Whether there was light underwater or not didn't affect Hysilens in the slightest. She could simply close her eyes, and the seawater surrounding her became an extension of her limbs, her eyes.
As she descended deeper, the number of marine creatures dwindled, but their size increased dramatically. Hysilens even "saw" a colossal octopus over a hundred meters long.
At such depths, the crushing pressure of the water would instantly crush any creature lacking immense physical strength, rendering survival impossible.
Yet this posed no challenge to Hysilens. Two hundred meters deep felt no different to her than two thousand.
Notably, upon encountering the hundred-meter octopus, Hysilens used her abilities to greet it.
Hysilens: "Hi~ Hello~"
The octopus froze momentarily, then thrashed its tentacles wildly and fled the area.
Hysilens: "?"
She didn't quite understand, but she sensed she might have frightened the creature. It made sense; at such depths, marine life was scarce, and the octopus had been peacefully dwelling here until a strange voice suddenly echoed in its mind. Who wouldn't flee?
But it wasn't a big problem. Hysilens cleared her throat and began to hum, opening her small mouth to sing a simple, wordless melody. Before long, the massive octopus swam back, drawn in by the Siren Song's allure.
This was the perfect opportunity to test the full extent of her powers. The results were clearly impressive.
Hysilens circled the octopus several times, scrutinizing it closely. Despite the fact that fish at this 1,000-meter depth typically lacked eyes, this octopus possessed them. This was quite peculiar.
Either the octopus hadn't always lived at this depth and occasionally ventured to the surface, or there were other creatures even deeper down that required vision.
While pondering these possibilities, Hysilens released the Siren Song's hold. The octopus immediately stiffened, repeating its earlier frantic escape.
Hysilens stopped teasing the octopus and continued her descent. At 3,000 meters, it was still pitch black, utterly devoid of life. The only discernible change was the dwindling presence of marine organisms.
Around 4,000 meters, she finally reached the seabed. In this inky darkness, a faint glow emanated from a small object within her Perception range.
Hysilens swam swiftly toward it, retrieving the object from the seafloor. It was an irregular crystal fragment, about the size of a little finger, emitting a faint, ethereal light.
After examining it in her hand, she deduced with high certainty that it was an artificial artifact. This fragment had likely broken off from a larger, more complete crystal and fallen here.
Could it be... are there other intelligent life forms dwelling at these depths?
After all, fish lack hands and the ability to craft tools, nor would they require such objects for illumination. Hysilens pondered. This wasn't Earth, but a world of magic. The existence of mythical creatures like merfolk and sirens seemed perfectly plausible here, didn't it?
Hysilens swam swiftly through the seabed, following her instincts. But the ocean was vast beyond comprehension, and even with her heightened Perception, she couldn't scan the entire expanse. Though she darted forward at incredible speed, covering hundreds of kilometers in the blink of an eye, she still hadn't spotted a single trace of intelligent life.
After searching fruitlessly for some time, she began to doubt her initial hypothesis. Could she have been wrong? Perhaps the tiny crystal chip she'd found wasn't from an underwater civilization at all, but rather something discarded by someone on land that had fallen into the sea?
Twirling a strand of hair near her ear, Hysilens pondered the matter. Finally, she decided to abandon the search for now. Continuing blindly like a headless fly was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack—a futile endeavor.
With a burst of speed, she ascended rapidly, breaching the surface like a leaping fish. Her high heels landed lightly on the water with a soft tap-tap, creating ripples that spread across the surface. She stood as steadily as if on solid ground, showing no sign of sinking.
Seawater dripped continuously from her hair and clothes. Had she been an ordinary person, she would have undoubtedly changed into dry clothes and towelled off, either to prevent a cold or simply to escape the discomfort of being soaked.
Hysilens could have instantly drained the seawater using the Authority of the Ocean, but she chose not to. She found the dampness surprisingly pleasant, even a little comforting.
Though her soaking-wet appearance was strangely alluring, her clothes clinging tightly to her body and her black stockings becoming semi-transparent, she didn't mind. After all, no one else was around.
Hysilens looked up at the sky. Tribios and Cerydra had been waiting patiently on the surface of the sea for some time. Now that Hysilens had tested her abilities, it was Cerydra's turn.
If Hysilens and Hyacine were like "stat monsters," defined by raw numerical power, Cerydra was a "mechanism monster," like Cipher, whose strength lay in intricate systems.
Cerydra stilled her mind, carefully sensing the Law Authority within her, feeling her abilities. To be honest, this wasn't a very good ability to "test."
Because the essence of the Law Authority was exchange: the ability to trade something for something else.
Just as in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, wasn't there the story of the mermaid trading her voice for legs? Cerydra could do the same thing, provided someone came to her to make this transaction.
In this exchange, Cerydra gained nothing and lost nothing. Others sought her out for deals, yet despite seemingly being the seller, she couldn't take a cut or extract any benefits. Similarly, even though she initiated the Authority, she didn't need to expend any divine power.
It's worth noting that in the game Honkai: Star Rail, Hysilens once exchanged the price of "never fully enjoying a feast" for a "beautiful singing voice." In reality, the former meant she couldn't drink alcohol at all—even a single drop would intoxicate her. However, since the Identities extracted from the System were flawless, the Hysilens she obtained hadn't inherited the "one-drop-and-drunk" curse and could drink normally.
If that were the case, Cerydra might have exchanged "eternal childhood" for the status of "Chrysos Heirs." If she also had no flaws, would that imply she could potentially grow taller?
