Chapter 5: Ancient Sea

Chapter 5: The Ancient Sea

Jiang Xun didn’t rush to move Liu Hai into the ecological tank. Instead, he sat on the deck and explained, "The sea we are in right now is called the Ancient Sea."

"Oh—" Liu Hai chimed in cooperatively, "I know the Arctic Ocean."

Jiang Xun looked slightly surprised. "Really? You actually know about that. Perhaps we can trace the ocean currents to figure out which era you originally came from."

Liu Hai’s tail fin twitched slightly, a little embarrassed. "Heh, it’s not that impressive…" Then he suddenly realized, "Wait—era?"

"Mhm." Jiang Xun nodded gently. "This Ancient Sea is quite special—and dangerous. A severe experimental accident once happened here, disrupting every part of the marine ecosystem. The seawater turned into toxic, hallucinogenic, and highly corrosive water, and the creatures living in it underwent various mutations. Most became much more aggressive."

"But that’s not the main problem."

"The main problem is… that experiment was originally meant to create a time machine capable of traveling through time."

Liu Hai blinked in confusion. "Time travel? A time machine?"

"Yes. Let me think of a way to explain it so you can understand." Jiang Xun frowned slightly, seemingly struggling for once to explain something in a way someone else could grasp. After all, most of the time, if others couldn’t follow his explanations, he’d simply express regret and move on.

"Okay." Liu Hai waited patiently for him to find the right words.

Xiao Jin whispered advice to Jiang Xun, "Boss, use fewer descriptive terms. Try narrative sentences—don’t make it sound like a lab report. Make it sound like a story!"

Jiang Xun closed his eyes briefly, then started again. "Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Ein. He decided to build a time machine as his graduation project."

"Everyone mocked his outlandish idea, and because of that, he never graduated."

"The eccentric disappeared without a trace. People assumed he’d settled into obscurity, but in truth, he never gave up on his dream."

"He worked among pirates and poachers, taking any job that paid, until finally, deep in the ocean, he built his own laboratory."

Liu Hai listened intently, his heart rate and other vital signs gradually stabilizing—this time, he recovered from his air sensitivity symptoms faster than before.

Jiang Xun glanced at his readings and quietly exhaled in relief before continuing. "He dedicated his whole life to the time machine of his dreams. And finally, just when he felt his dying days approaching, he managed to activate that dormant machine at the bottom of the sea."

Liu Hai couldn’t help asking, "What happened?"

"I already told you his fate at the start—there was an experimental accident here." Jiang Xun said calmly. "His experiment failed. Gravitational turbulence tore his lab apart. The deep-sea pressure and warped space ripped him to shreds, and the leaked experimental materials caused devastating damage to this place."

"Ah…" Liu Hai let out a sigh.

"However." Jiang Xun gazed at the oddly hued sea. "The accident caused something no one expected—time rifts appeared in the deep sea. Occasionally, objects—or even living beings—from other times would drift into our era by mistake."

He looked at Liu Hai with a faint smile. "Like you."

Liu Hai tilted his head thoughtfully, though he only half-understood, and pretended to ponder deeply.

"We’re also trying to heal this sea. Beyond just waiting for time to heal it, we hope to intervene artificially and speed up its recovery." Jiang Xun leaned back, letting the sea breeze wash over him. "But for now, we’re helpless against the time distortions beneath the waves."

"So, since we can’t eliminate it, we’ve decided to study and utilize it instead."

"We collect fragments lost in the currents of time, trying to piece together the shape of the civilization before the ecological collapse. We rescue lives that wander into this world, hoping to save them before the Ancient Sea consumes them."

He exhaled softly. "You might not realize it, but you must have experienced countless miracles to have made it here unharmed."

"Really?" Liu Hai looked surprised but quickly accepted it. "I’ve always had good luck!"

Jiang Xun chuckled quietly. "Then I hope your luck never runs out."

"The poachers you first encountered were just low-level thugs among outlaws. They entered the Ancient Sea with nothing but a single fishing net—probably just hoping to dredge up antiques to sell. They never imagined they’d haul up a treasure such as yourself."

Liu Hai pointed at himself in surprise. "Treasure?"

"Yes." Jiang Xun said gently. "In this era, you’re an incredibly rare treasure."

Liu Hai accepted the praise without hesitation. "I was pretty amazing in my own era too!"

After all, not every seal can become a spirit, you know!

"I believe it." Jiang Xun’s eyes warmed with amusement. "Those poachers left you completely exposed to the Ancient Sea, dragged you up from the depths without even adjusting for pressure, then left you unprotected against this era’s air…"

He took a deep breath. "The fact that you’re unharmed is nothing less than a miracle."

Liu Hai tilted his head bashfully. "It’s not that impressive…"

Jiang Xun couldn’t help laughing. "And for us, finding someone who can share information about the past era is also a miracle."

"Do you remember what happened before you arrived here?"

