Chapter 29: Underwater Adventure?

(Authors Note:

So yeah, I read the replies from the last chapter and I am thinking about mixing both.

I plan to expand the word of Teyvat and journey toward the 'Dark Sea' later on and this small arc would be somewhat of a teaser.

The MC of Teyvat is still the Traveler not Alexander.

Alexander might be the MC of this story but the Traveler is still the MC of Teyvat so I will leave the plot of the story to Traveler.

So yeah, I hope you guys enjoy what I am cooking XD)

(Alexander POV)

In the shimmering depths of the ocean, where sunlight struggles to penetrate, lay a realm of mystery and wonder.

'Beautiful' I said to myself as I gazed at the forest made of luminescent coral reefs containing countless amounts of underwater creatures.

From all directions, beneath the cold ocean floor, coral reefs were radiating different colors.

'This is not what I am expecting to be lying beneath Dragonspine's ocean.' With curiosity, I undid my Mahoraga transformation but retained my presence concealment before wandering around the forest in the deep.

'It is a good thing that I already trained on the river. Aside from the uncomfortable pressure I'm currently feeling which I should adapt to soon, I should be able to stay underwater for about a week. A week should be enough to explore quite a bit of this underwater world.' With a nod, I started wandering around enjoying the beautiful scenery unknown to man.

As I journeyed through the underwater world, I encountered creatures of all shapes and sizes. But there was one thing that piqued my interest the most.

'Merfolk? Merfolk exists in Teyvat?' With confusion, I rubbed my eyes for a bit making sure I was not seeing wrong.

Elegant merfolk glided gracefully through the water, their iridescent scales shimmering in the dim light.

Typically, in fantasy stories, only mermaids are depicted as beautiful, while mermen are portrayed as abominations. However, Teyvat is Teyvat, even the mermen are attractive husbando material.

*Insert Images*

Clicking my tongue internally, I thought, 'Typical Waifu/Husbado Gacha collecting game world. No Homo everyone looks hot, well, except for the mob-level NPC but hey they still look better than the average humans from Earth.'

'Still, merfolk huh? Well, the game never featured what was under the ocean depths. While people could argue about Fontaine, the water there is different here on the vast ocean. That reminds me, I remember reading about the 'Dark Sea', the region outside the dominion of the Seven where some of the defeated gods from the archon wars escaped. There should be more content waiting there. Mmm, thoughts for later I guess.' My eyes and thoughts continued wandering as I traveled the underwater world.

With my discovery of the Merfolk, I decided to play it safe and transform into one. I don't know how they will react to a human so it would be better to take a suitable form if ever my presence concealment gets canceled.

Using the same set of abilities to take my Mahoraga form, I imagined myself having a fishtail.

It took quite a while but because a few mermen were wandering around the area I was able to have a better visualization to help me create my fishtail.

Next, I made my body more muscular as all the mermen I saw were macho men, I didn't want to look weak.

Finally, I changed the color of my eyes and hair to silver then altered my face to make sure no one would ever recognize me.

Without anything to use as a mirror, I opted for another way to view myself. With the use of my enhanced senses, I was able to visualize appearance.

I then did a bit of tweaking here and there to make myself more pleasing to the eye, gonna be handsome if you can, before nodding to myself and thinking, 'Damn, I look handsome, 6-star character appearance get.'

*Insert Alexander's Merman Form*

After my transformation, still with the presence concealment turned on, I practiced moving around using my new body while trying to get close to the merfolk talking with each other.

'Mmm, as expected, I can't hear a thing.' With only my outer appearance changing, I could not hear the merfolk talking.

I then wandered around, looking for a lone merfolk to kidnap to study their anatomy.

With a bit of patience, I was able to find a lone merman sitting atop an elevated rock as he enjoyed the view of the luminescent reefs.

Using a bit of strength, I hit him behind the neck trying to knock him out.

Surprise, surprise, I failed.

It might be because they have stronger and much more durable bodies than humans, or hitting the back of the neck to make people pass out is a lie.

Without another choice, I used a slightly stronger force as I punched his head to knock him out.

I then swiftly pulled the unconscious merman as I activated the presence concealment on both of us. While I did not hear a thing, I expected that the merman should have made a noise while I tried to knock him out, better hide with him first before I continued my thing.

After swimming for quite a distance while carrying the unconscious merman, I sat beside him while my mind wandered. 'Now, how do I do this? Should I dissect him? Eh, that would be too bloody and I don't think it would be a wise decision as I am on unfamiliar grounds better not resort to killing. But, I currently have no abilities that can scan beings.'

As I wracked my mind trying to figure out how to do this, a thought came to mind. 'I could theoretically use elemental energy and run it inside his body while I try to visualize it in my mind. Right now I have the Abyss and Anemo energies. I better use the Anemo energy, I don't want a mad merman running around and causing problems while I venture around the underwater world.'

I then placed my hand to cover the merman's mouth as I gently emit Anemo particles. At first, I had no idea what I was doing, which was to be expected as my control toward the element was still on the Low level.

But after a few trial and error. I had adapted to the more intricate use of using elemental energy.

Gazing at the system panel, I saw that I learned a new passive ability, Low – Energy Control Mastery.

My mind then continued the visualization using energy control as a medium until I obtained the active ability called, Low – Energy Perception.

With the combined use of Energy Control Mastery and Energy Perception, I was able to scan the merfolk to understand their anatomy. Then with a smile on my face, I started changing the inner workings of my body while I constantly adapted to the new organs I continued to sprout.