Chapter 267
The moment of discovery often arrives without warning.
There have been such moments throughout real history. When Archimedes discovered the principle of buoyancy and exclaimed “Eureka!” When Galileo Galilei discovered the moons of Jupiter. Or when someone finds a 10,000 won bill in their jacket pocket that had been missing since last year. All these great and trivial discoveries have come unexpectedly.
Today was no different for Lloyd.
“…Oh?”
Lloyd’s eyes widened in surprise. He had been overseeing the excavation site for two months, directing hundreds of mermaids to thoroughly search the seabed of the Arctic Ocean. Despite using his survey skill and activating the underground scanning option, despite clearing away the silt time and time again, nothing significant had been detected. Not a trace of the treasure they sought was found.
But then, something began to appear.
“Could it be?”
The location was not far from the mermaid kingdom. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, just another part of the vast seabed plain. However, after the mermaid squad cleared away the silt from this area, Lloyd’s survey skill revealed something beneath the seabed.
“It looks like a stratum, but it’s too smooth, almost like a man-made structure.”
Realizing this, Lloyd shouted, “Hold on! Everyone stop working!”
His call brought the mermaids’ shoveling to a halt. Lloyd ordered all mermaids to withdraw from the site and concentrated all his attention on the suspicious area.
Approaching the site revealed its details more clearly.
“It’s definite. That looks like a stratum, but it’s not. It’s clearly a man-made foundation.”
About 3 meters beneath the cleared seabed, an unusual form of foundation was visible, resembling a neatly poured concrete slab, especially the unnaturally clean top surface.
It felt eerily familiar to Lloyd.
“It looks like the foundation of a building. Not made of reinforced concrete, but perhaps a flat, neatly stacked rock.”
That was the general impression. Lloyd’s heart pounded with excitement.
“If this was the Jewel of truth, then the past two months of excavation and exploration weren’t in vain.”
“If this really is the Jewel of truth, what comes next is crucial.”
Lloyd’s gaze turned more serious as he carefully maneuvered his shovel.
Gently at first, then with the precision of scooping a single grain of rice with a spoon, and finally, clearing the mud from the top of the foundation with his hands.
After some time, he had exposed most of the top surface of the foundation without causing any damage.
“This is real.”
Seeing the man-made foundation with his own eyes convinced him. This wasn’t a natural stratum but a deliberately constructed ‘foundation’.
“Perhaps we’ve found the Jewel of truth.”
Lloyd’s search became more frantic. Confirming the artificial nature of this foundation meant it was time to verify if this was indeed The Jewel of truth.
“Hey, Lotorua?”
“Yes, yes!”
Lotorua, who had been anxiously waiting at a distance, swiftly swam over at Lloyd’s call.
“What do you think this is?”
“I’m not sure myself. However…”
“However?”
“If this is indeed the Jewel of truth, there should be a mark somewhere on the foundation, as mentioned in the records.”
“A mark?”
“A star-shaped mark with pointed ends all around.”
“Understood.”
From that moment, Lloyd and Lotorua began a thorough search of the foundation for the mark.
After some time, “Found it!”
Indeed, there it was. A starfish-shaped mark, no larger than a palm, was engraved on one corner of the foundation.
But Lloyd wasn’t satisfied just yet. He became even more focused.
“Of course. Finding just the Jewel of truth isn’t the end of it.”
He wasn’t an archaeologist. Finding the actual site where The Jewel of truth once stood wouldn’t satisfy him just because of its historical or academic value. He had no interest in the mere remains of The Jewel of truth. What he needed was a functional Jewel of truth.
“We need to find the blueprint.”
He turned to Lotorua.
“Excuse me, Lotorua?”
“…Ahem, ahem! Excuse me!”
“Please, look at me for a moment.”
“Ah, sorry. I was so overwhelmed by the discovery that I lost myself for a moment.”
“I understand. But you mentioned before that if we found The Jewel of truth, there would be a blueprint here, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So, where is it?”
The blueprint. That was what truly mattered.
Finding the Jewel of truth wasn’t enough. The blueprint was necessary to restore Jewel of truth’s’s original appearance and functionality.
“Actually, it’s quite simple. According to the records, it’s right here.”
Lotorua reached out towards the recently discovered starfish mark.
“My 16th ancestor discovered this record. According to what he found, the blueprint is hidden within this starfish mark.”
