It took one text for Shane to drop everything in the excavation and rush to the doorway. The idea of finding something else that belonged to the Naga was too enticing for her to pass on. Not to mention that she could also call the guide of the Shtylla Archipelago and ask her own questions to them. In a way, having Shane come here ended up being a good thing. Hera still had to scout the area to ensure they wouldn't walk in the middle of a monster nest.

However, things would have been easier if Adriel wasn't going with her for backup. Even if his intentions were good, having him stay on the island watching over her made the Countess unable to call her court to help her. Only Daskka, Nimbus in his griffon form, Armory, and Scythe were out, but all of them were very close to Hera herself, so some of her blind spots were still blind spots. Daskka even tried to stay close to Nimbus' back legs, but there were still a few spots on the ground that she couldn't see.

Still, they eventually managed to scout the entire area. They found the reef with its unique colors and shapes on the south of the island connected to the Wailing Valley. From the sky, it looked a bit weird since the coral structure was closer to the surface than she imagined. She half expected to be able to stand up on top of the reef and still keep her head above the water. Then again, that was just an estimate she was making while looking from far away. Currently, Hera was about 30 meters above the waters. It wasn't the flying limit for Nimbus or the room, but it was high enough to allow her to see a large area while still feeling somewhat safe.

To make things even better, it didn't seem there were any monsters around that area. Hera noticed a few Bugfish in the distance, but around the reef, everything seemed to be peaceful. She couldn't peer into the ocean's darkness, but on a surface level, they should be safe. Another way they 'tested the waters' was by having Adriel show the spell and a few people going around the initial island. Essentially, he would be using his drones to create the air bubble and the platform where people would climb and then slowly go underwater. Since almost everyone had some sort of light spell, being in the darkness wasn't something they would have to worry about, but the light would attract monsters, and it was unlikely that the Bugfish were the only creatures that lived here.

Everything went off without a hitch. They even tested their makeshift submarine with everyone who would be part of this expedition, and it worked just fine. According to the elf, The air bubble wouldn't have any problems maintaining its shape until they were about 20 meters underwater. Beyond that, the water pressure would start forcing Adriel to reinforce the barrier more often, and it would begin shrinking in size. After a depth of 30 meters, his spell would break completely, exposing them to the elements. That meant that even if the barrier broke, no one would be in danger because of the water. A person could easily survive even at a depth of 50 m. In fact, the record depth that a level 1 ever achieved while free diving was over 100 m deep.

After hearing all that information, Shane found a secluded location, borrowed Hera's Emergency Cube, and asked her to create a soundproof barrier around her before calling the guide of the room. Unfortunately, she could only ask two questions with the time she had. When she returned from her short session with a guide, she told everyone that the doorway should be around 10 to 15 m deep and that the Naga left this place in the same year that the last graveyard was built in the Wailing Valley. That didn't help much since the archeology camp had still to properly date the ruins, but the guide warned her that the answer wouldn't help, and Shane wanted to hear it anyway.

When Adriel heard that, he pulled Hera and Shane to the side, "I have something to ask you two. Could you use the Safety Cube and that soundproof thing you do, Hera?"

"I can do the soundproofing, but I can't use the Safety Cube. It takes a lot of Mana to activate, and it spends everything when you use it. Now I have to charge it, and it will probably take me a couple of days. But if you really need to talk to us in private, we can go to my private room," Hera wasn't going to explain why they used the item here since they were still using the excuse of being a relic thing, and Adriel was an explorer. It could become a problem if he wanted to press on that matter.

"Yeah, that works. Would that be ok?" Adriel asked.

"I'm ok with it," Hera nodded and turned to Shane.

"Sure. Just don't get any ideas, pretty boy. If you try anything with us, we will kick your ass, and Alex will be next in line," Shane flicked Adriel's chin and walked off towards the doorway.

Hera found that reaction extremely odd and walked closer to Shane before whispering, "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know! Elves make me nervous," Shane sighed and glanced back at the man who was following them, unfazed by her attitude.

"Shane, you do know he's with Alex, right?"

"I do. Don't worry. I have no intention of hooking up with him. I don't have nearly enough self-esteem for that, and even if I did, I wouldn't do that to a friend," Shane was still flustered, which worried Hera a little, but there was no reason not to trust Shane with this. During the short time they've known each other, Shane never lied or deceived Hera, and she always had a good handle on her romantic entanglements.

Soon, the three of them walked inside Hera's private room. Hera went to the kitchen to grab some water while Shane sat on the couch. Adriel was just standing in front of the wall that Hera used as a tv screen and was currently set up to show a beautiful landscape overlooking a pink jungle on top of a mountain.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"I'm going to ask you two a favor. Don't say anything, don't react to what I'm saying. I'm just going to ramble for a moment. Okay?" Hera and Shane glanced at each other before nodding to Adriel, "As an explorer, I am aware of the things our relics can do. And I'm also somewhat aware of ways to gather unique pieces of information. One of the ways was by using a unique skill that I once acquired but no longer have access to because of three situations where I broke a rule. If you have any idea what I'm talking about, stay silent. If not, please ask so I can explain how to get that skill," Adriel looked at Hera and Shane, who just kept quiet. It was the first time Hera had ever met someone who lost the guide skill, so she didn't know what she could say or do, and it would be considered a strike.

