"It seems this King Guesra came out to feed."
Yu Zhou pushed along the bubble encasing Charija, blocking aside the bones of fish that the ocean current carried, and spoke analytically.
"It's fine if it's feeding," Charija complained from inside the bubble, "but could you not use me as a shield against fish bones?"
"Relax. This bubble is sturdy," Yu Zhou reassured. "Even if some giant fish skeleton rams into it, it won't break."
"It's not about if. Look—there really is a giant fish bone coming this way!"
Charija pointed ahead, sounding anxious.
"No problem. Trust me, it'll hold." Yu Zhou nearly patted his chest to guarantee it. "This bubble won't break from something like that."
"Then I'm relieved," Charija muttered. He had been about to craft another barrier himself, but hearing Yu Zhou's confidence, he stopped.
Moments later, the massive fish bone slammed into the bubble. With a heavy crack, its sharp spikes pierced straight into the shimmering shell.
"Ssshhk… pop!"
Charija: "…"
"Helphelphelp—gluglugluglu—"
Before either could react, seawater burst through as the bubble collapsed, flooding Charija in an instant. He flailed helplessly, gulping water.
After swallowing several mouthfuls, Charija finally managed to swing his staff, hastily forming another light shield around himself to breathe again.
Yu Zhou blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected the bubble to fail so easily. Quickly, he summoned light and cast another protective bubble around Charija, layering it atop the first.
"Double protection now," Yu Zhou said. "That'll hold better."
"I don't trust you one bit!" Charija sputtered after catching his breath.
"Accident, accident…" Yu Zhou laughed awkwardly. He had just sworn the bubble wouldn't break, only to be slapped by reality seconds later. Embarrassing.
"Forget it, just keep following!" Charija barked. His focus was still locked on King Guesra.
So, Yu Zhou dragged him along once more. With the dual-layer bubble, there were no more mishaps from debris or stray bones.
The two followed the great beast deeper into the sea.
Normally, in the abyssal depths, sunlight could not penetrate—pitch darkness reigned. But here, in the direction Guesra swam, the ocean floor was glowing.
"There's a palace here!"
Yu Zhou's eyes widened. Before them loomed a colossal undersea palace, radiating light that illuminated the deep like a submerged city of lanterns.
A massive barrier surrounded the palace, sealing it off from the crushing seawater like an otherworldly dome.
King Guesra swam straight through the barrier, vanishing inside the palace grounds.
The sight reminded Yu Zhou of myth. "So there really is something like a Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea…"
Through the transparent barrier, they glimpsed enormous pearls set into the palace walls, glowing and casting dazzling brilliance across the crystalline structure.
"What's a Dragon Palace?" Charija asked, genuinely puzzled. "Some kind of dragon-shaped kaiju's lair?"
"Uh… close enough." Yu Zhou didn't bother explaining the myth of divine beasts.
"You've seen one before?" Charija grew excited at the idea of acquiring a dragon-type kaiju.
"No," Yu Zhou shook his head. "Never."
Charija's obsession with monsters never failed to amaze him. Even scraps of rumour were enough to fire him up. No wonder this guy had managed to sniff out King Guesra's trail.
Passing through the barrier, Yu Zhou released his transformation. Inside, the air was breathable and clear.
"Let's go," he said.
They exchanged a glance and stepped into the glowing halls. The palace was vast, carved from translucent white crystal unlike the emerald crystals of the Land of Light.
Giant pearls glimmered in every corner, priceless treasures that would fetch unimaginable wealth—though Yu Zhou no longer cared about riches.
He still thought: Maybe I could grab one or two as souvenirs…
But before he could act, a voice rang out from within.
"There are people here," Charija whispered.
An old man with silver hair emerged from the palace interior.
"You must be Charija," the elder said.
"That's right." Charija nodded. "And you must be King Guesra's master."
The old man inclined his head. "I am."
"Then name your price. How much to sell that kaiju?" Charija pressed eagerly.
The old man stroked his beard. "King Guesra… I discovered it in these oceans and raised it from a hatchling. Strictly speaking, this world should not have such a creature. I suspect it drifted here from the cosmos."
Yu Zhou narrowed his eyes. Here we go. He's going to jack up the price by making it sound rare.
"So, how much?" Charija cut him off impatiently.
The old man surprised them both. "I can give you King Guesra—for free."
"What?" Charija froze. A free kaiju?
Yu Zhou stared, dumbfounded. Is this old man senile? He raised it from nothing, and now he'll just… give it away?
"On one condition," the elder said, raising a single finger.
There it is, Yu Zhou thought. No such thing as a free lunch.
"What's the condition?" Charija asked, disappointed but curious.
"I've heard you possess a machine that can traverse time and space," the old man said slowly. "Lend it to me—just once."
"That's it?" Charija blinked. He had braced for something harsher.
Yu Zhou's gaze sharpened. "What do you want with a time machine?"
Such a device could distort history if misused. This old man's identity was still unknown. If he meddled with the past recklessly, the consequences would be disastrous.
The elder sighed deeply. "I only want to save someone. To rescue my two children."
"Your children?"
If that was his only purpose, then perhaps…
As long as the rescue was handled discreetly, whisking someone away at the brink of death and returning them here, history wouldn't be disrupted too badly.
"No problem!" Charija said, nodding immediately. "Tell me the time and place, and we'll go right now!"
"I have waited so many years for this moment…" The old man exhaled, trembling with emotion.
Charija twirled his staff, summoning his suitcase and setting it on the ground.
The old man's eyes fixed hungrily on it. "So that's the time machine…"
"What's the date? And the place?" Charija asked while adjusting the device.
"Twelve years ago," the elder said solemnly. "On Earth."
"Earth?"
Yu Zhou froze in shock. Did that mean this old man wasn't some ancient superhuman at all—
but a human being from the present era of Earth?
(To be continued…)