I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature

Chapter 91. Archipelago Ocean

There is a religion called Sea Succession Church. It is a religion that has spread across the entire Archipelago Ocean since ancient times, revering the sea and worshipping what comes from it.

At first glance, it sounds like an ordinary totemistic belief, but it has a clear system.

They say their leader, the Sea Master, is a human who undergoes repeated reincarnation.

“Reincarnation? You mean he remembers his previous lives?”

“Yes. If one traces its origin back, they say it goes all the way to my grandfather’s generation.”

“……By the way, how long do sea elves live?”

“Generally about a thousand years, though most do not fill it and die earlier. The sea is fickle.”

Aranmas and his wife were said to be elves who had lived about 800 years. At that point, they apparently look distinctly elderly.

"Let’s get back to the point. That means this Sea Master has existed for up to 2,000 years. Is the claim of being a reincarnator true?"

“That…… we cannot know. He does speak of very ancient memories, but that does not necessarily mean he truly reincarnates. Still, at least among the sea elves, there is a strong tendency to believe that the Sea Master reincarnates.”

So the ‘Deep Sea Order’ was built with the Sea Succession Church at its core.

“What other forces are there on land?”

“In the Archipelago Ocean, each island has its own power, so it is difficult to explain them all.”

“That’s interesting. Just tell me a few.”

“Yes. Then…… shall I begin with the Pilgrim Merchant Caravan?”

“The Pilgrim Merchant Caravan?”

“They are those who follow Raphaele, the legendary ‘Connector’ who is said to have linked a divided world a thousand years ago.”

According to him, until a thousand years ago, the Archipelago Ocean was a place filled with isolated islands that did not trust one another.

Raphaele traveled between those islands, buying and selling goods. He sold goods to tens of thousands of islands and, without incurring resentment, quietly passed away at the age of one hundred.

Even hearing it sounds like a legendary achievement.

“Now they are called peddlers who wander across all islands. They are spread throughout countless islands, but they are the most harmless faction. There are also peddlers who follow the legendary Connector and seek to visit every island.”

“Hmm. Interesting.”

“They are numerous, but since they travel in small groups, they are not much of a threat.”

“What else is there? Let’s start with the closest force.”

“If you mean the closest force from here, there is the Island of the Brown Sage.”

Yul already knew that one. It had been his original purpose for visiting the Archipelago Ocean.

“Ah, the island where the turtles live, right?”

“Yes. It is a place where intelligent turtles reside. I hear they are generally exclusive.”

Though the Turtle Kingdom had been destroyed by Heaven and Earth Resonance, it seemed the Island of the Brown Sage was still intact.

Yul suddenly wondered whether Javarel, who had once helped him, was living well.

“What else?”

“The Wave-Fang Orc Tribe, the Current Navigation Alliance, the Kingdom of the Dead Sailors, the Deep Sea Coral Fortress, the Dwarves of the Fragment…… that would be about it.”

Yul also heard various information from Aranmas about other islands. Every single one sounded fascinating.

“Orcs live there too?”

“Yes. The Wave-Fang Orc Tribe resides in a place called the Bladegrass Strait.”

The Bladegrass Strait was a very narrow area where steel-like grass known as bladegrass grew there.

“Under the rule of Gark, the Shark Lord, who was said to have been born as the son of a shark in ancient times, they have subdued the surrounding islands.”

“What about the Current Navigation Alliance?”

“It is a racial alliance centered around a natural harbor called Eira Harbor Island, exerting influence over the entire Northern Archipelago Ocean. Many humans and halfling elementalists live there. They use a technology called Guided Current Stone to control the ocean currents.”

“Hmm.”

Yul listened with his arms crossed, then slightly curled up the corner of his lips. He had spotted a girl eavesdropping outside again.

He beckoned with his finger.

“You may come in.”

While the others all had teal hair, she was a sea elf with a peculiar appearance, her hair close to pink.

“Endaira, I told you to stay outside.”

“It’s fine. It seems this child wants to listen too. Come sit beside me.”

She hurried over to Yul’s side, glanced around cautiously, then quietly plopped herself down on his lap.

‘Look at this one, she’s cute.’

Yul lightly patted the girl’s head.

“Go on.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. Hmm. The Kingdom of the Dead Sailors. They are the remnants of the Ancient Kingdom of Bartu, which once ruled seventy islands. And most of them now exist as ghosts.”

“Do ghosts sail ships too?”

“No. They gather on an island called the Silent Trench. They cannot steer ships.”

“That’s a shame.”

So there are no ghost ships.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Continue.”

“Ahem, ahem. Understood. The Deep Sea Coral Fortress is located far to the southeast from here.”

“Ah! I saw it!”

At that moment, the child sitting on Yul’s lap shouted.

“That’s right. Our ship passed around the Deep Sea Coral Fortress.”

“It was red, but stained like blood, and around it there were things growing that looked like yellow autumn leaves.”

As the girl named Endaira chattered, Aranmas looked at Yul.

“Mm. Go on.”

“You are generous. Ah, anyway, the Deep Sea Coral Fortress is said to have originated from a coral in the Deep Sea. It grew so enormous that it formed an island.”

“There were crystal-like people inside, too!”

“They are crystal golems, dear. They are not people.”

Yul asked about the last faction.

“What are the Dwarves of the Fragment?”

“Long ago, a fragment of a star fell upon an island in the Archipelago Ocean. The meteor became an island itself, and the dwarves who mined it gathered together and called themselves the Dwarves of the Fragment.”

