Jacob was located in the Sturgeon Region, a tiny part of the Mighty Whale Empire of the Deep Ocean. Furthermore, Jacob was very close to the heart of the Sturgeon Region, which was under the control of Sturgeon Baron. The regional city, Sturgeon City, was the same city that Jacob saw upon his arrival.
This place was usually peaceful, but today, the Sturgeon City greeted some unexpected delegates from the Imperial City of the Mighty Whale Empire, and the Sturgeon Baron personally came out to greet them before leading them to his castle.
At this moment, within an illuminated Grand Hall with giant clamshell windows, while red coral pillars adorned with glowing starfish reached towards the unseen ceiling, three figures were seated on an open shell.
One of them was an imposing Orange Sturgeon with white runic lines under its neck. Wearing white armor, he was the lord of the Sturgeon Region and this city, Sturgeon Baron Gerald.
But in front of Gerald, who was 4 meters tall, were two towering figures of fifteen meters, making him look like a dwarf.
Their bodies were sleek and powerful, curving seamlessly from a broad-shouldered torso into a powerful, finned tail at the waist. They seemed like a human merged with a dolphin but more robust.
One of their skins was a mesmerizing blue-gray, almost metallic, with faint bioluminescent markings that flicker like underwater constellations, while the other had gray skin without any markings. Atop their heads, a single blowhole. Large, intelligent eyes, adapted to the ocean depths, peer out from a broad, rounded face.
Their noses were small and flat, with wide nostrils positioned high. Full lips hint at complex vocalizations. Their arms were strong and muscular, with webbed fingers perfect for navigating the water. Forget human legs—a powerful, horizontally flattened fluke tail takes their place, pulsing with enough strength to propel them effortlessly through the ocean.
These two creatures were majestic and powerful, for they belonged to one of the three most powerful ocean races, the Mighty Whale Race!
"How are you, baron? It's been a long time since we saw each other." One of the envoys, Madden, spoke in a friendly tone.
Gerald nodded in acknowledgment before he smiled, "Indeed, the last time I saw the Imperial Guard Captain was on the thousandth birthday of White Whale Duke over a hundred years ago."
A strange light flashed past Madden's eyes, but before he could reply, the other envoy spoke coldly, "Sir Baron seems to be misinformed because my lord is no longer the Imperial Guard Captain but the Imperial Vice Commander of the 13th Imperial Guard Regiment."
"Oh? Then please forgive my ignorance, Vice Commander. I didn't know about it." Gerald quickly corrected his mistake and politely bowed his head since he knew the status of a Vice Command was equal to that of a count in the Might Whale Empire.
Madden laughed slightly, "Please don't; it was just a harmless misunderstanding. Let me introduce you. This hotheaded youngster beside me is the new Captain of the 13th Imperial Guard Regiment and my disciple, Adrien La Balaen."
Gerald's eyes widened slightly, and they exclaimed, "That La Balaen?"
Madden's smile grew with a hint of smugness as he nodded, while Adrien was also content to see Gerald's reaction.
Madden nodded, "Indeed, Adrien here is the youngest son of the Blue Whale Duke."
The Mighty Whale Empire had four families that shared the surname Balaen. They were all Duke Families, and the reason for their shared names was that these families were all the Imperial Bloodline of the Balaen Imperial Clan, the ruler of the Mighty Whale Empire.
However, the four Duke Balaen families have different middle names: the Blue Whale Duke family's is 'La,' the White Whale Duke family's is 'Van,' the Green Whale Duke family's is 'Dam,' and the Violet Whale Duke family's is 'Val.'
Lastly, the Imperial Crimson Whale Family has 'Kai' as their middle name. Except for these five families, no one has a middle or last name in this empire. They all used their race names as their surnames.
That's why Gerald was shocked when he found that a duke family member was in his territory, which was a very, very rare occasion.
"You should've informed me sooner. I could've held a grand welcoming ceremony for you both," Gerald smiled wryly.
Madden brushed it off her and waved his hand, "Please don't feel bad. We are not here to indulge ourselves."
"Is something wrong? Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you. I'll try my best. My entire manpower is at your disposal," Gerald said without hesitation.
Madden's expression turned solemn, "I can rest easy now with Sir Gerald's assurance. The thing is, we are here to investigate a very important matter on the Imperial Order. Although I can't tell you the details, I want you to refrain your citizens from going to the southern part of Sturgeon Region until we are done investigating this secret matter."
Gerald was bewildered upon hearing this strange request, but he knew better than to probe into the imperial matter, so he nodded in agreement, "You have my full support; please be at ease. From this day on, you won't see any sturgeon in the south part of the sturgeon region. If some ignorant fellows didn't know better, I'll deal with them according to the law."
Madden nodded in satisfaction, "I can rest easy with your words. Now, if you excuse us, we would like to start right away; this matter is of the utmost importance."
"Please, be my guest. If you need anything, don't hesitate to look for me. It's not like I get the chance to show my loyalty to the Imperial family often." Gerald chuckled towards the end.
Gerald's easygoing attitude made Madden feel even more at ease, and his opinion of them rose a lot. He chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll make sure the Sturgeon Region always remains this peaceful. I'll come back to have a feast with you after we're done here."
"Of course, I'll be waiting," Gerald replied without hesitation.
Thereafter, both Madden and Adrien left. They were clearly hurried to do whatever they had come here to do.
At this moment, when Gerald was alone, his easygoing smile suddenly vanished with a deadpan expression, and his entire demeanor changed as if he were a completely different person.
'They clearly hadn't noticed the decreasing population of the Sturgeons since I was very careful in these past ten years. So, they are clearly not here for this matter.
'But sir is also hidden in the south part. Could it be that this is just a coincidence? I have already infected them with Marionette Micros, so I'll find out soon enough. But I still must alert Sir about them.'
Gerald, who was actually Autarch in disguise, quickly headed towards the secret room to contact Jacob!