An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"There are many things going on right now, so I've been ordered to stand by."

Having said that, as a messenger, we can't fully utilize our abilities if we stay at headquarters all the time.

Therefore, he currently uses his secret residence in Damdorak as his base, casting his inherent magic, "Bird and Beast Protection," on various animals, expanding and strengthening his animal intelligence network. Besides the essential messenger birds, the animals he casts also include cats and mice in the city, as well as those that inhabit the lake and the northern mountains.

Therefore, Tim also volunteered to greet Niz and others.

Tim led the group westward through the woods with expert dexterity, his steps unwavering. He kept an eye on Royce's condition along the way.

"Excuse me...are we actually getting further and further away from the capital?"

Sharon asked in confusion. Then Natsu and the others remembered that they hadn't finished their previous explanation.

Tim, confused, tilted his head. Then everyone explained the topic to him, and he nodded to show he understood.

Tim winked at Natsu, who showed him his wind-wrapped finger, indicating it was okay.

It seemed that he had cast some wind magic that could block the propagation of sound.

Tim then felt relieved and began to explain.

"Sharon. Actually, the only checkpoint in the city is the one leading to the headquarters."

"Senkaku?"

"That's right. To enter the headquarters, you must first contact supporters in the city. Supporters usually run ordinary businesses in the city."

Supporters have a wide variety of occupations, such as those working at the tourist information center. The staff at the information center are also supporters, and they are identified by the code and sakura they carry with them when leaving the headquarters. The code is determined for each outing, and the sakura is made of a special material.

After checking and verifying that everything is OK, the guide will take the visitor on a small boat to the second checkpoint, which is, of course, a very secret location.

There you will be examined by the liaison officer, and if there is no problem, they will contact the headquarters. Only after obtaining the headquarters' permission will the road to the headquarters be opened.

"We need to meet up with our liaison now. The meeting place outside the city changes every day, and there are other procedures we need to complete first, but..."

Since Niz and the others were with us this time, we were able to skip some procedures and meet up directly with the liaison.

"Wow, so meticulous..."

"This is really inconvenient~ In this respect, the sea of ​​trees is much more convenient. Your Majesty's white mist can do anything."

Cui said this leisurely. No one could refute this statement. No matter how vast the world, there's probably no fortress more solid than the forest sea guarded by Lutilis.

Even such a solid fortress was almost breached, so it is no wonder that the Liberator camp would be more cautious.

Bandu glared at Cui, asking her not to interrupt the conversation, while continuing his explanation.

"The defense system is also incredible. It's difficult to even find routes other than the regular ones. Even if you can locate the location, you won't be able to reach it unless you have the offensive power of an apostle."

"To think they were able to guard it so tightly..."

Ryan Hyde couldn't help swallowing. Sharon also looked more nervous.

As he walked, Tim suddenly stopped.

This place was once again nestled in the woods. It looked like a perfectly ordinary place, devoid of any identifying landmarks. The only difference from the previous places was probably the distance from the lake. It was quite close here, and a little further into the bushes would bring us to the lake's edge.

Tim came to the lake and squatted, shaking the branches slowly and rhythmically.

Then──

"Hi. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Suddenly, a voice echoed directly in their heads. Ryan Hyde and Sharon looked around cautiously.

"No need to be so cautious, young master, knight. I'm the liaison."

The voice echoed again, its tone akin to a wry smile. Then, the voice's owner appeared. With a splash, the lake's surface rippled, and a face peeked out.

Sharon and Ryanhead peered at the lake through the gaps between the branches.

Then, they made eye contact with the contact. Suddenly—

“Waaaaaaaa! An uncle got eaten by a fish──!!”

"Is it, is it a new species of monster!?"

The two of them were terrified. Natsu and the others beside them smiled warmly, as if to say, "No wonder they were scared." It seemed they had experienced the same thing.

It's no wonder they saw a fish with an old man's face poke its head out of the water. It was such a shocking sight, it was hard not to be terrified. In a sense, as Sharon said, "a strange old man being swallowed by a carnivorous fish"—this interpretation of the scene made more sense.

Seeing that Ryan Hyde was about to reach for the holy sword, Niz quickly held down his hand to stop him.

"Don't get excited. He is indeed the liaison officer."

"You're not even a human!"

"W-What kind of creature is this!?"

While it's true that the Liberators' goal and vision is "a future that transcends racial barriers," no one could have imagined that even mermaids would join them as partners.

Seeing that the two were in a state of extreme panic, Bandu had no choice but to explain carefully.

"Back when the principality was still called a kingdom, the belief in elves was still widespread within the country. Beings like them were known as 'the followers of the Great Lake Spirits' and 'the only spirits one could contact and communicate with.'"

"What exactly is the definition of an elf!?"

"Can the great lake spirit tolerate its image being circulated like this!?"

Bandu's explanation only made the two more confused.

"Hey, you two."

The same baritone voice echoed in his mind again, a voice that was unnecessarily deep, unnecessarily full of mature charm, and unnecessarily comforting. Sharon and Ryan Hyde twitched nervously, worried that they had angered each other.

"Don't worry about trivial matters."

What a friendly expression. Sharon and Ryan Hyde breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at each other.

"Is it a human, an elf, or a monster? Is that the point? Ha, of course not. What can such a meaningless framework determine?"

“Y-You mean…?”

"The key is what kind of life you've lived and what kind of life you want to live in the future, isn't it? Once you understand this, you will naturally be able to decide what role you play."

Why? It was a mermaid with an older man's face, but Sharon and Ryan Hyde couldn't help but sit up straight in front of him.

