Chapter 716: The Ruins and the Monster

Solomon stares at Henwell, baffled. "Decompression what?"

Henwell doesn't answer. This isn't knowledge he should possess, especially with that sharp little thing Daisy standing nearby.

Fortunately, Miller steps in. "Decompression sickness. If someone rises too quickly from deep underwater, it puts an enormous strain on the body and eventually damages multiple internal organs."

The Lady of Calamity says, "I have heard of that."

"Fishermen who dive for pearls along the coast have to ascend slowly, or their bodies cannot endure it."

Miller gives a slight nod. "Many diving fishermen show mild symptoms of decompression sickness."

"They often suffer from itching skin and impaired hearing. You could consider it an occupational condition."

Solomon frowns. "Then there must be a very deep underwater cavern below us. Can you estimate its depth?"

Miller shakes his head, leaving Henwell no choice but to step forward and examine the corpse.

After a moment, he says, "At least sixty meters. Only a rapid ascent from that depth could cause such severe damage to the body's functions."

Miller and Daisy look at Henwell again.

By now, both of them have begun to suspect something.

Terms and knowledge like decompression sickness are taught only at Peace Haven Military Academy and during Intelligence Division training.

Henwell is done playing at mutual infiltration with the two youngsters. The situation before him is far more troublesome.

Solomon is stuck as well. With no idea what lies below, sending in another team blindly would be foolish.

Henwell's next observation pushes him to a decision. "Look at this man's belt. It isn't the one he was wearing before."

Sure enough, the belt looks old and worn, nothing like the expedition's equipment.

Abbas, one of the archaeologists, hurries over and spots its significance at once.

"Good heavens! This is an artifact from the ruins. Judging by its markings and style, it comes from the Fendicasa era!"

Henwell rises. "The survivors below sent this up as a message!"

Solomon asks, "You mean they're still alive? Then why didn't they send out one of the team members at the Knight rank?"

"With their physical condition, decompression sickness shouldn't be this dangerous to them, should it?"

"At the very least, they shouldn't surface unable to speak and then die on the spot!"

Henwell shakes his head. "I don't know. Something may be preventing them from returning."

"What matters most is that we have found a lead to the ruins."

"Whether we are rescuing people or exploring the ruins, this is where we begin."

Supplies soon begin moving up the mountain in large quantities.

The people already there clear the surrounding area and prepare to establish a temporary camp.

That evening, Solomon finds Henwell. "Mr. Adolf, Miller, the captain of your guards, has received diving training."

"I want him to explore the passage next and find out exactly what is down there."

Henwell does not agree at once. Instead, he looks at Miller. "What do you think? You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Solomon looks displeased, but Miller considers it for a moment before raising his head. "All right. I'll go down and take a look."

Late that night, Miller finishes his preparations. He removes his heavy armor and carries only a dagger and an arm shield, without even wearing leather armor or chainmail.

A few minutes after entering the cave, Miller returns to the entrance and shouts to those above, "Record this."

"The entrance has a vertical drop of eleven meters, then slopes down into the mountain."

"The sloping passage is about thirty meters long and ends at an underground pool."

"The previous team left several ropes knotted together. That was how the dead man was pulled up."

"The bruises across his body may also have been caused during the ascent."

"Use tree trunks to brace the entrance passage, then send people down to establish a new rope anchor beside the pool at the bottom of the slope."

Solomon immediately sends people down to modify the interior according to Miller's instructions.

Henwell then says to the Lady of Calamity, "Send her down. Have her guard the water's edge."

Solomon does not understand. "Why send a maid down there? I've already assigned enough people."

Henwell replies mildly, "Women are attentive. It will be safer with her there."

The Lady of Calamity nods to Alex beside her. When only Henwell can see her face, Alex bares her two little fangs at him again.

There is no room for carelessness.

Something dangerous enough to trap two Battle Knights and two Knights must be lurking below.

Henwell trained Miller himself. He will not allow the young man to be wasted as an expendable scout.

With Alex below, she can at least keep Miller alive if they encounter something beyond the others' ability to handle.

If even Alex cannot deal with it, then they have a serious problem.

After another round of preparations, Miller takes hold of the rope beside the underground pool and dives in.

The rope he uses is no ordinary rope. It is made from extraordinary material supplied by Solomon.

It has no special extraordinary effect, but its exceptional durability and light weight more than compensate for that.

For more than half an hour, the pool remains still. Then its surface ripples, and a cloud of red blood wells up from below.

A moment later, Miller's head breaks the surface. He coughs violently several times, then shouts before anyone can pull him out.

"Careful! There's something underwater!"

A thick-bodied creature rises from the pool and blasts a torrent of water at the people nearby.

The tremendous impact knocks everyone along the shore to the ground.

The creature's body then begins to glow, and a violent electrical discharge fills the small cavern.

Miller's body stiffens in the water, but he grits his teeth and continues swimming toward shore.

The effect on those ashore depends entirely on their strength.

The Battle Knights collapse and convulse, the Knights fall unconscious, and the ordinary people are already dead.

As Miller struggles to climb ashore, the strange creature opens a mouth filled with rings of sharp teeth and lunges at his back.

Just as those jaws are about to close around Miller, the monster's head suddenly explodes.

The unknown creature thrashes violently in the water, its body still twitching from residual nerve impulses.

In the corner, Alex brushes some mud from her shoe. The stone that had been lying beside her foot is gone.

Reinforcements soon arrive from above.

Everyone stares at the creature floating in the pool, horrified.

Alex's eyes dart around. She suddenly bursts into loud sobs and hides behind the Lady of Calamity's female guard.

The guard comforts her softly and leads her out of the cave.

Miller, meanwhile, is carried to Henwell.

As Henwell personally tends his wounds, Miller recounts what happened.

"The waterways are deep and full of branches. There are air pockets, but the route is still dangerous."

"I found the survivors and marked the way. The rope now forms a continuous loop, so we can use it to send supplies inside."

"But there is something underwater. I couldn't see it clearly. It resembles a snake, possesses tremendous strength, and can generate electricity."

Henwell studies the monster they dragged from the water. Its body is as thick as a barrel and nearly thirty meters long.

An electric eel?

No. It is a snake, but it has no eyes and looks like some fusion of a lamprey and a serpent.

Its body is covered in scales, which means it cannot spend all its time underwater. It must have a terrestrial nest somewhere.

Now they need to decide their next move.

Henwell seeks out the Lady of Calamity. He knows the monster didn't die from an energy detonation. That beast-eared woman killed it.