By now, it seemed he had heard enough about the nearby powers.

“Did you enjoy it?”

At Yul’s words, Endaira’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes! I want to board a ship and sail out too. Someday, I want to travel around with a ship of my own.”

“Child, that is…….”

“Why not? She can do it.”

Yul stopped Aranmas. He could not forgive crushing a child’s dream.

“You will become a great captain someday, too.”

A little later.

After Endaira left, Aranmas let out a sigh.

“There are many children who wish to sail out on ships. However.”

“They were rejected?”

“Yes.”

Yul stroked his chin. If this had changed after Heaven and Earth Resonance, there must be a reason.

“It will be resolved someday. For now, let’s focus on you all.”

“When you say focus on us……?”

“Let’s examine the entire island. What it has, and what it can do.”

* * *

After spending several days personally traversing the entire island and examining it with focus, Yul soon organized the information.

The structure of the Island of Boundaries could be divided into roughly four levels.

A coastline filled with sand.

Right beside it lay a mangrove ecosystem, a forest of trees that can withstand saltwater.

Then the jungle inland zone.

And in the deepest area, a highland region.

The sea elves of the Island of Boundaries usually lived in the jungle inland zone.

They were basically omnivorous. Thinking about it, that made sense. Living by the sea, they could hardly be vegetarian. They had to catch fish to survive.

Their staples were fish and breadfruit.

It seemed there were two local specialties.

Silvermoon Leaf. The leaves of the Silvermoon Tree, which carried an excellent fragrance, and when brewed and drunk, calmed the mind.

Timber. Mahogany trees grew in the jungle inland, and teak trees grew in the highlands.

If the village was improved and these were grown well, they could become excellent export resources.

“It’s a pity I don’t see any mines.”

Perhaps they simply had no mining engineer and had not discovered them.

Still, with this level of resources, it seemed sufficient to develop the Island of Boundaries.

“Aranmas, how many sea elves are there?”

“At present…… about 120.”

“That’s too few.”

The Island of Boundaries was not small. With so few sea elves, they would hardly influence the island. They were still living like a primitive tribe, wearing leather clothes and hunting wild animals.

“Is there anywhere else you can ask for help?”

“We sea elves are shunned by those of the land…….”

“And your ship?”

“There is one wrecked ship at the entrance of the island.”

Yul focused his mind and examined part of the island. Indeed, a ship lay wrecked along the shore, completely smashed and seemingly beyond salvage.

To build infrastructure, they first needed to transport resources from outside.

“Hmm. If only I still had my ship, things would be different.”

Yul missed Le Céleste, which he had lost after Heaven and Earth Resonance, and Captain Marchand.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll have to ‘transport’ it physically.”

“Pardon?”

“What supplies do you need?”

“Ah, w-what supplies do we need?”

“Yes. Iron, for example?”

“Iron would be wonderful!”

In an instant, Aranmas’s eyes changed. He began listing everything they had long needed.

“Good. I’ll bring it all. Wait here.”

Aranmas imagined how wonderful it would be if the resources they desired truly arrived.

And several days later.

He could only pinch his own cheek.

A massive wooden crate, easily weighing several tons, hung by ropes from the body of a gigantic member of the Deep King Tribe floating in midair.

Sea elves gathered around it, unable to hide their astonishment.

Yul landed lightly after unloading the goods and shouted,

“Take the crate apart!”

“Y-Yes.”

Several strong sea elves rushed forward, untied the thick ropes, and dismantled the enormous crate.

“T-This is?”

“The list you wanted. Whew. Carrying this all the way from the Kingdom of Frangia really hurts the back.”

The resources Aranmas had requested were bundled into several categories.

So Yul had brought a set of pioneer tools made with Lui’s support.

‘I didn’t realize Lui was already raising pioneers.’

They were preparing to explore the Great Azure Ocean and send their pioneering ships to newly formed islands.

Of course, Lui’s advisors must have guided him well.

‘I guess the Age of Exploration is beginning. .’

Yul had personally purchased some of the pioneer tools Lui was preparing and brought them here.

Flying over like express delivery, he had bound himself with multiple ropes, yet even then, he had nearly lost them mid-flight.

When they opened the crate, it was a mess. The items inside had been jumbled and damaged during the rapid flight.

“As expected, transporting things this way is problematic.”

“E-Even so, th-this is more than usable, Lord Yul.”

Inside were tools such as axes, saws, and hammers, along with ropes, nails, hoes, and pickaxes.

“You said you needed seeds? Here.”

“Oh! There’s rice as well!”

There were kidney beans, aromatic herbs, and most importantly, rice seeds.

Frangia’s staple was bread, but rice imported from abroad was naturally available as well.

The rice seeds had been difficult to obtain. If they planted wheat in this jungle, it would all die.

“In any case, since this place is hot and humid, I brought rice. But I don’t know if these seeds will grow well here.”

“The rice grains look similar.”

Until now, the sea elves had survived on breadfruit and fish, but apparently their traditional staple had been rice.

Back when they wandered the seas, they had traded with land-dwelling humans and eaten it regularly.

“But since there is no elf who has experience growing rice... we will try somehow”.

“Good. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more.”

They could not allow outsiders onto the island, so this was the only way.

With the basic foundation prepared, at least the sea elves would not starve.

Now it was time to carry out his original purpose for coming here.

‘Gold!’

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(T/N): What is motivation? Can it be eaten? *sigh*