It didn't take long to reach the rest of the group. They were in a warehouse that Bonnie was using as training grounds. She also used the Crystal Fisher every now and then, but teaching Ruby some more specific things in a dungeon wasn't working that well. It seemed like the slime would always be in an alert state when inside there instead of focusing on what Bonnie was saying. So far, Ruby has been very well-behaved, and she would do what Bonnie asks even when facing her own kind. However, she was still afraid of some things. During the first fight she participated in against the Proto Slime, Ruby wasn't able to do anything. She was too scared to face her apparent progenitor. When that wasn't the case, she became almost like a third limb and armor for Bonnie. The slime would be around her like a belt and attack the monsters that got close by stretching part of her body in a tentacle with a sharp point.
Another thing Ruby could do was to become any object that Bonnie wanted. She could even mirror mechanisms and gears, and that ability was improving with time. Early on, the slime was able to, at most, make objects without any moving parts, but now she could make a set of three gears that could spin individually or at the same time.
According to Bonnie, she wanted to see if Ruby could become a lab assistant and, in an emergency, a substitute tool to solve a problem. Or a way to make a tool prototype and test it before actually making a full one. The idea seemed interesting, and they were getting along pretty well. It also helped that Ruby could eat anything organic. Even bones and fish skin. As mean as it sounded, most of her current diet was composed of the parts of food that the rest of the group couldn't eat. Not to say that Bonnie didn't give her something more special every now and then, but her reaction was the same whether she was eating grilled fish or some watermelon skin.
However, everyone still felt somewhat on edge for sleeping so close to a slime. Even if Bonnie had it tamed, it was still a monster. The researcher figured out the skills herself instead of getting all the ones a tamer would get, and there were a few she was still missing. Because of that, they picked one of the glass crates inside the lab by the dungeon so that Ruby would always be locked inside when everyone was sleeping. It wasn't so far from a lizard cage, but Bonnie still felt conflicted about that. She did her best to make it a more comfortable place, but there weren't that many options to make something better in this room.
"Do you think we would find something soft for Ruby down there?" Bonnie asked.
"Unless you are talking about getting another slime, I don't think so. I don't think anything soft that is not alive can survive underwater," Shane replied.
"Maybe some sand?" Nimbus suggested.
Hera nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea, sand could work. It's not exactly soft, but it still could be better than the pieces of wood that are in her tank."
"Either way, we can try to see if we find something. I'm sure everyone had their own thoughts about what we can find down there. I, for one, am looking to find more things that Jikesu left behind," Shane turned to the left, following the path to the hangar where the Flying Slime Fish were located. Everyone was ready to go to the bottom of the ocean, but they had to first reach the raft.
"Jikesu? Who is that?" Adriel asked.
"It's the Naga that came here. His name was in the journal, but it took a while for us to figure out that it was his name," Shane explained.
"Oh, really? And did you finish translating the entire journal?"
"We did," Shane turned to Hera, who gave a smile in response, "It's kind of fascinating. Apparently, he got this journal halfway through his trip. There are some mentions of different rooms, but he eventually reached the Wailing Valley to visit the temples that we discovered, and that's when the doorway stopped working for some reason. He had no idea that could happen, so he stayed there for a few months, hoping it would work again. According to the diary, he had no idea such a thing could even happen, and that made him very worried. Eventually, he found a way to go to the Shtylla Archipelago and blocked the path behind him so no monster would chase him there. I mean in that area by the doorway, not to another room. It seemed like he knew that couldn't happen. After a few days, he found the doorway underwater, but there is no mention of a reef like the one we passed through. Then he stayed in the Seven Islands for a while, but I don't remember exactly why," Shane looked to Hera again, hoping the Empress remembered that part.
Without missing a beat, Hera continued, "He got stumped in two of the challenges. The race and the crafting. In his journal, Jikesu said he didn't have enough stamina for a long race and that he never made anything by himself. There was no mention of the book that we found that taught us how to make things, so that's maybe why. Anyway, after he was finally done with the challenge and there was only the racing one left to complete, there was a storm, and some water elementals appeared. Jikesu mentioned that he was strong enough to face a couple, but eventually, he was overwhelmed and passed out in the water. When he woke up, he was in the cave we ended up in, and the core of one of the elementals he killed resonated with the area, opening the path. Then he came here."
