Chapter 300: Section 88: One Man Disturbs the City
“The Devil, it must have been the work of the Devil,”
“It’s the spirits of those who died unjustly in the past, seeking revenge!”
“There must be a deepening conflict between the three Upper Tribes, secretly assassinating each other.”
All sorts of conjectures and rumors abounded in Sea Eye City, leaving its citizens anxious and unsettled.
The deceased belonged either to the Barbarian Fish Clan or the Poison Arrow Tribe.
Why were there no victims from the White-eyed Tribe?
...
Naturally, more and more citizens of Sea Eye City were paying attention to this question.
The White-eyed Tribe hadn’t lost a single member, which made them highly suspect.
However, the White-eyed Tribe didn’t come forward to clarify, and the Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe seemed almost indifferent, his only reaction delayed—urging the other two clan leaders to explain the situation and clear the White-eyed Tribe’s name.
The Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe disdained to explain himself, and instead demanded others to do so, showing a very domineering attitude.
There was no choice, as the past Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe was still alive—her name was Fu Bai, a Golden Level Fishman Shaman.
She was the only Golden Level Fishman in Sea Eye City, and she was a Magic Profession!
This was the foundation of the White-eyed Tribe’s confidence.
The Poison Arrow Tribe’s leader was the first to publicly state, “Currently there is no evidence pointing to the murderer, please refrain from wild guesses.”
The Clan Leader of the Barbarian Fish Clan flatteringly said, “Perhaps it is precisely because Lady Fu Bai is in charge of the tribal fortress that the murderer dares not commit the crime within the White-eyed Tribe.”
Man Ying secretly entered the fortress lair of the White-eyed Tribe alone.
He was received by Xia Bai.
Man Ying said with a wry smile, “Xia Bai, my friend. I’ve come to you for help.”
Xia Bai teased him, “You look like you’ve lost a layer.”
Xia Bai was a female Fishman with very distinct traits of the White-eyed Tribe.
Her pairs of fish eyes were white, but not pure white, tainted with a layer of gray, like a cloud-covered flaw deep within her eyes.
Man Ying had known Xia Bai for a long time, both being close in age and growing up together.
As a child, Xia Bai’s eyes were no different from those of a normal Fishman. But as she grew older, her eyes became whiter and her vision weaker.
Man Ying knew: once the gray cloud in Xia Bai’s eyes vanished completely, Xia Bai would be totally blind, her eyes becoming nothing more than a decoration.
At that time, Man Ying would be happy for Xia Bai. Such a condition was the dream of every White-eyed Fishman.
Only those with a rich bloodline to a certain extent would become totally blind.
At that time, the Fish Pearl in front of Xia Bai’s forehead would become transparent and much more powerful.
Between the brows of the White-eyed Fishmen grew a tentacle, at the end of which hung a Fish Pearl.
At birth, the Fish Pearl was milky white, but over time the white within the pearl gradually dissipated, becoming transparent.
It was only when the eyes of the White-eyed Fishman turned completely white, becoming blind, that their Fish Pearl would be fully transparent, transforming into a natural Magic Tool.
At this stage, a White-eyed Fishman’s spirit would reach the peak of their life, an invisible spiritual power permanently encircling their body, replacing their eyes to perceive the outside world.
This was the Bloodline of the White-eyed Tribe.
A Golden Level Magic System bloodline, extremely powerful.
Of course, as the other two Upper Tribes, both the Poison Arrow and Barbarian Fish Bloodlines had also reached the Golden Level. However, as of now, they did not have any living Golden Level fighters. In the past history of both clans, there indeed had been Fishmen who achieved the Golden Level.
Compared to the Human Race, the number of Golden Level warriors that emerged among the Fishmen was very few, and magical Golden Level Fishmen were even rarer.
White-eyed Tribe members naturally carried with them an ever-growing Magic Crystal Ball; the Barbarian Fish Clan granted a strong physique and endurance, and the Poison Arrow Bloodline would continuously grow Poison Stingers, with an internal Space Bag to store these stingers.
“These past two days have been utterly miserable for me,” Man Ying sighed. “Hurry and help me out.”
“Of course,” Xia Bai smiled. “I can help you, as long as you can pay the price.”
The Fishwoman stated her price immediately.
Man Ying was taken aback: “Your price is getting steeper and steeper. Last time, two-thirds of the pearls that I painstakingly seized from the Suction Trenches went to you.”
“That was our cooperation. Without my Prophecy, could you have found the path to ambush the crayfish’s lair? You know the Suction Trenches are interconnected, and their currents constantly change. You must enter the right Suction Trench at the specific time to emerge in the desired location.”