Furthermore, I couldn't help but feel that this fish was saying something with some inexplicable meaning.

"I'm not a big shot. I'm just an ordinary nosy uncle, helping out a little bit for these guys who are trying to rebel against the world."

It feels pretty cool!

"Okay, enough small talk. Let me see through it."

Suddenly, the other party emitted a black and red magic wave unique to monsters. Seeing that Sharon and the others were confused, Nizu explained:

"Don't worry. This is the 'liaison review' I mentioned earlier. It's simply reading your thoughts, checking for any signs of hostility, malice, or brainwashing."

"Does this mean it's reading our minds!?"

Ryan Hyde said nervously. Bandu nodded.

"But it seems to only read the surface of consciousness. The Liman clan all use the inherent magic of 'telepathy', and this mind-reading technique seems to be an application of that inherent magic. It seems that only the elderly Liman can do it."

"Leeman?"

"It's the name of its species. I think its name is Roan Riuerf (Lone Wolf), but everyone just calls it Roman."

"... Mr. Bandu, can I complain?"

"Don't worry, I've already vomited."

"You'd better not think too much about it. Just treat it as a preachy uncle."

This was the first time Ryan Hyde accepted Cui's advice frankly.

Just know that it's the Lake Spirit and that the Liberator is a formidable organization. That's all. Don't overthink the rest. Give up.

In addition, when Cui first came to the headquarters, she was severely scolded because Roman saw through the scumbag thoughts in her mind.

"Okay, that's all right. Nizu-kun, I've contacted headquarters and everything is ready. 300 meters northwest, about 10 meters deep, is that ok?"

"That's enough information."

"Normally, you'd have to swim to get in, but your ability is quite convenient. Just in case, I'll have my tribesmen guard the area."

"That's good. I can rest assured even in the water. Thank you."

"You're welcome, hey."

Uncle Roman put on a heroic smile and then sank into the water.

"...Natsu-sama? Are we...going to move underwater next?"

Natsu nodded, his lips curled slightly. "Why go underwater? Go into the city from the water?" Sharon tilted his head in confusion. Natsu announced the answer with a playful expression.

"Because the Liberator's headquarters is in the water."

Without even a moment to gasp in surprise, Natsu immediately teleported.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery changed completely, and the group was now underwater. No, to be more precise, they were in an underwater tunnel, which even glowed.

"Is this... a barrier?"

"Ryan Hyde! Look at that!"

The glowing barrier kept the water out, preventing any leakage. The tunnel itself was spacious, and even the massive Uruluk and Kuo felt no more cramped. Just as Ryanhead was lost in thought at the glowing wall of water, he suddenly noticed Sharon tugging at his sleeve.

What could this be? Looking down, I saw the tunnel extending downward like a slope, and at the other end was—

"W-What is that!? Is it... a ship? Or a submarine? But, it's way too huge!"

At the end of the underwater tunnel, there is a huge ship connected.

The tunnel itself was about two hundred meters long, but even so, the ship still looked overwhelmingly large in comparison. Judging from the proportions, the total length should be three hundred meters.

There is another decisive difference between this ship and ordinary ships. There is a building about five stories high on the deck, which looks like a palace or a temple.

Although it does not glow like the underwater tunnel itself, the entire ship is surrounded by a layer of air, which can also prevent water from seeping in.

"That's the Liberator's headquarters—the magical submarine palace, 'Luke Airein'."

Natsu explained from the side. However, both of them were too stunned to even reply.

However, at the same time, a feeling of sudden enlightenment welled up in my heart.

Being underwater, this location was like a natural barrier. Not only was the base protected by this barrier, but it could also be moved, something no one could imagine.

In addition, Lake Ur itself is very wide, with a diameter of at least 100 kilometers and an average water depth of 300 meters. The deepest point observed so far is 600 meters, but the center is definitely deeper.

No wonder, unless our headquarters takes the initiative to welcome us, it would be extremely difficult to discover and arrive here.

"Alright, alright, stop daydreaming. It's about time we go in."

Cui took the lead and walked forward, still looking unmoved. Although she didn't say it, her shoulder was actually hurting badly. Now she just wanted Mei'er to treat her.

"Hmm? That's—uh!"

"Ryan Hyde? What's wrong with you—Ouch!"

Ryan Hyde was about to follow Cui, but suddenly his whole body tensed up.

Because, he saw that in the water wall some distance away from him, there was—

Countless older men turned their heads to look at this place. And not just older men, but also older women—no, women. They were mermaids.

The moment I couldn't help but look away, I also noticed that these aquatic creatures - although some of them looked like monsters - were circling around me, seemingly on patrol.

"The Liman clan seems to be able to manipulate aquatic life to a certain extent, which is why they are called the followers of the lake spirits. This is also one of the headquarters' defense mechanisms."

"It's terrifyingly good..."

"Does the church know anything about the Liman clan?"

"I heard that when this country was first annexed, the Church sent people to conduct a certain amount of underwater searches to verify the legends of the elves. However... according to them, they manipulated the fish to obstruct the search without leaving any trace, and took the opportunity to hide in the underground water veins, so they were completely undetected."

"It's truly outstanding!"

"There are so many mysterious phenomena in this world that I don't know about!"

The group talked about the magical creatures in the water while approaching the Submarine Palace.

The exit of the underwater tunnel is connected to the front deck of the submarine palace.

As we got closer, we could see more clearly that the entire submarine was surrounded by a layer of air, creating a spindle-shaped wall of water. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that the submarine was floating within a giant bubble of water rather than swimming.

It seems that this submarine should also be able to fly in the sky.