The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 164 Drowning and Gains (7k views, please subscribe and vote!)
Tang Qi embedded the stone slab into the tightly closed door, and a stream of light flowed into the crystal gate, flowing towards the outer wall.

The rumbling sound of the stone slabs shifting filled the air. Tang Qi gripped his scimitar tightly, looked at Hope, and was about to say something.

But Hope blocked her lips with her index finger:

"Shh, I don't want to hear anything from your crow's mouth right now."

"It's just a reasonable inference about how things will develop..."

"That's not OK."

Even after drinking the treatment, Hope still felt as if his skeleton was about to be shattered by rubble.

"All I want right now is to get the scabbard and get out of this godforsaken place—I don't have the energy to fight anyone else."

When the crystal slabs opened their cracks, the water that had reached their waists also poured into the treasure vault.

However, the treasure vault has a limited area and cannot stop the water level from rising.

Hope and Tang Qi squeezed through the gap, and the white crystal walls continued to shine, reflecting off the piles of coins, jewelry, and various unidentifiable artworks, making the dazzling effect in Tang Qi's eyes seem even more intense.

"How much money is that? Tens of thousands of gold coins?"

It sounds like a lot, but when you think about it carefully, it's only the price of ten bottles of recovery glue. Tang Qi felt a little strange for a moment, looking at Chen Xi as she pulled her hand out of the water.

"Where is the scabbard...?"

Hope tried to find a sword sheath in the glittering treasure trove of wealth, but perhaps it was buried deeper, so the brief search did not yield any trace of the target.

"Stop looking, we'll divide the loot after we get out!"

Seeing the treasure trove overflowing with rich and varied items, Tang Qi had no choice but to take out all the giant snail shells that took up a lot of weight from his dimensional bag—at this point, he could only 'lose the sesame seeds to pick up the watermelon'.

The lighter gemstones were already floating on the water.

Since it wasn't convenient to pick them up one by one, he could only prioritize collecting the coins piled up on the high slope, specifically those boxes containing unknown treasures.

As Hope gritted her teeth, all she could do was try her best to gather up the more expensive-looking artworks and gems, filling her dimensional bag with them.

"No, it won't fit all of them!"

The dimensional bag has a limited capacity; even after Tang Qi threw out a lot of food, a large amount of treasure still floated in the water.

As the water level rose above their chests, their movements inevitably became sluggish.

Realizing that it was impossible to take all the treasure with him, Tang Qi suddenly felt like a husband who had tried his best but could not defeat him.

With a mix of heartache and joy, they swam out of the treasure vault with Hope and Dawn.

The maze was at a certain height, which meant they didn't need to dive into the deep water. Tang Qi used the [Manta Cloak] to swim on the surface of the water faster, and even when dragging the two of them along, the speed was still twice that of walking.

Three days of exploration gave him a thorough understanding of the maze's general structure, and with the help of the previously marked signs, reaching the exit didn't take him long at all.

Just as the groundwater was about to flood the entire maze, several unfamiliar figures swam out from around the corner ahead:
"Found them!"

"The Red Turban Gang?"

Realizing the other party's identity, Tang Qi immediately changed direction.

Two arrows whistled through the air behind him. His alertness urged him to dive into the water. The swift current hindered the arrows' penetration, allowing Tang Qi to narrowly dodge them and enter another passage.

"Damn it, they must have already located us, but they didn't want to waste more lives on us, so they waited until they finished off the Silver Medal before making their move... We need to get to another exit."

Hope, who had surfaced, hesitated and said:

"No, they should know the location of every entrance and exit!"

Tang Qi realized:

"So our way out is blocked."

"I'll go stop them."

As Chenxi spoke, she tried to break free from Tang Qi's grasp.

But Tang Qi forcefully pulled him back:

"Given your current condition, I could sever one of your arms with a single spell!"

As he swam around, he looked around. The maze was now only a dwarf's height away from being completely submerged by the flood, making it impossible for them to have even a moment's rest.

Hope's depleted spell slots and Dawn's inadequate resources no longer supported them in confronting the conflict.

Movement was hampered by the water flow, making it even more difficult to exert full strength...

"There's only one way—Hope, can you breathe underwater?"

"I have a bottle of [underwater breathing agent] that can last for an hour."

"That should be enough."

Hope asked hesitantly, "What are you going to do?"

