Chapter 31: You There? (Please Follow)

Deepwater Prison.

“What? You wanna sniff me too?”

Herbert hugged his knees tightly, shrinking pitifully into the corner, warily watching the lecherous sea witch.

She’s lusting after my body!

So lewd!

“You… huh?”

Mermaid Princess: ???

“What nonsense are you spouting? Who wants to sniff you?!”

Freyme stared at him in confusion, her eyes wide, thinking this guy’s mind was bizarre—even perverted.

Who in their right mind goes around sniffing other people’s scent?

“I just sensed a mark of my sea witch clan on you—I thought someone else had been locked in here.”

“Hmph, fine, don’t tell me then.”

She rolled her eyes hard, no longer wanting to speak to this idiot, and sank back into her water sphere.

“Oh? So you’re not after me in that way?” Herbert stood up, swaying before the water sphere and poking the bubble with his finger.

Duang~

“Hey! Anyone home?”

Duang~

“Open up! Don’t hide inside and stay silent! I know you’re in there!”

“You there? You there? You there?”

After being harassed for a while, Freyme finally responded.

She slammed her face against the surface of the bubble, glaring at Herbert, then spat out a flurry of bubbles.

Glub glub! (“So noisy!”)

Too bad.

The sea witch lady, raised in royal education, clearly wasn’t as easily fooled as Miss Hungry Dragon—she refused outright to bite.

Well, being educated really does make a difference.

After being harassed, Freyme declined the invitation to engage and chose to go offline entirely.

She hardened the surface of the bubble into a matte texture, so that poking it no longer caused vibrations—she severed the connection unilaterally.

“Sigh, our bond’s grown cold, so cold…”

Herbert sighed mournfully, rubbed his eyes, and turned his head away—as if trying to hide tears.

But in truth, he turned his back and smiled, quietly exhaling in relief.

It was confirmed: Freyme merely found him annoying, not for any other reason.

“It seems she, like Valentina, only has a vague sense—but can’t determine what exactly this feeling about me truly is.”

To be fair, although the Harmony God is unreliable, the abilities she provides are damn impressive.

Another hidden threat eliminated, Herbert exhaled in relief.

“Still, it seems winning over the sea witch won’t be as smooth as winning over the evil dragon.”

Someone who’s used their brain really is different.

Hard to fool.

“Food bribes probably won’t work much—I’ll need another approach.”

“So the question is, what does a sea witch like?”

“Seafood? Handicrafts? Fish catches? Hmm… fish is out—I don’t want to see fish again for a very long time.”

Since she refuses to communicate, relentless licking won’t get results—better to pretend disinterest for now.

Eventually, she’ll crack under her own impatience.

Thinking this, Herbert bid Freyme farewell, picked up his battered lantern, and crossed the barrier into the next zone.

“I’m back.”

In the Prison of No Light, Herbert opened his eyes.

Same darkness blinding his vision, same deep, chilling gloom.

But there was one small difference.

This time, Herbert no longer felt every path beneath his feet was identical—he had a strong sense of direction.

“It actually worked.”

Herbert hadn’t planned to enter the Prison of No Light until the High Priest repaired the array—but a special ability changed his mind.

In [The Sea Witch Queen’s Affection], there was a blessing: Never Lose Your Way.

With this ability, he wouldn’t wander in circles in the dark anymore!

Herbert set down his lantern, relying only on the glow from his Sacred Scar to shield him, and strode forward without fear.

Soon, he clearly felt his body tilting slightly to the right.

Not influencing his subconscious, not twisting his body—changing the ground beneath his feet.

Not?

Wow.

That’s a bit cheap.

You're taking advantage of the fact that I can't fly.

Though if I just ran faster than she could alter the terrain, I’d win—but that’d be undignified.

He walked silently for a while, then spoke calmly into the darkness:

“I know you’re watching me, changing the path under my feet—if you insist on this, it’s getting boring.”

“Archmage Svanne.”

Two monsters were imprisoned in this zone, but only one had the authority to alter the Prison of No Light.

[Forbidden Scholar], [Shadow Archmage], [The Silent One]—Svanne Moore.

According to records, this dark elf archmage was reclusive, refusing all communication with others.

Only with her knowledge could she seize an opportunity to forcibly alter the structure of the sealing array.

But knowing the culprit wasn’t enough—Herbert still couldn’t reach her location.

So he simply stopped walking, standing still and speaking calmly:

“Last time, I was outmatched, so I left—I didn’t throw tantrums begging you to meet me.”

“But this time, I’m no longer affected—why keep doing this? Isn’t that cheating?”

“You know we’ll have to meet eventually—do you really want to keep playing this game?”

“If you force me to break the surface… I can make you suffer too.”

Herbert shook his head, helplessly raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers lightly.

“Like—this.”

Snap.

As the snap echoed, the silent darkness suddenly shrieked with a harsh scraping sound.

Krrk!

Though it lasted only an instant before fading, Herbert had already achieved his goal.

He smiled, shrugged, and spoke with excessive honesty: “Yes, I can’t fully control the sealing array yet—but neither can you.”

You can seize control—why can’t I?

“If you don’t want me to annoy you every time, stop hiding.”

“Let’s meet. Today, I won’t bother you again.”

“How about it?”

No answer came from the darkness.

But Herbert knew Svanne had heard him—because the path beneath his feet stopped shifting.

“Good.”

Surprised by her cooperation, Herbert quickly moved forward along the path.

Indeed, without interference, he soon found the prisoner’s cell.

But this first meeting scene was different from what he expected—

“Huh?”

Herbert stared at the black iron coffin before him, tilted his head, then tapped the lid with his hand.

Thud thud.

The coffin emitted an extremely hollow sound—as if empty inside.

Empty?

Really empty?

Herbert thought for a moment, took a breath, leaned close to the coffin, and whispered:

“…You there?”

Click.

At his call, a faint sound suddenly came from within the coffin.

Click!

Xiao Ba is seriously ill, weak all over, and has a headache.

The doctor said the condition will improve only if everyone follows along...

So, please save the child!





(End of Chapter)