Chapter 119 - 118: A Different Approach

Chapter 119: Chapter 118: A Different Approach

It was noon, and the blazing sun hung overhead like a ball of fire.

Faint specks of golden light shimmered across the gravel-strewn riverbank. This golden luster did not come from the reflection of sunlight; rather, it was an inherent quality of the gravel itself.

Luca, his face somewhat pale, walked out of the mine.

As the first to enter the mine, he was also the first to come out. Compared to when he had gone in, the basket on his back was now brimming with pale golden rocks of varying sizes, weighing about thirty kilograms. This weight was absolutely a daunting challenge for Luca, who had hardly ever done heavy physical labor. Thus, just from mining the ore and carrying it out—before even attempting to haul it up to the cliff’s peak—Luca’s forehead was already slick with sweat, and his face had turned a pale shade.

However, when he saw that only Instructor Mr. Sahu was on the riverbank, he realized he must be the first person to leave the mine, and a faint sense of pride swelled within him.

Luca slipped the basket off his back and collapsed onto the ground, abandoning all sense of dignity as he gasped for breath. The very next moment, still panting heavily, he heard a loud SPLASH from the river.

He instinctively turned his head toward the sound. Gaode, his face equally pale, broke the surface of the water. He shook his head vigorously to fling the water from his hair while greedily gulping the fresh air above the river. It wasn’t until he had completely exhaled the stale air from his lungs that Gaode finally recovered, his body bobbing gently in time with the water’s ripples.

"Do you want to come up and rest for a bit? You’ve been practicing all morning, and your Physical Strength is heavily depleted. It’s very easy to have an accident underwater. Even with a safety rope, it’s best not to take such risks," the expressionless Instructor Sahu called out to Gaode.

Across the river, numerous thick wooden poles jutted out from the surface. Specially-made elastic ropes were tied to these poles, and the other end of one such rope was fastened around Gaode’s waist. If Gaode encountered an emergency underwater, he could press a clasp on the rope, which would then violently yank him out of the water with tremendous force. This was the "safety rope," designed to provide the greatest possible guarantee that students wouldn’t suffer accidents underwater.

"I still have a little strength left! I’ll try a few more runs!" Gaode merely shouted back in response to Instructor Sahu’s warning. Then, tucking his chin, he executed a sharp dive. His feet slapped the surface of the water before he submerged once again.

"He... Is he planning to dive for clams instead of mining?" Luca asked Instructor Sahu between gasps, having witnessed the entire scene with his own eyes.

Instructor Sahu nodded silently.

"Huh?!" Luca blurted out in surprise before hurriedly asking, "How many Maiden Clams did he manage to collect this morning?"

Upon hearing this question, an inexplicable look flashed in Instructor Sahu’s eyes. He shook his head gently. "Not a single one."

Luca’s mouth twitched, forcing a stiff smile. "Then he has truly terrible luck."

"It’s not terrible luck. He hasn’t even started trying to harvest clams," Instructor Sahu gritted his teeth, speaking with extreme frustration. "He’s spent this entire morning right here, just learning how to dive."

"What?!" This time, Luca was so shocked that he forgot to even pant. He shot up from the ground, staring in disbelief at the river, which had now settled back into calmness. Someone who didn’t even know how to dive and had to learn on the spot was actually planning to complete the entrance task by harvesting clams? Should he call him delusional, or commendably brave?

Instructor Sahu had witnessed Gaode’s "miraculous maneuvers" all morning and had long been bursting with complaints. Now, he naturally spilled everything at once like a bursting dam. "When this kid first got into the water this morning, his body couldn’t sink at all. To learn how to dive, he actually hugged a rock just to get underwater, using such a foolish method to learn.

"He’s been floundering around all morning, and only now can he barely submerge without relying on a rock."

PANT!

While Instructor Sahu and Luca were talking, two more people walked out of the mine one after another, carrying full baskets of Water Gold Ore on their backs. Their heads were similarly drenched in sweat, and their faces were pale. It was Kaplan and Jelica.