"Using the opened underground water passage, we'll go directly to the Earth Sea!"

"But we don't even know if it's connected to land!"

"But this is our only way to escape from under their noses!"

Having identified his target, Tang Qi used the [Concentric Ring] to quickly swim towards Iwu's direction.

With the pursuers closing in from behind, Hope had no choice but to use Tang Qi's movement to repeatedly shoot repulsive force behind him, trying to push the gang members as far away as possible.

"Ugh!"

When Tang Qi heard Xiao Long's call, he grabbed Hope's shoulder and shouted:
"Breathe!"

The moment Hope inhaled a large amount of oxygen into his lungs, he pushed hard, like a nimble water snake, carrying the two of them into the opening in the crystal wall—

Realizing that Tang Qi was about to swim towards the Earth Sea, the gang members froze in place, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Should we continue the pursuit?"

"Chase them my ass! The underwater breathing agent only lasts for an hour, which isn't even enough for us to swim out from underwater! How much do you get paid a month? You really want to fight them to the death?"

"Then what do we do?"

"Wait here for an hour, and go back when the medicine is almost used up."

Why do we have to wait an hour?

"Hey, new here, huh? If you don't spend more time underwater, how are you going to convince the higher-ups that we're working diligently?"

Tang Qi couldn't hear their conversation. When he turned around, he found that only a few of them who had escaped remained around him.

Since entering the underground city, he seemed to have rarely been in such a tranquil environment.

The milky white light was gradually fading from behind, and what was in front of me was as if it had been soaked in ink, becoming dark and gloomy.

But it wasn't completely black.

The water was exceptionally clear. When looking up, although one could not see the so-called water surface, one could see the scattered fluorescent crystalline veins on the irregular stone walls that formed the dome.

The crystals in the water also seem to be shaped into completely different forms over the years.

Some crystal clusters resembled faintly glowing deer antlers, their soft, white light shimmering in the corners of the water's bottom, like hazy streetlights gradually replacing the intense white light behind them.

They went against the current, the still, cold water flowing over their skin, carrying a slight chill.

The only thing that could be described as warm was the body heat that Tifflin transmitted from his palm.

As a dragon-like creature, Iu possesses amphibious characteristics, allowing it to roam freely in deep waters.

Dawn was a headless corpse, no longer even needing to breathe.

Tang Qi's [Manta Ray Cloak] mask resembles fish gills, allowing him to absorb oxygen from the water in the deep sea using its unique fabric.

He can inhale the oxygen stored in the fabric into his lungs through his mouth and nose.

The carbon dioxide produced during inhalation and exhalation is also expelled through the mask, forming dense, bubbling bubbles.

Hope saw Tang Qi turn around and glance at him with an inquiring look.

Realizing that the other person was assessing her situation, she immediately gave a thumbs up.

The medicine's effects gave every pore of her skin the function of gills, allowing her to exchange oxygen using only her skin.

But seeing that the other party had received his signal, he turned away expressionlessly.

Hope couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking—

Perhaps he was regretting that he had a [breathing potion] in his possession?
After all, if she dies under such unforeseen circumstances, the Fair Contract won't guarantee her rights.

When the time comes, the sword sheath and the treasure will both fall into Tang Qi's hands; he'll be overjoyed!

This is not a malicious speculation about the poet.

"If it were me, I would do the same."

Why did this guy call himself a red weasel?

A red weasel should be a cunning hunter, shouldn't it?

As for Don Quixote Weinberger...

He was an equally cunning black fox.

Never believe what a fox says.

It depends on what he actually does.

Cunning people are always on the same page, and Hope knew he must be eyeing the scabbard.

"But wishful thinking."

She let out a soft hum in the water, and with the help of Tang Qi's palm, she was able to follow closely behind, using the radiance of the [Light Spell] to traverse the rugged passage ahead.

The passageway was densely covered with seaweed and thorns. Due to the previous exhalation, most of Iwu's stomach energy had been consumed, so Tang Qi had to let Chenxi clear the way, using the broken sword and brute force to cut through most of the obstructions—which delayed their progress to some extent.

But if I'm not mistaken, once we get through this tunnel, we should be able to reach the entire underground sea area.

Hope thought that if she just kept swimming upstream and broke through the water, she should be able to find a piece of land or a cave, somewhere she could rest for a while.

Then I can take the sword sheath, communicate with the sect leader, and leave this place without wasting any more time with this black fox.

