Tale of Discovery

Chapter 139: Bath ; Strange Water ; Appearance

"This place again," Tiamat mutters as soon as we arrive in the Arena.

"It's a lovely place, isn't it?" I ask her while grinning.

"Perhaps, if you hadn't forcefully brought me here, I would have found it more pleasant," she responds.

Shrugging my shoulders, I approach her and swiftly wrap my arms around her.

"What are you doing?" she asks me, unfazed.

"What needs to be done," I reply while tightening my hold on her.

After a short while, I let go of her and begin to use Clairvoyance to find a suitable place to take a bath.

Soon, a building catches my attention.

It's a huge palace on an 'island' faraway from where we currently are. At the back, there is a huge pool that's already filled with water.

Hm...

This place is as strange as ever. Every facility seems to be in optimal condition in a way that it's as convenient as it could get.

Normally, one wouldn't think of this as much and just count it as a perk of this place, however, I can't say that the same goes for me.

It only increases my suspicion regarding the shadiness of this place, especially after what happened a short while ago.

I can't get anyone remotely weak inside here anymore.

Shaking my head, I shift my focus back to reality and say to Tiamat,

"I've found someplace nice."

In response to my words, Tiamat says,

"Just get over with it."

Beaming her a smile, I move closer to her before lifting her from the ground.

Then, I ignore the way Tiamat is looking at me and begin circulating my Holy Essence.

The next moment, after having utilized Godspeed, I dash in the direction of the palace.

It doesn't take me long to reach my destination. As I let Tiamat down, the first thing that catches my attention is a giant tree with a sign attached to it. Written on the sign is an introduction to the place along with some other things:

'Welcome to the Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai, we'

Deciding that it's not worth reading as there aren't any workers here, anyway, I begin walking toward the fascinating pool with Tiamat following me close behind.

Once we're at the pool, realization suddenly dawns upon me I can't create modern swimsuits here, or, so I thought, but upon accessing the database, I find them.

How? I thought they wouldn't exist at the period the Sorcerers' Lair is in

Perhaps, the way the Platform works is different from the usual history I'm familiar with? After taking the matter with magic and the giant machine that I took down, that's most likely the case.

There is also the matter with the 'guns' that the girls with Henrietta carried.

Why are they not appearing in my Creation? It sure is something worth looking into whenever I have the time to.

Anyway, I decide to make a two-piece swimsuit for Tiamat that moderately covers what needs to be covered. There isn't a need to embarrass her, as it would be much more enjoyable if the two of us feel comfortable around each other.

However, the swimsuit I summoned results in Tiamat's eyes widening as she asks doubtfully,

"You want me to wear that?"

Confused by her words, I say,

"Well, yeah. That's why I have created them."

In response to my words, Tiamat looks me in the eyes with a serious expression on her face for a few seconds before she lets out a sigh and takes the swimsuit and heads inside the palace.

She's going to go get changed, huh? Well, I might as well get in the water until she returns.

Encompassing myself with destructive energy, I obliterate my current clothes and create something more appropriate for swimming before directly jumping into the water.

A refreshing feeling spreads within my body as I slowly sink deeper into the pool.

I subconsciously circulate all the Essence Energies within my body, resulting in an even more comfortable feeling.

{WARNING: Humanity has fallen below 25%}

AI's voice washes my comfort away as my eyes shoot open under the water.

For some reason, I'm not feeling any discomfort and just find it 'normal'.

Leaving that aside, why has my humanity decreased?

{Father's actions of merging with the Code have resulted in a drastic increase in metabolic reactions. The unusual state lead to Father losing more of the physical body to the Code.}

And, I suppose that's a good thing?

{Can't confirm. There is no information regarding this matter.}

Yeah, I highly doubt that there are no side effects that come with this.

Last time there was a significant decrease in my humanity, my personality began reforming to the point of performing useless actions.

Although such actions did have a use later on, that doesn't affect the point of them being useless at the time I did them.

I can't even begin imagining what will occur once I reach 0%.

Whatever. Say, is the matter with Louise's magic related to my contract with her?

{Affirmative. The contract enhances the power of another in exchange for usage of said power.}

So, it's a mutually beneficial relationship huh? Hence, the 'equal contract', I guess.

Clearing my mind of every possible thought, I let my body sink without a care for anything else.

Soon, I feel a hard sensation on my back as a small burst of energy leaves my body.

