chsdbacks Chapter 20 Uninvited Guest
Chapter 20 Uninvited Guest
Sapphire Bay.
The sky was filled with dark, heavy clouds, with flashes of lightning occasionally illuminating the heavens.
Gale-force winds and torrential rains swept mercilessly through Sapphire Bay, and trees with shallow roots were snapped in half by the wind.
Even the usually calm sea surface of Sapphire Bay, due to its unique topography, turned into raging waves after three days of continuous storms and heavy rain. The rising sea level almost completely submerged the original coastline of Sapphire Bay.
This is the final chapter of the Sapphire Bay rainy season.
There are only a few days a year when the mountain barrier of Sapphire Bay fails.
No living thing would venture out in this kind of weather.
However, there are always exceptions.
In the unseen depths of the raging waves, amidst the howling winds of the sea, a gentle song arose.
Indistinct, yet incredibly clear.
"Praise be to Lukor, you ride the tides, protecting the vast ocean..."
"Beneath the stars and moon, beside the abyss, I watch over your people..."
"You give pearls, you give life, you give the peace of the sea..."
A glimmer of light appeared from the raging waves, and then, inexplicably, the sea became calm, and even the omnipresent storm seemed to turn into a gentle breeze and drizzle.
If someone were nearby, they would see a beautiful human girl in the dim light.
But as she slowly rose to the surface, her inhuman nature gradually became apparent... The girl's lower body was a fish's tail.
She held a pearl the size of a fist in her hands, gazing intently at it as she sang a hymn with devotion.
The faint light in the calm sea emanated from this pearl.
In the dim light, many mermaids followed her and rose to the surface, surrounding the girl in the center and singing hymns with her.
"We follow you, King of the Tides, Lord of the Vast Ocean, and we will forever sing your name..."
"Your mercy is with waves, with wind, with shells, with song; the tides never cease."
When the girl finished singing the hymn, the light emanating from the pearl stabilized, calming the surrounding sea.
Princess Ellerys,
A woman with dark green hair swam to the girl's side. She held a staff made of seashells and coral, with a deep-sea pearl at the top that could manipulate the power of the tides. She was surrounded by powerful water elemental magic.
"The Lord of the Lan Hai sensed your piety and bestowed upon you the most powerful divine favor I have ever seen in my life."
The woman looked at the still-growing girl with a face full of satisfaction: "Look how bright the light emanating from the Pearl of the Lan Sea is! Even Her Majesty the Queen herself prayed for it..."
When Her Majesty the Queen was mentioned, the woman's expression shifted from relief to sorrow.
Despite having such outstanding descendants, not only possessing pure bloodlines, but also receiving special favor from the deity worshipped by their mermaid clan—the Lord of the Lan Hai…
But before she had even grown up, she was forced to shoulder the mission of her clan and come to this dangerous place.
Ella reached out and gently smoothed away the frown between the woman's brows with her fingers.
"Aunt Malehir, my mother had to sacrifice herself for the sake of the people. I was just fulfilling her will and doing something insignificant for the people. It's already a small thing."
Seeing that her princess said this, Malehir could only force a smile.
Then, taking advantage of Elarice's inattention, she raised the Tide Staff with one hand and forcefully pressed it against the pearl in Princess Elarice's hand.
The elemental magic that had been accumulating within the staff for some time surged forth from it, transforming into waves that flowed into the pearl.
Although it lasted only a moment before being quickly interrupted by Elarice, her spellcasting skills honed over decades as a priestess were more than enough for her to accomplish what she had been doing.
The pearl's surface was coated with a layer of turquoise blue, and the area enveloped by the shimmering light became even larger.
Looking at her aunt, who seemed to have aged several years in an instant, Ella sighed deeply:
"Aunt Malehir, you know perfectly well that the Pearl of the Blue Sea is a divine object bestowed upon us by our gods. Your magic power simply cannot sustain its operation for long, so why waste so much of it?"
"Don't worry, your period doesn't consume much energy. I just want to lighten your burden. Only if you are well can the mermaid clan have hope."
Ella knew her aunt's temperament, so she didn't say anything more.
Because her mother was always busy, she was basically raised by her aunt, who was a priestess, from a young age.
Both of them are stubborn in nature.
Seeing that Elares was not going to say anything more, Malehir got down to business:
"Alright, Princess, there are only a few days each year when the Lord of Lan Hai is at his strongest, and only then can we enter this ominous land under his protection."
"Before the protection of the Lord of Lan Hai fades, you must complete His trials alone to recharge the Pearl of Lan Hai."
She paused, her expression turning serious:
"In the decades since your mother became queen, she has only successfully completed five charging attempts, so even if you haven't found a suitable sacrifice, you must come back..."
"But..." Elarice interrupted Malehir, "I have to succeed this time. My mother's sacrifice won't last until next year, right?"
Malehir was silent for a moment: "As long as you are here, I believe that the Lord of Lanhai will eventually protect the future of our race."
"That's precisely why I must never let my God down!"
Ilarice's words were spoken with absolute certainty.
She will never leave this ominous place if she cannot recharge the Pearl of the Ocean!
Maraisher wanted to say something, but in the end, he only opened his mouth and couldn't utter a word.
Without further hesitation, the girl took a deep breath, then gripped the Lan Hai Pearl tightly with both hands and slowly pressed it against her chest.
The moment the pearl touched the girl's skin, it seemed to be assimilated by her and sank straight into her chest!
Then, Elarice began to glow from the inside out.
The light grew brighter and brighter until she seemed to transform into a star suspended in the sea, making it impossible to see her figure at all.
As the light faded, the girl's figure slowly emerged from it.
She just didn't submerge halfway into the sea again.
A pair of long, snow-white, rounded legs replaced the fish tail, stepping on the waves.
"We'll be here waiting for you, and if you don't come back, you know I'll keep waiting," Malehir said in a deep voice.
"Okay, I will definitely come back."
The girl said goodbye to her aunt, then turned and walked towards Sapphire Bay, riding the waves.
As the girl disappeared into the distance, the calm sea once again surged with raging waves.
The mermaid guards surrounded the priestess, watching the girl's figure disappear into the waves before exchanging a silent glance and sinking into the water.
……
Inside the stone castle, Allen was unable to go out due to the continuous torrential rain and had to stay indoors to hone his spellcasting skills.
Suddenly, he was drawn to a flash of light outside the window.
But by the time he reached the window, the flash of light had already disappeared.
"Was that lightning?"
Allen was a little confused. Isn't lightning supposed to flash suddenly and then disappear in an instant?
Why does this light seem to be lighting up a little slowly...?
Allen didn't pay much attention, but being disturbed like this, he lost interest in practicing his spellcasting.
In this kind of weather, the activity of the fire element is already suppressed to a minimum, so the training effect is practically negligible.
Allen opened the "Lord's Handbook" and listlessly flipped through the pages.
Suddenly, the changes on the [Territory] map caught his attention.
A special unit, marked as highlighted, has entered his territory!