The morning fog had lifted, leaving Kota Serunai (Serunai City) drenched in the bitter scent of salt, smoke, and scorched timber. The broken stilts of the harbor groaned with every footstep, echoing like a warning. Hai Cheng and Yue Lan moved silently across the maze of planks, eyes fixed on the rippling water below.
"This isn't just surface disruption," Yue Lan said, scanning the harbor with her Batik Lingkar (Batik Array). Turquoise energy threads glimmered, revealing faint currents twisting beneath the stilts. "The Admiral has hidden furnaces deep below the strait. They're anchored to the Lingqi veins themselves."
Hai Cheng's jaw clenched. He could sense it—the faint pulse of Arus Dagang (Trade Current) being artificially redirected into hidden channels. "If he stabilizes these veins incorrectly," he said quietly, "he could fracture the entire strait… permanently."
From the mist above the harbor, a subtle hum grew louder. Hai Cheng tilted his head. The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) had reappeared, spectral stripes glowing like fractured batik. It prowled along the edge of the water, sensing danger far below.
Yue Lan's eyes narrowed. "We can't just counter the currents above. We have to dive below."
Hai Cheng frowned. "Dive? Into the Lingqi veins?"
"The Arus Alam (Natural Current) flows through these veins," she explained. "If we can merge it with Arus Warisan (Heritage Current), we can stabilize the hidden furnaces before the Admiral triggers them. But we'll have to confront him directly."
Hai Cheng exhaled slowly, letting the currents flow through him. Arus Dagang, Arus Alam, Arus Warisan—they pulsed violently, intertwined with the hidden pulse of the submerged furnaces. The water below rippled unnaturally, a warning that the veins themselves were alive.
A sudden explosion shook the harbor. Hai Cheng and Yue Lan leapt onto a raised stilt as planks splintered beneath them. One of the hidden furnaces had erupted partially, sending molten Lingqi currents into the water. Sparks danced along broken stilts, igniting scattered cargo.
"The Admiral's testing them," Yue Lan shouted. "He wants to see if we respond in time!"
Hai Cheng gritted his teeth. He projected a Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) beneath his feet, turquoise threads weaving around the collapsing stilts. Beads on his Suanpan (abacus) spun frantically, aligning currents in real time.
The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) leapt into the lattice, claws slicing through waves of molten Lingqi. Its spectral fur shimmered, patterns blending with the batik arrays, stabilizing sections of the harbor as Hai Cheng extended his control.
From the shadows of a mangrove-lined channel, the Admiral's voice rang out, smooth and precise. "You understand the currents well, Hai Cheng—but understanding is not mastery."
Hai Cheng's gaze went to the horizon, where the Admiral's main Grand Furnace had emerged partially above water. Its pipes connected to multiple submerged veins. "Then mastery begins now," he muttered, launching himself toward the central channel.
Yue Lan followed, array spinning in rapid spirals. Together, they plunged into the turbulent waters, beads and arrays weaving a luminous path beneath the waves. Turquoise and jade energy spread through fractured veins, temporarily stabilizing the currents.
But the deeper they went, the more chaotic the pulses became. Submerged furnaces hissed and flared, twisting Arus Dagang (Trade Current) violently against Arus Alam (Natural Current). Hai Cheng could feel the Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) straining under the pressure, like a rope being pulled in three directions at once.
The Admiral appeared, rising from a submerged platform, coat trailing water, brass insignia glinting. His eyes burned with calculation. "You think you can contain it?"
Hai Cheng didn't answer. He thrust the Suanpan (abacus) forward. Beads spun rapidly, merging currents into a spiraling lattice. The Admiral's pulse struck, white-hot Lingqi exploding outward, but Hai Cheng's hybrid array absorbed it, redirecting it harmlessly into nearby veins.
The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) roared, striking at the Admiral's platform with spectral claws. Sparks of energy danced across metal. The Admiral staggered—but not defeated.
"Impressive," he said, regaining balance. "But the currents are only part of the equation. The city itself resists your manipulation."
Hai Cheng and Yue Lan glanced up. Above, the stilts and warehouses groaned under fractured currents. The city was a living battlefield, every broken plank and swaying lantern a potential hazard.
"We stabilize below," Yue Lan said. "You stabilize above. Together."
Hai Cheng nodded. The lattice of Arus Dagang, Arus Alam, and Arus Warisan spread wider, wrapping the submerged furnaces in turquoise and jade light. The currents screamed, veins pulsed violently, but finally—slowly—they aligned.
A massive pulse echoed through the strait, then…silence. The submerged furnaces were neutralized—for now.
Hai Cheng and Yue Lan surfaced, gasping, water dripping from their hair. The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) lingered nearby, body shimmering with calm energy.
The Admiral's voice came from afar. "This is only the beginning. Kota Serunai is but a starting point. The Straits will bend… one way or another."
Hai Cheng clenched his fists. "Then we'll be ready."
Above the harbor, lanterns reflected in calm puddles. Broken stilts creaked gently, but the city survived. For now.
Below, in the depths, the Lingqi veins pulsed faintly, whispering secrets older than the city itself. The currents remembered, and they were not done testing humanity yet.