Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chapter 9: Underwater Breathing

"In my tribe—the Cursed Ones—there has always been such a legend."

"We were not always like this. It was because we failed to protect our god, lost our homeland, and were cursed by our god in his dying moments that we became so ugly and disgusting."

"But the world has not completely abandoned us. A new god will appear on the land, leading us to a new promised land, breaking the curse, and rebuilding our home."

The bloated monster clumsily bent down, prostrating itself on the ground.

"I believe you are the redemption foretold in the prophecy."

Hughes widened his eyes, speaking in disbelief, "Wait, you're saying... you—your people—there are many of you? You’ve always been like this? Have you never tried venturing into the deep sea?"

The bloated monster nodded. "Yes, due to various reasons, our tribe has always been trapped in the shallow sea. If you are willing, you can come with me into the sea, and I will inform my people of the truth behind the curse."

"I'm not sure if water pressure is truly the cause of our curse."

"But this is a hope. Everything happening now matches the prophecy exactly. I firmly believe that you are our long-awaited salvation. Besides, my people have nothing left to lose."

Indeed, it was merely a matter of trying to go into the deep sea.

Even if it turned out to be incorrect, there was no loss. If he were in their position, he would certainly give it a try.

Hughes glanced at the distant ocean. "I may not be able to witness it. As you can see, I'm not a god, nor can I breathe underwater—wait!"

A bold speculation suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The Symbiotic Contract had granted him new senses and abilities, could it possibly include underwater breathing?

Breathing underwater... swimming freely in the vast ocean!

Hughes' heart pounded wildly. He stared at the bloated monster in front of him, his fingers trembling slightly.

"I can sense the water, and I can feel your presence. Could it be—"

"Yes, my lord. The Symbiotic Contract of my tribe grants the other party the ability to survive in water. Whether in the deep sea or on land, nothing will hinder your movement anymore."

Blood surged from his heart, excitement boiling to his head.

Hughes' eyes were full of surprise.

He was just an ordinary person whose knowledge of the sea was limited to aquariums.

Now, he could personally go down and see it!?

This... this kind of extraordinary ability—had he really obtained it?

Go. He had to go.

Even if he died, it would be worth the experience!

Hughes turned to look at the sea surface within the cave.

The Symbiotic Contract sent waves of familiarity, as if this was not an unknown territory but rather something warm and welcoming—like home.

He took several deep breaths to steady his excited emotions.

"Where are your people? In the sea—"

"My people are not far from here. I had planned to depart after signing the contract with you, but I didn’t expect you to... uh..."

It hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Your species is somewhat... fragile. I was worried that if I left, the contract would continue draining your life force, putting you in danger, so I stayed here to wait for you."

Hughes looked at the bloated monster’s massive body, then lowered his head to examine his own relatively slender physique, even by human standards.

His eye twitched slightly.

No way around it.

This body was that of a noble who lacked exercise.

He had even fainted immediately after signing the contract, probably scaring the monster.

It was quite loyal, not abandoning him and leaving, instead choosing to wait.

It probably really saw him as a god.

"My lord, there are indeed some dangers in the sea, but avoiding them is not difficult. Besides, we are fulfilling an ancient prophecy, so everything will go smoothly."

Hughes squinted his eyes, rubbing his chin in thought.

Setting aside the monster’s blind fanaticism towards the prophecy, Hughes felt that he could go.

Just visiting these creatures’ kin in the sea shouldn’t pose much risk.

From what he had seen, their worldview was somewhat similar to humans, making communication possible.

If they could become allies, they might become a valuable force for his future domain.

And most importantly, he really wanted to see the ocean firsthand.

Although he constantly reminded himself to be cautious, the temptation was just too great.

At worst, he could simply descend again.

"Lead the way,"

"Please follow me, my lord."

The bloated monster stepped toward the sea first. "There may be some obstacles, but do not worry—I will protect you."

"We will not lose our god again."

The two soon entered the water.

Hughes curiously looked around.

The sea was much warmer than he had imagined.

Though he was only wearing simple sleepwear, which made the cold night air on land uncomfortable, the moment he entered the ocean, it felt like he had fallen into a warm embrace.

The water visibility was decent, but at night, the sea was shrouded in darkness.

Occasionally, bioluminescent creatures flickered at the surface, attracting schools of fish.

Hughes held his breath at first.

After a moment’s thought, he exhaled completely and took a deep gulp of seawater.

They were still near the shore, if he choked, he could always climb back up.

But the feeling of suffocation never came.

Instead, it felt as natural and comfortable as taking a deep breath on a crisp morning.

He tried expelling the water from his mouth and realized he wasn’t simply inhaling and exhaling water as a substitute for breathing, he could actually breathe underwater just like he did on land.

The seawater did not enter his nasal cavity, yet he was still breathing.

The sensation was indescribably strange, but he found that as long as he didn’t focus on it, his body instinctively took over.

Shaking his head, Hughes realized he had lost sight of the strange fish.

After a moment of thought, he concentrated on his senses.

Quickly, the familiar feeling spread, and he detected a presence nearby that felt close and familiar.

He instinctively wanted to move forward.

Before he could even consider how to navigate underwater, his body naturally began moving.

It was neither walking nor traditional swimming, he simply drifted toward the strange fish, and by comparing his speed to the nearby fish, he realized he was moving quite fast.

"My lord, please follow me."

The bloated monster's voice echoed in his mind. "You can communicate with me directly through your consciousness. This is a power granted by the Symbiotic Contract—we call it the Mind Link."

Mind Link?

Hughes was surprised.

He tried it out and found that the ability was even more useful than he had imagined.

He only needed to think, and his message would be conveyed, making it far more efficient than speaking.

Isn’t this better than a phone?

However, the bloated monster explained that this form of communication had a very limited range, requiring direct line-of-sight to work.

Any significant obstruction would weaken it significantly.

"Also, it cannot be blocked. In an open space, communication can be maintained over long distances, but if something obstructs the path, the effect diminishes greatly."

Line-of-sight range, straight-line transmission, rapid decline when obstructed…

Hughes' heart stirred.

These characteristics felt oddly familiar.