"What?!" Talon blurted out unconsciously when he heard the number. It immediately struck his mind where he least expected it. "A few million kilometers in depth? That's ridiculous."
"It is pretty deep. Usually, Aetherial Lakes go deep enough to reach the core of the planet. In this planet's case, it's a few million kilometers down to the core, so it goes that deep. The amount of water in such a seamless lake is unfathomable." She replied with an impressed look on her face.
Even though Acrypha was knowledgeable about this phenomenon, she still finds it fascinating to talk about. These lakes are the perfect example of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'. They looked small, almost like puddles of water. But, their depth and history were simply unfathomable.
"Wow..." Staring back at the Lake, the light in Talon's eyes changed. At first, he didn't think much of them, but now he understood how terrifying these lakes are. "But, if someone falls here, or if someone puts their hand in it, wouldn't it be a problem?"
"Hmm, not really. Aetheris-imbued water doesn't get dirty even if you try to pollute it. Aetheris naturally purifies it and disintegrates all harmful substances in it. As for drowning. Well, most people can't drown in it because they have Aetheris in their bodies which makes them float in it automatically. That doesn't mean that you cannot drown though, as it all depends on you." She explained.
"Hmm, very convenient to know."
'If I end up in a sea of this water in the future, at least I won't have to worry about drowning if nothing attacks me. My title Sea Hunter would also help greatly.' He thought to himself as he finally took a handful of water and drank from it.
"Mmm, delicious." He murmured with a satisfied look on his face. This was by far the freshest water he had ever drunk by a far margin. It felt so pleasurable going down his throat and it rejuvenated his Aetheris even more.
"Here, drink some too." Saying that, he extended his hand for Acrypha to try it.
"Is that really fine?"
"Of course, oh wait, my bad! Haha, you can drink on your own." He said with a laugh as he was about to pull his arm. "My hand might be dir-"
Before he could even finish the sentence, Acrypha grabbed his arm and pulled it toward her before she put her lips on the palm of his hand. She used her other hand to put a few strands of her hair behind her ear.
Talon watched that happen with slightly widened eyes. He didn't think Acrypha would actually drink from his hand and for some reason, it appeared very sensual in his eyes. Such a one of a kind beauty was using his hand to drink water, it was weirdly a pleasant feeling to experience.
Eventually, Acrypha pulled herself away as she licked her beautiful, red lips. "Mm, not bad." She said with a smile.
"..." Talon blinked silently as he looked at her.
"What?"
"... Nothing." He replied as he turned away and pretended as if nothing happened. He didn't want her to tease him seeing him blush. "Ehem, in any case, let's continue moving. I don't have much time left for exploration so I have to go back."
There were a few hours left before he needed to go back to the inn and meet up with Emino. After recently discovering that he could coat his hands with Azure Flames and even coat his weapons with them, he was eager to practice this new discovery. It was such a game-changer for him that he can't simply ignore it.
If he could master such a technique, not only was his attack power going to evolve to a whole new level, he also would be able to face enemies way stronger than him. He already can do that with his base stats, so imagining the change this buff could do on him was mouth-watering.
With that, Talon jumped on top of the building and started heading back to the inn. He wanted to find a quiet area where he could train without worrying about someone bothering him.
Even without sensing anything from him, Talon could tell that he wasn't normal.
After a while, he approached the counter with careful steps. But, that didn't seem to wake the boy up. So, Talon opted for a more deliberate approach.
"Ehem, ehem!!" Coughing loudly, Talon tried to catch the boy's attention. However, that didn't seem to work too.
'What a deep sleeper!' Talon sighed as he spoke. "Excuse me! Is this shop open?"
No response still.
"Hey, you! Snap out of it?!"
Still no reply.
"Wake up, you idiot!!"
"I am already awake, goddammit! Stop screaming!"
At that moment, the boy suddenly opened his eyes as he yelled back in an annoyed tone. Talon stared at him with a surprised look.
"Do you not understand the signs? I was pretending not to hear you!" The boy yelled again.
"I thought you were asleep."
"Nobody can stay asleep with you being in the same room. You couldn't be any louder, my friend!" The boy retorted as he rolled his eyes.
'This little shit...' Talon was on the verge of snapping at the boy but then decided to calm down and take a deep breath. As obnoxious as this boy was, it was their first time meeting so he had to be the mature one.
"I saw the sign that says 'Open' on the door so I thought you were working. Who can guess that you didn't want any customers?"
"Tsk, tsk, you do not get it, my friend. That sign is just for courtesy. It's there the entire day, every day. The truth is, I do not want any customers." The boy shrugged as he stepped down from his
'What kind of dumb logic is that?! Why do you have an open shop if you don't want any customers?' Talon blinked as he tried to understand what the boy just said.
"Anyway, since you are here and since I'm awake, I might as well give you an exception. Welcome to Merit's Emporium, I am the owner, Merit. The greatest merchant in every dimension." He said as he extended his hand to Talon.
A//N: Any kind of support would be much appreciated, thanks for reading.