Kaplan had also collected roughly thirty kilograms of Water Gold Ore on this trip. Jelica carried significantly less, hovering around twenty kilograms. In terms of Mage talent, Kaplan and Luke couldn’t hold a candle to Jelica. But in terms of sheer brute strength, Jelica truly couldn’t compare to her two fellow clan brothers.

The lighting underwater was dim. In the shallow water district, one could still see water weeds swaying with the current and common river fish constantly swimming past.

One could even see the sandy riverbed. The sunlight striking the river’s surface reflected and churned with the waves, casting vast, undulating, fish-scale-like patches of light and shadow onto the sandy bottom. The colorful display was incredibly dreamlike.

However, in the shallow water district, the presence of Maiden Clams was practically non-existent.

To collect Maiden Clams, one had to search in the Deep Water District.

Gaode was like a clumsy, newly-hatched little fish, striving to keep his eyes wide open as he angled his body downwards toward the Deep Water District.

As he dove deeper and deeper, his field of vision gradually darkened.

Furthermore, since Gaode had only just learned to dive, his diving technique was not yet proficient enough, so he didn’t dare to descend too deep into the water for the time being.

Swimming was a skill he had mastered in his previous life. Although he had transmigrated, knowing how to swim meant he simply knew it; the skill hadn’t malfunctioned just because he crossed over to another world.

The problem lay in the fact that knowing how to swim didn’t equate to knowing how to dive.

Swimming was merely a mobility skill on the water’s surface, while diving involved activities beneath the surface.

Gaode had no choice but to learn it on the spot.

During the process of learning to dive, he also realized that Instructor Sahu’s advice for them to choose the mining route was completely correct.

Diving itself was a highly professional endeavor that required specialized gear. Without equipment, humans couldn’t breathe underwater and had to constantly float back up for air, severely limiting their active time beneath the surface.

There was also the issue of water pressure. As the diving depth increased, the water pressure intensified, causing the human body to gradually feel discomfort. On top of that, the water temperature in the Deep Water District presented a difficult challenge to overcome.

Visibility in the Deep Water District was also exceptionally poor.

Within a limited window of underwater activity time, one had to endure physical discomfort while groping around in the near-zero visibility of the riverbed to search for Maiden Clams.

With so many overlapping difficulties, one could imagine just how daunting the task of harvesting clams truly was.

Moreover, the waters were not absolutely safe.

These waters fell within the boundaries of the Cyrus Magic Academy. The Mages of the academy would regularly hunt down any Earth Vein Creatures that approached this area. But even putting those aside, the hidden undercurrents and whirlpools on the riverbed were highly dangerous in their own right.

Yet, despite facing so many "hurdles," Gaode had still firmly chosen the clam-harvesting route.

The reason was quite simple.

Underwater, Gaode’s eyes were wide open, and faint Spiritual Lights that were almost beyond Detection flickered within them.

This was the signature of casting the 0th Ring Magic, [Detect Magic].

Except, what Gaode cast was [Detect Magic+].

[Detect Magic+] (Prophet, 0th Ring):

You can detect the Spiritual Lights of Magic and magical items within twenty meters: ascertain the presence of Magic Spirit Lights, and achieve Detection of the quantity and Strength of the Magic Spirit Lights.

Bonus: In addition to Magic and magical items, you can also detect the Spiritual Lights of living organisms.

Clams were classified as living organisms.

Maiden Clams were also Magic Auxiliary Materials; thus, by Nature, they possessed Magic Spirit Lights.

Therefore, as long as he cast [Detect Magic+], Gaode could completely ignore the darkness of the riverbed and the mud camouflage of the Maiden Clams. Relying on the Magic Spirit Lights, he could precisely locate any Maiden Clams within twenty meters.

It was as if he had brought his very own built-in radar.

This was his trump card.