Merves thinks shapeshifting has fascinating implications!

Some of them are fascinating but incredibly inappropriate to ask about, and he should not say them out loud. Instead, he says, "Areus says you understand magic, and want to understand magic more. Here, we have much more magic than you seem to in your home. Would you like to learn more about it?"

"Yes!" The spirit translates unnecessarily. Because the excitement in Temperance's voice is answer enough.

"Before you are eaten whole by your magic curiosity, can you explain how you got here and how easy is to move between worlds?"

"Right. We figured out how our portals interact with this place, enough that we can find the way here if there is something like you to aim at. This reminds me, is there a place where I can put a beacon for interplanar travel?" He asks that to Merves. "It can wait a day or so."

"I would recommend choosing one place outside the city, for water-breathers, and one place inside; if the influx of refugees is too large, even if they can leave shortly, that will incite a riot. If you want to find a beacon on other planes known to us, you would need to talk to someone who has ever left Water."

"Fair enough. We can start with one outside? First visitors will breathe water. Anyway, tell me about your magic?"

Magic!

Merves doesn't find magic as a concept nearly as interesting (it's one more tool in the toolbox), but he appreciates Temperance's enthusiasm.

Temperance is very appreciative of magic!

Areus likes magic alright, but there is only so much geekiness he can take. He asks if he can be excused, he kinda wants to swim outside the city, maybe find a place for the beacon, but mostly just to stretch his muscles.

They're absorbed enough in their geekiness that Merves just nods and waves dismissively.

Areus leaves them be, proceeding towards the exit of the glass shell.

The dome is somewhat challenging to exit except via magic or portal, but Areus has now had the locations of the major portal-based exits pointed out to him. Using a permanent portal found atop large, perfectly rounded semicircle of a rock, Areus can leave the City of Glass and appear once again in the vast ocean of Water.

Cool. He swims around, absently looking for places where they could put the portal.

Also, maybe he should figure out where the dread bad place is in relation to the City.

Depending on what he's looking for, there are a lot of places to put a portal! Most of the places here are just open ocean, but occasionally, something interesting appears.

For example, this patch of water is a slightly different shade of blue, almost green-ish.

Maybe the bad patch of water? Worth investigating. Luckily being half-serpent means nifty resistance to this sort of thing.

As he gets closer he can see what's wrong with it! Or at least, he can identify the consequences, if not the source. All of the sea life in this area is dead, floating in this greenish-water. At a certain point, he even finds a patch of yellowish-orange water.

Huh, Areus thinks he has seen that happening in the past. How does it feel if he tries to get too close?

His lungs start to feel strained. Something about this water is different than ordinary water, and he's breathing it in. It's getting worse by the second.

...Does it look like this orange water is thin enough that he could go through? This is weird, water isn't supposed to hurt him.

Okay, he really ought to go back. Maybe take a deep breath of clean water before trying again.

There is slightly cleaner water!

And then, momentarily, even cleaner water.

This doesn't resolve the issue, particularly.

Godsdamnit. He will find his way back to inside the City of Glass.

The portal is where he left it.

And then he's inside, where breathing hasn't gotten much easier.