Chapter 43: Underwater Detection

The seawater surged from all directions.

Li Xiang instinctively held his breath as his head submerged beneath the surface, leaving behind rippling waves that spread outward, eventually blending into the vast ocean.

'Good thing I don't have thalassophobia,' Li Xiang thought as he switched on his spotlight.

"Clear visuals, please maintain them," Arisa Kazano's soft, melodic voice came through the headset. Though she was speaking English, her tone reminded Li Xiang of a typical anime heroine—sweet and calming.

"Got it," Li Xiang responded and continued his descent.

"Irigar."

Since speaking aloud inside the helmet would be heard by Arisa, he called out to his system mentally.

[Mmm... What is it?] A sleepy Irigar responded before suddenly letting out a loud scream.

Li Xiang flinched. "What happened?"

[Ah! Ah... It's so dark... I... I don't like the dark...] Irigar mumbled in a trembling voice.

Other systems might be omnipotent and fearless, but here he was dealing with... this. Li Xiang sighed. "There's a spotlight, so it's not completely dark. And don't forget, as a system, you don't even need to rely on sight—you can use mental perception."

[You're right!] Irigar perked up again, her mood restored. [What are you doing in the ocean, Master? Are you catching dinner? But I don't like fish that much.]

A black line appeared on Li Xiang's forehead. "Do I look like the kind of person who prepares dinner?"

[True, you're no cook. Red Archer used to handle all the cooking. Oh, those were the days!]

"You're a system! Why would you need to eat?"

[And what's wrong with that?!] Irigar raised her voice. [Do artificial intelligences not deserve the right to eat and sleep?!]

Li Xiang tilted his head, enduring Irigar's shouting. "Alright, enough distractions. Let's focus on the task at hand. I'm here conducting a ruin survey, and the visibility is really poor down here. Can you help me keep an eye out for anything ancient or magical, especially things without any obvious magic traces?"

Irigar huffed and gave an irritated but compliant, "Fine."

"Operator 112, you are currently at a depth of 1,000 meters. The risk is increasing, and you still have 500 meters to go before reaching the seabed. Please be vigilant," Arisa's voice crackled in his ear.

"Understood."

'There should be large fish near the coast, right?' Li Xiang thought to himself.

Probably. He had seen enough shark movies like *Jaws* and *The Meg* on streaming platforms to expect something big down here.

"Irigar, keep an eye out for any dangerous fish, like sharks," he instructed.

As he continued his descent, the light grew fainter. Beyond the beam of his spotlight, the surrounding ocean seemed like an endless abyss, a void where no light could reach.

The deeper he went, the greater the pressure became.

Li Xiang started to feel uncomfortable—a slight tightness in his chest—but it was manageable. His flippers finally touched the seafloor.

He gave a nod of approval. This Law Department custom-made diving suit really was something else. Ordinary suits wouldn't withstand more than 300 to 400 meters of pressure before the wearer would suffer from the immense force.

"I've reached the seafloor," Li Xiang reported.

"Copy that. Please ensure that your spotlight, metal detector, magic sensor, and carbon-14 detector are all active."

Li Xiang quickly verified everything.

The spotlight had been on the whole time, and the other three devices were built into his suit. The switches were located externally, so he toggled them on one by one.

The metal detector worked on electromagnetic induction, designed to detect metals like iron, steel, brass, copper, aluminum, and lead. After modifications, it became sensitive to detecting bronze, iron artifacts, and precious metals like gold and silver.

The magic sensor, on the other hand, was used to identify items that emitted traces of magical energy from the Age of Gods. Since the ruins likely dated between the 1st century BC and the 6th century AD, they were bound to contain relics and mystical artifacts.

Finally, the carbon-14 detector could accurately determine the age of an object, potentially dating items back thousands of years.

"All devices are confirmed active," Li Xiang responded. "No issues."

"Begin your detection work."

"Understood."

Li Xiang scanned his surroundings. He found himself amidst a forest of red coral, reminiscent of maple leaves.

This section of the ocean bordered the North Atlantic near the Antarctic waters. Various fish swam by, species common to the Atlantic like herring, cod, flounder, tuna, and salmon. Li Xiang, however, didn't recognize most of them.

Pulling up the pre-set contour sonar map, a deep red line appeared on his screen, indicating his designated path.

Per Adashino's orders, the four teams had been tasked with exploring different directions around the cruise ship—north, south, east, and west.

Li Xiang's team was assigned the western route.

Using the detection range of the instruments, they had mapped out three paths. Elena, Max, and Li Xiang each took one.

The sonar map revealed the seabed's structure: a prominent ridge in the middle, steep slopes near the coastline, and a flatter plain to the right.

In their briefing, Elena, being the strongest, had opted to explore the ridge. Max took the slopes, and Li Xiang was assigned the flat terrain.

With that, Li Xiang started walking.

Despite the suit's special design, moving underwater was still difficult.

His pace was slow, but he refrained from using magic. The suits were designed to conserve magical energy, in case of sudden, unpredictable dangers in the depths.

As he trudged along, the soft sea floor squelched under his feet, while his movements stirred up plumes of silt.

The passing schools of fish scattered as his spotlight illuminated the area, showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the underwater world.

For the first time, Li Xiang appreciated the perks of being a magus. At least it was more exciting than his old life of shuffling between school, home, and the cafeteria.

But danger was ever-present.

After about ten minutes, the metal detector blared its alert, emitting a sharp ringing.

Li Xiang glanced at the map. The object was about thirteen meters to his right.

Not wanting to bother Arisa too early, he decided to investigate first.

Soon, he found the object—a metal structure, overgrown with strange seaweed.

Bending down, Li Xiang grabbed the slippery seaweed and, with some effort, tore it away.

"This looks like an anchor," Li Xiang muttered, recognizing the rusted iron frame.

"Yes, that's an anchor," Arisa confirmed, watching through the camera in his helmet.

Disappointed, Li Xiang shook his head and resumed his path.

For the next two hours, leading up to his first oxygen tank swap, Li Xiang's journey turned into a search for junk.

He came across metal fishing nets, crushed soda cans, large sheets of plastic, and various pieces of wrecked ships.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air after swapping tanks, Li Xiang felt much more relaxed.

"Thank you," he said to the support staff as he prepared to dive back in, retracing his steps along the sonar map.

[Master, I've found something,] Irigar suddenly spoke after half an hour of silence.