On the third floor of the Fairy Tavern.
A sudden light illuminated the dim room, revealing the faces of the three figures who had been hiding in the shadows.
These three figures belonged to the human, giant, and fairy races, respectively.
The one who had turned on the light was a pure-blood whale merman.
If any adventurer or pirate in the Dusk Sea could enter this room on the third floor, they would have instantly recognized these four figures by name:
Stanley Moore, human, the Shadow King of the Five Kings of the Dusk Sea.
Ian Fitzgerald, giant, the Wind-Calming King of the Five Kings of the Dusk Sea.
Camilla Soto, fairy, the Frozen King of the Five Kings of the Dusk Sea.
Gregory Hunter, merman, the Myriad Spirit King of the Five Kings of the Dusk Sea.
At this moment, four of the Five Kings of the Dusk Sea were gathered in the Fairy Tavern. What they were discussing was, naturally, the Heron Empire’s suppression campaign that had shaken the entire sea.
“Gareth is dead. Does anyone have their eyes on the territory he left behind?”
Gregory, the Myriad Spirit King, sat back in his wooden chair after turning on the light and asked the question.
The Shadow King said with a forced smile, “I’m satisfied with my current territory. I have no plans to expand into the Mad Shark King’s domain for the time being.”
The Wind-Calming King also waved his hand. “I still have many problems to settle in my own territory. I’m not interested in taking over the Mad Shark King’s land.”
The Frozen King glanced at the two before her and added, “Since you aren't interested, I don't want it either. That territory is all yours if you want it, Gregory.”
“I don't want it even if you give it to me,” the Myriad Spirit King shrugged. “Since none of us want it, let the people below fight over it. We’ll see how long it takes them to push up a new king.”
The Myriad Spirit King looked at the other three, and none of them objected to this arrangement.
As veteran rulers who had held their positions for decades, they had survived this long by being extremely cautious and knowing exactly which way the wind was blowing.
Leon Douglas had just defeated the Mad Shark King and was currently at the height of his influence, having cleared a “No Merman Power Zone” north of Endless Bay.
He was clearly sending a message to everyone else in the Dusk Sea:
I don’t care if you run wild in other parts of the Dusk Sea.
But if you dare cross north of Endless Bay and approach the Heron coast, I will gather my forces and wipe you out!
With the Mad Shark King as a cautionary tale, these kings—whose strength was comparable to Gareth’s—had no desire to cross Leon Douglas right now.
After all, taking down a peak Gold-rank mage in just ten minutes was truly terrifying!
Furthermore, unlike the Mad Shark King, these four veteran kings did not rely on plunder to survive.
Their factions had operated in the Dusk Sea for years, controlling multiple islands. Their way of life wasn't centered on raiding merchant ships.
Therefore, nominally, they preferred to call themselves “adventurers” rather than “pirates.”
Even if they occasionally raided a passing merchant ship, they didn't indulge in the wanton slaughter of crew members or take them as slaves.
As long as the crew was willing to pay a certain fee, these factions usually wouldn't strip the ship bare. Instead, they would often provide an escort until the ship left their waters.
In short, while these veteran kings did engage in burning, killing, and looting, strictly speaking... they didn't consider themselves villains.
The Mad Shark King was different. His childhood experiences had caused him to go completely mad and turn to the dark side. Once he grew powerful, he murdered his father, killed his mother, and slaughtered his own tribe.
Then, relying on his persona as a crazed, blackened dog, he would bite and snap at everyone.
The other four kings didn't want to get dirty, so they didn't bother arguing with the Mad Shark King over minor matters.
Seeing this, the Mad Shark King believed his madness had intimidated the other four. He became increasingly reckless and arrogant, acting as if the whole world owed him.
Now that the Mad Shark King had been killed in ten minutes by Leon Douglas, the four kings naturally viewed it with indifference, thinking to themselves, “Good riddance.”
Having quickly decided the fate of the Mad Shark King’s remaining territory, the Shadow King smiled and said, “Perfect. Now that the Mad Shark King is dead, there’s one less faction to share the spoils with when we explore that ruin.”
The Frozen King frowned. “But without the Mad Shark King to act as cannon fodder in the lead, we have no one to physically scout for traps. The casualties for the exploration will increase significantly.”
The Shadow King replied dismissively, “If it comes to that, each of us can contribute one or two thousand gold coins to buy alchemical golems from the exchange for scouting.”
The Wind-Calming King nodded. “That’s a good suggestion.”
“Some traps cannot be detected by alchemical golems,” the Frozen King said, her brow still furrowed.
The Shadow King threw up his hands. “Then what do you suggest? We’re talking about exploring a ruin left by the Burns Merman Court from a thousand years ago. Do you think it’s possible to enter unscathed without losing any men?”
The Frozen King’s brow tightened as she glanced at the Shadow King, her tone heavy. “You talk about losing men so lightly, but how can the reproductive rate of my fairy race compare to that of humans?”
“For every ten human infants born, there isn't even one fairy.”
“To you, it might just be a number, but to me, every clansman lost is a heavy blow to my power.”
Hearing this, the Shadow King said indifferently, “That’s a problem for your fairy race. What does it have to do with me? Or do you want my brothers to help your fairies with some breeding? I wouldn't be against that. As for the price... let’s say twenty gold coins per person.”
The Frozen King’s face darkened instantly, and a staff shimmering with a crystalline pink glow appeared in her hand. “What did you say?!”
The Shadow King’s expression also turned sour. “What? The lives of your fairies matter, but the lives of my brothers don’t?”
“That’s enough, you two.” At this tense moment, the Myriad Spirit King and the Wind-Calming King stepped in to stop the two who were perpetually at odds.
The Myriad Spirit King said, “Stanley is right that personnel losses are inevitable when exploring ruins.”
“However, I also understand that the fairy race is small, and losing any compatriot is a major blow.”
“In that case, Camilla, you will bear a larger share of the cost for purchasing the scouting alchemical golems. In exchange, you can assign fewer fairies to the exploration team. How does that sound?”
Under the Myriad Spirit King’s mediation, the Frozen King remained frowning but eventually gave a slight nod of agreement.
“Then it’s settled. We will purchase the alchemical golems within three days and head to Cecil Island to explore the ruins together,” the Myriad Spirit King declared.
With the discussion of the ruins concluded, the four kings moved on to exchanging intelligence.
The Shadow King spoke first, looking at the other three. “Have any of you encountered monsters capable of turning invisible while at sea?”
Rate on N.U.
