In another part of the Star Ocean, there was a temple crafted with beautiful white marble and imbued with glowing pearls, creating a breathtaking scene.
Within this palace, four people gathered in a mystical hall as they floated in front of a giant veil of glowing white membrane, and a silhouette could be seen behind it.
One of these four people belonged to the Whale Race, but his skin was completely crimson with black glowing runic lines around his neck, and he was adorned in white robes. He was the Crown Prince of the Mighty Whale Empire, Eliezer Kai Balaen.
"The Detection Formation has been completed in the Mighty Whale Empire," Eliezer said emotionlessly.
"Took you guys long enough!" A cold-voiced woman with an imposing figure with her lean, 9-meter frame that could slice effortlessly through the water spoke.
Alora belonged to another dominant race of the ocean races, like the whales, the Shark Race of Battle Shark Empire, a race as captivating as they were intimidating.
Furthermore, Alora wasn't just anyone; she was the first princess of the Battle Shark Empire, an empire that was filled with battle maniacs and bloodthirsty predators.
Her cool, blue skin shimmered faintly within the water, its rough texture whispering of hidden dermal denticles. Small slits on her neck flared rhythmically, gills extracting oxygen from the water.
Her face, both elegant and predatory, was dominated by large, black eyes. A faint purple membrane flickered over them occasionally, and a second eyelid granted her superior vision underwater.
A prominent ridge ran along her jaw, a silent promise of the rows of sharp teeth hidden within. Her expression was unreadable, her mouth a thin line beneath a sharp, streamlined nose positioned high.
Powerful arms webbed between four-fingered hands that could propel her with smooth, silent strokes. Her lower body wasn't human at all, but a powerful, horizontally flattened tail fin that could propel her with effortless grace. The Battle Shark Race were creatures of both mesmerizing beauty and raw power.
Eliezer's eyes went cold as he looked at Alora and retorted, "Do you have a problem with it?"
Alora's lips suddenly twisted into a bloodthirsty smile, revealing razor-sharp teeth. "What if I have?" she replied with full provocation.
Everyone within the ocean races knows about the relationship between the Mighty Whale Empire and Battle Shark Empire; they were both the dominating powers in the northern and western stars of the ocean.
Furthermore, the Whale Race was known as the strongest ocean race, and they proved it by defeating even the shark race. The Shark Race has an irreconcilable grudge against them, and they just refuse to admit it.
Since their borders are side by side, they always have issues, and battles occur almost every day among these two races. Despite the Shark Race losing to the Whale Race in the past, they were not to be trifled with.
The Whale Race also didn't feel confident enough to annihilate them, and neither did the Shark Race feel confident enough to go on a full-scale war, which would leave both races gravely wounded, allowing the others to take advantage of the situation.
So, both empires proved their might with their battles at the border, and if they met each other, there were always in conflicts. However, even their meetings were extremely rare, and one might not happened in centuries unless they were on the battlefield.
"Now, now, Your Highnesses, we are not here to fight but stand alongside." A hulking figure amiably stated.
This was Ulises, a member of the Karapax Tortoise Race, a race as resilient as they were enigmatic, and he was also the crown prince of the Karapax Empire. His most striking feature was the massive carapace – a fortress of bone and leathery skin – that encased his broad back and shoulders. The surface, a deep, earthy brown, was etched with intricate shimmering lines.
His head emerged from the shell, protected by a layer of thick skin that connected seamlessly to the carapace. A powerful, beaked mouth, perfect for crushing crustaceans, dominated his face. Large, wise eyes, positioned towards Alora and Eliezer, scanned them with an air of quiet observation.
His short, powerful legs could propel him forward with a measured gait that belied surprising agility. His hands, tipped with sharp claws, grasped a weathered staff.
The Karapax Tortoise Race was of stoic strength, a living testament to endurance and the wisdom carved by time. They had the strongest defense in the entire star ocean, and despite that, they didn't have many enemies. They were known for their wisdom and amiable characteristics.
"You should all keep your silence; you can't afford to break Her Holiness's focus." A melody-like voice drifted in their ears at this moment. A siren voice could tug at anyone's heartstrings.
This was Nataly, a breathtaking beauty of the Mermaid Siren Race and the Holy Maiden of the Siren Hymn Temple.
Her long, emerald hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, catching the light and shimmering with the iridescence of the ocean itself. Her face was flawless and captivating, and her eyes mirrored the endless blue of the ocean, capable of switching from innocent to alluring in a heartbeat.
But Nataly's beauty wasn't confined to her upper body. From the waist down, her form flowed seamlessly into a powerful tail, its scales a mesmerizing mosaic of blues and green that shimmered like polished jewels. The scales seemed to shift and change with every flick of her tail, mimicking the ever-changing colors of the ocean depths.
Around her wrists and ankles, she wore intricate jewelry fashioned from pearly white seashells and vibrant coral. Despite her ethereal beauty, there was an undeniable danger lurking beneath the surface. The melodious voice that flowed from her lips was hauntingly sweet and impossibly alluring.
Nataly, the mermaid siren, was a living embodiment of the ocean's seductive power. She was a beautiful yet deadly predator that even Whales and Sharks were wary of.
The Siren Hymn Temple was not an empire, and they didn't have any subordinate races under them as all their people belonged to the Siren Race. But despite their small numbers, the three empires treated them extremely carefully because the Siren Hymn Temple was under the protection of the Ocean Oracle!
However, only these top figures of the empires knew about the Ocean Oracle, while for others, it was just a myth. Yet the Siren Race could hold their status equal to the three empires because they were deadly on their own because of their illusionary magic and deadly occultic abilities.
Moreover, the Ocean Oracle can only appear among the Mermaid Siren Race. The Ocean Oracle was simply too important to all the ocean races because, without one, they would not be able to keep the land dwellers outside and control the ocean. It was an old prophecy that every ocean race believed in.
Just as Nataly spoke, everyone shut down while Alora and Eliezer glared at each other.
At this moment, another melodious voice filled with arcane wisdom rang from behind the glowing white membrane: "There's no need to restrain yourselves for my sake, everyone. Thank you for coping with this old woman's requests."
Ulises and others bowed slightly as their expression turned solemn, and they no longer dared to utter anything.
The voice continued, "As you all are aware, some land dwellers are infiltrating the deep ocean in search of me so they can find the location of the Legendary Key!
"But I chose to side with my own kin and alert the three empires of the deep ocean, and you all didn't let me down. Now that the Great Augury Formation has been completed, I can finally locate the Legendary Key for our ocean races!
"However, I hope that even after we find the location, we can all work together against the land dweller the same way you were all doing in this past decade to set up this formation." Her voice was benign, like a saint, and filled with a strange, soothing charm.
"Don't worry your holiness, the Karapax Empire will follow your dictum!"
"The Might Whale Empire agreed with your beliefs!"
"The Battle Shark Empire will be your vanguard!"
All the representatives of the three empires stated solemnly, but they couldn't hide their greed hidden deep in their ambitious eyes when they thought about how they were going to get the Legendary Key.
The Ocean Oracle replied in a benign tone, "Then I can rest easy. I'll start the Great Augury Formation now. As long as the Legendary Key exists within the Unique Plains, it'll belong to our Ocean Races!"