Liu Hai looked thoughtful, then sneakily glanced at Jiang Xun before asking, "First, let me ask—do you have… monsters here? Or immortals?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Jiang Xun’s face. "You mean… the kind of characters that only appear in fantasy literature?"

Liu Hai: "…Got it."

"Then I’ll put it in terms you’ll understand."

If that was the case, there was no point mentioning "divine trials" or "transformation"—clearly, he wouldn’t get it.

Liu Hai stated bluntly, "Before I came here…"

"I got struck by lightning."

Jiang Xun: "…"

His usually sharp expression went blank for a moment. After a pause, he blinked and clarified, "You’re saying you were hit by lightning, got caught in a temporal rift, exposed to the Ancient Sea, endured extreme pressure changes, arrived in an unfamiliar space, and only ended up with… minor air adaptation issues?"

Liu Hai raised a finger to correct him. "Not just struck by lightning."

"I got zapped over and over."

Jiang Xun: "…"

A Yu whispered to Xiao Jin, "I’ve never seen the Boss look like that before."

Xiao Jin stifled a laugh. "Shh, shh!"

Jiang Xun sighed helplessly, propping his head on his hand. "If someone told me a story like that, I’d suggest they label it as a fairy tale."

Liu Hai said innocently, "I’m telling the truth."

Jiang Xun met his eyes and gave a wry smile. "Alright, I’ll believe you—for now."

"So, can you promise me that at least until your air adaptation issues disappear, you won’t wander off on your own?"

Liu Hai nodded obediently. "But what exactly is this ‘air adaptation’ thing you keep talking about?"

"According to scholars' speculation, the air composition varies across different eras. Sudden exposure to another era's atmosphere may cause adverse symptoms like dizziness, rapid breathing, or even cardiac arrest," Jiang Xun explained, looking at him. "You're only experiencing preliminary dizziness."

Liu Hai had an epiphany: "Oh—"

"All that complicated talk just means it's just jet lag across time!"

Jiang Xun: "Well..."

He grudgingly admitted, "I guess you could say that, more or less."

Liu Hai thumped his chest proudly: "No need to worry, I'm very healthy."

"Alright, alright." Jiang Xun gave a tired chuckle. "Then shall we head back now? There's a specially designed habitat tank for ancient creatures. We'll gradually equalize the air pressure over several days to help you adapt."

"Once observations confirm you no longer show adverse reactions, you'll be good to go outside."

"Though that'll have to wait until after we return from the trip to the Ancient Sea."

Jiang Xun cracked a smile. "Swimming in ancient seas is quite a trip, after all."

"Okay." Liu Hai blurted out, "Is there... a regular ocean here too?"

"There is." Jiang Xun nodded slightly. "After confirming your ability to live independently in this era, we'll respect your preferences and give you your freedom."

As Liu Hai's condition stabilized, several crew members arrived and heaved him up onto a stretcher.

Just as they were about to transport him back to the tank, Liu Hai stopped Jiang Xun: "Wait..."

Noticing Liu Hai's eyes fixed on the sea surface, Jiang Xun paused before saying gently, "I'm sorry. If you're hoping to return to your own time... there's just no way we can facilitate that right now."

"Oh." Liu Hai responded with some but not crushing disappointment. "That's alright. Thank you."

"Then..." Jiang Xun asked, "How should we address you?"

"Liu Hai," came the honest reply.

The name originated long ago when an overexcited explorer, all fired up about naming rights, had scribbled out some characters in snow for selection.

He'd chosen these two—one for the "Hai" (sea) he loved, and the other because...

Only such a fancy character could properly honor the Seal King!

That complex first character would require actual hands to write—impossible for ordinary seals!

Oh no!

Liu Hai suddenly realized with alarm that he hadn't recalled these characters for so long, the exact stroke count of "Liu" was getting hazy...

The seal went deep in thought.

Watching Liu Hai safely returned to the tank, Jiang Xun finally relaxed.

Behind him, Xiao Jin was awkwardly hopping on one foot, having lost a shoe.

She hesitantly asked, "Boss... will we really let him go eventually? Such a once-in-a-lifetime find—I doubt the company or all those research groups would willingly part with him."

"We must respect his autonomy." Jiang Xun remained composed. "Forcing confinement could harm his mental health if he truly desires freedom."

"Moreover, as a sentient being, we could work out check-in visits for health checkups. With discussion, he might even agree to wear a tracker..."

Xiao Jin's expression got weird.

Jiang Xun glanced sideways: "What?"

"It's just..." She rubbed her nose. "Someone on campus forums ran this poll about whether you'd become tender in a relationship. 99% voted Dr. Jiang Xun would stay cold forever."

A Yu mused: "Apparently it's just toward humans."

Jiang Xun turned back: "Ridiculous."

"Go file your reports."

Author's Note:

Current Jiang Xun: I'll respect your wishes when it's time to leave.

Future Jiang Xun: I said no such thing.