In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
In a certain stretch of the Lusarka Sea, a flotilla was cutting through the waves. The fleet consisted of six ships in total, each appearing ancient and dilapidated, giving off the impression of having been cobbled together from spare parts. This was a "Boat-State," albeit a relatively small one.
Today, the Luveil people living on these Boat-States were like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, drifting across the boundless ocean. The vessels they relied on for survival were relics left over from before the Cataclysm. Over several Amber Eras, these ancient hulls had become unrecognizable. Had it not been for generations of Luveil people diving into the sea to recover artifacts of the old world to maintain them, these ships would have slipped beneath the waves long ago.
When the wind was favorable, the Boat-State people relied on sails. When facing a headwind, they navigated using power provided by steam boilers.
On the largest of the ships, Byrne leaned against the railing at the edge of the deck, staring blankly at the sea ahead.
A week ago, when the lightning storm swept in, he had been certain he was a dead man. The dark clouds, laden with golden lightning, had pressed down upon him in an instant. The howling gale had shredded the escape pod's parachute into confetti within seconds. Without the chute, the pod became a kite with its string cut, plunging headlong into the churning deep.
Fortunately, thanks to the initial deceleration from the parachute and the shortened distance, Byrne avoided a fatal impact. However, the pod was still smashed upon hitting the water. Racing against time, Byrne managed to scramble out just before the cabin was completely submerged. But the storm raged on, and it wasn't long before he found himself too exhausted to swim.
Just as his strength was failing, a fleet appeared in his line of sight. The Luveil people on the Boat-State initially mistook the man in the water for one of their own. It was only after pulling him aboard that they realized his appearance differed significantly from theirs. Several of the more robust Luveil men surrounded him, their faces masked with hostility.
Luckily, Byrne's wearable optical computer was still functional. Relying on the built-in Synesthesia Beacon, he was able to communicate smoothly with the natives. Byrne made it clear he meant no harm and was merely an interstellar traveler who had accidentally fallen into Lusarka. He intentionally concealed his mission and made no mention of his status as an employee of the Interastral Peace Corporation. After all, he couldn't be sure of the Luveil people's attitude toward the IPC.
Once they were satisfied he wasn't a threat, the Luveil people lowered their guard and provided him with clean clothes and food. Over the past few days, Byrne had gradually integrated into life on the Boat-State. Of course, he hadn't forgotten Natalie and his teammates. He tried to contact them several times a day, but the result was always the same: silence.
Splash! Splash!
The sound of waves slapping against the hull jolted Byrne from his memories. He let out a sigh and reached into his pocket to pull out a shimmering gold coin. This was the chip Aventurine had handed him before his departure. Most of the supplies he had carried had sunk to the bottom of the sea along with the escape pod. Fortunately, this chip was still with him—otherwise, he'd have no way to answer to Aventurine.
"Brother Byrne, are you looking at the sea again?"
A youthful voice came from behind him. Byrne turned to see a boy of about seven or eight years old. His name was Lime, and he was the first child brave enough to speak to Byrne after he boarded the ship.
Byrne smiled. "Yes. It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful ocean." He pocketed the chip and turned his gaze back to the horizon. The sunlight danced on the water, reflecting in fractured glints of gold.
Lime ran to the railing and mimicked Byrne, leaning over with his short legs swinging in the air. "What's so good about the sea? It looks the same every day. Nothing but waves and rain—and sometimes it eats people."
Byrne frowned. "Do you mean the storms?"
"No, not those." Lime shook his head like a rattle. "The grown-ups say there are man-eating monsters in the sea. Every time they go down to scavenge for things, they're bound to run into them. If you're lucky, you get away with your life. If you're not... you never come back."
Hearing this, Byrne ruffled Lime's hair. "And are you scared, Lime?"
The boy puffed out his chest, acting brave. "I'm not scared! When I grow up, I'm going down with the adults to find treasures from the old world."
"Do you have to dive often?"
Lime nodded. "Yeah. We have to fix the ships, find food, and look for parts we can trade. But the adults only dare to dive in shallow waters. They won't go near the deep-sea zones; they say those places are cursed by the Mother Goddess."
The "Mother Goddess" Lime spoke of was a folk deity created by the Luveil people over the last few Amber Eras. Much like the Sigonian Avgin people worshiped the Gaiathra, the Mother Goddess of the Luveil people was the very ocean that birthed their Boat-State—and could swallow it at any moment.
A place cursed by the Mother Goddess...
Byrne chewed on the phrase before asking, "Lime, you're so young. How do you know about deep-sea curses?"
Pressed for an answer, Lime stiffened his neck and said seriously, "It's true! My grandpa told me. A long time ago, a group of people wearing strange clothes came here in giant iron ships. They wanted to steal the Mother Goddess's treasures. The Mother Goddess got angry and whipped up huge waves, sinking all their iron ships to the bottom of the sea."
To a child, it was a myth. To Byrne, it felt like something else entirely.
People in strange clothes... giant iron ships... stealing treasures...
This wasn't a fairy tale. To Byrne, this was clearly the Interastral Peace Corporation fleet that had come to Lusarka to mine Azure Crystals before the Cataclysm. Over the long years, through generations of Luveil oral tradition, the history had slowly morphed into a legend.
Thinking of this, Byrne asked further, "Did your grandpa say where those bad people's iron ships sank?" He tried to sound like he was merely curious about the plot of the story.
Lime shook his head and balled his fists. "Grandpa didn't say exactly where. He just said that part of the sea is the Mother Goddess's forbidden zone. Even the bravest divers don't dare get close. When I grow up, I'm definitely going to go challenge it!"
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind, accompanied by a low, stern voice.
"Lime, who told you to tell our guest such things?"
Lime flinched at the sound. He turned to look at the newcomer, his puffed-out chest collapsing instantly. Byrne turned as well and saw an elderly man with a hunched back, leaning on a cane made of fish bone, slowly walking toward them.