But ideas are always good.

As time went by, the passageway gradually widened, but there was never a way out that could be called an exit.

This made Hope, who was initially feeling relaxed, frown and tense up.

How much longer do I have to swim through this damn tunnel?
She pinched Tang Qi's palm, signaling her question with her eyes.

The only response I received was a slow shake of the head.

"Could this cunning fox have deliberately taken a longer route to make me drown?"

But if he were wary of the "fair contract," he shouldn't have done this...

The uncertainty about the situation made her feel uneasy.

This seemed to affect her perception of deep water; even the biting cold water could no longer suppress her restlessness and unease.

Because she understood—

"The medicine is about to take effect!"

She wanted to squeeze Tang Qi's palm immediately to send this signal.

But her fear of Tang Qi made her put the idea back in her heart:
"We can't let him find out anything, otherwise he'll definitely deliberately go in circles—"

If it were me, I would do the same.

But the deep water pressed down on her back and chest, making her feel increasingly suffocated.

This was a warning the medicine was giving her.

"If I had known it would develop to this point, I should have prepared two more bottles of potion—but all my money was spent on the force field bead."

These rare consumables were priceless and unavailable, so she spent almost all her savings to buy these two beads.

If she were to fall just before the loot was divided and the sword sheath was scabbarded, even in death, she would become a resentful, inferior demon from the Nine Hells...

"If the name 'Hope' can truly bring hope, then I look forward to it now."

As if in response to her expectations, she felt her clenched hands tighten a little.

He quickly looked up and saw Tang Qi had turned halfway to the side, his other hand pointing towards the end of the passageway—

The ring's radiance shone like a sword, piercing through the dark depths and pointing towards the wider sea ahead.

Hope quickly sped up and rushed out of the tunnel with Tang Qi.

She could no longer feel the obstruction of the water flow, and only felt herself in a peaceful and vast world—

The dark, deep water was shrouded in a faint blue and pale light, with a hint of deep green.

They are reflected in the deep ocean, intertwining and shining.

It is hazy and dreamlike, more like the aurora borealis scattered across the icy sky.

Looking towards the source of the halo, one discovers it originates from the shimmering water surface above the dome.

From the shimmering, fluorescent fish and aquatic plants swimming in the water.

And within those stone walls, corals and reefs gleamed like deer antlers. "Finally, we're leaving this place."

Feeling the constant pressure on his lungs, Hope released Tang Qi's hand and desperately swam towards the 'sky'.

She could feel the light shimmering in the water growing ever more brilliant, making her feel as if she were in the starry sky.

This means she is constantly rising.

But the water surface seemed like an unreachable destination.

No matter how hard she swam, she could never get close to the glass reflecting the shimmering water.

Suddenly, she smelled something cool, with a fishy, ​​algae-like scent.

The icy seawater unexpectedly poured into her mouth and nose.

It replaced the last bit of air in her lungs.

In an instant, she heard a rapid heartbeat—

His chest pounded like a drum, more frantic and louder than thunder on a rainy night.

"not good!"

The medication has worn off!
An instinctive panic gripped her heart, forcing Hope to frantically flail her limbs.

She tried to grasp something, only to find that the hand she had let go of was already nearing the distant finish line—

"I shouldn't have let go of that hand."

"No, it doesn't matter whether he lets go or not. He'll just leave me drowning in the water anyway."

"After I die, retrieve my body, take my belongings, and let me remain forever buried underground."

"If it were me, I would do the same."

The futile struggle accelerated the depletion of oxygen in the blood.

She felt as if her lungs were being torn apart, burning and spasming.

It was as if it were pleading with its owner:
"Let me take a breath, just one."

But this is a mission that cannot be accomplished underwater—

The icy seawater rushed into her nasal cavity.

She felt time slow down.

Beneath that unreachable surface of water, dazzling shimmering light is reflected.

Like the dazzling stained glass window in St. Andrew's Church.

She once knelt devoutly under the stained-glass window and prayed:

"Please don't let them take my family away."

Her response was the silent rebuke of the gods.

Now she feels like she's falling into an abyss.

Therefore, I pray to my own name:
"Please let me take my family home."

Unfortunately.

She still couldn't find any trace of the gods.

As seawater rushed into her mouth and washed over her throat, she could no longer feel the burning sensation in her lungs.

The will to survive is completely extinguished; that brings a sense of peace and liberation.

