Why can't humans do it too?

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The environment was completely dark, and it was not located on the surface. The deep underground area should have been cold and cool, but as soon as you stepped into it, you only felt stuffy and hot. Even the air you breathed was damp and slippery, as if there were invisible snake tongues licking your face.

Normal life could never survive in such a repressive space. It is a discomfort from the bottom of one's heart, a sense of oppression that permeates the spirit, and not just a simple reason such as physical discomfort. Yet, life still exists in such a place that violates biological habits, and even breaks this lightless tranquility.

"...The goblin bombs you were worried about have really appeared..."

"The forest elf force that went there was almost completely wiped out. Only one flower ship on the very edge managed to escape and survive. Even the two dragon elves that went with them were reduced to half. Their bodies were completely destroyed by the explosion. Fortunately, they were still able to survive."

The person standing at the cave entrance spoke calmly, as if talking to himself against the stone wall. After a few seconds, a slow reply came, like a murmur rising from the water, as if he were immersed in the deep sea despite being in an ocean of air.

"...Ah...I saw it..."

The overlapping words, each one like a superposition of countless sounds, echoed in the dark cave.

“Ronnie miscalculated… That kind of power cannot be restrained by something as superficial as a cannon barrel. He couldn’t direct the energy from the explosion of the divine essence in the direction he wanted, so the city disappeared… and what we wanted appeared…”

Chapter 247 Marine Species Under the Time

“It’s what you wanted!” The man standing at the cave entrance suddenly raised his voice, but then abruptly lowered it the next second. “...But actually, Ronnie’s research was successful. The problem was so simple that even I could solve it—there’s no need to think about how to bind the explosive power and shoot it at the enemy. He just needs to launch the bomb directly and let it explode next to the enemy.”

"The goblins have truly acquired weapons capable of destroying the world."

"Your and Xinke's worries have become a reality at an unexpected time."

Faced with this fact, which no longer required speculation or doubt, the underground cave fell into a deathly silence.

"...No, it won't happen," the voice finally rang out again after a long silence, "...The God of War is still here...the goblins won't go that far..."

"The overall situation of the Goblin Alliance and the Forest Elf Alliance subtly uniting against the God of War faction will not change; they will only adjust their distance from each other."

"Can those Skywing races, whose minds are filled only with war and slaughter, understand this kind of thing?"

"They're just unwilling to do it, not that they don't think of it. Don't worry... they'll maintain a general balance."

The brief conversation came to an abrupt end here once again. In fact, both the man standing at the cave entrance and the voice responding from inside knew that this was not what they really wanted to say; they were just unable to bring themselves to speak and were shifting the topic.

“...They’re dead...Lenny, and Credo…”

Finally, the man standing at the cave entrance, draped in a robe, spoke in a low voice, but his voice was incredibly firm as soon as he finished speaking, as if the answer had been brewing in his throat for a long time, just waiting for this moment.

"They are not dead."

It was repeated with certainty.

"...They are not dead...They are right beside me..."

"...They're right here..."

The words echoed softly like a spell. This time, the man standing at the cave entrance said nothing, but simply stared silently into the darkness before him.

After an unknown amount of time, he turned and left.

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In this great war, there may only be two pure lands free from war: the place where the Moon-Singing Species, who fled to the moon long ago, and their gods live, and the area where the sea creatures, who live in the deepest part of the ocean, play.

The former were left unattended because they had already withdrawn from the war, while the latter had no desire to win or lose the war. The seabed was not an environment that other races liked. To be honest, these mermaids lived incredibly happy lives every day.

Play, eat, have fun, work.

The fact that the word "work" appeared at the end of the daily life of the marine species would probably shock other races who always regard marine species as the epitome of stupidity.

But this is the most authentic life of marine species today.

Long, long ago, in the deepest part of the sea, there was a magnificent castle where six mermaid princesses lived. Apart from the fact that there were six mermaid princesses, this fairy tale that Suer once told has now become a reality, even more fantastical than the story itself.

