Rogue Villain-Chapter 179: Temir

Temir was a decently big coastal town, but it was still a town and not a city. It was sizable and prosperous enough to host The Hero and companions. But, when The Hero stopped by Temir before heading out to sea and subjugating a Kraken, his activities were still limited to the Tenger Continent.

Ackster found it maybe a pinch bigger than Ilto, but the town’s atmosphere and the feeling it gave off made it seem simultaneously larger and smaller.

Unlike Ilto, Temir wasn’t rife with adventurers.

Ackster noticed a whole bunch of them as he passed through the stone wall’s gates. But Ilto gave off the impression of being almost only adventurers. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Temir had merchants, traders, tourists, travelers, farmers, and all kinds of people passing through the gate. The atmosphere inside the city was much the same, only diversified further by the peddlers and common folk going about their non-adventurer business.

The oceanic smell of salt, the squawking gulls, and the sails down at the port and out at sea also reinforced the image of a coastal town. The guards, prepared for monsters and beasts both from sea and land, did nothing to detract from Ackster’s feeling that it was a cozy town.

But Ackster wasn’t in Temir to sightsee. He quickly made his way to the wharves, where he looked for a vessel he could take to sea.

He was going to do some pretty unconventional stuff, so he wanted something small that he could use and maneuver on his own with minimal training. Since he was only going to use it for a little while, it didn’t need to be superb quality. But it had to be able to withstand at least some tumult and waves.

Ackster could already tell that going up to someone and buying or renting such a boat when it was clear he had never set foot on a boat before would attract some attention, especially since he would be paying for it in cash for immediate ownership. But it was a risk he was willing to take.

Ackster scouted the harbor, catching some attention with his red hair and one arm. He considered changing his hair color again but decided against it.

Since he planned to return to Tenger or at least stay on the continent until he had entered the Alchemaze, creating a diversion and leaving traces of himself heading south was something that could mislead any potential trails.

Eventually, Ackster found a tiny sailboat that belonged to an old, experienced sailor who happily accepted Ackster’s early retirement offer. It was a non-magic boat, but it was simple, and Ackster got enough of a hang of it to head out.

The sailor advised him against going too far out. But Ackster needed to get out quite a bit to make sure there weren’t any spectators. He also had to go far enough to find the Sea God Temple, which shouldn’t be too close to the shore.

The Hero had fought the Kraken in waters deep enough for it to thrive. In the aftermath of that fight, The Hero had been knocked underwater, where he had seen the wreckage of the Sea God Temple’s ruins.

After making sure their ship was intact, The Hero, his companions, and some fighters experienced with naval combat went down to the ruins and found a couple of things, including the Sea God Manual.

Unfortunately, while Ackster could tell it also wasn’t too far out in the ocean since it was at a diveable depth, he had no idea where the Temple was specifically.

"We just need to keep looking, right, Mio?"

Fortunately, Ackster didn’t have to brave the endless waters all on his own since he still had Mio with him. He wasn’t sure what Mio thought about the water since the slime would be completely defenseless if Ackster died. But Mio seemed to trust him enough to accompany him. However, it seemed like Mio wasn’t that keen on actually diving into the water with Ackster, which he understood.

So, when they had sailed and rowed until they could no longer see land or other boats and could only navigate with sea charts and star maps, Ackster began swimming, and he did it alone.

Ackster had gotten acquainted with swimming with one arm in the Habitat, and he had deepened that acquaintanceship at the coast before he went to Temir. However, the Habitat was one thing entirely separate from the ocean. And dipping his body in waters so shallow he could stand upright on the sea floor and still breathe was nothing like swimming in water deep enough for him to forget there was ground below it.

He had to get used to the depth, and then he had to get better at knowing where the boat was while he dived so he didn’t stray and end up stranded at sea.

It was only after becoming secure in his underwater navigation that he could start diving and searching the sea floor for any traces of the Sea God Temple.

There was also one last thing he had to keep track of as he dived.

Millmeria’s technology, at least as far as Ackster was aware, wasn’t advanced enough to develop scuba gear with oxygen tanks and the like.

But Millmeria had something that made sure its civilizations didn’t need to develop those kinds of things. Well, multiple things, actually.

Millmeria had magic and an abundance of resources and materials with wondrous effects that nothing on Earth could replicate. One of those things was the Seaweed Breath.

It was a cheap alternative to using magic to let people breathe or extend their stay underwater.

Mana users could also use mana to supplement their body’s oxygenation temporarily.

But for Ackster, who didn’t have access to the right magic or mana at the moment, Seaweed Breath was his only option.

The Hero hadn’t needed it during his expedition to subjugate the Kraken or when they investigated the Sea God Temple ruins. But a few of the sailors accompanying him and his companions had carried several of the murky green pills. And it was noticeable.