Chapter 193 — Lost in the Deep... or Adrift?

Laid out before Gao Yang were the latest survey materials concerning the ruins in the mountains, delivered by messenger. The documents detailed all that Sir Byron had seen and heard within the ruins, accompanied by a fairly thorough map and sketches of various unfamiliar objects.

Even after winter set in, Sir Byron's mission to explore the mountain ruins had still not concluded. Half of every month he spent wandering inside that colossal facility, seeking out more corridors, hidden passages, and chambers, mapping everything along the way, and roughly every three days he would dispatch a soldier to carry the newly gathered materials back to the territory.

For now it was all routine material; no new research facility touching on the secrets of the gods had been discovered. Yet the ever-expanding map alone was enough to astonish Gao Yang—the true scale of the ruins challenged his expectations again and again. Those corridors and halls had likely grown to the size of a small city. Even after so long exploring, Sir Byron had not finished the current "floor," and not long ago he and his team had discovered two great stairways within the ruins leading to the levels above and below. More and more clues proved that entirely new and vast regions still awaited discovery.

The upper level Gao Yang could at least make sense of—perhaps it led to observation posts or lookout structures near the summit of the Dark Mountains. But where would the lower level lead? The middle level had already hollowed out almost the entire mountain; could the lower level truly extend beneath the earth itself?

Even for an ancient facility devoted to the study of the gods' mysteries, this scale was simply too vast.

Yet however large its overall scale might be, a considerable stretch of the middle level had already been thoroughly surveyed and mapped. Sir Byron had confirmed those regions were safe and sound, and Gao Yang's next plan was to relocate a portion of the territory's operations into the mountain ruins.

Those vast ancient halls could not be wasted. Their solidity and secrecy were themselves their greatest value. Gao Yang planned to move the newly assembled heat-ray gun production line, the stamped-armor production line, and the rune-substrate production line inside, along with anything else that needed to be kept secret, or that posed environmental hazards or produced considerable noise. The place was itself a research facility of the ancient Gondor Empire, equipped with advanced protective structures and soundproofing—far superior to any brick-and-tile factory the territory could build at present.

Gao Yang picked up the dip pen beside him, preparing to jot down some notes on one of the documents, but just then a hurried burst of footsteps came through the door.

A knock sounded. After Gao Yang answered, Betty pushed the door open and stepped in.

"Master!" The little maid pattered quickly to the desk and bowed in her signature pose, which looked as though she might topple herself over, then said in her crisp, bright voice, "Someone's caught a big fish in the square on Knight Street!"

"A big fish?" Gao Yang was momentarily dumbstruck. He had not expected the girl to come rushing over just to report something so baffling. "You caught a fish—does that need reporting? Just send it to the kitchen."

Betty straightened up, thought blankly for a moment, then shook her head vigorously: "Too big—it won't fit in one pot!"

"You didn't catch a shark, did you?" Gao Yang laughed despite himself. "It's probably a fish from the Whitewater River that swam through the aqueduct into the Knight Street well..."

"It doesn't look like it grew in the Whitewater River—because half of it looks like a person..."

"...What?!"

Gao Yang rushed helter-skelter to the square on Knight Street, which had already been cordoned off by the patrol soldiers, who had reacted promptly. A young trainee knight in a commander's armor was keeping order at the scene, while the territory's residents, held back beyond the cordon line, watched curiously from the corners of the streets and alleys.

Gao Yang recognized the young commander, for he had personally decorated this soldier during the First Defense of Cecil. The young man, named Klim, had fought with exceptional ferocity and earned recognition; not only had his rank been raised, but he had also been taken under Byron's tutelage to become a trainee knight.

"My lord!" Klim saw Gao Yang and immediately stepped forward to salute. "The situation is under control. That... creature is still by the well."

"What exactly happened?" Gao Yang furrowed his brow. "I heard you caught a half-human, half-fish... female?"

Klim shook his head. "We didn't catch her. Miss Pea discovered her while drawing water. The half-fish, half-human creature seemed to be hiding at the bottom of the well, and then a passing carpenter and his apprentice hauled her up together."

Into Gao Yang's mind suddenly flashed that book of his he had read a few days ago... ahem, the knight's biography, and with it those "sirens" mentioned in the book... the biography.

Could things really be so coincidental?

He hoped for it, yet could not believe he would be so fortunate—but his feet were already moving. With Betty in tow, he passed through the soldiers' cordon and saw, in the small square enclosed by temporary wooden fencing, several people gathered around the well.

Pi Yun, Rebecca, Amber, Hedy... practically everyone with a nose for news had come. Nearby stood three craftsmen being questioned by soldiers, and a little girl holding an empty bucket—that was Pea.

And a strange woman sat lazily on the well's rim. She had beautiful sea-blue hair, wore on her upper body a blue "coat" of peculiar style that seemed made of some leather-like material, and on her cheeks and exposed arms could be seen structures resembling scales. As for her lower half... just as Betty and Klim had described, it was a beautiful fish tail patterned in pale gold and blue.

Gao Yang's heart stirred, and he strode quickly forward.

Rebecca and the others were at that moment gathered curiously around the strange woman. Hedy was solemnly analyzing the beautiful patterns on her tail that resembled magic runes, while Amber was inquiring about her origins and her purpose in visiting this place—but the half-human, half-fish woman remained languid throughout, responding to almost none of the questions.

"What's going on here?" Gao Yang spoke up, and only when he opened his mouth beside them did the several people, lost in their study of this seafood specimen, finally notice his presence. Rebecca was the first to jump up: "Ancestor-sir! This fish-person seems to be the very kind of 'siren' you've been asking about everywhere!"

Listen to her choice of measure word—this "fish" of a person! In that instant she had fused the two species with consummate artistry...

Pi Yun turned as well, and a rare gravity showed on the old druid's face. "My lord, this is very likely a true siren, though I don't know how she came to be here. When she first saw us she showed great vigilance and hostility, but after we made clear we meant no harm, she became... rather inactive."

So it really was a siren?!

Gao Yang mastered his excitement and looked curiously at the "mermaid miss" sitting on the well's rim. She, too, now lifted her eyelids and regarded him with curiosity. The two stared at each other for a brief moment, then her tail suddenly slapped against the stone rim, and she let out a pleasant yet languid sound: "I think I've seen you somewhere before?"

Gao Yang froze, then was beside himself with joy—he even felt like dancing a wild jig of delight.

Had the goddess of fortune tossed this siren down from the heavens expressly to solve his riddles?!