Chapter 245: Black Seawater, Eh?
Unfortunately, even though they were friends, only All World Communication friends could accept invitations during special events. On a relatively normal day like this, she couldn’t invite her friend over to hang out.
Since Yvonne Lynch repeatedly insisted that Faye invite her to the next event, Faye naturally agreed.
As she hung up and was about to head to the training room, Cole Kensington appeared before her. "Can I train with you?"
"Of course. We can even spar a little."
’As long as he wasn’t here to ask why she didn’t bring him along, Faye felt they could continue to get along just fine.’
’Indeed, she much preferred interacting with people who had a sense of personal boundaries.’
After leaving the training room, Faye Yardley had gained a new appreciation for Cole Kensington’s abilities.
The day had been incredibly packed, so after a quick rinse, she went straight to bed.
The next morning, she was up at 4 a.m. sharp. After freshening up, she went out onto her small balcony.
The weather didn’t look promising; there wasn’t a single sliver of light on the horizon.
The Green Egg wobbled twice, then rolled itself off the sofa, tumbling all the way to Faye Yardley’s feet.
"Hmm? What are you up to?" Faye Yardley bent down, picked it up, and patted it. "Are you about to hatch?"
The Green Egg immediately went still. It could move now, yes, but it was still a long, long way from hatching.
"Look at you, always hiding in your shell without even a mouth. Such a shame. Now, be a good egg and go lie back down. Don’t be hopping around—what if you crack?"
With that, she placed it back in the box on the sofa’s armrest. Then, she glanced at the Magic Vine. It didn’t need any branches for support and was growing vigorously upward all by itself.
"Good morning, you two. The weather might not be great today, but let’s make sure our spirits are."
After saying this, Faye Yardley went downstairs.
’What should I do today besides training?’
’Getting back to the simple routine of fishing for treasure chests sounds like a nice option.’
BEEP BEEP~
Faye Yardley glanced at the message. It was from her brother: *Faye, want to come see the newcomers at our settlement? We have 20 kids here. Group_Photo.jpg*
’The kids are cute, but...’ Faye Yardley couldn’t bear to imagine herself in the middle of a crowd of children. ’Even back in the peaceful era, I’d speed up just walking past a kindergarten. I never once had the slightest desire to be a kindergarten teacher.’
’I’d have no idea what to do if they started crying one after another. I’d be so helpless, I’d probably just end up crying with them.’
*Thanks for the invite, brother, but I’ll pass.*
*Haha, the kids seem to have pretty good luck. They’ve all fished up treasure chests.*
*Congrats. Looks like the kids can fend for themselves after all.*
*You really won’t come take a look? The settlement has changed a lot.*
Faye Yardley read her brother’s message but remained firm in her refusal.
’There’s no need. I’m not someone who’s particularly fond of crowds anyway.’
Her training session had ended too late yesterday, so it wasn’t time to enter the room again yet.
After a simple breakfast, Faye Yardley went straight to the top of Goliath’s head and sat down cross-legged. She stared out at the dark, deep surface of the sea, her mind empty, without any particular thoughts.
As for which direction the raft was heading or what its destination was, she had no idea, nor did she care.
Everyone was adrift on the vast ocean, with no fixed "roots," so most people, like Faye Yardley, were lost and aimless.
She began circulating the Health Care Scripture out of habit. She could now enter a state of Cultivation at any time without conscious effort; her progress was undeniably clear.
Just as Faye Yardley took out her fishing rod, ready to start fishing for treasure chests early, the already dim sea ahead suddenly turned even darker.
"Bella~"
Though she had only whispered its name, the Skeletal Warhorse immediately neighed and galloped over.
Faye Yardley leaped from Goliath’s head, landing squarely on Bella’s back. "Let’s go. We’ll check it out. The raft can just stay put for now."
As always, things were further than they appeared.
Bella galloped across the surface of the sea for a good ten minutes before finally stopping in front of the dark patch of water.
The water within a large, perfect circle was inky black, contrasting with the normal deep blue of the surrounding sea.
It was a clear sign that this place was anything but ordinary.
"Bella, wait here. I’m going down to take a look."
After a moment’s thought, Faye Yardley took out the Water-Repelling Pearl before getting off her mount.
’The main reason is that the Water-Repelling Pearl creates a protective shield. If there’s something wrong with the water, it should buy me a little time.’
Once below the surface, she saw that the boundary between the two types of water was starkly clear. Small fish and shrimp, however, seemed to move freely between both sides without any hindrance.
Faye Yardley stopped just before the black water, not rushing to get any closer.
Instead, she just kept descending, deeper and deeper.
’I want to see where this black water is coming from, or at what depth it ends.’
Bella circled the patch of black water twice, not daring to leave. The dark water gave it a bad feeling, and it began to paw at the surface nervously.
The deeper Faye Yardley went, the more the water below seemed to mix.
She took out the Luminous Pearl to provide a more consistent source of light, rather than relying on the occasional flashes from bioluminescent sea creatures.
The steady glow allowed Faye Yardley to get a clearer picture of her surroundings.
Down below, it seemed the black water was spreading.
This didn’t seem like good news. After a moment’s thought, Faye Yardley stepped forward into the black water.
The moment she entered, despite the Water-Repelling Pearl’s protective shield, Faye Yardley felt a wave of irritability wash over her.
’So it’s the kind of water that messes with your head.’
Sure enough, inside the black water, even the small fish and shrimp became incredibly bold.
They completely ignored the danger she posed, charging straight at her and trying to take a bite.
Such small fry couldn’t even dent her protective shield, so Faye Yardley paid them no mind and continued her descent into the black water.
She had no idea how far down she’d gone, but she’d been in the water for nearly an hour when she spotted a constantly spinning vortex on a relatively flat stretch of the seafloor.
’Another transport vortex?!’
Fish and shrimp periodically emerged from it.
Faye Yardley raised her left arm and fired a Crossbow Arrow into the vortex. The arrow simply spun around inside it before being launched back up toward the surface.
Huh?
She grabbed a slightly larger fish and hurled it into the vortex. Just like the Crossbow Arrow, the fish spun around a few times before it was uncontrollably shot upward, flying past her with a WHOOSH, completely ignoring the water’s resistance.
Eh?