Chapter 296: Sea Beasts

Chapter 296: Sea Beasts

The attack came swift and fierce. Before the warning screams had fully faded, the invaders were already charging towards various spots. At this moment, Ge Yin finally got a clear look at the monster pouncing right before his eyes.

This monster looked like a jackal enlarged many times over, with limbs that were too thick and appeared out of proportion, and a long tail like a crocodile’s. When it pounced forward, stood on its hind legs, and swung its sharp claws, the webbing between its fingers and toes was clearly visible. Its rough skin had no hair at all, and the oil secreted on its body surface reflected a faint glimmer, much like scattered light on the sea surface.

Some brave Attendants rushed forward and tangled with the monster, which made Ge Yin breathe a sigh of relief. Good, the suddenly appearing monster was not too power ful. During the struggle, another Attendant joined the fight, hoping to quickly resolve the trouble in front of them, while the others protected Ge Yin as he quickly retreated backward.

Hearing the growing sounds of people behind him, the two Attendants who had blocked the monster earlier retreated safely. Ge Yin stopped and looked towards the ships on the sea; they were all still safe and sound for now.

Most of the people at this location were laborers who had been captured and brought here, along with a small number of guards. Ge Yin had only appeared here at night on a whim.

For this long-distance migration, they had prepared for the worst. Even most of the accompanying women were equipped with swords. People understood that blood and fire were hard to avoid when trying to open up new land in unfamiliar territories. They just hadn’t expected that the usually safe base would be attacked by wild beasts.

The Wizard, who had neglected his duty due to a moment of carelessness, ran over looking somewhat disheveled, holding a short sword still dripping with blood. Before he could steady himself, Ge Yin asked loudly, “How many more are there?”

“Only about a hundred or so right in front of us.”

“Check again. Are there any other threats around here?”

Upon hearing this, the Wizard fell silent for a long moment before confirming again, “No other threats. Only these hundred or so beasts in front of us.” He looked at Ge Yin’s somewhat gloomy expression. “I’m sorry. I was careless and fell asleep for a moment.”

“First thing tomorrow morning, you will go out to sea to inspect the nearby waters.”

Ge Yin did not look at him again. Instead, he frowned and stared at the beasts that were still running wild and reveling on the beach. The Scholars did not clear out these beasts at night but held their ground to receive the people constantly escaping. It wasn’t until dawn, when the beasts that had reveled all night were exhausted, that the cleanup operation began.

This seemed to be just a sudden, accidental event. No abnormalities were found in the nearby sea either. For the Scholars, the losses from this incident were not great, with most of the dead and injured being unarmed laborers, but it caused quite a bit of trouble. Reassuring the panicked laborers and cleaning up the scattered camp would inevitably cause a delay of several days.

Ge Yin felt somewhat anxious. In his intuition, a huge shadow was rushing towards this place.

The group of inexplicably appearing sea beasts seemed more like they were forced to migrate. They might be escaping danger, which was why they ended up attacking this place by chance. All their reactions were based on instinct, seizing a new piece of territory to settle down.

Ge Yin hid in his tent, looking at the ocean current directions marked on the nautical chart before him, guessing where these beasts came from. He had to figure out where the danger was coming from, to avoid the migrating fleet running headlong into it.

The camp being attacked was not seen as a good thing in the eyes of many, but Ge Yin secretly felt relieved. Discovering the problem now was much better than encountering danger on the vast, open sea.

Just as Ge Yin was deep in thought, new news arrived: a larger group of sea beasts had been spotted to the west.

…

That day, the captured laborers received good news. After completing this loading, the Scholars would let them go home. And to thank them for their hard work during this period, they would be given a certain amount of payment.

The Scholars kept their word. Not long after the announcement was made, they brought out the money boxes…

Some of the sick and injured were also sent home early by the Scholars. The Scholars promised that those who stayed would receive more compensation after the work was finished.

This move immediately excited the laborers, sweeping away their previous gloom. Vitality returned to this group of people, and their work enthusiasm soared to unprecedented heights.

After much hesitation, Ge Yin finally made up his mind to give up on taking these laborers, who were originally planned to be taken along. It was better to just take the Scholars away this time. As for the laborers, they could figure something out once they got to the other side. This place was no longer a good place to stay for long.

Three days later, the Scholars fulfilled their promise. They gave this place to the laborers, then raised their sails and quickly disappeared on the sea surface.

The laborers stood on the beach, looking at each other in confusion. Days of moving work had made them aware that this base was still intact, with its remaining supplies piled up like mountains.

And it was just given to them?

People fell into a brief state of shock. Suddenly losing control and constraints did not make them feel freedom and ease. Instead, they felt somewhat at a loss.

Breathing gradually became heavier, finally turning into cheers. People began to jump and dance for joy, and the camp gradually fell into chaos. Fighting, scrambling, and then they had to face a reality: many of the supplies were difficult to handle by individual strength alone.

Although they were laborers, they had been under strict management for quite a long time. A trace of something called order and cooperation had not yet faded from them. So, following their usual work habits, these laborers reformed into a whole. They cleaned up the scattered camp, pondered deeply over this wealth, hoping to find a real solution.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed. Even minor Nobles nearby had faintly heard the news and were preparing to come and snatch it. Most of the laborers were also mentally and physically exhausted by this huge amount of property and fell into a deep sleep in the Night, completely forgetting the bloody Night not long ago.

Waves gently lapped against the beach, and the sound of wading through water rose again. Countless figures slowly emerged from the sea. They quietly walked across the beach towards the not-too-distant camp…

…

By the time Bran in far-off Northland City received the news, more than a month had passed since the incident. The southernmost coastline had completely fallen. South Cape and Lianhai had not put up any resistance and had directly retreated inland.

What made Bran feel most incredible was that, after a lot of dawdling, these two countries actually hadn’t sent out any warning signals. If the City of Wisdom hadn’t noticed something was wrong, it was hard to say how long this news would have been hidden.

When he heard about the situation in the far south, Bran actually breathed a sigh of relief. If the threat had to kill its way from the far south to reach him, it would have to cut a bloody path through every country on the Continent, and he would have plenty of time to observe his opponents.

Now, the Cedar Kingdom had already begun sending more troops to the border. However, this country had been at peace for too long, and its military strength was worrisome. But the ones who should really be worried were its neighbors, like the City of Wisdom. He could sit here peacefully and watch the excitement for a while.

Huahua had already woken from her deep sleep, and Primordial Magic from the Sea of Magic began to surge out of her body continuously. Because of this, Bran could temporarily leave Northland City and wander about.

But this wasn’t enough. He needed to allow both himself and Huahua to leave Northland City at the same time. Because only when he was together with Huahua were they at their strongest. So, he still focused most of his effort on refining the Water Orb inside him, occasionally practicing movements in the Void…