Master Of None

The idea of a floating village was not new. It had been somewhat down above where the water elves made their homes in the man made lake. Plenty of hems could be made on rafts with small docks and even places to build storage areas.

While the idea had mostly taken form because of unique needs in crafting and for the water elves when they worked with others that could not be under the water as long or at all, this was a good potential idea now. If the floating village could be used here it might be a good way to encourage people to avoid harming the land or doing anything that would encourage excessive harvesting of resources.

This wasn’t to forget the more or less abandoned large island that they had moved toward making a more ideal camp.

The island didn’t have much in terms of plant life at all. Many had been wary of this at first but it actually came to be found out it was because the stone the island was made of was mostly partial ore veins.

This encouraged some exploration and the discovery of several underwater caves. Perfect for being made in to mines that would be safe to harvest ores from. It would also allow for there to be a way to ensure that the area was constantly protected by multiple groups other than just the merfolk.

They would need to work with the dwarves to bring more of the experienced miners in to explore the underwater caverns that would become the mines. It would be harder work but because this used to be a mountain range, it would be somewhat ideal.

It would be perfect to explore the underwater knowing that the changes over time added up to create this environment perfect for training those who wished to explore caverns filled with water or prone to flooding. Especially since the waters here were not overly cold like the other waters in caverns it would be removing a lot of risk that would otherwise make the training much more dangerous and hard to come across.

Besides this, Walker was also watching the movements of those above the water and in the ships. They were making it clear that they were not just exploring the abandoned and open island. They were measuring for future building potential. They could make this a temporary place for meetings, processing of materials, and also a teleportation formation.

If that were to work with the goals of the rest of the council, then there would be a perfect place for everyone to travel from other locations to here then to explore the mainland without needing a major camp or village on the mainland. That would remove a lot of worries when it came to the loss of the wilderness and potential damage to the wilderness.

As Walker dove in to the water and began to use even more mana to swim and breathe properly, he found that he didn’t really need that. Air seemed to just be present within him because of his immense mana reserves. He also felt that he didn’t need to breathe any more if he really wanted to. Like he had been doing so out of habit and speaking more and more than anything.

Most likely this was something he had realized over and over but finally was facing as something setting him apart from everyone else. As he was of the origin race now, he was beginning to show and actively notice the differences even more than before. Whether it was in his affinities or skill, he was accepting it more so than before.

This was simply because he was constantly finding influences of his race now as it was compared to when everyone was fighting and beginning to build Genesis up. Now he was more able to look within himself for the changes and growth associated with his experience and also the future he was working toward.

”Looks like you managed to get over here. They called me to look at all of this because you were busy with some problem children.” Scylla easily spoke to Walker when she noticed he had arrived.

It wasn’t just because she was here in case larger monsters approached or because there was better teleportation to this area. It was because she was specifically asked to help due to her affinity for water and the help she had already given before. On top of the leviathans that were part of who she was being able to swim and deter many of the monsters in the area while the merfolk explored the coral forest underneath the surface.

”I came to check on things and see how you were doing. I know you have been busy enough with the demi-human tournaments and Rorick wanting to find more people to spar with.” Scylla smirked since she had also had a small match with her king, but she had managed to show him that her strength had exceeded his by quite a larger margin than expected. It has earned her a lot of cheering along with some who wished for her to take a higher role than a general.

”He was very angry that I had beaten him. He claimed I need to focus on my weaponry instead of magic. He is a sore loser but a great man.” Walker didn’t say anything toward this. Svylla had been supported by the demi-human kingdom and Rorick has put a lot of effort in her growth because she deserved it. Therefore, she wasn’t saying anything bad, she was talking about her own family in a way.

”The coral forest is massive here and there is so much to explore that a good location for a proper home is impossible. Some of the merfolk also believe that the water might recede as the world keeps changing.” Now Walker understood another major reason that Scylla had come here.

She had been a person that they trusted would protect them if they found out they would not be able to make this their home. So many opportunities could be lost if this was not the place that they could live for generations and claim as their new homeland.

”It shouldn’t recede too much. The mountain range is actually working to keep water isolated. I could say that the water might become less salty than it is now, but that might be the only thing that happens. I sense three water affinity runes formed naturally from this spot here. I would assume more are around that will support the ecosystem that has developed over the years.”

This put Scylla at ease until she then looked at Walker a little more seriously. ”You can help us map parts of this forest then. Some of the coral is feeding on ancient wood, leaves, and even some ores that are part of the island’s bases. They might have been mountains but now they are part of the coral ocean.”

The name coral ocean came from the massive and extremely wide varieties of coral discovered since the exploration of the area began. It was also because it was an ideal environment for coral and seaweed to grow. It was protected from massive waves and storms too. Perfect for growth to the point it might even be called a paradise of sorts.

Along with this, there was the addition that Scylla was pointing out the different corals growing and releasing different manas and substances in to the water. ”So that coral is releasing decaying mana , that is releasing toxic metal waste, and the other seems like it is releasing a poisons visiting of… I am not sure. I have a lot of appraising to do before I can give better details.”

”That green one releases poisons that will stop your wounds from closing easily. It is partially dangerous to the merfolk because they breathe through their gills and can on land. If they get too close they bleed from their gills easily. We need areas where they can live without being near corals like these three. But we are having a hard time counteracting them properly. So we need some luck. You have that sort of luck to find solutions, weird ones, but enough.”

Walker felt like he was there more as a good luck or inspirational charm now. Then again, he couldn’t say that Scylla was wrong. She knew where his random ideas often took him so why wouldn’t she try to make use of it? He would try and do the same when he could anyways, so it was all fair.

”Then we should get to work. We don’t want to be too far from the main island being planned for teleportation, material facilities, and rest areas right?” He smirked and began to follow Scylla toward various groups of scouts and other merfolk.

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