“This starfish mark?”
“Yes. Pressing here should reveal it. Let me see.”
Lotorua fumbled with the mark and pressed its center.
Click?
That’s when it began.
The entire Jewel of truth started vibrating intensely, causing the surrounding seawater to resonate with it. The resonance spread far and wide.
“Wow.”
Lloyd clenched his fist at the majestic resonance that shook the entire marine area. This was real. The dramatic effect suggested they had found what they were looking for. A spark of hope ignited in his heart.
And at a similar moment, several kilometers away from the excavation site of The Jewel of truth, within the mermaid kingdom protected by a colossal Kraken, an inexplicable resonance began inside the Kraken’s stomach.
The Kraken, enjoying a peaceful nap, was suddenly startled by a fierce resonance coming from its belly.
“Krung? Krung?”
Confused and uneasy, the Kraken had no idea that an object lodged between the villi of its fifth stomach had started to resonate in response to the vibration from The Jewel of truth several kilometers away.
The Kraken had no way of knowing this and grew increasingly perplexed.
“Krung! Krung!”
In an attempt to alleviate the discomfort, the Kraken coughed loudly and shook its body, but the intense and sudden resonance in its belly did not subside. In fact, it only grew stronger, causing unbearable discomfort as if its intestines were twisting and blocking.
“Krung!”
The Kraken’s cries grew louder, and it desperately wanted to move its massive body in an attempt to shake off the pain in its stomach.
Could this sudden, violent movement possibly alleviate the pain?
An overwhelming desire surged within the Kraken. It struggled with its thoughts, knowing it could not freely move due to its immense size and its role in enveloping the mermaid kingdom’s giant eggshell.
If it moved recklessly, it could harm the mermaid kingdom.
The Kraken exerted all its patience.
“Kr… Krung!”
It roared, tensing its belly, trying to suppress the discomfort. But its efforts were only momentarily effective before reaching its limit.
The resonance in its fifth stomach intensified, and despite its best efforts, the physical vibration and resonance became too much to bear.
Eventually, the Kraken involuntarily twisted its entire body.
“Krung!”
Its colossal body, spanning several kilometers, convulsed violently, scattering the mermaid city’s eggshell, previously secured by its eight tentacles, in all directions.
“Krung!”
As the Kraken thrashed about, the pieces of the eggshell containing the mermaid kingdom were flung far and wide, much like roe scattered in a turbulent stream. The cohesive cluster of thousands, tens of thousands of eggs, previously tightly bound together, now separated and drifted apart, colliding and rolling in all directions.
The cause of this chaos was clear.
“Krung!”
The Kraken continued to roar and thrash wildly, its eight tentacles that once securely held the eggshell now flailing violently. Its massive body, several kilometers in diameter, twisted in every direction, causing the once-cohesive eggshell to break apart and be swept away by the currents.
Amidst this turmoil, one of the eggs, particularly large and filled with numerous buildings, was hurled directly towards them.
The egg’s diameter was a staggering 200 meters.
“Your Majesty!”
“Dodge it!”
The mermaids around her shouted in panic, but the queen did not heed their warnings. She was momentarily stunned by the Kraken’s unexpected rampage but soon gathered her resolve.
With a fierce snort and a flash in her eyes, she faced the incoming eggshell head-on.
“If the very ground of my people is flying towards me, how could I just stand by and watch?”
She spread her arms wide and stepped forward to intercept the eggshell.
The impact pushed her back 300 meters, but the queen did not stop her powerful tail movements, demonstrating extraordinary strength underwater.
As she struggled against the eggshell’s relentless force, her muscles bulged, transforming her into a formidable force.
However, the eggshell’s momentum remained unyielded, continuing to push her back.
Just when the queen feared she might be overwhelmed, a voice called out to her.
“Your Majesty!”
In the midst of her struggle, she turned her head to see Lloyd, the land-dweller, standing beside her, lending his support against the eggshell as if to share his strength.
“Why are you helping, a foreigner from the land?”
“If you’re asking why I’m helping, my answer is simple: because I can!”
“And why is that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? There’s no need for a reason to help someone in trouble!”
Lloyd’s determined shout touched the queen’s heart, though she was unaware that he was merely placing his hands on the eggshell, pretending to contribute. In reality, he had another plan amidst this unforeseen crisis.
