Chapter 458: Inside the Fish Belly
Pure Gold.
This was a legend that had been circulating at sea for many, many years.
Legend said that long ago, ancient alchemists refined a wondrous metal from gold.
Though this metal possessed gold's appearance and luster, it differed in one crucial way: it emitted dazzling light.
This light could reportedly even pierce through the deep seas, transmitting from sea surface all the way to the seabed.
Naturally, this metal called Pure Gold's remarkable aspect wasn't just its light emission. What was truly amazing was that people illuminated by this light would legendarily gain eternal life.
Obtaining Pure Gold equaled immortality, so the legend went.
Though it was merely a legend, throughout the generations many sea heroes had made it their life's pursuit.
But naturally, nobody had personally witnessed it.
Until now, Pure Gold remained only in people's oral legends. Nobody knew whether it truly existed.
So when Brett told Tesoro that Pure Gold truly existed and that he had methods of obtaining it, Tesoro was completely confused.
He even suspected Brett was joking.
Until now, with Brett bringing him outside Fish-Man Island and saying they were waiting for Pure Gold to deliver itself, Tesoro's heart remained disbelieving.
"Don't worry, my friend."
Brett leisurely stretched. "No need to deceive you, right? If I say it exists, it definitely exists."
Tesoro glanced at him. Brett could hear that this guy's heart was still quite disbelieving.
However, Brett didn't particularly mind. He'd just use facts to make Tesoro believe.
Previously, wanting to find that lanternfish storing massive quantities of Pure Gold would've been very difficult.
After all, even with Brett being a Fish-Man and possessing considerable resources, wanting to find one Sea King in the boundless deep seas was an extremely difficult matter.
The sea was truly too vast. Even Fish-Men couldn't traverse every corner.
But now the situation was greatly different.
Princess Shirahoshi's ability had completely awakened. She already possessed the capability of commanding every Sea King in the world.
Even if that lanternfish wasn't a Sea King, finding its traces would be a simple matter.
After all, though people couldn't search every corner of the deep sea, Sea Kings could.
Moreover, that lanternfish was now already confirmed to indeed be among the Sea Kings.
At Princess Shirahoshi's command, it was currently hurrying over.
"Just need to wait patiently."
Brett smiled. "Long life beckons you, Tesoro."
Tesoro snorted lightly. "Don't speak too early."
Whether Pure Gold existed, whether it possessed the legendary abilities, was currently completely uncertain.
Brett's lips curved. Meaning he won't cry until seeing the coffin?
He could already anticipate this guy's shocked expression afterward.
They didn't wait too long. Brett already heard a colossal thing approaching.
With this sound came another somewhat special voice.
A never-before-heard voice. Very marvelous. That kind of dragging, very long sound that appeared extremely melodious.
"Hm? What's that?"
Tesoro also noticed. He squinted, looking toward the distant deep sea.
In the pitch-black deep sea, a light point was rapidly approaching.
Luminescent Sea Kings in the deep seas were quite numerous. But this light seemed strange.
Golden luster. Just one glance produced impressions of nobility.
"Isn't what we're waiting for already here?"
Brett's lips curved as he smiled.
"No way?"
Tesoro immediately stretched his neck, eyes widening as he gazed at that still-approaching distant light point. "You're actually not joking?"
It was already getting closer. Borrowing that golden light, they could even see clearly that thing's appearance.
A giant lanternfish.
Currently, its mouth, capable of biting off half an island in one bite, was continuously opening and closing, making the deep sea currents chaotic as it directly collided toward them.
"Oh! Right there?!"
Even without Brett reminding him, Tesoro already looked toward that lanternfish's head and the giant lantern emitting golden radiance.
"Pure Gold's stored inside there, right?!"
"Probably so."
Brett nodded lightly.
This giant lanternfish had lived who knows how long.
From very, very long ago, it had already been hunting Pure Gold.
Whether this metal granted immortality, Brett didn't know. But it could indeed greatly extend life.
Creatures illuminated by Pure Gold's radiance had their time passage stretched to extreme limits.
The little girl in the original story, wearing a Pure Gold-embedded ring, had lived two hundred years with her appearance unchanged from two hundred years ago.
Over long ages of collecting massive amounts of Pure Gold, exactly how long this lanternfish had lived was truly difficult to estimate.
It had last appeared on the sea surface probably two hundred years ago when this little girl's father researched Pure Gold and attracted it. Then the inhabited island got swallowed.
The giant lanternfish was still approaching. Brett already felt the surging currents.
"Too oversized?"
Tesoro already couldn't help exclaiming.
It was truly too big. Body length at least at the thousands of meters level!
Its belly could even contain several small islands!
The giant monster gradually decelerated, then stopped not far from Brett and Tesoro.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Brett, while approaching the lanternfish, smiled and greeted it. "Why I specially summoned you shouldn't need further explanation, right?"
The giant monster fell silent briefly. Then a thunderous voice rumbled in Brett's ears.
"Though they're my most precious treasure, since this is the King's command, then there's no choice."
The lanternfish opened wide its mouth. Instantly it formed a giant vortex. Tesoro could barely control himself and nearly got sucked in.
"They're stored in my head's lantern. Enter yourselves and retrieve them."
The lanternfish said.
"Then we're troubling you!"
Brett grabbed Tesoro, who was struggling to control his body, then dove into the lanternfish's mouth.
The lanternfish immediately closed its mouth tightly. Brett and Tesoro had already arrived in its belly.
And the scene here...
"What is this?!"
Tesoro's eyes widened.
They seemed to be positioned on a lake. Above the lake was even a broken island.
They could see so clearly because gentle, bright light descended from above, illuminating everything.
"Are we truly inside its belly?"
Tesoro was very confused. Hadn't they arrived at some external small island?
"Let's go."
Brett looked toward a certain corner of this space. "I heard some special voices."
Pulling Tesoro along, Brett used Moonwalk to step on air, rapidly advancing in that direction.
"Hm?"
Tesoro also noticed something was wrong. "This aura? Humans?"
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