The heck? I can't believe that the ground in this pool is shaped this way. Couldn't they have cut off all the unbalanced parts?

As I swim back to the surface, I am stunned by the dazzling sight of Tiamat who's now wearing the swimsuit I gave her.

Going with the color that suits Tiamat the most, I created a blue swimsuit along with a transparent white cloth for the top.

All in all, it looks wonderful on her, especially the color that match up with the color of her hair and eyes.

"You're finally here," I say as I slowly swim toward her.

Instead of saying something as a response to my words, Tiamat just stares at me with the same serious look she had on before she went inside to get changed.

Not minding it, I say with a smile on my face,

"You look stunning in that swimsuit. I expected no less from you."

A small smile appears on Tiamat's face for a split-second before her face changes to an impassive state as she walks closer to the pool.

Shaking my head, I move closer to the ledge and step out of the pool.

What happens next surprises me a little, as Tiamat's eyes immediately shift to my body.

"Impressed?" I voice while grinning.

Tiamat turns her head away and acts like she doesn't see me as she begins examining the pool.

Before I can tease her about her actions, Tiamat frowns a little as she says,

"This water is not normal."

Not normal? In what way? Perhaps, I can finally get a clue on the nature of the Arena?

"What do you mean?" I inquire curiously.

"It feels like this water is immune to all forces."

Huh? What is she even talking about? I doubt she's speaking about the forces of physics, as I was swimming in it just a moment ago without any trouble.

Deciding that it's probably worth checking out, I walk toward the pool and sink my foot into the water.

Then, I pull my leg out, while attempting to amplify the force of the vectors.

However, nothing happens.

No sensations, changes in the water, and my body. Nothing at all.

Was the ability canceled or is this just a property of Vector Manipulation?

Deciding that it's something interesting to investigate, I begin using various other abilities which all end up with one outcome: The water is unaffected.

As I'm deliberating on the matter, I notice a movement in the corner of my sight.

Looking over, I find Tiamat getting inside the water.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" I say a little anxiously as I appear beside her.

"It's not like water will harm us, right? This place is probably as abnormal as your existence, so it's better to get this done with early," she responds coolly.

Well, yes, this place is abnormal, but no normal individual would just get inside a body of water deemed suspicious.

Then again, Tiamat isn't considered a 'normal individual', so her thoughts differ from normal.

Screw it, I will just enjoy this. Better that than solving an unsolvable mystery.

I mean, what can I even do to figure out what this water is when I don't even know exactly know what the Arena is and where it lies.

AI, do you have any information on where I am?

{Negative.}

Do you mind explaining to me how you're able to interact with me?

{A constant connection is active with Father's system. The said connection doesn't specify location and state.}

I see. It seems like I have to figure this thing out on my own or at the very least collect data for Irene to analyze.

"Hey Tia," I say as I enter the water and swim to her side.

The moment Tiamat turns her head to face me, I move my head closer and seal her lips.

Having not done this in a while, Tiamat's body stiffens a little as she punches my stomach with as much strength as she can muster.

Naturally, I attempt to cancel the vectors of her punch, however, it doesn't work as she successfully lands a punch.

This results in a stinging pain in my stomach as a shockwave spreads and destabilizes the water in the pool.

I move away from her a little and say,

"What was that for?"

Instead of replying, Tiamat just grins as she says,

"Looks like you're not so invincible here."

Looks like someone is getting confident just because I am unable to use one of my abilities.

"Tia, you better not regret this," I say before diving under the water.

I swiftly swim over to her and surface before embracing her body.

As if already expecting my actions, Tiamat has already shut her eyes.

From the looks of it, I wasn't the only one looking forward to this Why can't she just be honest? Does this have something to do with her pride as a dragon?

Setting these thoughts aside, I kiss her soft lips once again and squeeze her plump butt while at it.

Feeling the softness of her breasts on my chest, I stop kissing her and move my head away a little before pulling her closer to myself using my left arm.

Lifting my other arm, I begin to gently stroke her cheek and look into her blue eyes with a smile on my face.

Suddenly a slightly shocked expression appears on Tiamat's face as she looks behind me.

But I haven't sensed anything

With this thought stuck in my head, I turn around just in time to see a flaxen-haired girl in a strange green attire that resembles military clothes in a way.

Beside her, is a giant wheel attached to a rather thick handle.