Ch.107Eastern Harbor: Gibson’s Port (2)

The cave was slimy, and the floor only reflected the splashing sounds.

Thanks to the light sources Simon and I had set up, it wasn’t dark, but moving through a cave enclosed on all sides was always an unsettling experience.

Splash… splash…

“Ugh… I hate these ambiguous water sounds…”

Lucia grumbled as she stepped into a puddle.

“Ambiguous water sounds?”

“You know how sounds like ‘splash’ or ‘slosh’ feel refreshing and cool? But this ‘splat’ sound comes from water that’s not deep enough to submerge or sweep you away—it’s just annoyingly ambiguous.”

“…I see.”

It was an interesting perspective, but I couldn’t particularly relate.

After all, I grew up by the docks where splashing sounds were part of daily life, and words like ‘splash’ or ‘slosh’ never particularly evoked feelings of refreshment or coolness for me.

Of course, I didn’t relate, but that didn’t mean I didn’t understand.

The middle-class citizens of Parcival would vacation at the beach next to the harbor, chattering about how wonderful the sea was.

But such luxuries were never afforded to someone like me who had no money.

When I cut my response short, Lucia didn’t continue either, and we kept moving forward until we discovered something.

“A corpse.”

Simon frowned as he brought his light source closer.

The light revealed the corpse’s condition in stark detail—it was torn apart roughly as if wild animals had feasted on it.

“This one’s been dead for a while.”

“How can you tell?”

“It’s obvious. Look at the body—it’s burst open. That rupture in the abdomen isn’t artificial; it’s from gas produced by decaying intestines that bloated the stomach until it tore apart.”

At the docks, drowned bodies were a common sight.

Adventurers typically sank to the bottom due to their heavy equipment, but ordinary people’s bodies were lighter and more easily discovered.

Naturally, it fell to bottom-feeders like me to clean up those drowned bodies, and that’s how I came to learn various things about them.

“You’re right. This one’s been dead for a long time. Doesn’t look like an adventurer… probably a civilian who got caught up in something.”

“Tsk… judging by the scabbard on his belt, he at least brought a sword with him…”

“That wasn’t enough, it seems.”

I nodded at Casia’s words.

The world is harsh, but people living in the light of civilization too easily forget that fact.

They forget that even a healthy adult male can be killed by a pig, not even a monster.

Cities and villages are protected by police and defense forces, while forests, mountains, dungeons, and labyrinths are conquered by adventurers.

But what does that mean for ordinary people?

Those who don’t embark on adventures can never overcome the harshness of this world.

With that thought, I used Ignatus to burn the corpse.

Though it was soaked in water, the maggots writhing inside the body and the gases from the decayed intestines combusted, producing an incredibly foul smell.

“Let’s move on. We need to go deeper.”

*

As we ventured deeper, the distinctive fishy smell of the sea grew stronger.

At some point, we stopped using our light sources because a blue glow was seeping from the cave walls.

“Bioluminescent insects. They must have been carried in by seawater and attached to the walls.”

Simon touched the wall and quickly identified them.

I had seen these glowing insects before as well.

“If seawater is coming in, does that mean the water level rises periodically?”

I was more concerned about the seawater infiltration.

If water were to rise in a place like this, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to die.

“I don’t think so. It’s probably seawater seeping through the ceiling.”

“So basically it’s a leak. Through the walls.”

“You could say that.”

Hearing this from Simon was reassuring.

The ruins where I used to stay didn’t really have what you’d call a ceiling, so I’d get completely soaked whenever it rained. The explanation about leaks wasn’t particularly comforting, but it was something.

“What bothers me is the lack of bodies.”

“Bodies?”

“Yes. Over twenty people came in here, but we’ve only found one corpse. And so far, there haven’t been any forks in the path…”

When Simon said that, I also felt something was off.

I didn’t know how far this cave extended, but judging by the seawater dripping from the ceiling, it probably didn’t reach too deep under the sea.

The reason was simple.

Either we weren’t yet under the sea, or if we were, we were in an area with low water pressure. Water leaking from the ceiling indicated that the cave’s structural integrity was weak.

And the pressure of the deep sea isn’t something a cave of this strength could withstand. The cave would surely collapse and sink.

I didn’t know when this cave had formed, but it must have been at least a month ago.

And that would have been more than enough time for the entire cave to collapse, so I could inductively reason that this cave wasn’t as deep as we might think.

“Perhaps this cave is a large air pocket.”

“Air pocket?”

“Yes. It’s not an uncommon structure in deep-sea underwater caves. In places that bend like an L-shape, air fills the space instead of water.”

“Ah… I understand what you mean.”

Lucia nodded, and I looked around before leading the party forward again.

If my guess was correct, aquatic monsters like Sahagin might be using this place as a hunting ground or storage area—a multipurpose space.

In other words, it was the enemy’s stronghold.

I couldn’t call it good news, so I heightened my senses even more.

Of course, I still couldn’t detect anything yet.

*

After several hours of checking all the winding paths and forks, we sat down in a suitable spot to have lunch.

“Sigh… with water everywhere, it’s hard to even find a dry place to sit.”

I said this as I sat near the campfire to dry my armor, which was already damp.

Thanks to Simon’s magic, various pots and pans were busy moving around the blue-burning campfire.

“If you just follow the recipe, something edible comes out! It’s really amazing!”

“Sister… that’s not amazing, it’s just normal.”

“Well… but this is still great progress, isn’t it?”

Unlike the comedy unfolding over there every time they tried to cook something, I had nothing to envy with a woman who could cook well by my side.

My wife filled a plate with the contents of the pot and pan and came to my side. I placed the plate on her chest, then picked up a spoon and began eating lunch.

Honestly, there were limitations to what could be cooked during an adventure, so most meals consisted of stew-like dishes with hardtack or minced meat.

Our party was slightly better off—we could toast bread and spread butter on it instead of hardtack, but unfortunately, that was about it.

My wife sat on my lap and shifted her waist this way and that so I could eat comfortably.

When I had nearly finished my meal, she began eating as well, and I embraced her, feeding her the remaining food.

Grumble… grumble…

And over there, I could see the shabby trio trying to reduce dishwashing by using the frying pan as a plate, scraping up mac and cheese.

“When we get back, I’m going to buy so much alcohol. Enough to need a cart to transport it. And then we’ll drink it all for a month on the ship.”

“Hehehe. That’s a truly excellent idea. This old man will contribute his share too.”

“Yay! I’ve gained an ally!”

What exactly is alcohol…

To make even the forest elves and the sage from the library utter such statements.

However, if they spend their own money, I have no need to intervene.

*

After lunch, we continued exploring the cave and finally discovered the last chamber.

Inside were the bodies of dozens of people, brutally torn apart, with several Sahagin voraciously eating pieces of the corpses.

“Kill them?”

“Kill them.”

At my command, the elf sisters’ arrows flew, and the handful of Sahagin instantly had arrows piercing their heads.

“Search thoroughly! There might still be survivors!”

At my order, the party members searched through the pile of bodies, but there were no survivors.

Thump!

Just as I was about to vent my frustration, Simon tapped his staff and circled around me.

Where his staff pointed, there was a submerged passage leading to the sea, but unfortunately, the Sahagin’s blood had already mixed with the seawater.

Swoosh!

Soon, the sound of water being parted began to echo from the passage, growing closer.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

I drew my greatsword, and everyone formed a formation around me.

Then a group of Sahagin leaped out of the water, and I infused my sword with aura.