Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 169. Three Categories of Support Under The Ocean

Chapter 169: 169. Three Categories of Support Under The Ocean

The docks of Tidebreak Port resembled a battlefield that someone had attempted to clean up but abandoned halfway through. The broken planks stuck out at strange angles, and the corruption stains on the wood were still slowly fading, like ink marks that wouldn’t come off.

Nearby, the massive body of the megalodon floated in the tainted water.

Liora’s purification had completely taken off the creature’s crystalline corruption armor, leaving behind smooth shark skin that shone with an unnatural blue sheen.

"W-Wait... how the fuck did that thing get here again?! I thought it swam away," Zara said, her confusion evident.

Thalor responded, "I called it back using my power. I forgot to mention that creature is one of my pets."

Rick, along with his five partners, stood at the end of the dock. Thalor nervously paced back and forth near the water, occasionally glancing at the megalodon as if preparing for an impending event.

Zephyra’s barrier dome above them shone with the same clear quality, blocking out the corruption storm that was still raging above them.

Zephyra stood apart from the group, with baby Sophia sleeping soundly in a magical sling that wrapped around her chest. The Grand Sorceress used one hand to adjust her glasses and the other to protectively hold her daughter’s back.

Her brown eyes looked over the group with the precision of a doctor, as if she were calculating the chances of success in her head.

Zephyra said, "Before you go... I’ve made three types of magical support." Her voice cut through the sound of waves and distant thunder."

"W-What? How did you...?" Rick was surprised to hear that she already got something for them.

"Science and magic..."

"Now, pay close attention ’cause I won’t repeat it again."

Rick opened his mouth to speak, but Carmilla’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Rick... let her talk for a second."

"Right... sorry."

Zephyra reached into what looked like empty space and pulled out a perfect crystal ball. It was about the size of a big marble and glowed with a soft blue light that pulsed like a heart.

It floated above her hand and slowly turned. "Category one is remote observation," Zephyra said as she handed the sphere to Rick.

"This is a Crystalline Observer. It will stay with you the whole time."

Rick took the crystal carefully, expecting it to be warm or cold, but it was just the right temperature. As soon as he touched it, the sphere rose from his palm and floated about six inches above his right shoulder, moving exactly with him as he shifted his weight.

Zephyra went on, "It can’t be hurt by magic or physical means," and moved Sophia’s position a little.

"The spells are at the level of an Archmage."

"The sphere sends a live image and audio feed to my observation crystal here on the surface."

Rick thought. "Holy shit...! She just invented a live camera with just science and magic...?!"

She pulled out a matching crystal from her pocket, but this one was a little bigger and was on a silver chain. "I can keep an eye on your mission from inside the barrier."

"I can also send my voice through the sphere for one-way communication."

"You talk, and I listen. You will also hear what I say."

"You got that?"

"Yes, ma’am." Rick nodded.

"How far does it reach?" Natasha asked, her icy blue eyes studying the floating crystal with professional interest.

"Unlimited within the oceanic domain," Zephyra said. "The crystals are in tune with Meridia’s magic through Thalor’s bloodline."

"The connection stays strong as long as you’re in Ocean Empress territory."

Rick watched as the crystal slowly bobbed in the air next to his head. "So if we die, you’ll have the right image for the report?

"Exactly." Zephyra’s face didn’t change. "Documentation is important."

Sebastian appeared in a cloud of golden smoke, floating next to Rick’s other shoulder. "She cares!"

"Now that’s what you called as a character development!"

Zephyra completely ignored the little butler and reached back into her space storage. This time, she took out six crystals that were all the same shape, like teardrops, and glowed with a soft bioluminescent light.

They were about the size of a thumb and looked like sapphires that had been frozen and then melted. "Moving on to category two is about surviving in the ocean," Zephyra said as she handed out the crystals one by one.

Rick got his first, then Carmilla, Natasha, Liora, Zara, and Sylia got the last one with a nod of recognition.

"Oh my goodness...! I’m completely amazed by your creation, Zephyra! Maybe you could teach me someday!" Natasha exclaimed, struggling to hide her impressed expression.

"Yeah, I can do that later." Zephyra held up her demonstration crystal and said, "Alright... these are Thalassic Breath Crystals."

