Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 72 -The Glacial Observatory

"We’re just doing our duty." Valeria said modestly. "Protecting people is what Knights do."

"Still." Leah insisted. "Thank you." She suddenly thought of something and exclaimed. "Oh! You should speak with Pingu. I’ll send a message ahead, so he expects you. He’s coordinating the ferry service to the research stations. He can take you to the Glacial Observatory where Johno is leading the investigation. He looks like this!"

She passed a picture to Lumi, who took it. Looking at the picture, the penguin looked like a penguin. He didn’t know how to distinguish it.

Luckily, Marcus stepped foward next to Lumi. "Sir, many have difficulties distinguishing between penguins. I can do so, if need be."

Lumi passed the picture to Marcus. "Thank you."

Back with Leah, Valeria quickly stopped Leah. "Wait, we have a ship. We’d rather use our own."

"Ah, it’s not so simple." Leah shook her head and explained. "The Inner sea has problems. The corruption makes it difficult to use vessels that aren’t properly prepared yet."

She gave them directions to the harbor where Pingu operated. As they left, Lumi could hear her returning to her samples with renewed vigor, muttering something like, "The Knights themselves are taking this seriously, maybe now the council will approve my funding requests."

When they reached the harbor, it was a marvel of organized chaos. Ships of various sizes bobbed in the protected waters, from human fishing vessels to crafts clearly designed for those that weren’t human. There was a background hum of noise from countless different sources.

They found Pingu near a modest boat, checking items off a manifest. He was, Lumi had to admit, an impressive specimen of penguin. He stood nearly four feet tall, with glossy black and white feathers. He wore a brown vest with multiple pockets, each bulging with various tools and instruments.

"Excuse me." Lumi called out. "Are you Pingu? Dr. Leah sent us."

The penguin turned to them, his dark eyes lighting up. "Ah! You must be the ones investigating the corruption. Dr. Leah sent a message ahead." He held up a letter. His voice was higher pitched than a human’s but perfectly clear. "Aria Knights, she said? Here to help?"

Zara eyed the letter strangely. "Say, mind if I ask how you received the letter so quickly? We came directly from her."

"Ah!" Pingu exclaimed, straightening his back in pride. "I see you haven’t heard of the ice tubes!"

"Ice tubes?" Jin commented curiously.

"Yes, the Ice tubes." Pingu nodded. "We have tunneled some tubes through the ice, drop an item there and it will slide down to its destination. There’s one from the research district to the harbor here."

He waved his flipper to change the topic. "Regardless, you said you were here regarding the issue we are having?"

"That’s correct." Lumi confirmed. "We’d like to reach the Glacial Observatory to speak with Johno. It is our understanding that he is leading the investigation."

"Of course, of course!" Pingu nodded rapidly, a gesture that looked particularly silly on a penguin. "I’ll take you myself. It’s not every day we have such distinguished visitors. Please, board carefully. The boat is designed for mixed species use, but watch the rails."

The boat was indeed uniquely designed, with standard railings at human height and lower, wider rails clearly meant for beings who propelled themselves on their bellies. Seats had adjustable configurations, and the wheel could be operated by hands or flippers.

As they sailed into the inner sea, the temperature dropped even further. Ice formations rose from the water like frozen sculptures, beautiful but somehow wrong. They could see what Leah meant. The ice had an unnatural tinge, a slight discoloration of light magenta.

Pingu let out a small sigh as the sight filled his vision.

"Something wrong?" Elara asked lightly, knowing it was about the sea.

"It’s getting worse," Pingu said sadly, while navigating between icebergs with ease. "Every day, the corruption spreads a little further. We’ve lost three fishing grounds already. If this continues..."

"How long has this been going on?" Elara asked, her eyes scanning the waters for threats.

"Two months now," Pingu replied. "It started small. Just some fish changing behaviors, ice looking a bit off. But it’s accelerating. That’s why we put aside our differences to work together. Penguins, seals, and humans like you. This threatens all of us."

The Glacial Observatory came into view. It was a structure built into a massive iceberg, with architecture carved into it, alongside natural ice caves. Observation decks jutted out at various levels, and they could see figures of multiple species moving about with purpose.

They docked at a pier carved from ice, reinforced with treated wood to prevent slipping. Pingu led them inside, where the temperature was actually warmer, contained in such a way it wouldn’t affect the ice. The main chamber was a hub of activity. Humans, penguins, seals, all working together over charts and instruments.

"Johno!" Pingu called out. "The Aria Knights have arrived!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

A large seal turned from where he’d been examining a map with two humans and a penguin. Johno was impressive. Approximately seven feet long, with a lustrous gray coat marked by darker spots. His eyes were heavy with the weight of command, and when he spoke, his voice carried natural authority even to those who had never seen a sapient seal before.

"Aria Knights," he said, moving toward them with grace despite his bulk. "What a surprise! I never expected to see this. What brings Herene’s finest to our small corner of the world?"

Lumi stepped forward. "We’ve heard reports of unusual corruption in the area. Given the potential for such things to spread, we wanted to investigate and offer assistance."

It wasn’t technically a lie. He had indeed heard reports... in the future. And indeed, corruption could spread if left unchecked.

"You are here to help?" Johno was taken aback, even putting a flipper on his chest in shock. "To help us? The Aria Knights? Thank you!"

He gave a quick bow.

"That’s..." Valeria tried to stop him, but he quickly flopped back up and flipped to explanation mode.

"Your timing is fortunate," Johno said gravely. "We’ve made some progress in understanding the phenomenon, but we face a significant obstacle. To properly investigate the source, we need to sail deeper into the inner sea. However, the number of available vessels we have is limited. There is a large issue, you see."