If Jibril were to return to this sea-dwelling city, she would absolutely not be able to match its former dilapidated state with its current appearance.

It has expanded not only outwards, but also upwards, and has become a three-dimensional city existing in the water, relying on the water flow as its foundation.

Osander, the name that had filled Suer with fantasies the first time he heard it, finally had a physical form befitting its identity. This capital of marine life was now built from countless underwater stones and corals, creating a magnificent and vast landscape. So luxurious was that every stone wall was inlaid with shimmering pearls, which reflected a beautiful brilliance as the bioluminescent jellyfish that slowly drifted through the city's corners swam by.

Thinly sliced ​​coral and shells are delicately used to decorate every tiny corner, perfecting every detail and creating the most vibrant and beautiful colors.

The unique properties of the seabed also give this new city a magical quality. The buildings extend upwards like clouds, connected to the ground only by tiny roots. The buoyancy of the seawater allows for the creation of countless complex arched and inverted conical structures that would be impossible to build on land, making it a true embodiment of imagination in the real world.

It's not just blue, the most common color in the ocean. Countless bioluminescent jellyfish and glowing seaweed clinging to the walls adorn everything in this city, illuminating the deepest and darkest seabed into the most beautiful fairyland.

Even the most indifferent and heartless person will be captivated by this city, and those who have personally participated in its construction will find it even more unforgettable, filled with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction—especially after spending so much effort to explain to those fools how to do it, this feeling becomes even stronger.

"...Riku is crying..."

"Who's crying... Don't talk nonsense," Riku retorted immediately, turning around and wiping his eyes as he felt his sleeve being tugged.

She still had that timid look, but now Riku no longer considered this personality as the one he had set for her when they first met. Compared to the past, Shubi's eyes were much more lively. If you put aside the obviously inhuman mechanical parts on her body that she no longer concealed, her words and actions were no different from those of an ordinary human.

I like following Riku, I like watching Riku work, I like sitting with Nona in a daze when Riku is asleep... There are so many things I like, even the fact that Riku is clearly moved to tears but stubbornly refutes me right now.

These are all things Riku knows, and there are many other things he wants to know, but Shubi has never told him.

Time has left its mark on this man. In the past few years, Riku seems to have grown a centimeter or two taller. His white hair is now neatly tied back, which is hard to imagine on a man in his thirties. However, during the drying process after a bath, Shubi noticed a few wrinkles on the man's forehead and around his eyes.

Having shed the inevitable naiveté and immaturity of his youth, Riku now looks every bit the mature man. Although his clean-shaven stubble makes him appear younger, no one who sees him now can honestly call him a young man.

Chapter 248 Riku and Shubi Under the Time

According to Riku's childhood memories, a human in his thirties in the settlement could be considered an old man. The cold, sandstorms, and hard work had etched undeniable wrinkles onto the humans of this world during their golden years.

"She just...cried..."

"Okay, okay, you've cried, you've cried, is that alright now?"

For some reason, Shubi was very insistent on this matter, and Riku had no choice but to go along with her.

Suddenly noticing the thin film of air surrounding him rapidly undulating with the water flow, Riku looked up curiously and gazed around. Before long, he saw the sea creature queen gliding through the water and landing beside him.

"Wow~~~, this is~~~ amazing~~~ our city~~!" Jasmine spun around in the water like a child, the gold ornaments on her body jingling and tinkling as she cheered.

“I’m glad Your Majesty likes it. Is there anything else that needs improvement? There’s no need to be polite, you can just say it,” Riku said with a smile, stroking Shubi’s crimson hair beside him.

Yes, this beautiful city is the result of the joint efforts of humans and marine species over the past ten years. Well, it is indeed very strange to include these guys who have lived on the seabed for countless years in ordinary caves and have no intention of building their own race's capital in this conversation, but the birth of this city's new look is indeed due to the efforts of the marine species, and a large part of them at that.

After all, humans can't use magic, let alone at such a deep sea. Without the protection of magic, they would probably be crushed in an instant.

