Byrne remembered that while the game didn't showcase Lusaka in its main storyline, the item descriptions mentioned the Water Spirit tribe. They were a race of intelligent aquatic beings with blue wing membranes and black eyes, capable of producing heavenly sounds due to their unique vocal structures.
In the era before the land vanished, the ancestors of the Louvielle called the Water Spirits the "Ita" people. The two races often fought wars over resources. Later, with the advent of the Stellaron disaster, the original thirty-seven archipelagos were completely submerged. The surviving Louvielle could only live on ships, scraping by by salvaging relics of the old world.
On the other hand, as sea levels rose, the Water Spirit tribe migrated upward to avoid the high pressure of the deep sea, eventually settling in the waters where the thirty-seven archipelagos once stood. Since then, contact between the two races became rare, and they gradually became legends within each other's territories.
To the modern Louvielle, the Water Spirits were highly mysterious. During his travels, Byrne had heard Helder mention a few stories about them. The carvings on the tombstone were concise; aside from the name of the deceased, there was only a single line of epitaph.
After reading the tombstone, Byrne pulled his thoughts back and continued swimming around the area. He followed a pattern of searching every fifty nautical miles, diving into the sea again and again.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
Byrne had lost track of how many times he had dived to explore. During this period, the detector on his wrist flickered sporadically, and the pendant on his chest only glowed occasionally, never giving a precise direction. The high pressure and isolation of the deep sea constantly wore down his energy, but the thought of Aventurine's gamble, Helder's entrustment, and the missing Natalie squad kept him going.
One afternoon, after eating and drinking his fill, Byrne checked his equipment as usual. Confirming that the oxygen supply, lighting system, and detector were all in optimal condition, he leaned back and leaped into the ocean.
With a splash, the water enveloped him, and the familiar cold was quickly sealed out by the diving suit. Byrne moved his flippers, his body slowly sinking. This time, as he reached a depth of about three hundred meters, the signal waves on his detector screen were no longer weak. They spiked violently like an EKG, pointing directly ahead.
Great, I finally found it.
Byrne felt a surge of joy, and much of the fatigue from the past several days vanished instantly. He adjusted his direction and accelerated toward the signal's source. Before long, a massive shadow appeared in his field of vision—towering, cold, and standing silently in the deep sea, radiating an aura of ancient desolation.
As the distance closed, the silhouette became clear. It was a heavy transport ship, half-sunk into the seabed and half-exposed in the water. The hull had long been corroded by seawater, its surface covered in thick seaweed and shellfish. The broken bow was twisted and deformed, silently recounting the catastrophe of years past.
Byrne patrolled around the transport ship and discovered several other vessels sunken in the vicinity. He immediately activated his optical computer's scanning and comparison function, matching the wreckage before him with the data provided by Aventurine. In just a dozen seconds, the computer confirmed the result.
The shipwrecks before him were indeed the fleet sent by the Interastral Peace Corporation years ago to mine the Azure Crystals.
Soon, he found a breach several meters wide on the nearest transport ship. The edges of the breach were jagged and covered in rust. It was likely formed by the impact of monstrous waves and existing damage to the ship.
Just as Byrne swam toward the breach, intending to enter and investigate, he suddenly noticed several faint lights approaching from not far ahead. This indicated that other divers were heading this way.
Byrne immediately became alert. He turned off his lights and dove deeper to hide. He only kept half of his head visible, observing from the shadows. A few minutes later, four figures in black diving suits swam into view.
Through his optical computer scan, Byrne learned that these four were members of the Marketing Development Department. Fortunately, his scan was stealthy, so he didn't have to worry about being detected.
The leader raised a hand in a gesture, and the other three immediately fanned out. Two took up guard positions while one activated a detection device on his wrist to scan the interior of the breach. The leader watched the detection screen. After a moment, the scan finished, and the four exchanged a brief communication before swimming into the breach together.
Byrne didn't follow them recklessly. Instead, he stayed hidden in the shadows outside the breach. Only when the lights from the four had completely vanished did he turn his suit's lighting to a low setting and slip inside, hugging the rusted walls like a silent fish.
The scene inside the shipwreck was far more tragic than it appeared from the outside. Submergence for several Amber Eras and Stellaron erosion had left the transport ship unrecognizable. In the winding metal corridors, twisted pipes hung down. Scattered steel shelves, rusted energy firearms, and even a few incomplete skeletons bore silent witness to the sudden disaster of the past.
Byrne deliberately swam slowly, his low-intensity light only sufficient to see half a meter in front of him. His plan was simple: let the four from the Marketing Development Department scout the path for him.
Meanwhile, the four-man team ahead had reached a relatively spacious compartment. One of the members, after checking the scan data, spoke through his communicator: "Captain, the scan shows that further ahead is the core cargo hold of the Victor fleet. All the Azure Crystals for this transport ship are sealed inside."
Hearing this, the captain immediately ordered: "Good. Break open this hatch immediately."
As the core cargo hold of a heavy transport ship, the hatch was not only massive but also forged from thickened super-alloy. It remained sturdy even after being submerged for several Amber Eras.
Following the captain's order, two members stepped forward and took portable explosive devices from their backpacks. After several concentrated blasts, the hatch didn't blow open completely, but a noticeable dent appeared. Then, the two members pulled out portable cutters and began to work.
The shrill whine of the cutters echoed through the deathly silent cabin, and pale blue sparks rippled through the water. Before long, a gap large enough for a person to pass through was cut into the heavy sealed hatch.
The captain swam in first, with the other three following close behind. Their beams of light swept across the hold.
But in the next second, all four froze.
The vast cargo hold was unexpectedly empty.