“Once the time passes, the currents change, and the same Suction Trench could take you dozens of miles away or even trap you inside.”
“Alright, alright,” Man Ying raised his hand. “You make sense. Give me another Prophecy. I agree to your price.”
“You understand, then,” Xia Bai said and began chanting.
As she chanted, the Fish Pearl at the end of her fish whisker started to glow brightly.
The glow became more intense, but a troubled expression appeared on Xia Bai’s face.
After a long while, the Fish Pearl lost all its shine, returning to its nearly transparent original state.
Xia Bai seemed dispirited: “I can’t believe I didn’t get any Prophecy!”
In the bloodline of the White-eyed Tribe, the magic of Prophecy was inherent, a natural talent they were born with.
Xia Bai was also a highly talented individual, but this time, she had failed.
Failed utterly.
“My Prophecy was interfered with.”
“The other party is not simple, likely a Mage or Shaman themselves, or they might be carrying magical equipment specifically designed to guard against Prophecy,” Xia Bai analyzed.
“Not even you can do it? Who could manage that?” Man Ying was surprised; he had always considered seeking help from Xia Bai as his trump card, but this time it was ineffective.
Xia Bai carried a hint of pride: “Inside the entire Sea Eye City, apart from our tribe’s current Clan Leader and the previous one, basically no other Fishman has the power to guard against my predictions.”
At this point, Xia Bai’s expression shifted slightly: “Do you suspect our tribe?”
“No, how could I ever think that?” Man Ying denied quickly, but his tone changed in the next breath, “I do not think so because I trust you the most. But what the other Fishmen think, I have no idea.”
Xia Bai’s face turned sour.
She felt the pressure.
As long as the real culprit wasn’t caught, the White-eyed Tribe would have to bear the suspicion.
Even if the other two Clan Leaders clarified, the situation remained the same.
Sea Eye City was vast, yet small.
The White-eyed Tribe had no casualties, but living in Sea Eye City, they could not remain untouched by the situation.
The murderer was still killing!
Overnight, three tribes discovered two more people missing, their Divine Marks transferred.
Unlike before, this time there was a victim from the White-eyed Tribe.
The White-eyed Tribe’s Clan Leader, who had remained calm, was now furious and immediately invited the other two Clan Leaders for an urgent discussion.
“The murderer is merciless and audacious!”
“Once caught, I swear to flay him, gut him, and feed his organs to my mount.”
“Key is, how exactly did he commit the murder?”
“We can’t figure it out with the methods we have.”
“In my opinion, we still need to ask Lord Fu Bai to take action.”
But the current Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe shook his head, expressing his difficulties: “Our former clan leader is old and shouldn’t take action.”
The White-eyed Tribe had their own hardships.
Indeed, the health of the former Clan Leader Fu Bai was not good, and every time she took action, it would significantly shorten her limited lifespan. At this point, she was no longer living for herself. The longer she lived, the more advantages the White-eyed Tribe would have, suppressing the other two Fishman Tribes.
Just to find the real culprit, but to reduce Fu Bai’s lifespan, was obviously a losing deal for the White-eyed Tribe and not worth it.
The Clan Leader of the Poison Arrow Tribe snorted coldly, and the Clan Leader of the Barbarian Fish Clan was also very dissatisfied. However, they had no way to force Fu Bai into action.
“Such a terrible incident has never happened in Sea Eye City before!”
The Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe apologized with consolation, “Actually, it’s not a big deal if we can’t catch the real culprit for now. The murderer is gathering these Divine Marks, definitely aiming to take part in the Fish God’s trial. When the Sky Pillar rises, are we afraid he won’t show up?”
Confirming that Fu Bai would not help, the Clan Leader of the Poison Arrow Tribe proposed a secondary plan: “Then gather all the Fishmen with Divine Marks and protect them collectively.”
“This…” The Clan Leader of the Barbarian Fish Clan hesitated.
The Fishmen qualified for the ritual were almost all of Black Iron Level. These individuals were strong; to concentrate on protecting them just because they were afraid of being murdered…
What about the dignity of the strong?
If these Fishmen were protected in times of danger, who would protect the three tribes, the more vulnerable masses?
Would the three Upper Tribes still have the face to control Sea Eye City in the future?
The Clan Leader of the Poison Arrow Tribe laughed and said, “We can announce externally that it’s for cooperative training in response to this Fish God’s trial by the three tribes.”
“That’s a method, but we have other opportunities,” said the Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe, “We can fish.”
The eyes of the Clan Leader of the Barbarian Fish Clan lit up: “You mean, use a Fishman as bait to lure the murderer into an attack?”
The Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe nodded with a smile.
The next day.
The Fishman youth, transformed into a Sea Loach, slowly approached his target.
The youth held a Pearl Bubble in his mouth.
It was precisely because of its cover that the youth hadn’t been discovered by Spells or Divine Arts.
“Hmm?” The target was obviously cautious, noticing the approaching Sea Loach.
The Sea Loach youth, like a startled cat or dog, darted out at once, leaving the target behind.
“An ambush!”
In that moment when the youth was about to attack, a sudden premonition of danger arose in his mind.
He trusted this intuition greatly; it had proven miraculous on Mysterious Monster Island.
“With the risk increasing for targeting Fishmen with Divine Marks, it’s better to switch targets!”
The youth moved again.
Since the three big tribes had set traps, using individual Fishmen with Divine Marks as bait, attention would inevitably be focused on them.
Instead, other Black Iron Fishmen out and about would have much weaker defensive forces.
The three big tribes waited in vain for half a day, not for the murderer to take the bait, but instead, they received news of other Black Iron Fishmen’s deaths.
The three tribes were shocked and furious.
“How did he see through these traps?”
“Could there be a traitor among us?”
“Don’t guess wildly, that’s what the murderer wants!”
“This time the dead Fishman didn’t have a Divine Mark. Could it be his target is not just the Divine Marks?”
“Now that you mention it, if he really wanted the qualification, he only needed to kill one. There was no need to kill so many.”
The three tribes’ plan failed, leaving them both angry and bewildered.
They could only follow the plan of the Clan Leader of the Poison Arrow Tribe, gathering almost all the Fishmen with Divine Marks for protection, and announcing it as training.
The actions of the Fishman youth did not cease.
His real goal was to weaken the power of the Fishmen in Sea Eye City as much as possible.
For the Justice Pirate Group was bound to break into the Half-plane in the near future, and then these Fishmen would all become enemies.
According to the youth’s speculation, the Fishmen with Divine Marks should all enter the Half-plane, so he targeted them first.
But now, with these Fishmen under collective protection, the youth couldn’t attack them and had to switch targets.
There were plenty of Black Iron Fishmen in Sea Eye City; only a few were qualified for the Fish God’s trial.
After the youth had killed several such Black Iron Fishmen, Sea Eye City implemented the strictest of patrols, and the number of patrol teams increased greatly. The Black Iron Fishmen no longer moved about alone; whatever they did, they were accompanied by at least one Fishman of the same Level.
These Fishmen were also difficult to attack, so the youth switched his target again, attacking important facilities within Sea Eye City.
Thus, many grain stores, warehouses, and so on, were destroyed by the youth.
The order of Sea Eye City was severely disrupted, becoming increasingly chaotic.
Ordinary Fishmen were no match for the youth.
Numerous Fishmen expressed the need for their strong kin to take control of the situation.
Black Iron Fishmen, being the core strength of Sea Eye City’s operations and the majority of its middle and upper management.
Without them, many Fishmen didn’t know what to do or how to cooperate.
The three Upper Tribes could not just watch, and they had to cancel the “training” and deploy the Black Iron Fishmen.
In doing so, the Fishman youth created the conditions for his own actions.
Although it became much harder to attack, he still relied on his keen warrior intuition, Silver Level strength, the marvelous Mutation of the Blood Core, and the reliable Pearl Bubble, killing one target after another.
The number of Divine Marks on the Fishman youth’s body accumulated more and more, unnoticed by anyone.
The three big clans were at their wits’ end, and the Five-headed One was furious.
In its perception, one or two Divine Marks disappeared every day. Over time, half of the Divine Marks continued to disappear!
A team of Fishman Priests was dispatched to question the Clan Leaders of the three tribes, expressing the fury of the Five-headed One.
“This moment has still come!” the Clan Leader of the Poison Arrow Tribe said with a wry smile.
“It’s almost time for the Sky Pillar to rise, but the number of our clan members participating in the Divine Trial is much less. We need more Divine Marks to select more Fishmen,” said the Clan Leader of the Barbarian Fish Clan.
The Clan Leader of the White-eyed Tribe also sighed, “Without finding the murderer, we can only ask the Five-headed One for help. It can offer more marks. But this will inevitably be very costly.”
The greed and savagery of the Five-headed One were well known to all three tribes.
But there was no other way, the three tribes had to empty their treasuries, satisfy the Five-headed One, and exchange for a sufficient number of Divine Marks.
The decision of the three Clan Leaders quickly affected the Fishman youth.
Man Ying personally found him and asked face-to-face, “Do you want to qualify for the Fish God’s trial?”