She came to terms with reality.

When you close your eyes, everything stops.

Unless, someone answers her prayer—

"Why didn't you say so sooner if you couldn't hold on anymore?"

In her confusion, she felt a cold touch on her lips.

The warm air poured into her lips, teeth, and throat, filling the void in her lungs as if seizing territory.

But they knew that wasn't enough, so they intermittently delivered oxygen into her trachea again and again.

Finally, she began to cough violently and silently, the fluid in her lungs leaking out continuously due to the shock.

She felt her will to live seemed to have returned.

She opened her eyes in a daze, only to find that the cunning fox had already untied its cloak and fastened it tightly around her shoulder.

Pulling the hood up to her forehead and pressing her mouth and nose tightly against the mask, a breath of fresh oxygen exchanged the impurities in her lungs, gradually waking Hope from her coma.

She wanted to say something, but Tang Qi had no intention of wasting time talking to her.

Having lost the ability to breathe underwater, he could only let Iu pull on his leather armor, leading the hesitant Hope to swim towards the surface.

When he felt that he was not getting enough oxygen in his lungs, he took off Hope's cloak, put it on, and breathed in the air that the cloak provided.

In the course of the cycle, they failed to realize how much time had passed.

But the finish line was getting closer and closer to me.

Finally, Tang Qi stretched his wrinkled, bubbly hand out of the water first, and roughly dragged Hope up with him:

"Dawn!"

Amidst the shouts, without turning back, Chenxi, who arrived at the water's edge earlier, threw over a bundle of hemp rope. With the help of the rope, the two were able to laboriously climb ashore and breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Hope, who had just drowned, standing there stunned as if in a daze, Tang Qi couldn't help but curse:
"Are you fucking out of your mind? Didn't you tell me when the medication was about to take effect?"
When I saw you shake off my hand and swim upwards, I thought you were in good shape, so I didn't even turn around to pay attention to you.

"They finally turned back once they were almost on the water, and well, they left quite peacefully."

"Why are you……"

"What do you mean, why? Do you have any magic tricks? Hurry up and dry my clothes, I feel like I'm going to swell up from being soaked."

Urged on by Tang Qi, Hope, somewhat bewildered, chanted the incantation and unleashed the magic trick that every spellcaster possessed—

Its main purpose is to help spellcasters practice their perception of the magic network.

Therefore, it can trigger the magic network and achieve some harmless effects such as 'lighting a campfire', 'changing the smell', and 'seasoning'.

As she cast her spell, Tang Qi gradually felt warmth.

After drying, he quickly pointed to Hope:
"And yourself."

Underneath Hope's short leather jacket, she wore only a pristine white tank top.

She wasn't wearing a bra strap.

[The difference between Tifflin and humans isn't significant; they've simply changed from white rabbits to red rabbits.]

Tang Qi thought he would probably write something like that in "The Guide to Different Races".

However, the Tyflin in front of him didn't seem to mind being seen naked. He was thinking about something and stiffly used [Magic Trick] to dry his clothes.

Tang Qi ignored her and instead began to survey his surroundings.

This should be a naturally hollow grotto, with stalagmites eroded by time and water all over the ceiling.

The stalagmite is covered with pure white crystals. The closer you look to the center, the more crystals gather, until finally it becomes a giant, irregular crystal that emits light, like a chandelier on the ceiling.

The light pierced through the water and spilled into every corner, allowing Tang Qi to see that he was in the only remaining open space, just big enough to set up a camp if he squeezed in.

There were no passageways around, and the enclosed space felt safe, so one only needed to worry about whether there were hidden dangers underwater—and they had just climbed up safely from underwater.

The faint scent of sea salt filled the air. Tang Qi reached out and touched the white crystals on the stone wall, realizing that they resembled the salt crystals they had purchased before venturing deeper into the underground city.

"As expected, it's unlikely that you can swim out of the dungeon in one hour."

As he sighed, Tang Qi looked at Hope, who had come to her senses.
"Are you feeling any better? If you are, then we'll start dividing the spoils."

Having confirmed that there were no Red Turban Gang pursuers behind them, this grotto was perfect as a resting camp.

Hope swallowed her question, nodded, and silently took out the many treasures she had previously stored in her dimensional bag.

Tang Qi took out the treasure as well. Although most of the coins didn't fit into his pockets, the two of them still managed to pile up what they had looted, forming a small hill.

