Chapter 382: The Aquarium (1)

A low-ranking guard was roaming around Nouvellebag with neither name nor affiliation, no one knew the identity or intentions of this hunting dog.

‘Did I make a mistake handing over Picaresque Mask to Camus? Should I have kept it a bit longer?’ Vikir pondered as he flattened himself against the ceiling, moving forward.

To avoid the gaze of the patrolling officers, being slightly smaller in stature was advantageous. Hence, Vikir briefly entertained the idea of transforming into a puppy for easier stealth.

…But soon Vikir realized he had to change his plan. Within Nouvellebag, there wasn’t a single dog or cat. If he had roamed around in the form of a dog, he would have stood out conspicuously. While keepers occasionally kept pets, they were typically crustaceans like lobsters or crabs, octopuses, and occasionally seals, sea cats, or sea cows.

‘To keep pets here, an aquarium is needed,’ Vikir noted. It was only natural, given the deep-sea environment.

Suddenly realizing everyone had disappeared, Vikir reached the 5th floor. It was the primary destination for Vikir’s escape.

Before him lay the vast ocean. In the expansive plaza, large circular pools were divided into sections, with narrow and steep passages between them. It was an aquarium or a fish farm, the only one within Nouvellebag.

‘Shall we see what they’re raising here?’ Vikir mused, fetching a heap of ropes piled in a corner of the aquarium. Attaching a huge hook, almost as large as a ship’s anchor, to the end, he threaded a hooked haddock and cast it into the pool.

Splash!

The bait disappeared into the seawater. Soon enough, there was a response.

Swooosh!

Something appeared on the surface. A long and massive shadow approaching the bait.

…Snap!

The rope tightened visibly. Vikir swiftly pulled the rope with force.

Squaaaak!

Something massive emerged from the water, hooked by the fishing line. It was a giant eel.

‘…Hmm, so this is a Gulper eel,’ Vikir noted. The appearance of a Gulper eel was truly bizarre. A disproportionately large head and belly compared to its thin and angular tail. Meanwhile, its mouth, occupying more than 90% of its head, resembled the grand entrance of a temple, vast and wide.

Despite its odd appearance, it wasn’t a monster but a native species of the deep sea. It was known by various nicknames such as gulper eel, pelican eel, or elevator eel.

“Grrroooar!” The giant deep-sea creature immediately showed irritation upon being dragged onto the surface. As it opened its massive mouth, rows of teeth resembling fishing hooks filled its gums.

“Bad boy,” Vikir remarked, feeling no threat whatsoever.

Thunk!

With just one slap, Vikir shattered most of the eel’s teeth, causing it to flop on the ground. He completely dragged the eel onto land.

“There sure are a lot. Is this one the biggest?” Vikir observed as he glanced at the multitude of eels swimming in circles within the aquarium’s pools.

The one he just caught happened to be the largest among them. This Gulper eel was a species being actively bred in Nouvellebag. Its distinguishing feature was its disproportionately large body and small fins and tail, which hindered its swimming ability. Instead, its large body volume and light weight allowed it to drift with the currents.

Most of its body was composed of water, with only bones and skin remaining, making it impossible to obtain meat from it. Moreover, due to its foul and repulsive smell, it was almost unsuitable for consumption. Clearly, it wasn’t cute enough to be kept as a pet.

…So why breed this seemingly useless species in Nouvellebag?

“Because it’s the only ‘elevator’ to reach the surface,” Vikir answered himself as he looked at the struggling Gulper eel in front of him.

The way to descend from the surface to Nouvellebag was simple: a treacherous journey far into the sea, where at midnight, a vortex/whirlpool acting as the first gate would open, allowing the prisoner placed in an Orichalcum coffin (Iron Maiden) to sink into Nouvellebag, located 10000meters below sea level.

…But what about ascending from Nouvellebag to the surface?

You could simply use this Gulper eel. Its mouth was large, and its belly even larger. It could accommodate any number of people. Despite being fleshless and having tough skin, it could withstand the immense pressure of the sea while surviving well. Bred to fit the size of the passengers, these Gulper eels, with their excellent ability to withstand pressure but almost no swimming ability, would board a “specific current” leading to the surface. Hence, one of their nicknames was the “elevator eel.”

‘…Once I break through that bubble barrier, escape should be possible.’ The end passage of the aquarium offered a view of the scenery of the deep sea. However, there was actually a transparent, mucous waterproof barrier separating the inside and outside of the Aquarium.

