WETRIED TRANSLATIONS
Wizard of the Abyss
[Translator – Aren]
Chapter 139 - Turbidity (15)
Even after learning how to summon the shadows of deep-sea creatures from Illusion and showing them to Heavenly Balance, I remained doubtful.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she could possibly learn just by looking at shadows like these?
"Here. This is the shadow.”
Heavenly Balance stared at it intently for a while.
It took nearly 20 minutes before she finally spoke.
"They have a language of their own.”
"A…language?”
"Yes."
"But aren’t they just fish?”
"They only appear to be. Then what did you think these sounds were?”
"Of course, I knew these sounds were some form of communication between them. I just didn’t expect different species to have developed a structured language system of their own.”
"If you think about it, it’s quite natural. One of the Three Calamities I saw first also…”
She was about to continue, but suddenly frowned.
"Can you hear it?”
"Can I hear what?”
"What the deep-sea creature you summoned with that shadow is saying. Listen carefully.”
I focused, just as she said—
[--.........--......]
But the only thing I could hear were the usual bizarre sounds that always rattled my ears.
It was impossible to recognize it as language, so I shrugged and said exactly what I felt.
"It’s just making strange noises.”
"Hmm..."
"Is there something wrong?”
Heavenly Balance stared at the creature for a moment longer, then turned back to me.
"Can you summon others as shadows as well?”
"There’s no reason I can’t.”
I summoned as many different deep-sea creatures as I could, bringing out their shadows so she could observe them.
Heavenly Balance listened carefully to what she called their language for a while, then slowly looked around with a troubled expression.
"This is a little strange.”
"Could you explain what’s strange? I’d really appreciate that.”
"Your deep-sea creatures are repeating something over and over again.”
"What?"
"Exactly what I said. They’re all repeating the same sentence. Even when they’re talking among themselves, that same phrase comes up again and again.”
"Is that strange?”
"How could it not be? They say the same thing while swimming, while resting, while communicating. Doesn’t that seem strange to you? This feels less like casual speech and more like…something they have to say.”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant so I simply stayed quiet. Heavenly Balance kept muttering to herself, clearly lost in thought.
"This is…Hmm, don’t tell me…”
"Hm."
I scratched my head.
"So what am I supposed to do?”
"Start decoding.”
As if it were obvious, Heavenly Balance pressed a book and a pen into my hands.
"From now on, write down exactly what the deep-sea creatures say. Only once enough data accumulates can we begin minimal analysis.”
"Understood. But is this really that important?”
Was it really such a big deal to know what deep-sea creatures were babbling about?
Wouldn’t it all just amount to ‘I’m hungry,’ ‘This hurts,’ and ‘I’m in pain?’
When I voiced my doubt, Heavenly Balance nodded with a grave expression.
"Of all the things you must do, this is the most important.”
* * *
After finishing my conversation with Heavenly Balance and heading back up, Sunken Mire hurried over and whispered to me.
"Sir Undercurrent. Sir Vile Blood is here again.”
...Already?
It seemed things had wrapped up faster than expected. I quickly straightened myself and headed to one of the tower rooms. Inside, Vile Blood and his subordinates were seated, their expressions grim.
Vile Blood’s expression was particularly ominous.
"...Did something happen?”
"Undercurrent. We looked into what you mentioned.”
The offerings needed to let the Veil of Darkness bleed into the world while we were busy killing Nightfall.
It seemed they had found what those offerings were. Having already seen a horrific sight not long ago, I let out a sigh and replied.
"So? What was it? Living people? Corpses?”
"...If it were something like that, it would’ve been better.”
He slowly shook his head, then rolled a black pill across the table.
It looked similar to a World-Sealing Elixir. Tilting my head, I picked it up, after which Vile Blood sighed.
"Try taking it.”
"I’d rather not. Explain first.”
"At this point, why would we want to kill you? This is… just too hard to explain. It’ll be faster if you experience the effect yourself.”
"...?"