"These coins are all different styles; some don't look like the gold coins of Dragon Gold City. There are also many crystal coins; which region would use these coins..."

"Ugh!"

Iwu hovered around the colorful crystal coins, cheering incessantly.

Tang Qi blinked, then subconsciously picked up a crystal coin and tossed it to Xiao Long.

It swallowed it whole, as if it were chewing a snack, and went down into its stomach.

This seems to be the only purpose of these coins.

Besides coins, there are many artworks engraved in gold and silver, most of which depict real dragons.

Scratching a palm-sized golden statue quickly revealed the verdigris inside, and Tang Qi frowned:
"The Red Turban Gang is indeed not as generous as I imagined."

Besides the statue, there are also several portraits.

Tang Qi lacks a certain aesthetic sense regarding abstract art; he only feels that if it were a work by a famous artist, it could probably fetch a certain price.
"Don't go through all that trouble only to receive some paltry sum of money, will you?"

Suppressing their doubts, they opened several treasure chests together with Hope.

The box wasn't locked, and almost the instant it was opened, Iu called out excitedly.

There's clearly a major event inside:

"Magical items?"

Tang Qi hadn't studied the [Appraisal Technique], but with the logbook, he didn't need to worry about not recognizing the origin of the treasure.

【Illusory Studded Leather Armor (Rare)】
It possesses defensive capabilities comparable to a breastplate. You can transmogrify the armor's appearance into any ordinary clothing or other types of armor; the color, style, and accessories are all customizable, and it has a realistic tactile feel. However, its size and weight will remain unchanged.

"Compared to the later transformations, its initial defensive capabilities seem to be more important."

Magic Missile Wand (Rare):
While wielding this wand, you can consume 1 or more charges to cast 'Magic Missile'. Casting a Magic Missile of level 1 consumes 1 charge, and each additional charge consumed increases the spell level by one.

This wand has five charges, replenishing one charge each morning at midnight. When the charge is depleted, the wand will turn to ashes and be destroyed.

"The effect is weaker than expected, but it's still classified as 'rare' quality... It's because everyone is controlling harmful spells."

Fortunately, Kuru seems to have an attack method that can deal effective damage without consuming spell slots.

[Trembling Music (Non-Ordinary):]

When this instrument is played, it emits a strange, magical melody. Every creature within a 10-meter radius of you may be terrified by the melody. You can also choose to leave creatures that are not hostile to you unaffected.

Creatures that are already afraid of pitch will become immune to the effects of the sheng within 24 hours.

This musical instrument has three charges, one of which is replenished each day at dawn. When the charge is depleted, it will turn to ashes and be destroyed.

"I think I've seen this thing before on the shelves selling 'strange items' in the shopping street. Although it looks pretty intimidating, it doesn't make anyone cry like the [Fear Spell]—people with a little courage are hard to be scared of."

It was better than nothing, but at least it was a magical item. Tang Qi happily pocketed it and then looked at the other treasure chest—

Upon opening it, they found a complete set of plate armor inside, exquisitely crafted and gleaming, far superior to the dirty, tattered plate armor that Chenxi was wearing, which she had stripped from the wolf.

[Fire Resistance Plate Armor (Rare): While wearing this armor set, you gain fire resistance.]

Simple and effective.

"At least Dawn won't have to be afraid of [Fireball] anymore."

Whenever Tang Qi recalls his encounter with the Silver Medal and those two inexplicable fireballs, he can't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

While checking if the plate armor was complete, Tang Qi unexpectedly discovered an envelope.

It is branded with a silver shield emblem:

"I think I've seen it on that noble lady before?"

Since I am the ultimate winner, I have the right to read all the documents in the treasure.

Tang Qi hurriedly opened the envelope, only to find a short letter inside—

To my best daughter Wendy:

happy Birthday.

—The father who loves you most in the world.

"..."

Tang Qi rubbed his temples, finally sighed, and put the letter back into the envelope.
"Should we just take her back to the 'predetermined champion,' even though she might not be happy about it?"

After carefully storing the letter, Tang Qi moved on to check the next treasure chest.

But then Hope let out a sigh of relief:
"It is indeed here."

Tang Qi glanced over and asked:

"Has the scabbard been found?"

He was genuinely curious about what this so-called "Saint's Sword Sheath" actually looked like.

(End of this chapter)