Chapter 226 - Into The South Sea (1/2)

(Jane's PoV)

I took a deep breath as I stared at the vast sea in front of me. The sky was a bit cloudy and it was a bit windy. Standing on my sides were Tom and Sanji who looked lost. They were holding onto their hopes that maybe one of them could get into the territory of the Queen with me.

I lied if I said I wasn't worried about getting inside alone. But, I repeatedly reminded myself that I was going to be fine, that the Queen wouldn't do something bad to me.

”Don't worry, if something happened to her, trust me, I will be the first one to know.” Siji appeared with helpless look on his face.

Sanji and Tom frowned. They trusted him, but they couldn't help but feel worried about me.

I took another deep breath. ”I'm going in.” I told them as I walked forward and stepped into the water.

Didn't they say they would pick me up? Why weren't they here?

As soon as I thought about it, the water in front of me churned and the atmosphere changed. The originally gloomy situation suddenly turned bright as the golden and greenish light emitted from the sea. Slowly, a gold cart appeared with two women dresses in green with gold accessories riding on it.

”Greetings to Master of White Army. We're here under the order of our Queen to welcome our distinguished guest. Please, step onto this cart and we will take you to the Queen.” One of them spoke in a soft and alluring voice.

I didn't need to be told twice. After I boarded the cart, the cart made a smooth u-turn and left the shore. I didn't look back, for fear I would make them even more worried. My expression might still look stoic, but I knew how sharp their eyes were. The worry would still be reflected in my eyes.

However, seconds later, I had other things to think about other than my worry.

A big wave was rapidly approaching. It was around two meters tall, a perfect height to drown a grown up man. I didn't know whether these two beautiful women noticed it or not, but I was sure I was freaking out for a moment there.

It was fortunate that I didn't shriek or scream shamefully when the wave hit down.

I closed my eyes, braced myself for the impact, but there was nothing. Instead of getting hit by salty water, I only felt as if I entered a foreign dimension. It was the same sensation as when I crossed space using the other dimension. There was a moment of being deaf after I successfully did it, but this time, the dullness remained. I couldn't hear the sound of wind, birds, even the sound of the waves. I felt as if I was getting deaf.

Noticing that something had changed, I tried to open my eyes a bit, to see where I was. To my surprise, the cart was going down!

How was I supposed to breathe underwater?

My answer came as soon as the question popped into my mind.

I breathed normally, of course.

I always thought that being submerged under the water would be terrifying. It would be dark and suffocating. Fear would fill one's mind as the lack of oxygen and cold would slowly grip the heart and affect the rationality.

Turned out it was completely different.

Well, maybe it was because I went down with the women who controlled the sea. Instead of feeling cold and fear, my surrounding was enveloped in a warm light. It might be colder one or two degree than the ground, but it wasn't to the point of biting cold.

The dull sound in my head slowly started to disappear as the sound of traditional instruments being played from far away filled my ears. It was the distinctive sound belonged only to the Queen of Sea as the mark of her arrival or whenever someone was moving closer to her.

The music was soothing and at the same time elegant. However, if one was to listen closely to the music, one could easily be drawn to the hint of mystic in it. Since I was a master of a mystical army myself, I could notice the presence of this hidden power. Yet, I wasn't affected by it.

As time went on, the strength behind that power was getting stronger and stronger. It was steadily trying to warp itself around me, trying to mess around with my mind.