Episode 382 Breeding Ground (1)
Bikire, a low-level guard with no name or affiliation.
No one knew the identity or intentions of this hound as it melted into the darkness of the New Wave.
‘Did you hand over the picaresque mask to Camus for no reason? I wonder if I should have had a little more.’
Bikir thought, advancing flat against the ceiling.
In order to avoid the eyes of the watch guards, it is easier to be a little smaller.
So I thought for a moment that if I turned into a puppy, it would be a little easier to hide.
……But soon Vikir had to change his mind.
There was not a single dog or cat in the New Wave.
If it had changed into a dog’s body and walked around, it would have been very noticeable.
Wardens occasionally kept pets, but these were usually crayfish, crabs, octopuses, and sometimes seals, water cats, and water buffaloes.
‘If you want to raise a pet, an aquarium is essential.’
This is natural as it is deep in the deep sea.
Bikir, realizing that everyone around him was gone, got down to the ground.
5th floor. This is Bikir’s primary destination for his escape.
What I could see in front of me was a huge sea.
In the vast plaza, there were large circular pools in each section, and narrow and steep passages ran between them.
aquarium. or a farm.
This was the only aquarium in the New Wave.
“Where do you want to see what grows?”
Bikir brought a stack of ropes that were stowed away in the corner of the aquarium.
Then he threaded the pickled perch on a hook as big as a ship’s anchor attached to the end and threw it into the pond.
Plop-
bait plunged into the water in the pool.
Soon the response came. It was visible
even
on the surface of the water. A long, huge shadow approaching the bait.
…aaah!
I could see the rope being pulled tight.
Bikir tightened his hands and pulled on the rope.
Oh Ah-A-Aak-
I wanted to see if a huge water peak over the surface of the water was raised.
It was one huge eel.
“…Hmm. This is what a balloon eel is.”
The appearance of the ‘Gulper eel’ was truly bizarre.
A head and belly that were too large to pass in love with a skinny and bony tail.
Meanwhile, the mouth, which took up more than 90% of the head, was as large and wide as the front door of a huge temple.
Its appearance was bizarre, but surprisingly it was not a monster that came over from the underworld, but an endemic species that originally lived in the deep sea.
It is also known as one-entry eel, gulp eel, and elevator eel.
[Th-ohhhhhh!]
This huge deep-sea fish immediately became annoyed as soon as it was pulled to the surface.
When I opened my huge mouth, I could see gums that were packed with rows of teeth that each looked like a fishhook.
As if he would never let go once he had bitten it, there were a lot of sharp barbs protruding from the back of his teeth.
……of course.
“It’s a spoiled eel.”
It was no threat to Bikir at all.
Wow!
Having snapped most of the eel’s teeth with a single slap, Bikir pulled the limp, weeping eel all the way onto land.
“There are many. Is this the biggest?”
Bikir observed countless swarms of eels swimming in circles in the pools of the aquarium.
The one I just caught was luckily the largest of them all.
This balloon eel is a fish species that is being raised in earnest in New Wave.
Its characteristic is that its body is too large and its fins and tail are too small, so it cannot swim well. Instead, its body is bulky and light in weight, so it moves around the deep sea by being pushed around by the current.
Most of the body was made of water, and the only remaining parts were bones and skin, so it was impossible to get any flesh.
Moreover, it was so fishy and had a disgusting smell that it could hardly be used for food.
As you can see, it’s not cute enough to be a pet.
……Then why do you decide to farm this useless fish species in New Wave?
“Because this is the only ‘elevator’ that can go to the ground.”
Bikir looked at the balloon eel panting in front of him.
The way to come down to Nouvelle Vague from the ground is simple.
A sea area that can only be reached by sailing a long distance even in harsh seas.
At 12:00 midnight, when the whirlpool that serves as the primary front door opens, put the prisoner inside the Orhalcon alloy coffin and let it sink.
The coffin with the prisoner sinks slowly along the current and soon arrives here at Nouvelle Vague, which is 10,000 meters deep.
……Then, on the other hand, how to go up to the ground from Nouvelle Vague?
You can use this balloon eel.
Its mouth is big and its stomach is even bigger. Any number of people can ride on it.
Its flesh is soft and its skin is tough, so it survives being crushed by the far water pressure of the deep sea.
Balloon eels with such biological characteristics are bred to an appropriate size according to the body size of the occupant.
It is rare, but if there is a chance to go to the ground, an appropriately sized inflatable eel is picked out, and the passengers open the eel’s mouth and enter its stomach.
Inflatable eels are excellent at enduring water pressure due to their physical characteristics, but they have little power to swim by themselves.