Cerydra continued studying her abilities. The scope of these trades was incredibly vast. It could be as simple as exchanging a bottle of water for a bite of food, or as profound as rewriting the world's fundamental laws by sacrificing the life of a god.
For example, she could modify the gravity of an entire world, increasing it tenfold or reducing it to zero.
She could alter the fundamental properties of matter, granting ordinary stones the same properties as Mithril.
She could make water no longer extinguish flames but instead fuel them like gasoline. The possibilities were endless, limited only by one's ability to pay the price.
As the God of Law herself, Cerydra could even initiate trades with herself. Of course, she would still have to pay the price; there were no freebies.
After a moment's thought, she extended her hand, and a spectral image of the Balance of Law materialized before her. Even without conducting a trade, she could place items on the scales to measure their value. Cerydra reached out with her right hand and channeled a surge of divine power into one side of the balance.
Divine power must be incredibly rare, right? Could I exchange it for a lot of things? And since I have so much of it, and it regenerates, could I just keep stocking up on freebies forever?
At the same moment, Hysilens willed a fish to leap from the sea. She snatched it out of the air, approached Cerydra, and placed the fish on the other side of the balance.
Almost immediately, the Balance of Law tipped in favor of the fish, suggesting that the divine power Cerydra had just offered wasn't even worth as much as this single creature. This can't be right, she thought.
Cerydra wore a puzzled expression, pondering the situation for a moment before finally understanding. While divine power was precious, to her it was merely a cheap consumable, something she could use and waste without a second thought.
But for the fish, it had sacrificed everything—its very life. This imbalance seemed fundamentally unjust.
If anyone else offered divine power as payment, they could likely acquire many things. But for Cerydra herself, such trades were impossible. After all, the God of Law embodied the very essence of fairness and justice.
In summary, Cerydra's Authority was incredibly powerful, yet its practical applications were limited. For instance, during a Boss fight, she could alter the course of battle with a single transaction. But she couldn't possibly use it against every minor enemy, could she? The cost-benefit ratio would be far too low. It would be much more efficient to simply let Hysilens unleash a tidal wave and clear the entire area.
After Cerydra finished studying her Authority, Tribios opened a Century Gate for their return journey. The trio stepped through in succession, and in an instant, they were back in Tribios's Okhema office.
Notably, Hysilens was no longer dripping water, though she remained slightly damp. Standing near her, one could detect a distinct ocean scent mixed with a faint, fishy aroma.
Tribios returned to her seat, tilting her head as she studied Hysilens and Cerydra. Her next task was to figure out what these two new identities should do.
Just as Mydei had opened a restaurant, Aglaea a clothing boutique, and Hyacine was planning to become a virtual idol on the World Wide Web, each identity needed a purpose. She couldn't simply remain idle at home, doing nothing.
Yet, after much deliberation, Tribios realized neither identity had a suitable occupation. Could Hysilens really become a fishmonger? As for Cerydra, she couldn't even imagine a fitting role.
Then, a sudden thought struck her. She murmured, "Okhema offers no suitable work. Perhaps... venturing elsewhere, like the Northern Territory... would be a good choice."
Long ago, the Northern Territory had nearly been unified. Now, she might be able to replicate that feat, establishing a vast Northern Territory Empire?
Of course, she wasn't doing this for amusement. Rather, Half had suddenly come to mind—three centuries ago, he had nearly died from exhausting his power. Even after awakening, he had been reduced to a helpless, whimpering pup, unable to speak.
The Northern Territory's barbarians' misguided faith in the Northern Wolf God had played a significant role in Half's current predicament. If Cerydra could unify the Northern Territory and correct this erroneous belief, might Half swiftly recover?
Moreover, from a diplomatic standpoint, now was the perfect time to consolidate the Northern Territory!
The Dragon Ember Empire was still locked in fierce conflict with the All Nations Alliance, while the Arcane Federation's supreme leader was leisurely strolling through Okhema. Even if something were to occur in the Northern Territory, neither of these major powers would intervene!
Building a great nation required both internal stability and external factors. With this in mind, Tribios swiftly made up her mind: Let's do it!
Of course, she couldn't help but admit that the thought of Cerydra ascending the throne in the Northern Territory was undeniably cool.
However, unifying a country was no simple task. Although Cerydra and Hysilens were formidable, two individuals were far from sufficient. Tribios considered that Aria and the others had been training diligently for quite some time, significantly improving their strength. Aria herself had long clamored to take on real responsibilities. This would be the perfect opportunity for them to accompany Cerydra on her mission.
Additionally, she could mention the matter to Heinrich. She didn't need any substantial assistance from him, just for him to provide diplomatic cover on the international stage. Tribios was determined to prevent the Dragon Ember Empire and the All Nations Alliance from intervening midway through the unification of the Northern Territory.
While she wasn't afraid of either of these major powers, she preferred to avoid conflict if possible.
Tribios immediately took out her phone and sent a message to Melly, inquiring about her situation. Unusually, Melly didn't reply immediately; it took a minute or two before she sent a message explaining the delay.
In short, Melly had originally planned to take Heinrich sightseeing around Okhema's famous landmarks. However, after asking for directions, Heinrich had headed straight for the Library, and they had been reading and chatting together ever since, exchanging knowledge until the present moment.
It was almost exactly what Anaxa had done the moment he arrived in the Arcane Federation.
Okhema's specialties should have been high-tech Magitech products (smartphones), various entertainment items (movies, comics, etc.), fine wines, and hot springs. But none of those things could compare to the books in the Library.