Chapter : 608

"Thank you, Ken," Princess Iris said softly. Her violet eyes sparkled with affection. "I am glad you are so dedicated to the cause."

Sayma clicked her pen. She brought the meeting back to a polite, logical focus.

"While Ken’s motivation is highly unconventional, it does highlight the urgency of the situation," Sayma stated smoothly. She opened her notebook to a fresh page. "This is a ten-point mission. The Upper Council assigned this task to multiple Royal factions. It is a direct race."

Sayma drew a quick diagram on the paper.

"We are currently tied near the top of the leaderboard," Sayma explained perfectly. "If we secure this relic, we maintain our high standing. We prove our dominance. However, if another unit beats us to the relic, we will fall behind. The 1st Prince and the 2nd Princess will certainly attempt to retrieve this item to boost their own political power."

Naomi crossed her arms. Her green eyes narrowed with fierce determination. "Princess Hestia will not care about the farmers. She will just lock the relic in a vault to show off her points. We cannot let her win."

"We will beat them," Princess Iris promised firmly. "We will be faster. But we still face a massive logistical hurdle. We must navigate a deep, submerged environment."

Ira stepped forward. Her pale face remained a flat, emotionless mask. She stared blankly at the map. "Statistically speaking, human breath-holding capacity is limited to approximately two minutes under extreme physical exertion. The sunken ruins are located at a depth that requires at least thirty minutes of continuous submersion. We cannot simply swim down."

Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. She let out a loud yawn. "Ira is right. I cannot hold my breath for thirty minutes. I will definitely drown. Drowning sounds very unpleasant. I prefer breathing air."

Risa hugged her teddy bear tightly. She nodded in agreement. "I need air too. Water goes up my nose and it burns."

Zinia cracked her knuckles. She looked at Princess Iris. "How do we survive the descent, Princess? We need specialized equipment. We need a way to breathe underwater while we fight."

Ken slouched his shoulders. He dropped his dramatic pose. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He let out a lazy sigh.

"This is very simple," Ken mumbled casually. He gave them a goofy grin. "We just need to find a pirate ship. In my favorite cartoon, the pirates go to a giant underwater island. They just coat their entire wooden ship in a massive, magical bubble resin. The bubble lets them breathe perfectly. We just need to find a magical bubble tree. It is basic television logic."

Naomi rolled her eyes playfully. "Ken, we do not have a pirate ship. We do not have magical bubble resin. We need a real solution."

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Sayma pushed her glasses up. Her dark eyes lit up with a brilliant, logical idea.

"We do not possess the magical tools to breathe underwater," Sayma noted politely. She closed her notebook. "However, I know exactly who does. The 9th Unit specializes in advanced mechanical engineering. Prince Hephaestus possesses highly sophisticated aquatic technology. We must form a temporary coalition."

Princess Iris smiled brightly. The plan was totally solid. Her brother was a genius inventor.

"That is a flawless strategy, Sayma," Princess Iris agreed. She sheathed her silver rapier. "We will visit Prince Hephaestus immediately. We will propose an alliance. We will secure the breathing apparatus. And we will win this race."

The elite girls nodded in perfect unison. They grabbed their weapons. They felt a massive surge of confidence. They were ready to dive into the unknown. They were ready to fight for the commoners.

Ken picked up his bag of potato chips. He popped one more chip into his mouth. He chewed lazily. He was ready to protect his friends from the shadows. And he was absolutely ready to save the french fries. The race to the Sunken Labyrinth was officially underway.

The air inside the 9th Unit’s workshop smelled strongly of machine oil and roasted coffee. Massive copper pipes lined the tall brick walls. White steam hissed constantly from metal vents near the ceiling. Bright sparks flew across the room as engineers worked on large metal engines. The noise was incredibly loud. It sounded like a massive clock factory.

Ken Eliot walked through the front entrance of the workshop. He dragged his shoes across the metal floor grates. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He wore his usual navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He kept his left hand shoved deep into his pocket.

He held a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips in his right hand. He reached into the bag. He pulled out a large, salty chip. He tossed the chip into the air. He opened his mouth. He caught the chip perfectly on his tongue. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"This place is too noisy," Ken complained lazily. He chewed his chip. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn. "The acoustics in here are terrible. My ears are ringing. I feel like I just walked into a giant metal trash can. We should have scheduled a meeting at a bakery instead."

Naomi walked right beside him. Her bright red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She wore dark combat pants and a simple gray shirt. She did not yell at him for complaining. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection.

"Stop whining, Ken," Naomi teased softly. She reached out and gently brushed a tiny speck of dust off his shoulder. "We need to be here. This is a vital diplomatic visit. Just eat your chips and try not to trip over any loose wires."

"I never trip," Ken lied smoothly. He popped another chip into his mouth. "I perform tactical stumbles. It is a very advanced evasion technique."

Naomi laughed a soft, musical laugh. She stayed close to his side. She wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in the chaotic workshop.

Princess Iris walked at the front of the group. Her violet eyes scanned the massive room. She wore her crisp dark blue uniform. Her silver hair fell smoothly over her shoulders. She looked completely calm and focused. She searched the room for her brother.

Laxmi bounced on her toes. The fire user looked around with wide golden eyes. She grinned a wild, excited grin. "This place is amazing! Look at all these machines! I bet they make a lot of explosions in here!"

Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage admired the massive steel beams supporting the ceiling. "They definitely do a lot of lifting. The structural integrity of this building is top-tier."

Sayma walked next to the Princess. The intelligent Vice-Captain pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She held a neat notebook. She clicked her pen. "The 9th Unit operates with incredible mechanical efficiency. Their workshop is a marvel of modern engineering."