Still feeling rather doubtful, I lightly placed it in my mouth.
The effect was immediate.
The world suddenly became bright.
"Gasp...!"
Nearly 90% of my burdens vanished at once, and breathing became difficult all of a sudden.
Decompression sickness, my new burden. When the pressure abruptly disappeared, this familiar sensation would return and squeeze my body tightly. Vile Blood panicked and jumped to his feet.
"W-wait, what? Does it work differently on Puppet?”
"...I-I’m fine…”
It really was just a moment, less than a second. I quickly regained control of my breathing.
At the same time, I understood why Vile Blood had struggled to explain.
"This is practically a powerful World-Sealing Elixir that halts the world itself. The effect’s duration is rather short, but well.”
"That’s right."
Vile Blood pulled out three of those black World-Sealing Elixirs and placed them on the table.
"This is every last one of that type we found. And here’s where the problem starts—the ones who handled transportation said there weren’t just one or two boxes.”
"Go on."
"From the start, the ones entrusted with transport are the types who move massive quantities in a single run. From what they said, the shipment was large enough to completely fill a fortress…”
Vile Blood let out a hollow sigh and leaned back against his chair.
"The Upper Tiers have been deliberately controlling how many World-Sealing Elixirs are released to the Lower Tiers. Those bastards…”
"You weren’t completely unaware of that, were you?”
"I wasn’t. But…”
His eyes flashed as he rolled the World-Sealing Elixir across the table.
-Crack!
"That they’d waste it on this kind of bullshit is a different story, though."
"Bullshit?”
"We’re being worked like dogs over a single pill of this stuff, and they go and shove it into some absurd children’s game of theirs? Does that make any sense?”
Vile Blood was clearly treating the Upper Tier’s actions as nothing more than the mad antics of lunatics. I couldn’t agree more.
"They're holding the one means that could save every Fallen, yet they only save the obedient little dogs who listen well. It’s disgusting.”
"Those World-Sealing Elixirs are probably the offering."
"...Offering?"
"Yeah. An offering to bring the world known as the Veil of Darkness into the real world.”
I briefly explained what Great Void had done to summon the Veil of Darkness’ burdens into reality.
And how the World-Sealing Elixir served as a price paid to do so.
The more Vile Blood listened, the more his expression twisted.
"So now they’re trying to turn even the realm we can still exist in into hell.”
"Seems that way. I was wondering what they were using as offerings; turns out it was World-Sealing Elixirs. Hmm…”
I picked up one of the black World-Sealing Elixirs and examined them carefully.
Using World-Sealing Elixirs as offerings to maintain the Veil of Darkness’ presence in the real world wasn’t completely incomprehensible, but it wasn’t entirely convincing either.
Could something as trivial as a pull really serve as payment for a world?
Then again, a drug capable of reducing a world’s burdens was already quite bizarre to being with. Just what was the World-Sealing Elixir?
As I pondered its true nature, Vile Blood asked quietly.
"Judging by the look on your face, you still haven’t found the source of the World-Sealing Elixir, have you?”
"Hmm. Should I go ask?”
"Ask who?”
"There’s a member of the Upper Tier who’s been helping me during my probation period. Heavenly Balance. You know her?”
"...You mean that crazy bitch?”
Vile Blood shuddered and scowled.
"Stay away from her. Every request that’s especially brutal and revolting comes from that woman. You don’t want to catch her eye for no reason. And she won’t tell you anything anyway.”
"...Is that so?”
His assessment didn’t quite match my own impression. As I tilted my head, he pulled out a sheet of paper with a smile.
"Anyway, this might be quite useful.”
"It’s not too far from here. What kind of place is it?”
"The origin point of the request to move the World-Sealing Elixirs in bulk. I’m certain this is where they are made.”
"Really?”
"So how about it? Want to go see?”
I hesitated a bit at Vile Blood’s suggestion.
He seemed to be treating it lightly, but there was no way Scarlet Abyss wouldn’t consider the production site of World-Sealing Elixirs important.
