, a sense of intimacy emanated from the symbiotic pact, as if it were not an unknown realm, but something warm and comforting—like... home.

Perhaps all life originated from the sea, and some creatures simply wandered too far and forgot the way back.

"Very well, then let us go into the sea. When? Do you need to..."

"Right now, my lord. We have waited for this day for far too long."

***

Xius looked at the sea. He was truly impatient. Although he kept telling himself to be cautious, at this very moment, he only wanted to roam the ocean depths.

He felt as though the experience was worth it, even if it cost him his life.

"Please follow me, my lord." The bloated monster stepped into the ocean first. "There may be some obstacles, but you need not worry; I will protect you."

"We will not lose our deity again."

The two soon entered the water. Xius looked around curiously. The sea was much warmer than he had imagined. He was wearing nothing but simple pajamas; on land, he would have felt uncomfortable from the chill of the night, but upon entering the sea, it felt as if he had fallen into a warm embrace.

The visibility in the water was decent, though the nighttime sea was pitch black, save for occasional bioluminescent plankton gathering on the surface, attracting schools of fish.

Xius held his breath, but after a moment, he exhaled completely and took a deep, sharp gulp of seawater.

They were not far from the shore; even if he choked, he could still scramble back up.

But the sensation of suffocation never came. He felt as though he had taken a deep breath in the early morning air—there was no tightness, only natural, effortless comfort.

Trying to spit out the water in his mouth, Xius realized he wasn't inhaling and exhaling water instead of air; rather, he could breathe in the sea just as he did on land.

The seawater did not enter his nasal cavity, yet he continued to breathe.

The sensation was indescribably strange, though he found that as long as he did not focus on it, his body naturally took over the breathing process.

Shaking his head, Xius realized he could no longer see the monster from before.

He focused his senses, and soon a familiar, intimate presence appeared not far ahead.

He instinctively wanted to move forward, and before he could even think about how to navigate in the water, his body moved on its own. It wasn't like walking, nor was it quite like swimming; he drifted toward the monster following his intent. Judging by the fish passing by, his speed was actually quite fast.

"My lord, please follow me," the bloated monster's voice echoed in his mind. "You can communicate with me directly through your consciousness; this is a result of the symbiotic pact."

The symbiotic pact? It must be the effect brought about by the pact.

Xius was surprised. After testing it, he found this ability was more useful than he had imagined. As long as he willed it, he could convey his thoughts, and the efficiency was far higher than speaking.

This was better than a telephone, wasn't it?

***

However, under the bloated monster's explanation, he learned that the range of this communication was very limited—it could only be successfully conveyed within a visible range; if it were any further, it could not be heard.

"And it cannot be obstructed. If in an open area, communication can span a great distance, but if something blocks the path, the effect diminishes significantly."

Visible range, line-of-sight propagation, effectiveness dropping sharply when obstructed...

A thought stirred in Xius's heart.

These characteristics... they gave him a sense of déjà vu.

To be precise, it was very much like radio communication.

In an open, unobstructed environment, radio waves could travel very far. Shortwave radio stations on Blue Star could even use atmospheric reflection to achieve communication across half the planet.

But underwater...

Xius looked at the pitch-black seawater around him.

Underwater radio communication was a difficult matter, requiring specific, extremely long wavelengths and low-frequency bands, along with many other limitations.

For instance, the Very Low Frequency (VLF) communication used by submarines required them to surface to a certain depth, and they could not travel too fast while communicating.

Moreover, the transmitters and antennas on submarines were enormous, compressing the already limited crew space.

Yet, neither he nor the bloated monster had any of these things, and they were communicating flawlessly while diving.

Xius looked at the bloated monster. If the method of this mental communication was analogous to the radio waves of his previous life, then the symbiotic pact was similar to tuning to a frequency. There were only the two of them on this channel—a one-on-one communication.

But if there were a machine that could find this frequency to receive or transmit...

Xius gasped. The principle behind such a machine was not that complex, and in just a short while, he had already thought of a slew of potential applications.

Coming on this trip was the right choice, Xius thought to himself.