Chapter 49: Future Sister-in-Law?
In the end, Amphelite didn't wait on the ship to be part of the second batch to dive. Instead, she followed Nereus and the others, diving into the water first.
And Amphelite's preparation for this was simply taking a deep breath.
"This little girl is really... persistent. Sunbell, do you think in a few years, we'll have to start calling her 'Sister-in-law'?"
"Who knows about that kind of thing? Either way, that's Big Bro's personal business."
Babel and Big Pan stayed on the ship this time; they would dive along with the vessel.
Although coating technology was quite mature on this sea, the diving process couldn't be called foolproof. Underwater conditions were ever-changing.
Shifting currents and various deep-sea creatures could pose threats to the coated ship, so it still needed capable people to escort it.
Sebastian and Sunbell were following behind the diving team, acting as the rearguard.
The barrier of seawater made voices sound a bit muffled, but for Fish-men, normal communication was still possible.
"I think, rather than saying she chose to join us, it's more like she chose to follow Big Bro."
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is. Haven't you noticed she always sticks by Big Bro's side?"
"Isn't that because she's learning from Big Bro? Speaking of which, she learns so fast. She grasped the basics of Armament Haki in just a few days."
"I shouldn't have brought this up with you..."
Sebastian didn't continue discussing this topic with Sunbell. Sunbell was another honest and simple-minded person, his simplicity comparable to Big Pan's. He completely missed the underlying meaning of Sebastian's words.
Aside from the welcome party that day, Amphelite didn't interact much with others. When she appeared before others, although she didn't always use that mummy getup, she still covered herself quite thoroughly.
The few times Sebastian saw her without her face covered were when he went to discuss matters with Nereus.
This was due to her habits; overcoming them would take some time.
Now, even for these few hours of diving, she chose to go ahead and follow Nereus, which only solidified Sebastian's thoughts.
*[This is actually pretty good. With this girl's racial talents, if she has a child with Big Bro later... maybe the child will surpass Nanamo.
But if it really comes to that, who should we support as Big Bro's successor in the future...]*
Sebastian let his imagination run wild. Anyway, he was a Wotan (Fish-man Giant hybrid - Wait, Sebastian is Wotan in canon but here text says Fish-Giant/Fish-man Giant, let's stick to context or canon term if applicable, usually Wotan). Even in a few decades, when the next generation grew up, he would still be in his prime.
Maybe by then, many juniors would call him Uncle or Grandpa, or get stronger little by little under his training.
He always believed that Nereus, whom he followed, would build a sufficiently powerful nation.
As time passed, the group's diving depth gradually increased. The surrounding light dimmed, and the sea area began to turn dark.
At this point, the water depth had exceeded three thousand meters. Sunlight couldn't reach here at all. Fish-men and Merfolk could sense the path ahead through the flow of seawater, forming a rough route map in their minds.
But Amphelite found that she had somewhat underestimated the ocean.
Holding her breath for a long time was nothing to her; she had tried it before. However, she had never dived this deep.
Water pressure had no effect on her, but she couldn't easily ignite fire underwater—flames emitted from her body would be extinguished quickly. The claustrophobia and loneliness brought by this darkness made her feel uncomfortable.
"Amphe, this way."
At this moment, a hand rested on her shoulder, and Nereus's voice reached her ears through the current.
"This part of the journey is a bit dark, but there's no helping it. It's the only way to Fish-man Island. Pass through this darkness, and you'll see what the bright pearl of the deep sea is.
Ahead is an accelerating current. Hold your breath, and leave the rest to me."
Saying this, Nereus took Amphelite's hand. Although there was a waterproof film on his body surface now, for Nereus, this didn't affect anything, nor would it cause issues like slipping hands.
To Nereus, this was at most equivalent to wearing a pair of PVC gloves.
Unlike humans who had to consider decompression issues even at a depth of a few hundred meters, whether it was Fish-men, Merfolk, or Amphelite the Lunarian, their bodies could adapt directly to this.
With the help of the current, the group traveled through the dark flow. Before long, Amphelite noticed a glimmer of light appearing ahead.
An island, backed by a giant tree and wrapped in a massive bubble, floated in the deep sea just like that.
The source of the light was Eve, known as the Sunlight Tree.
This tree could be called the mother tree of Fish-man Island. Its canopy absorbed sunlight and conducted it through the trunk to the roots in the deep sea, making the roots emit a strong light like the sun, synchronizing the day and night cycle of the seabed with the surface.
Oxygen produced by the tree's photosynthesis could also be transmitted into Fish-man Island through the roots, perfecting the bubble technology within the island and allowing humans to survive here as well.
"Fish-man Island. We're here."
Scattered around were some ships waiting to enter. Fish-man Island actually had its own defense mechanism. Its outer bubble film was a double-layered hollow structure.
There was a large space between the two layers. If one tried to force their way in, the first layer would absorb the coating on the ship, causing it to fall directly, easily resulting in the destruction of the ship and death of the crew.
This special "city wall" had some defensive effect. Most ships would queue up to enter like this.
Nereus and his group didn't need to queue. They entered directly through the national gate on the side. Seeing that they were Fish-men and Merfolk, the Neptune Army soldiers on duty didn't even give Nereus a second glance and let them enter directly.
"Is this your home?"
This was Amphelite's first time arriving at Fish-man Island. Inside the island, there were numerous bays, and various coral reefs combined to form a wondrously beautiful picture.
Shell-shaped houses were everywhere. In the sky, there were even waterways constructed of bubbles, with schools of fish swimming inside.
"Yeah, this is Fish-man Island. Rest here for a bit. We'll go to the Fish-man District in a while; that place is outside Fish-man Island proper."
Nereus wanted to introduce the general situation of Fish-man Island to Amphelite, but at this moment, the sound of an argument came from the checkpoint.
There was only one entrance and exit for Fish-man Island; whether entering or leaving, one had to go through here.
And now, a merchant ship intending to leave was arguing with soldiers of the Neptune Army.
The cause wasn't complicated. A pair of parents claimed they saw someone take their child onto this ship, and the Neptune Army soldiers wanted to go up and check.
But the people on this ship didn't agree to let the Neptune Army board for inspection, even issuing threats.
"I told you, the ship carries our secret merchandise! It's impossible to let you guys up there! If you force an inspection, we won't transport any supplies to Fish-man Island in the future!"
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