Bringing someone from the Lower Tier there could very well be seen as an act of rebellion.
"What exactly do you plan to do there?”
"Strip the place bare, or at least figure out what materials they’re using. I’m prepared for the consequences, of course.”
Vile Blood answered confidently.
"If we can learn how to make World-Sealing Elixirs, or even catch a glimpse of their process, I’d be more than willing to die. That’s what I and my people have decided.”
"And living comfortably under Scarlet Abyss?”
"These fucking bastards are trying to take away even the world where we could live happily. And now I find out they’re using the medicine we need as payment for their nonsense? It’s unbearable, you know?”
He pounded his chest as he spoke, his anger seeming genuine.
After a moment’s thought, I slowly nodded.
If the World-Sealing Elixir was the offering, and if stopping those offerings could halt the Veil of Darkness— then this was something I had to do.
Learning the ingredients of World-Sealing Elixirs was important as well.
"I’ll join you. When do we leave?”
“If you’re fine with it, right this instant.”
"Wait here for a moment.”
I headed down to the basement to find Heavenly Balance, who was still absorbed in playing with the shadows of the deep-sea creatures.
She tilted her head when she saw me here unexpectedly.
"Undercurrent? What is it? And what’s with that mask?”
"It’s a hobby.”
Explaining would take too long, so I got straight to the point.
"I’d like to step out for a bit. I was wondering if I could get permission.”
"Hmmm."
She looked me up and down briefly, then replied disinterestedly as she turned back to her documents.
"Why would you need my permission to go out? Go as you please.”
"Yes. Thank you.”
"Ah, one more thing.”
As I was about to leave, Heavenly Balance spoke again, as if she just remembered something.
"We failed to spread the Veil of Darkness."
"...What?"
The statement was so abrupt that I froze, but she continued without caring about my reaction.
"This world is far more precise and perfectly constructed than you think. Something like the Veil of Darkness isn’t enough to swallow it. In less than three days, it will wither into a handful of ash.”
"Ah, umm, I see.”
That was information I hadn’t expected to receive so casually.
"Of course, this will make Great Void realize it even more clearly.”
She lifted her head and met my gaze.
"That without one of the Three Calamities, it is impossible to cover the world.”
"..."
It was only for a moment…
But I felt something else mixed into her gaze.
After steadying myself, I replied in a careful, calm tone.
"...Understood. But may I ask why you’re telling me this?"
"I felt like it."
After giving such an absurd answer, she casually lowered her gaze back to the pile of documents.
* * *
A ghost town. Not a single living soul remained.
“It looks like it’s been abandoned for over 100 years.”
I dismounted. The architectural style was clearly different from the Empire, telling me that this tower was erected far from the imperial lands.
When Vile Blood arrived after repeatedly checking the map, several members hurried over from the outskirts of the city.
"You brought Undercurrent with you as well, huh. We’ve finished the search!”
"Good. Did you find anything?”
"W-well…”
The members lowered their heads, seeming embarrassed.
"We couldn’t find anything.”
"Nothing?”
"Yes. We even combed through every nook and cranny, but there wasn’t even a single small hole.”
"Ugh..."
Vile Blood crossed his arms and let out a deep sigh.
"There’s no way you’re lying, right? Undercurrent. I really hope I didn’t make you come here for nothing. Do you feel anything?”
"..."
When I remained silent, Vile Blood’s expression stiffened further.
"So it’s not here? But the World-Sealing Elixir must be produced somewhere around this area…”
"No."
I quietly shook my head.
For a moment, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
When I had been near Decay, my sea had started to freeze.
When I had been near Puppet, threads had appeared.
The same kind of phenomenon that appeared in the Abyssal Sea whenever a Great World was nearby was present now as well.
But...
"This is the right place.”
This was the first time I had ever seen something on this scale.
Raising my gaze, I could see a massive dome covering the city.
—A dome into which not even a single drop of the Abyssal Sea could intrude.
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