During this time, Lucian had accumulated a considerable amount of Emotional Value. Originally, he had planned to save up until he reached 10,000 points to exchange for a Portable Waypoint first.
However, after some consideration, Lucian still felt that dealing with Vacher's matter took priority, so he spent 1,000 Emotional Points to enhance his physical strength.
Now, Lucian was fully capable of wiping out an entire Hilichurl tribe by himself—provided the tribe didn't have a Hilichurl Chieftain.
"Lucian, are you sure you'll be fine going alone?" Outside Fontaine's city gates, Navia looked at Lucian with concern.
She was no longer wearing her usual elegant lady's dress but instead a swimsuit primarily brown in color with yellow accents.
This swimsuit wasn't overly revealing, striking a perfect balance between elegance and sensuality. It had been specially designed for Navia by Chiori.
Since Lucian had been present at the time, the swimsuit also incorporated some modern elements, which contributed to its bold appeal.
This further convinced Chiori that Lucian was a highly skilled fashion designer, leading her to frequently invite him to her Chioriya Boutique.
Navia was here because she already knew what Lucian intended to do.
Over this period, she had occasionally sought him out—not only to listen to his stories but also to learn about other matters, such as the fact that Vacher's factory was hidden beneath the sea.
She wasn't worried about Vacher knowing about her movements or relationships, as he was already well aware of these details. There was no point in hiding them.
Vacher knew Lucian was Navia's friend, but he had no idea Lucian was also a novelist.
This was because, at Lucian's own request, the interview article about him would only be published after the Vacher case was resolved.
Thus, apart from a few close acquaintances, no one else knew that Lucian was the author himself.
This time, when heading to the beach outside the city, Navia had even deliberately informed Vacher, using the excuse of a seaside outing and fishing trip.
Vacher didn't suspect a thing—in fact, he even reimbursed the expenses for the trip.
He still believed Navia regarded him as a dear uncle, which was why she casually shared her personal plans with him.
"Don't worry, at the very least, I won't be in any danger." Lucian reassured her confidently.
He hadn't changed into a swimsuit. Even though he was going underwater, he had no intention of getting wet.
After preparing for so long, even if he couldn't immediately locate Vacher's factory, he was at least confident he wouldn't be killed by underwater monsters or machinery.
It was worth mentioning that since Navia had reconciled with Clorinde, Clorinde had also learned that Vacher was the true culprit.
Upon hearing this news, Clorinde had been so furious that she genuinely wanted to cut Vacher down with her sword.
She had held great respect for Callas, yet because of Vacher's schemes, not only had Callas's reputation been tarnished, but she had also been the one to personally end the life of someone she admired.
However, Clorinde wasn't one to act impulsively. No matter how much she wanted to kill Vacher, she wouldn't take matters into her own hands.
She simply kept a closer watch on Vacher to prevent any further victims from appearing.
"Alright, be careful." Navia urged.
Lucian nodded, then flicked his fingers, summoning a Hydro bubble that enveloped him.
He didn't use any diving equipment, nor did he have the blessing of the Hydro Archon—he relied solely on his long-honed Hydro abilities.
Lucian plunged into the sea headfirst. The Hydro bubble isolated the surrounding seawater, preventing him from swimming. Instead, he manipulated the bubble itself to move underwater.
The waters of Fontaine were breathtakingly beautiful—but also perilous. Not long after diving, an aquatic monster swam toward him, clearly intending to attack.
Sure enough, once it closed the distance, it fired a Hydro bullet straight at Lucian.
Unfazed, Lucian willed the surrounding waters to surge, forming a Hydro serpent that swallowed the bullet whole before continuing its trajectory and biting into the monster.
The creature tried to dodge, but it was too slow. The serpent struck true, and without so much as a whimper, the monster dissolved into foam, vanishing into the sea.
"Good thing I'm still a step ahead." Lucian was pleased that his training hadn't been in vain.
The rest of the exploration wasn't easy either. He frequently encountered attacks from monsters or machinery.
Fortunately, none of them were particularly formidable, so without exception, Lucian sent them all to meet Egeria.
Those who dare attack my bubble shall be struck down by Lucian.
Unfortunately, even though Lucian had already enhanced his physique once, several battles in a row had drastically drained his stamina.
To make matters worse, the sky had gradually darkened. Visibility underwater at night was far too poor, forcing Lucian to abandon his search for the day.
By the time Lucian resurfaced, the moon was already high in the sky.
"Sigh… I really didn't expect to find it so quickly."
Lucian felt a little disappointed. Though he knew it was unlikely to succeed on the first day, who wouldn't hold onto a sliver of hope, thinking what if I'm just that lucky?
It was like knowing a single pull wouldn't yield a 5-star—yet people still gambled anyway.
"Lucian, over here!"
Navia stood on the boat, waving at him. Seeing that Lucian was unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief.
While underwater, Lucian would periodically release pulses of elemental energy, allowing Navia to roughly track his position and keep the boat nearby.
This had been agreed upon beforehand—Lucian didn't want to resurface after exploring the depths only to find himself stranded in the middle of the ocean with no help in sight.
This was also why he hadn't gone searching alone but had instead brought Navia along. After all, the little rich girl had both money and free time.
Well, Navia wasn't exactly free, but since the Vacher case was a serious matter to her, she could always make time regardless.
Navia extended her slender hand to pull Lucian aboard. Due to the height difference, she had to lean forward slightly.
From Lucian's perspective, this scene was… quite impactful.
Noticing his gaze, Navia realized her compromising posture. She didn't say anything, but her cheeks flushed slightly as she used her other hand to cover herself.
Once Lucian was on the boat, he noticed several large fish lying on the deck—likely Navia's catch during the time he'd been underwater.
Wait, she actually caught fish? Wasn't she a fishing novice? How?!
Lucian couldn't help but recall his own past attempts at bonding with the Blubberbeasts while occasionally fishing—only to return empty-handed most of the time.
Even when he did catch something, the fish were pitifully small, hardly worth the bait he'd used for chumming.
Navia also noticed Lucian's gaze, though she had no idea what he was thinking. Assuming he might think she'd been slacking off, she quickly explained:
"I didn't just spend the whole time fishing for fun! I just thought that to make the act convincing, I should cast a few lines…"
"..." Don't explain!
"It's fine, I don't mind." Lucian insisted stubbornly.
Navia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want Lucian to think she wasn't pulling her weight and was just playing around.
Of course, Lucian didn't think Navia had been slacking. Even though she hadn't entered the… water, she had been steering the boat the entire time to follow him while also keeping watch.
Notably, neither Melus nor Silver had accompanied them this time.
The two were back in Poisson, handling administrative duties on Navia's behalf. As a result, everything—steering the boat, maintaining their cover, and staying alert—fell solely on Navia.
"Did you find anything underwater?" Navia asked the question that had been on her mind.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice: Lucian – About Fishing
"Ahem, fishing? I don't usually fish."