Chapter 8: Are You Stupid or Am I Stupid!?

As one of the world’s edges, the East Sea is incredibly vast, said to extend far beyond the land that can be explored in the entire primordial land.

Most of the area is either deserted or occupied by various marine creatures, but occasionally, islands dot the sea like stars, serving as resting places for passing ships and some local beings.

Here, in this realm distinct from the land, the intelligent races worship the Sea Goddess Vail. While there are no fixed sects or forms of worship, this belief certainly exists.

Many island tribes even hold grand ceremonies on specific holidays to honor the Sea Goddess, praying for favorable weather and protection from storms and wild waves in the future.

But whether this is effective is a matter of perspective.

One day later, the recently returned Noah’s Ark arrived near a relatively close island.

Although several closer, smaller islands were discovered during Vilyric’s earlier scan, they were merely tiny islands of a few dozen to a hundred square kilometers at most, populated only by some lower-intelligence small animals and rarely by magical beasts, rendering them insignificant for landing.

In contrast, this island not only spans a large area but also forms a considerable island group alongside several neighboring islands, likely totaling thousands of square kilometers.

Upon realizing it, Vilyric quickly withdrew her consciousness without further scanning to avoid startling the local beings, but just from her preliminary observations, the presence of a large-scale intelligent civilization on the island was evident. This tribe could likely rank among the notable groups across the entire East Sea.

Standing on the deck of Noah’s Ark, Vilyric gazed at the swarm of humanoid creatures that appeared in response to their proximity to the island, weapons in hand, prepared for confrontation, and nodded to herself.

The diversity of races in the primordial land indeed surpasses that of the Ancient Spirit Realm, which is populated solely by humans and naturally born spirit beasts and demons. It truly lives up to its reputation as the first world of all origins.

This is the tribe of Mermen.

As a crucial component of the complex biological chain in the primordial land, Mermen are active in oceans, lakes, and river basins worldwide. While they rely on water, they are not as helpless as fish would be without it.

Overall, they could be categorized as amphibious creatures.

Mermen have an upper body shape very similar to humans, while their lower limbs can flexibly transform according to the environment. On land, they walk on two legs, but upon entering the water, their legs become tails more suited for swimming, resembling the mermaid from fairy tales.

By human standards, Mermen would probably be classified as magical beasts. However, this label is merely a broad, derogatory term for other high-intelligence beings apart from humans and a few large races and holds little reference value in reality.

According to the Priestess’s estimates, the total number of Mermen on this archipelago has reached over a million, roughly comparable to the scale of a prominent city or capital on land.

They even adopted a stance resembling that of formal troops upon the arrival of Vilyric and the others.

This is understandable; Noah’s Ark, designed to resemble the miraculous ship that saved all during the legendary apocalyptic flood, is, of course, far larger than ordinary vessels.

With such a colossal ship, larger than any regular aircraft carrier, suddenly appearing near the tribe, Vilyric could fully grasp the vigilance and caution of the local beings.

According to historical records, Mermen rarely employ heavy armor like knights because it hampers their movements underwater.

The transformation of their legs and tails demonstrates that this race can adapt their bodies flexibly. In combat, their skin develops a tough, scale-like exterior. While it can’t cover their entire bodies, it effectively protects vital areas from harm.

The Mermen before her are no exception, with about a thousand assembled at the coast, while more are hidden in the waters surrounding Noah’s Ark, stealthily encircling the ship while observing properly.

Undoubtedly, this is a well-trained regular force. If there is any hint of movement from Vilyric’s side, they’d swiftly unleash a thunderous counterattack.

However, Vilyric never intended to engage in conflict.

After a casual scan around the deck, with the impressive vision of the divine race, the Priestess quickly spotted a few figures that were clearly the leaders among them.

The reasoning was simple: these Mermen not only exuded a more profound aura but also sported unique tear-like patterns near their eyes, which signify the unmistakable identity of the top-tier leaders among Mermen—the Bright Mermen.

Similar to tree spirits, humans, and beast tribes, Mermen are an immense group subdivided into numerous smaller clans, akin to lions, tigers, and leopards in the Beast Kingdom. The position of the Bright Mermen among them is analogous to that of Half-Dragons within the Beast Tribe, representing the highest-ranking leadership faction.

Vilyric signaled the Lingyin ethnic individuals and Miss Le Qiao Qiao, as well as Hong Yan, to wait on the ship for a moment. Then, with wings unfurling, the Priestess soared high into the air, landing before the assembled Mermen on the island.

Vilyric chose this location deliberately.

Mermen are a peace-loving race, not as renowned as Winged People or engaged in disputes with the outside world, yet based on Vilyric’s understanding of them, they would not easily clash with foreign races. Compared to other marine intelligent beings, they are a more suitable contact point.

Sure enough, while the abrupt ascent of the Priestess stirred some agitation among the Mermen on land and at sea, the ship remained calmly afloat on the surface. Under the restraint of several Bright Mermen leaders, no one rashly initiated an offensive attack but opted to watch for the time being.

Seeing the black-haired girl descend, one of the Bright Mermen leaders, the only one among them with four tear-drop eye patterns and short blue-white hair, stepped forward, placing his shimmering steel fork on the ground, and spoke voluntarily.

“Are you a Winged One? When did Winged People start sailing ships? Such a massive sea vessel is nearly on par with Master of the Sea, Rashid Bachiri. What intention do you have visiting our East Sea Pearl?”

The Bright Mermen leader wasn’t using the internal language of the Mermen but instead the Vail language among the main tongues of the primordial land.

This language, named after the Sea Goddess, boasts extensive usage. It’s said to be the primary language for many intelligent races, including those within the Ost Empire in the eastern part of the continent, representing a long-standing cultural strength within it.

His proficiency in this common language indicates he often communicates with foreign beings.

It’s not the first time Vilyric has been mistaken for a Winged One, so she didn’t pay much attention and instead smiled as gently as possible, relaying the content she had rehearsed in her mind.

“We are a merchant ship that got lost while sailing; we mean no harm. We just want to request a maritime map to correct our course for the surrounding waters. Of course… we won’t ask for it for free; we’re willing to exchange it for supplies. What do you think?”

Although the Priestess believed her statement was compelling and logically sound, the Bright Mermen youth frowned instantly, looking at her with suspicion.

“A merchant ship got lost here? Are you kidding me? It’s the active period of the Great Whirlpool, and the entire Emerald Sea Region is completely sealed off. How could a lost ship from the outside possibly enter?”

He paused for a moment, his gaze sharpening noticeably.

“Who are you really? Are you treating us Mermen like fools by saying such absurd things?!”

“…Eh?”

   

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