"Put it against your sternum. Now."

Rick put the crystal on his chest, right over his heart. As soon as it touched his skin, the solid gem turned into a liquid and sank into his flesh like water being soaked up by a sponge.

He felt a little pressure, and then warmth spread across his chest as a glowing mark in the shape of a teardrop crystal appeared over his heart.

"Whoa...!" Rick touched the mark and said, "What the hell?"

It felt like a tattoo, but it pulsed with magical energy that he could feel through his bond network.

Zephyra was already going over the functions, and her voice sounded like the one she probably used when she taught apprentice mages. "The Thalassic Breath Crystal has five main advantages."

"First, being immune to pressure so that you can withstand ocean depths of up to 15,000 meters without your body breaking down."

Natasha tested her own crystal by putting her hand on the glowing mark on her chest. "It has a great work on the enchantment."

"I can feel the magic strengthening my bones."

"Second benefit is breathing underwater," Zephyra said. "The crystal takes oxygen straight from the water."

"As long as the crystal stays active, you can breathe underwater for as long as you want."

"Now that’s something useful!" Zara laughed.

"Third is hydro-vision, which lets you see clearly in dark and murky water. Essentially magical dark vision that works well in the ocean."

Natasha nodded in agreement. "Another great craftsmanship."

"The part that controls the temperature is very well balanced."

"You already saw that?" Zephyra’s eyebrow went up a little, which was almost an emotional outburst for her.

"Very good... indeed, the fourth benefit is that it helps keep the temperature stable."

"You’ll be fine in water that is freezing or boiling. And fifth, negation of the present."

"There is no longer any water resistance. Your speed underwater will be the same as your speed on land."

Liora put both of her hands over her crystal mark, and for a moment, divine energy flowed through them. "I can feel the god’s touch in these spells."

"Thank you, Zephyra."

"To be able to use holy magic, the blessing was needed," Zephyra said, but there was a hint of warmth in her voice.

"Keep in mind that each crystal lasts for seventy-two hours before it needs to be recharged on the surface for eight hours."

Zara smiled and ducked her head into a nearby barrel of seawater to see if she could breathe. She came up gasping but not choking.

"If the crystal breaks and I die, I’m going to haunt you."

At that point, Zephyra’s face became very serious. Rick’s instincts told him to run when her brown eyes focused with such intensity.

She slowly moved her glasses around, and when she spoke, each word was clear and precise. "These crystals are Tier Five Oceanic Artifacts."

"Each of those is worth about fifty thousand gold coins. Most importantly, they are directly linked to your life force."

"If the crystal is broken while it is still active, the magic backlash will instantly collapse your lungs."

"Your body will think it’s underwater without the crystal’s help, so you’ll drown in seconds, even on dry land."

The docks were completely quiet except for Sophia’s soft breathing and the sound of waves crashing far away.

Zephyra kept talking, and her voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Take care of these crystals like it’s your own life because they are your heart while you’re underwater."

"If you get stabbed in the chest while the crystal is on, you will die."

"Do I make myself clear or not?"

Everyone nodded, and all of a sudden they were very aware of the glowing marks on their chests.

"Good," Zephyra said, and her clinical attitude came back right away.

She took out six small silver whistles from her spatial storage. Each one had oceanic runes carved into it in a way that made them look like they were flowing across the metal surface.

"Category three is emergency extraction," she said as she handed out the whistles. "These are beacons for instant recall, and it’s for one time only."

"If the mission becomes impossible, blow the whistle three times rapidly. It will send your whole group back to this dock in a straight line, within ten meters."

"It’s just like that emergency teleportation scroll, huh..." Carmilla said.

"Yes, but it’s more efficient with that."

Rick looked at his whistle and saw that the runes seemed to move and change when he moved it in the light. "What’s the catch?"

"The catch is that once you use it, you can’t go back to the ocean depths magically."

"The beacon goes out completely, leaving behind a magical mark that stops teleportation for twenty-four hours."

"Also, the beacon can get through most magical barriers, but it won’t work against Archon-tier wards."

"The whistle doesn’t work if you’re stuck in a place that was made to keep you from getting out."

Zara said, "So pick the right time to bail?"

"Exactly."