The guards of Nouvellebag referred to this mucous substance covering the entire fortress as “Flubber.”

“BDISSEM” and “Flubber” were both essential substances that sustained Nouvellebag.

BDISSEM restrained the mana and strength of prisoners, maintaining order, while Flubber prevented water from flowing into the fortress from the outside, thereby maintaining the prison itself.

Both were unknown substances whose identities had not yet been clearly identified.

Sticky…

Vikir furrowed his brow as he looked at the mucous substance covering the windows, or rather, the entire fortress of Nouvellebag. While Flubber was responsible for the security of Nouvellebag along with BDISSEM, it wasn’t as sturdy as BDISSEM.

Now that he was free from confinement and could use mana, there was no reason why Vikir couldn’t penetrate this substance called Flubber.

Squlch…

Vikir grabbed the eel’s tail and dragged it toward the window. The eel didn’t seem to want to move, but it didn’t matter. Since their bodies were gelatinous and could pass through narrow windows, and they lacked swimming ability, as long as they followed the currents diligently, it was fine.

“God damn was this bred for giants? My, it’s so huge.” Vikir examined the Gulper eel he had just caught. It was indeed a massive specimen, large enough to be believed to be a giant containment weapon.

While other aquariums housed smaller specimens, there were hardly any as large as this one.

“Kuguguk-” Vikir inserted a bridle into the eel’s mouth, then extended the line deep into its belly. Even though eels lacked swimming ability, Vikir aimed to control at least the direction of their fins.

Eventually… “Thud!” Vikir kicked the eel out of the sea.

Splash! The Flubber mucous tore apart as the eel plunged into the deep sea..

With its belly empty.

After that, Vikir caught several more eels using ropes, fishing hooks, and the haddock piled in the corner. Three were of sufficient size to accommodate Vikir, two even larger than the previous one.

Vikir similarly briddled their mouths and fins before pushing them out of the window. The Flubber window quickly healed any damage, so there was no worry about seawater continuously seeping in.

At that moment, while Vikir was about to push out the sixth eel, Decarabia asked him, [Human. But why do you keep pushing the eels into the sea?]

“To cause disruption. It would require a lot of manpower and time to chase after all these eels, you see,” Vikir responded.

“I see. Quite a cunning trick,” Dekarabia remarked.

“If you have the time, it’s good to have some disruption tactics prepared. Especially during an escape,” Vikir added.

[Now, are we supposed to ride the seventh eel out? Huh? But why did you catch only six eels? Shouldn’t you catch one more?] Decarabia expressed his confusion to Vikir, who had pushed all the caught eels out of the window.

To which Vikir replied briefly, “I’m not going.”

[What?] Decarabia asked, bewildered.

[If you’re not going, why did you release the eels in the first place?] Decarabia questioned further.

“I told you. Disruption tactics,” Vikir said, smiling faintly.

“Riding the eels will come later. The escape is not yet in its final stage,” Vikir explained.

If he attempted to escape now, regardless of how many disruption eels he released, he would undoubtedly be caught. The current was too slow, and he had no stored food or water, so he couldn’t recklessly embark on a voyage of unknown duration. Moreover, there was a risk of the eels being devoured by larger sea monsters or being stranded on reefs or rough currents.

Therefore, Vikir intended to prepare thoroughly before attempting to escape. It was best to eliminate as many uncertain factors as possible.

…Just then, a unfamiliar voice came from behind him. “What’s this? An escapee?”

Sensing danger instinctively, Vikir swiftly healed the burn scar on his face and turned back with his bare face.

As footsteps approached slowly behind him, the voice remarked upon seeing Vikir, “I thought you were a guard, wearing a uniform, but apparently not.”

The voice carried a tone of admiration as it observed Vikir’s face. “Hm, so this is how you look. The face of the one who broke my shackles.”

It was not the face of Garam that the voice admired but Vikir’s. The presence of a girl with green hair, languidly flowing eyes, and a youthful face that seemed to be in her early teens.

However, the shackles layered on her wrists and ankles were unmistakably familiar, despite her wearing a guard’s uniform. This mysterious girl, wearing shackles despite donning the guard’s attire, had a badge sparkling on her chest.

<★>

One star. A symbol representing the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, one level above major.

Recognizing her identity, Vikir narrowed his eyes.

“…So, it was you who created these shackles.”

One of the mysteries was finally solved.