With a need to move more merchandise and his business in Oyster Quay complete, Sage used his dolphin form to quickly travel to the neighboring city. In comparison to the previous city, Kelp Reef was far from awe inspiring. The huge beach and millions of oyster buildings were a sight to be remembered. Kelp Reef on the other hand was located among a forest of kelp that stretched from the surface down to the seabed a few thousand feet below. These bundles of kelp were each a yard or so wide like the trunks of trees stretching as far as the eye could see, underwater at least. In the center of this giant forest of kelp was a large ball of kelp, like a giant woven cocoon of the hollow brownish-green ‘vines’.

In the center of this huge ball was a settlement, one which was very dark and gloomy, but was filled with air rather than water. There was a special variety of kelp here that gave off a bioluminescent glow and also released air, which gave this settlement light and made it buoyant. It was one of the smaller cities in the Depths and Sage wasn’t surprised given its gloomy and swamp-like feel. Combined with its location right next to one of the biggest and most wealthy cities it was more of a stopover point for others traveling between cities rather than a destination on its own.

Sage sold them some essentials before moving on towards the next city. As a lone Cultivator without a giant trade caravan he could only sell so much at a single location. If he brought out too much they would immediately realize he had a gigantic Storage Ring and if he tried to go all out it would be even more telling. Even still he had to carry a giant backpack filled with dozens of Storage Bags or else his wealth would be obvious. As a Nascent Soul he could also be seen with a single large Storage Ring, as that was a standard for such powerful beings, but he had to pretend it was of a modest size which turned out to be a similar amount as the many smaller bags. Sometimes he used the backpack trick as it made more sense when carrying large quantities of less valuable materials. When he was acting like he had a single large Storage Ring he was supposed to look powerful and wealthy so bringing out thousands of pounds of cheap rank 1 materials would make him seem desperate.

After being exposed to the underground forces of the Depths he realized they were far more predatory than he’d thought. He had been lucky to spend a decade in the Great Pod because the cetaceans were less forgiving of these underworld forces. They were far less tolerant of such things going on in their territory. While the Pirate Orcas were far from a unique existence, all the whales were quite unified in their home turf. He also realized that he’d barely run into the Orcas while living in the Great Pod, but then immediately ran into them again after leaving. It wasn’t because he was lucky, but more that they only rarely operated near their home.

Sage wasn’t fearful of any of these villains defeating him, but he always kept in mind the terror of this world. Complacency breeds overconfidence and that leads to arrogance. As powerful as he was, he didn’t feel he was a unique existence. What if he ran into someone with all the same advantages as himself? What if they had more? Even if he was confident in his abilities and strength it was always smarter to avoid potential conflict and keep his wealth hidden. What if someone could block his access to the Inner World? It might only take a few Nascent Souls to defeat him at that point. He had to always take care never to let others discover his secrets.

He spent a few days sifting through all the shops and stores in Kelp Reef, not to make more sales but to gather information and search for treasures. Afterwards, he left Kelp Reef to move to the next city. The water suddenly got warmer as he approached the territory of ‘Black Cloud’. This city was ethereal enough to rival the popularity of Oyster Quay so it was not a glorified village like Kelp Reef. Down below on the seabed were a series of large geothermal vents that constantly expelled thick clouds of black ‘smoke’ into the water. All of these dark streamers were pushed around by the sea currents in the area and formed into one huge black cloud. The city of Black Cloud was built on top of this giant mass of swirling darkness. An immense Formation Array formed a glowing golden platform and a giant dome of bright energy. This bright and shining city looked like a heavenly jewel in comparison to the ominous form it was placed upon.

The funny thing was that Sage knew this was done for the sake of appearance. The dark cloud of water was not solid. Someone had gone to all that trouble to build this city in such a place merely because of how it made such a contrast with the dark water. Or at least that’s what he thought at first. After entering the city and getting a closer look at the array beneath him he realized they’d figured out how to draw energy from the composition of the dark smoke. Yet, he refrained from complimenting the city’s creator as they still chose to put it on top of the dark cloud rather than just beside it. They were still wasting quite a lot of energy to keep it floating in place so it could look more beautiful resting on the cloud. The city would be many times more efficient if it was built on the seabed and merely used the dark smoke as a power source.

Sage wasn’t sure whether it was a requirement of the residents, but the whole aesthetic of the place followed the outside look. The buildings were all formed out of glowing energy constructs of different colors, though none seemed to be allowed to be shining gold like the ground, or a calm white like the dome above. Thankfully, they were as ostentatious on the inside and the interiors were as varied as all the many types of Cultivators present in the city. After seeing a few dozen of their interiors he felt that the people here built buildings from their hometowns and then had to cover them in glowing energy boxes to make them match the local style.

The novelty wore off after a few days while Sage conducted business as usual. Purchase the local specialties and hunt for hidden gems while also selling off the common goods of the Inner World to build up his cash reserves. It was only when he was leaving the city that he finally ran into something unusual. The whole time he was here he’d been focused upon the city of Black Cloud and hadn’t paid much attention to the source of the black smoke. It was only when he was about to leave that he stopped to investigate it. When he did he was instantly captivated.

He swam down to the seafloor and gazed into the huge cracks in the rocks where the smoke was constantly billowing out from. His eyes shifted to release the power of the Sea Locust. He stared down at this impressive natural phenomenon with the many different types of vision he had available. This strange event happened constantly, and this vent was like a volcano constantly locked in a state of eruption, emitting whatever this darkness was made of into the sea for who knows how long. Yet, it was not the smoke that captivated him. It was the source of that smoke.

He gazed down into the huge crevice and saw the swirling of heat and energy, moving and shifting in a way he’d never imagined. This view caused a power within him to react and he stared deep.