Within the Harem, layers of danger kept closing in.
Outside the Harem, however, the Science Kingdom members stationed in the cave had never let their guard down for a moment.
Ever since the Mechanical Mouse successfully delivered the platinum, excitement had swept through the entire cave.
Senku held the platinum grain, gleaming with a cool silver light, between his fingertips, his eyes blazing with excitement.
"We did it."
"With enough platinum, we can mass-produce Revival Fluid."
Nearby, Gen Asagiri leaned against the stone wall. Watching the excited Senku, he spoke up.
"But, Senku dear~"
"Everyone's fragments are really difficult to collect right now."
He gestured at their surroundings. "We've searched the shallow water along the beach several times. We've pretty much recovered everything there. All the remaining pieces are in the deep sea."
"Even the longest a human can hold their breath won't get them to the deep seabed. An ordinary person starts feeling pressure in their chest after just a few seconds underwater. Go a little deeper, and they'll be forced to surface for air before they can even touch a fragment."
"Right now, we can only recover pieces from the coastal shallows. The deep sea is a complete blind spot. We simply don't have enough air to get down there."
Watermelon, Ukyo, and Nikki all nodded in agreement.
Lately, they had gone out searching for fragments almost every day.
They had already found every hero fragment they could reach.
Ukyo quietly added his own explanation.
"The water pressure in the deep sea is extremely intense. Even if someone forced themselves to dive while holding their breath, they wouldn't have enough time, and their body couldn't withstand the pressure either. It's far too dangerous to be practical."
Senku stood silently before the workbench, tapping its surface with his fingertips