Adriel nodded, "Okay then. I'm going to be honest. I don't remember the specifics of the skill. I just know that I could get some answers directly from the system. I'm saying this because of this expedition we are about to go on. Look, it's one thing if we're just going to explore, but you guys seem to have a very definitive location, and I want to know how sure you are about it. Because it's different if we are going on a wild-goose chase and we are going to a place that probably has what we're looking for. The way I'll 'drive' the air bubble will be different. So, if you are sure of the location of the doorway because of some skill that has rules and only explorers have. Keep quiet. If not, say something," Shane kept quiet, and so did Hera, but she was terrified of doing anything and losing one of her strikes.

"Very well then. If that's the case, I have to prepare a few things. I honestly didn't expect us to find the doorway in the first go, but now, I think we might. Would it be ok if I left?" Adriel asked.

Hera and Shane nodded, and as soon as he left, they turned to each other and spoke at the same time, "Did you lose a strike?"

"No," Shane replied.

"Oh, good. Me neither," Hera sighed in relief. Neither of them had ever seen what happened with someone who lost all their strikes, but it seemed like they also lost all memory related to the guides if they were to trust what Adriel was saying.

They didn't know what to make of it and, eventually, decided to head back. The rest of the day went by in a flurry. Hera and her party were all preparing for the expedition, discussing spells and attacks that could work underwater and making sure their tablets would be in a safe and dry location if they had to swim. Adriel also gave everyone a quick explanation about what they could and could not do while inside his barrier. While all that was going on, the dwarves tried to be more independent. Some were focusing on training and trying to figure out new spells, while a few would go to the archipelago to run the dungeon and try to discover something they might have missed. For once, during the rest of the day, none of the Royal Explorers went looking for Hera's advice or to ask what they should do. It seemed like what she told them about doing their own thing was working, for now.

Morning came, and everyone crossed to the Shtylla Archipelago. Even if none of the dwarves would be going underwater, they were all there to send them off. Hera didn't want to make this seem like a farewell, even if everyone was acting as if they would never see each other again. This was her excuse for not making any speeches while leaving the dwarves alone, and soon, Adriel placed his drones in the water and triggered the air bubble. A round blue barrier appeared connected to a large circular energy platform made by the drones.

"Ok, everyone, come along. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. We are out of complimentary peanuts and in case of emergency, just start swimming," Adriel spoke in his best flight attendant voice.

"Ugh, no peanuts? I'm writing an awful review when we arrive," Alex pretended to be mad while stepping into the bubble. It was a bit rickety, but that was only due to the uneven weight distribution.

"Don't worry about that. When we all get inside, I can fix the balance. Just bare with me for a while," Adriel replied as Hera, Helena, Blue, Alex, Mylo, Shane, and Adriel himself stepped into the barrier. Exactly as he said, the moment they were all on the platform, he used a couple of spells to control the drones, and it stabilized almost as if they were standing on solid ground, "Ok, everyone. Here we go. Try not to freak out. It's weird."

The bubble started to sink, and as the water splashed against it, it looked like a layer of glass was blocking the liquid. However, when they tried to touch it, their hands passed through, reaching the water on the other side without any problems.

"Ok, new rule. If you want to test the barrier, do it one at a time. It's hard to keep it up when everyone is poking holes in it all at once," Adriel looked back, making the party pull back their hands as children who just got caught doing something bad.

All of them continued to sink, and in about a minute, their submarine was completely underwater. Hera looked around and could barely see what was happening around them. The water in this room was incredibly dark. All the light from the sun could only reach about half a meter before being engulfed by the water.

"I didn't expect it to be this bad," Adriel mumbled and triggered a few lights from beneath the drones, "Anyone who was a light spell, feel free to help out."

Without exception, everyone inside the 'submarine' activated a different light spell. Hera used her dancing lights around the bubble. Helena pushed the darkness away, letting the sun reach deeper into the water. Mylo made a few glowing flowers bloom inside the barrier. Alex made a simple light spot appear in front of them. Bonnie spread a few tendrils that occasionally flash like a plane's lights. Blue made a cloud above their head that would be glowing white, almost working like a second sun, and Shane enchanted the water around them to reflect more light.

"Too much, too much!" Adriel gasped, "Turn everything off!"

Everyone did as he asked since they didn't expect all the light spells to go up at the same time. After a brief discussion, they kept Mylo, Shane's, and Alex's spells. The rest would focus on defending the group. After setting all that up, they finally started to move towards the reef.

In the darkness, a group of large Bugfish, who were now in a growth spurt because of the constant supply of food, noticed the sudden flash of light in the water. They all started swimming in that direction, attracted by the shiny object.