One-Eyed Monster

The steam engine, HUFFING AND PUFFING, began to move within this vortex, a sight that rather surprised Stan Sol.

”This is a great invention,” Igor said. He clearly noticed Stan Sol, the fish, completely still and naturally realized this fellow was seeing a steam engine up close for the first time.

He too had been startled when he first saw this massive iron beast in Luona.

Now, he understood it fairly well and had even mastered the ability to imagine and create such a contraption from thin air. Of course, his understanding of this iron beast was entirely thanks to Teacher Hadi. It was this eccentric teacher who had secretly snuck him aboard a steam train and introduced him to the power of steam—a power far beyond his imagination.

”What a miracle!” exclaimed Stan Sol.

”Once we get out of here and return to Luona, I’ll take you to see a real steam railway,” Igor said, controlling the direction as they circled the edge of the vortex under Stan Sol’s guidance.

Igor’s invitation truly moved Stan Sol. There was more to this world than just hunting, he mused. His worldview was changing; it was no longer limited by his previous hunter’s perspective. He seemed to see higher and broader horizons. That unknown land held so many things that attracted him...

But all these alluring prospects would only become accessible after they got out, which indirectly gave Stan Sol an unexpected surge of motivation.

Igor had originally wanted to say more about the steam engine, but pressed for time, he abandoned the idea. He began to concentrate on controlling his imagination, making the steam engine run continuously along the edge of this vortex.

This method of going in circles easily made one dizzy, but even so, both Igor and Stan Sol had to endure it. The best way to overcome this dizziness was to shout loudly. For Igor, who looked like a child, shouting was normal. But Stan Sol was a fish; he couldn’t shout even if he wanted to. The only thing he could do was keep asking Igor questions, a state of speech he maintained through his secret technique, which limited him to normal conversation rather than loud shouts.

However, Stan Sol had his own way to deal with the dizziness: he emptied his field of vision. While a fish’s eyes couldn’t physically close, he could achieve a similar effect. Besides, in this darkness, he hadn’t been relying on sight to discern direction anyway.

A lapse in thought would make him even dizzier. Even under normal circumstances, he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth and shout like Igor; he was a refined individual, one who wouldn’t yell regardless of the situation. He could only continuously stimulate his dizzying head with all sorts of questions.

”Running along the edge of the vortex, your plan feels odd,” Stan Sol began, bombarding his own brain with these questions.

”AAHHHHH!” Igor naturally yelled, his voice sometimes loud, sometimes soft, but always drawn out.

”The speed is increasing. Are you trying to match the vortex’s own rotational speed?” Regardless of whether Igor heard him, Stan Sol systematically continued to stimulate his own brain. He had no choice; otherwise, he would become overwhelmed by dizziness. He still couldn’t accept Igor’s method of shouting.

Igor still had his mouth wide open, yelling a long, drawn-out ”AAAHHH.” Stan Sol continued to use his own speculations to stimulate his brain; the dizziness was an unpleasant sensation. Igor kept shouting.

”Are you trying to fling yourself out of here?” Stan Sol seemed to have figured something out.

Igor’s plan was indeed audacious; at least, Stan Sol would never have conceived of it.

”AAH!” Igor’s voice softened. Apparently, the high-speed rotation had taken its toll; his head was constantly spinning, but thankfully, he could shout, expelling the dizzying sensations.

”HAH... HUFF... HUFF...” Panting heavily, Igor seemed to have advanced a stage, his body appearing as if it had undergone a grueling trial.

Once you get used to it, this place isn’t actually so terrifying, Stan Sol mused, still trying to guess Igor’s overall plan.

Indeed, once their high-speed movement matched the vortex’s own speed, the dizziness would lessen. Someone with strong willpower could even ignore it completely. Stan Sol was clearly such a person.

Stan Sol still didn’t quite understand what Igor was trying to achieve with all this effort.

”Ahem, well, it’s like this,” Igor began, clearing his throat. ”The center of the vortex is a void, and outside it is the Dark Sea. But have you ever thought about where this swirling vortex might take us?”

Igor’s question truly stumped Stan Sol. He had never considered such things; he had absolutely no idea where this vortex led.

”I think this vortex is a passage. If we can match the rhythm of this passage, we can make a breakthrough here,” Igor continued, though he himself didn’t know where he came up with these outlandish notions.

A passage? Stan Sol was puzzled.

”Yes, a passage to the outside world,” Igor explained.

Could it be that this vortex connects to the outside world? Stan Sol began to ponder.

”Thinking so much is useless,” Igor pouted. ”Instead of wasting effort thinking about it, we might as well give it a try!”

Give it a try? Stan Sol understood. Igor’s method was to just ’give it a try’! This ’giving it a try’ definitely has more than a hint of gambling to it!

”Exactly! How will we know the result if we don’t try?” Igor still had an innocent look on his face, as if such things didn’t even warrant discussion.

”What if it’s not as you guess?” Stan Sol asked. Drawing on his years of experience, he believed in hypothesizing for every situation. It was precisely this trait that made him no different from Kuren and Joseph; they all tended to be overly cautious, meticulously pondering every possible outcome before acting.

”Whether my guess is right or not, this vortex will definitely take us to another, as-yet-unknown place. That means another adventure!” Igor added excitedly, firmly believing the vortex was connected to somewhere.

Stan Sol was speechless at Igor’s optimism.

”Don’t worry. We’re just facing the unknown. Even though it seems very unreliable, I believe everything will turn out for the best,” Igor continued to reassure Stan Sol.

Even if the final outcome didn’t unfold as he imagined, he was fearless. To him, a new unknown was simply another expedition.