That’s why one of the nicknames it is called is ‘elevator eel’.
“……If I break through that bubble, can I escape right away?”
At the end of the kennel, you can see the scenery of the dark deep sea.
However, in fact, between the inside and outside of the aviary, there was a water barrier of transparent mucus blocking the two spaces.
This sticky, transparent wall of slime, which looks like a soap bubble, was called ‘Flubber’ by the guards of New Vague.
‘BDSM’ and ‘Plover’ are two key substances that make Nouvelle Vague sustainable.
BDSM creates order by restraining the prisoners’ mana and power, and Plubber blocks the water flowing into the castle from the outside so that the prison itself can be maintained.
Both have something in common in that they are unknown substances whose identity has not yet been clearly identified.
Sticky…
Seeing this unknown slime covering the entire old castle of Nouvelle Vague through the window, he frowned.
Plubber was also a material responsible for the security of New Wave along with BDSM, but it was not as robust as BDSM.
Now that the restraints were thrown off, there was no reason why Vikir, who could use mana, couldn’t pierce this substance called Plubber.
Dragging-
Bikir pulled the eel by the tail and approached the window.
The eel didn’t want to move from its seat, but it didn’t matter.
After all, these guys’ bodies are limp, so they can pass through narrow windows, and they don’t have the ability to swim, so they just follow the current.
“Is this the purpose of restraining the giant? What’s so big?”
Bikir looked at the balloon eel he just caught.
It was a large eel large enough to believe that it was a restraining weapon for the giants.
In other aquariums, small ones are bred, but there are few such large ones in the aquarium.
Kuguguk-
Bikir put a rein on the tongue of the eel and soon stretched the line to its stomach.
It was intended to allow eels to control the direction of their fins, even if they do not have the ability to swim.
yet.
…bang!
Bikir kicked the eel out of the sea.
Bubjijijik!
Flubber slime is torn and the eel escapes into the deep sea space.
with an empty stomach.
After that, Bikir hooked up a few more eels, baited with a bunch of bass piled up in the corner of the rope and hook.
Three small, but big enough for one Bikir, two bigger than the previous one.
Bikir did the same for them, bridging their tongues and fins and pushing them out the window.
Even if the flubber window was torn, it quickly healed again, so there was no need to worry about the sea water continuing to come in.
At that time, Dekarabia asked Bikir, who was letting the sixth eel out of the water.
[human. But why do you keep sending eels out to sea? It won’t even ride.]
“To disrupt it. Chasing all these eels will take a lot of manpower and take a long time.”
[aha. One little hair is staggering.]
“If you can afford it, it’s a good idea to have a distraction book ready. Especially when you break out.”
[Can we ride the seventh eel now? huh? But why did you only catch six eels? Don’t you have to catch one again?]
Dekarabia questioned Bikir, who sent all the eels he caught out the window.
Then Bikir gave a short answer.
“I won’t go out.”
[…What?]
Dekarabia asked absurdly.
[If that’s the case, why did you release the eel in the first place?]
“I told you. Disruption.”
Bikir smiled lightly.
“It’s a little later to ride the eel out. The prison break is not yet final.”
If you leave now, no matter how many distracting eels you release, you will be caught. Because the current is moving too slowly.
Also, there was no stockpile of drinking water or food, so it was impossible to go on a voyage that could take an unknown amount of time.
In addition, the risk that the eel may be eaten by a larger deep-sea monster in the middle, and the risk of being stranded on a reef or rough current cannot be ignored.
So Bikir was fully prepared and tried to break out.
This is because it is right to exclude uncertain elements as much as possible.
……just then.
“What? An escaped prisoner?”
A strange voice came from behind.
“……!”
Bikir instinctively sensed the danger, wiped the burn marks from his face, and returned to his bare face.
Slowly turning around, the sound of Bikir’s forward steps drew closer.
“I thought he was a guard because he was wearing a uniform, but it seems he isn’t.”
The voice exclaimed with interest as it faced Bikir.
“Hmm- this is what it looks like. The face of the guy who broke my handcuffs.”
A being who admires Bikir’s face, not Gareum’s.
A young girl with green hair, loose eyes, and a youthful face that still looks like an early teen.
However, the restraints that were filled in several layers around her wrists and ankles were definitely familiar.
Despite wearing the uniform of a prison guard, this mysterious girl wearing restraints wore a glittering rank insignia on her chest.
< ★ >
One Star. A mark denoting a brigadier general, a higher rank than a colonel.
Vikir narrowed her eyes as she recognized her identity.
“…I see. It was made by you.”
It was the moment when one of Bikir’s old questions, which had not been resolved, was resolved.