The city's ideas and concepts were mainly provided by Suer, and Liku and other humans supplemented and modified them based on the actual situation on site. They then used a game-like approach to involve these marine species in the construction of their city. Although progress was slow and it took a lot of effort, the beautiful city was eventually built.

"Hey! Riku! Riku!" Having somehow swum to Riku's side, Jasmine was patting his shoulder repeatedly. "Let's have a baby!!"

"?"

"?"

The sudden and abrupt shift in the topic almost caused Riku to lose control of his facial expression. His face twitched rapidly. Although he had become quite prepared for the whimsical ideas that this sea creature queen often came up with after knowing her for so long, he still couldn't hold back when he suddenly heard something like this.

"Look, you're so smart, our child will definitely be very smart too, and will definitely be able to help the marine species become stronger! Oh, right~, if we have a child, you can stay at the bottom of the sea forever, and we can all play together... Waaah! What's with this feeling?!"

Jasmine, who was still counting on her fingers and talking, suddenly couldn't help but shudder. Bubbles of all sizes floated upwards with her movement. She felt a great terror of being threatened with her life, as if she were being stared at by a ferocious sea beast. And this sea beast—following that eerie gaze, Jasmine saw the machine-type creature that always rarely spoke.

The silver-white mechanical wings had already spread out at some point, and countless halos were spinning rapidly in the bright yellow eyes. It got hot, and Jasmine felt the temperature of the water around her rise by several degrees, and it was still rising rapidly!

"Well, that won't be necessary, Your Majesty," Riku said with a dry laugh, having already observed the scene. He vigorously rubbed Shubi's hair with his other hand, and the temperature that made him feel so much pressure finally stopped rising.

"Huh? You really don't want to?" Jasmine's face clearly showed disappointment. This sea creature queen was genuinely disappointed. "I really like you, you know?"

The temperature is rising, the temperature is rising, and the temperature is rising again.

"Ah, really, it's not necessary." Without the initial panic, Riku simply smiled and ruffled Shubi's hair even more. He looked directly into Molly's eyes and said, "I already have someone I like."

"Sigh~~~~", Jasmine trailed off in disappointment, pouting sadly as she muttered, "It's okay~, I don't mind~"

"Haha, I am truly grateful for Your Majesty's kindness, but for me, one person I like is enough," Riku chuckled and shook his head, continuing, "Please, Your Majesty, fulfill your original agreement with Sull and complete the remaining tasks. Then my mission will be accomplished."

"Ah~~~"

Without agreeing or refusing, Jasmine's eyes darted around, but Riku, who had spent so much time with this sea creature, could guess what was on her simple mind at a glance.

"Your Majesty, you're not planning on making me stay here indefinitely unless you fulfill your promise, are you?"

"Aaaaaah! How, how could this be?! How could anyone know—ah, I mean, absolutely not!!!"

Riku's sudden voice clearly startled Jasmine. The blue-haired sea creature waved its hands wildly and mumbled a string of words that no one could understand, but in the end it suddenly relaxed and slumped down.

"Okay, okay, I'll finish it, really..."

It was a voice full of resentment, and even Riku couldn't help but laugh at such an adorable reaction.

"Don't worry, once the plan succeeds and the war is over, Hugh and I will come to visit you often, so you don't have to feel lonely."

"Oh!! It's a promise!"

Easily roused by a single sentence, Jasmine turned around, happily raised her hand and waved, then with a flick of her tail fin, swam to a distant spot.

"Then let's hurry up and go! Today should be the day we deliver the largest batch down! We've been working really hard!!"

With that remark, the queen of the marine species swam ahead in one direction.

"...Ah, it's a promise...to wait until everything is over..."

As Riku watched the happy blue figure gradually shrink, he was still muttering his reply when suddenly he felt the hand that was touching Shubi's head being pulled down. The small-sized machine-type creature held his hand with both hands, its cheeks slightly puffed out.

“…Rikku…has changed his mind…”

"...Kill him..."