CHAPTER 484: 421

Gale-force winds surged from all directions, enveloping the entire fleet; nearly every three-masted sailing ship faced the onslaught of the merfolk. The one solace for the exiles was that due to the merfolk’s undersea way of life, their weapons were extremely primitive, mostly fashioned from seafloor rock and shells, and struggled to pierce the hulls of the three-masted ships.

Blood kept dripping. These exiles and the merfolk had once been allies, and now they had turned against each other.

But regardless of who killed whom or who was killed by whom, it would not affect the friendship between the Undersea Kingdom and the Nus Kingdom. This naval melee would never be recorded in the histories of either side.

Nimirda loosed arrow after arrow, having lost count of the number of merfolk he had slain. He was merely directing the elves instinctively, steadying the morale of his troops.

In the end, the merfolk were driven back to the sea. The deck was piled with bodies from both sides, and cries of mourning for lost loved ones spread amid the rain, as the people of Logos grieved.

The fleet was tossed about by the waves; the storm whipped up the sea, darkening the sky and land, while thick clouds loomed overhead. The retreating merfolk manipulated the currents, attempting to crash the ships of Logos into one another.

Soon, two three-masted ships collided, entangling with one another, and dozens of elves were thrown overboard by the impact.

Upon seeing this, Nimirda immediately called on the Logos people to shoot down the merfolk in the water from the deck. With that order, hundreds of arrows plunged into the sea. Nobody would have imagined that one day the exquisite archery of the Logos people would be used against their own kin.

The storm grew fiercer, the clouds thicker, lightning thundering, and rain furiously lashed down. The ships quaked like in an earthquake upon the high seas.

The waves grew larger each time, like the grudge of the merfolk, and the Logos people fought for survival amidst the destruction, some even diving into the water to fight the Merfolk. In the end, even the sea was littered with bodies, its waters stained red.

Thanks to the resolute resistance of the exiles, the vengeance-seeking merfolk were finally defeated thoroughly. In the end, they did not succeed in consigning the Logos people to the depths.

The clouds began to disperse, and Nimirda breathed in deeply, then exhaled heavily.

The residual fine rain fell beneath the night sky, washing the blood from the deck. Wherever one looked, there were bodies from both sides. The three-masted ships hummed with a buzzing tremor, as if weeping for this senseless slaughter.

The Logos people did not celebrate this hard-won victory. They suffered heavy losses in the night attack, with injuries throughout the fleet, and three of the three-masted ships were severely damaged, one sinking directly into the sea. Fortunately, most of the Logos people had transferred to other ships before it sank.

Beyond these visible damages, the Logos people also had to deal with the merfolk who hadn’t fled in time. Some merfolk hid in the shadows, launching sudden attacks when the Logos people let down their guard, before leaping back into the water to escape. The venomous snakes left by the merfolk were even harder to cope with; a bite from them meant days of suffering, if not death.

Nimirda listened to the reports from his subordinates while directing the aftermath. Fortunately, this Elf Prince was an exceptional leader, his fleet finally stabilizing by the next day’s dawn.

"Prince, how shall we deal with the captive merfolk?"

A subordinate reported this and also offered his suggestion,

"Shall we execute them all?"

Nimirda’s eyes were filled with weary blood vessels as he promptly said,

"No, bring them before me...

We must rely on these merfolk if we are to avoid the upcoming storms."

Before long, under Nimirda’s orders, the captured merfolk were brought before the Elf Prince, who stood up and scrutinized each one in turn.

To his surprise, Nimirda recognized a familiar face.

"Po Han..."

Nimirda stared at the Merfolk Envoy before him.

Po Han raised his head, his face full of hatred as he glared intently at Nimirda.

Beneath that hatred, there was a hint of confusion.

Po Han was practically unrelated to this night attack by the merfolk.

He was following this fleet alone and had no opportunity to participate in the night raid, nor was he aware of it beforehand.

But he was unlucky. During the rescue of his injured merfolk brethren, he was captured by the Logos people and brought before Nimirda.

Nimirda glanced over at Po Han, then began to interrogate the captured merfolk one by one.

Soon, it was Po Han’s turn.

The Merfolk Envoy was forced to kneel before Nimirda, subjected to his scrutiny.

Once, Nimirda was the prisoner, but now the situation had reversed.

On Nimirda’s desk, a pitch-black venomous snake was trapped in a delicate cage, coiling its body and hissing at the Elf Prince.

It was the poisonous snake of the captured Merfolk.

"Venomous snake... your Merfolk do take pleasure in keeping such poisonous creatures."

Nimirda said slowly,

"While interrogating your first two companions, this snake slithered out and nearly bit my neck."

"Why didn’t it kill you?"

Po Han asked bitterly.

Nimirda smiled noncommittally and pointed to the chair at his feet,

"I simply sat here, motionless, watching it. You know, it retracted and bowed its head."

Po Han’s breath tightened.

He felt an inexplicable pressure emanating from Nimirda.

"Does this signify anything?"

Nimirda asked.

Po Han shook his head stiffly.

"God has bestowed a mission upon me; He extended a helping hand, stopped the venomous snake from advancing and made it submit."

Nimirda spoke calmly and authoritatively, with unfaltering conviction.

Po Han fell into a vortex of half belief, half skepticism.

A moment of luck could be coincidental, but continuous fortune... seemed... only explainable by a miracle.

"...What do you want to do?"

After a moment, Po Han came back to his senses and asked,

"How do you plan to deal with us?"

Nimirda replied tersely,

"It’s simple. You guide us away from the storms, and we will grant you safe passage."

Po Han did not refuse. As the saying goes, ’They are the pawns while others hold the knife.’ He was acutely aware of his predicament and asked aloud,

"How can we be sure that you will keep your word?"

Nimirda spoke slowly,

"We are not negotiating. You Merfolk have no choice but to trust us as much as possible."

Just as Nimirda had said, the captured Merfolk had no choice. To save their lives, they had to serve these Exiles dutifully.

And Po Han, who had once been a Merfolk Envoy, submitted to Nimirda for the sake of his kin, becoming Nimirda’s assistant in managing the Merfolk captives. To some of his brethren, this was undoubtedly treason, but Po Han persisted.

During the ensuing journey, no large-scale Merfolk attacks occurred. There were only minor harassments, which ceased completely as the fleet gradually moved away from the boundaries of the Undersea Kingdom.

Dozens of days passed, and the fleet sailed on, collecting resources from uninhabited islands along the way.

Eventually, after the hardships of a long sea voyage began to show on the weary faces of the Logosians, a corner of land appeared on the distant horizon after half a year’s journey.

The hope that had died down was rekindled fervently, spreading from one to ten, ten to a hundred. The Exiles cheered and praised God’s grace, chanting Nimirda’s name. This arduous voyage was destined not to be remembered in the annals of the Nus Kingdom but to be recorded in the history of the New Kingdom.

The world was so vast, and these Logosians, having left their homeland, had arrived at a new, untouched world. In subsequent ages, they would be known as the Sovereign Elves, as opposed to the Mountain Elves of the Nus Kingdom.