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They arrived at the hangar, and everyone climbed aboard the Flying Slime Fish to head down to the raft. While doing so, Shane continued speaking through their communicators, "The really interesting part is what happened when he got here. You see, the Naga had no knowledge of other civilizations. At first, he thought that this place was a tribe that ran away, but when he finally saw a Triton, he was utterly shocked. Most of what he believed in was wrong, and it took him a while to recover from that. That's when Jikesu started to make the temple and, after it, lost his mind. In the diary, he mentions that isolation was the biggest factor, but another big thing was how the room messed with his head. The fact that he couldn't tell where the water started and the sky began, and how he would see the slimes pretending to be his family every time he stayed too long in the raft was brutal."
As Shane spoke, everyone looked around. Aside from the cloud where the city was located, the entire sky was empty, and from this angle, it was hard to tell where the water was. The only thing marking the sea level was the raft. Sure, no one in the party had too much of an issue noticing that, but they were also able to talk to each other every day, and it was hard for any of them to be alone for a long period of time. The isolation might be playing a big part in the reason why Jikesu went crazy.
"So, is that the end of the story? How do you know he went to Abyssia?" Adriel asked through the communicator as they approached the raft.
Hera took the chance to answer. After all, she was the one responsible for translating the latter half of the journal. Since she could see the Naga writing without the use of the tablet, she could notice the nuance of the words better than Shane, "No, there is still a little bit. After some time, Jikesu regained his sanity. It was a slow and gradual process, but he eventually started writing properly again. Saying that he wasn't about to give up in life and that he would find a way back to his home. But since he lost track of time, he couldn't tell how long it had been since he got here. So he started counting again from where he had left. In total, his count amounted to three years, but it should be longer, and only after he regained his sanity was there some information about this room that could be useful. It's just a shame that since it took so long for us to translate, every bit of useful information in the journal about this room came after we had figured that out for ourselves. Things like the Crystal Fisher not having any monsters when he was alone or the Proto Slime having multiple phases. On the last page, he mentions that he will soon be going to Abyssia now that he had found out how to get there and that he would leave the journal here since he got a flat crystal in the Day of Progress dungeon that was actually a book he could write with mana. In theory, he could write as long as he had mana for it. Reading it also required a constant flux of mana, but it was more resistant, and he wouldn't need to worry about damaging the pages. The last phrase, the one he put on the back cover of the leather, is 'I will return to my home, my love, and my children, and I believe that you can also do the same.'"
Adriel came out of his Flying Slime Fish now that they were already in the raft, "That is a nice sentiment. And I agree with him. We can do it."
"As long as we can survive while using these things," Blue sighed and put on one of the chokers. Hera pulled the one she had from her bag and took a look at the item's window.
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Jadas' Water Breathing Apparatus
Due to the generations of Triton living in Sky they lost some of their abilities to breathe underwater. Jadas, the inventor, developed a tool that would not just help them recover that ability but also completely replace it, even if just for comparatively small periods of time.
While wearing this tool, any water that reaches the user's lungs will be slowly converted into breathable air. When breathing out, the carbon dioxide, as well as all the liquid that could not be converted, will be pushed out of the user's lungs.
Maximum Duration: 24 hours.
Cooldown: Equals the duration of the previous use.
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"Does it start counting when I put it on or when I start to breathe underwater?" Hera asked.
"When you put it on. But it's not like we are going to spend a full day down there, is it?" Blue turned to the Empress.
"I don't think so, but I don't know. Maybe Abyssia is very far."
"That's unlikely. If Jadas was the one who made this, he would make it so people wouldn't have to worry about time when going there. I also think he wouldn't believe anyone would want to sleep down there, so 24 hours should be enough to do whatever we need and come back with enough time to spare. I honestly think he might have made it with a much smaller duration at first but eventually had to increase it after people nagged him enough," Bonnie suggested.
"I mean… that's… likely," Helena admitted. During these past months, they had their fair share of interactions with the Triton, but he was always insufferable. Bonnie's explanation made a lot of sense and matched pretty well with his personality.
"Well, let's keep our minds on that. Also, everyone can use the Illusory Script spell, right?" Hera looked around. That spell would allow them to write glowing words with mana. Since they would be going to the bottom of the ocean, they wouldn't be able to talk underwater, and this was the only way they would have to communicate.
"Oh, and here," Mylo placed a glass box on one of the benches. Everyone would keep their tablets and communicators in there to avoid any water damage. The items were water resistant, but since they had no idea how deep they would go, bringing the items was risky. The glass case would be a way to protect it from any slimes that could show up since those monsters were not able to break through the glass.
After making one last check to make sure everyone had everything they needed, the group jumped on the second set of Flying Slime Fish, the ones that would take them to Abyssia. It was time to see what lies at the bottom of this endless ocean.