Chapter 72 - Underwater 2 (1/2)
Chapter 72 - Underwater (2)
“There really isn’t much that is worth salvaging.”
“Should you really be saying that, Artpe?”
Artpe grumbled with all his heart.Maetel couldn’t believe what he was saying, so she asked again.She was justified in doing so.The Dimensional Pouch had plenty of space even when he had put in the Kraken’s head.However, he had filled the Dimensional Pouch with the loot he had gained from the ocean.
“You should look at it this way.The truly important items were already put up for auction.If the ships contained items that were worth several hundred thousand golds, they would desperately be trying to recover it by now.It wouldn’t matter if the Lunatic Wave is going on or not.”
“Isn’t it, because they don’t have the ability to enter the ocean and retrieve their items?”
“Of course, there is that.”
Artpe’s words weren’t too far off from the truth.He was able to gain miscellaneous items from each ship.There were gold, gems and some small Artifacts.They were worth around 3,000 gold in total.It was enough to buy two pairs of underwear worn by the wife of Marquis R.No noble or merchant would risk their lives to recover such a pittance.
“There were a total of 50 ships, so I made around 160 thousand gold.Maetel,this is called the economic of scale.”
“Artpe is a really bad guy.”
Artpe did feel sorry for looting all the content of the ships, so he put the wreckage into a neat pile.It could be salvaged later if anyone wanted to recycle the materials.By the look of it, there was no way a human had done it.It was arranged in a natural manner, yet he made it so that the monsters would have a hard time destroying it.
After he finished his work, he looked around his surrounding.Monsters were still unable to bypass the 1st barrier wall, and he had completely cleared all the ships.He also collected money and items from the dead monsters. Everything was perfect.
“All right. Let’s go.”
[In this place….I lost many compatriots.Many were merfolk from my kingdom.]
Sherryl spoke as she glared at him.Artpe had treated all the monsters including merfolks in terms of items and gold. It might have created a feeling of defiance within Sheryll.Artpe was careful not to allow water to enter into his Dimensional pouch.As he put away the pouch, he retorted in a light tone.
[Humans fight and kill even amongst each other.There is no way we would spare the Merfolk when they are the aggressors.If you want to argue with me on this point, you looked up the wrong address.]
[Not all humans try to kill each other.It is the same for the merfolk.We aren’t all cut from the same cloth.This was especially true for the merfolk from the Anaid Kingdom until those men came…..]
There was resentment within Sherryl’s voice.When she pledged loyalty to Artpe, she hadn’t said anything about what happened during the Lunatic Wave.It seemed when she was faced with the aftermath, her feelings had surged forward.It wasn’t as if Artpe couldn’t understand what she was going through, so he gave a somewhat suitable response.
[However, if you guys stayed within the deep sea, there would have been no reason for the humans to be hostile against the merfolk.]
[If master can truly drive out our enemies and withdraw the curse casted over kingdom…..The merfolk of the Anaid Kingdom will never invade the human realm.The great flow of Mana that visits us once a year will not guide our actions.]
Basically, she was implying they were civilized enough to be free from the effects of the Lunatic Wave.When he heard those words, he remembered that the merfolk hadn’t played an active role in any events from his past life.This was why he became a bit more interested in the merfolk.
‘The merfolk built their own civilization, so why didn’t we pay much attention to them….Ah, that right.There has never been a case where one of the merfolk was able to get past level 200 to gain a high rank Class.’
Their potential might be limited, or it might be an environmental factor.The actual reason was immaterial.They had never produced a powerful mermaid or merman that was able to leave their mark in history.Even if they had the advantage in number, over half the population were at a level where it made them useless.They were lousy monsters with levels in single figures.This was why humans and the Demon King’s army hadn’t paid any attention to them.
‘······the elite Mermen fighting units that were enhanced with the Curse of Madness can’t contend with the hero’s party or the Demon King’s army.However, they can be used as a sufficient threat against the humans.They couldn’t be transported using the ocean road.’
In his past life, the Chef had focused more on cooking the hero’s party instead of humanity.This was why the Demon King hadn’t done anything like this in the past.As expected, one could tell a lot had changed from his current life just by looking at this single issue.
Yes, he had already decided to wipe out the rest of the Archduke’s forces.It wouldn’t be bad if he cleaned up all the issues in regards to the merfolk that was connected to the Archduke.Artpe always hated leaving behind loose ends.It was something that remained from his days as one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
[All right. Most of everything you wish will come true if you guide us properly.]
[I am master’s servant.I’ll do whatever master wants.I just follow master’s order.]
At Artpe’s response, Sherryl’s face visibility brightened.She was trying to hide her emotions, soshe worked hard to reply in a calm manner.He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Moreover, Maetel couldn’t understand the words of the mermaid, yet she was glaring at them as she stood next to him.It was a bit scary.
“Oppa.If we want to use that road, don’t we have to be on the other side of the 1st barrier wall?What are we going to do now?Do we have to destroy that wall?”
“I went through the effort of creating that barrier wall, so I won’t destroy it with my hands.We’ll tunnel below it, and we’ll be able to exit on the other side.”
Since he couldn’t bore through the barrier wall, he would make a temporary underwater tunnel to cross to the other side.It was such a simple plan that it made one wonder if such a plan was any different from making a hole in the wall.
While Artpe’s party members were taken aback by the news, Artpe took out two strands of Mana Strings.He intertwined the two strands, and he created a drill by rotating it.It was an exquisite use of Mana and magic, but in the end, the magic was….
“Artpe learned a lot of magic spells, yet in the end, you use the Mana Strings.”
“This is different.”
Artpe let out a smile of triumph, and he casted two more magic spells.The first was Hyper Rubbing.It was a magic that could increase friction to the extreme.The other one was called Haste.It increased speed.
It was almost impossible to combine magic spells.This was also true with combining the attributes of Skills.However, Mana String was a Unique spell.It had the ability to strengthen itself by adding the power of other Skills and Magic!
“Go, Mana String!”
“In the end, oppa can’t deny the fact that you always use Mana String and Hyper Rubbing as your main power…….”
“That part of Artpe is too cute.”
Even if Artpe was being cute, the result created by his magic wasn’t cute at all.The Mana drill was created by combining three magic spells.The drill started to rotate, and when it impacted on the ground, it started making a hole.The speed was so fast that everyone looked on in disbelief.
“We’ll charge through like this!I know it is creating a cloud of dust, but you’ll just have to endure it!”
“Everyone outside will realize what is happening!Hurry!Go faster!”
[S...such a terrifying magic spell…...!]
The two strands of Mana Strings violently rotated as they widened the hole then the tunnel started to lengthen.The members of the hero’s party boldly ran through this tunnel.
When they reached a depth that couldn’t be covered by the 1st barrier wall, the Mana Strings immediately changed direction as they continued forward.Artpe was truly meticulous.He collapsed the tunnel as soon as they passed it.He perfectly tied the loose ends.
“All right.As expected, it worked perfectly.”
“We are already outside, oppa!”
[The tunnel is already perfectly repaired!]