Chapter 422: Section 210: The Melee Ends
“Hun Tong emerged victorious in the end,” Qi You remarked wistfully from a distance.
He had been hit by the main cannon on the concentrated light tower and sustained serious injuries, but after a period of rest, his condition had stabilized.
“Time to retreat,” Qi You gazed at the Golden Shiny, the demon energy ship posed too great a threat.
The Clapping Pirate Group was the first to retreat.
They were the only Golden Level among the pirates, their every move was trendsetting.
“Retreat, retreat, retreat!” Dian Wan bellowed weakly, he had been devastated by the beam cannon.
Onion Head, already wounded, heaved a deep sigh while looking at the sea, “Most of the treasure has fallen into the ocean, what a pity.”
The entire Clapping Pirate Group had bitter expressions on their faces.
From beginning to end, they had plundered the least.
“It’s all the Captain’s fault!” Many harbored great resentment towards Hu Li.
They did not know: It was precisely because of Hu Li that they had plundered less, resulting in fewer cannon strikes, and their casualties were almost the least among the pirate groups.
“Still thinking of escaping?”
“Leave my treasure behind!”
Hun Tong, seeing the movements of the pirates, was furious. He immediately dispatched Alchemy Puppet avatars to pursue them.
On board the Golden Shiny, only three of the five light tower cannons remained, the main cannon tower had been destroyed.
Hun Tong himself flew back to take command and began operating the light cannon towers, bombarding with the light cannons.
With a commanding view from the Golden Shiny, the three light tower cannons opened fire in succession, crushing several pirate ships.
Cang Xu watched in horror.
He was very worried that the Iron Lump would also become a target, and he immediately operated the demon energy ship to retreat.
Originally, he had wanted to linger and wait for the Dragon-man youth and the others to perform a rescue hostage drama.
But now there was no time to wait.
The Iron Lump quickly sailed away from Twin Eyes Island.
“Don’t run!” Menshi stood on the dock, his hand stretched out with fingers spread, his face full of anguish and regret as he watched the Iron Lump shrink into the distance.
Chi Lai was adjusting the Golden Cannon.
Zong Ge had fished it back to shore, but the barrel was bent and needed repairing before it could fire again.
As for the Dragon-man youth, he stayed inside the Deep Sea Monster Fish, on guard for Zi Di to be influenced once more.
Zi Di was operating the Deep Sea Salvagers.
These Alchemy Puppets were particularly well-suited for clearing the battlefield, especially for underwater operations.
The treasures that the pirates had struggled to obtain had all fallen to the seabed, to be collected by the Alchemy Puppets.
“Something’s strange,” Zi Di said, looking tense.
“What’s going on?” the Dragon-man youth expressed his confusion.
Zi Di explained the situation, “Based on the performance on the battlefield previously, I suspect this flying demon energy ship doesn’t possess a ship spirit. It targets based on the value of objects, achieving wide-range precision strikes.”
“Logically, the light cannons should prioritize attacking the Deep Sea Salvagers.”
The Dragon-man youth speculated, “Half of its main cannon tower has collapsed, perhaps the aftershocks of the Golden Level confrontation have damaged the ship’s components, preventing it from scanning for valuable targets.”
Zi Di nodded, her eyes gradually lighting up, “That seems most probable to me.”
“There’s another possibility; maybe Hun Tong himself is maneuvering it, which could account for the difference.”
“Whatever the reason, our haul this time is going to be huge!”
The Dragon-man youth remained rational, “Better to be safe. Control these Alchemy Puppets to concentrate the picked treasures at several locations, don’t bring them directly back to the Deep Sea Monster Fish.”
“Understood!” Zi Di obeyed.
The light cannons continued to fire.
After losing over a dozen ships, the pirates finally managed to distance themselves to a comparatively safe extent.
Hun Tong vented his rage and fear, gradually regaining composure, and directed the target towards the main forces of the Fishmen.
The Vinegar Pot immediately suffered, sustaining the greatest firepower.
Ear Scratcher climbed onto the deck along the ropes.
Once the old Fishman Clan Leader died, he immediately jumped into the sea.
Though he lacked Flying Combat Techniques, he had Swimming Battle Skills and moved through water quicker than Yan Ding.
“Slow down the speed, we need to attract fire and buy time for our people!” Ear Scratcher ordered.
Under the cover of the Vinegar Pot, the remaining Fishmen jumped into the sea one after another, diving into the body of an ice continent whale and escaping.
In the end, as the Fishmen voluntarily gave up their other ships, only the flagship of the Vinegar Pot pirate group managed to escape, its overall strength greatly reduced.
“Should we pursue them?” Yan Ding returned to inquire of Hun Tong.
Hun Tong’s face darkened, “No. Those damned Fishmen are trickier in the sea; don’t forget there was also a giant Fishman before.”
In his view: Although the Fishmen had lost an old Clan Leader, they still had Ear Scratcher, the Naga Priest, and the giant Fishman that appeared last.
With three Golden Levels, their numbers were roughly comparable to the Human Race.
Hun Tong, although he still had an avatar with Golden Level combat power, Song Shou would not fight to the death in the sea.
And his own condition was poor; he needed to recover.
“After this battle, the Qing Green Coral Fishman Tribe has been greatly weakened.”
“Although they left behind troubles, Twin Eyes Island will become one of the hubs of the Empire’s sea transport lanes in the future.”
“With the Imperial Navy stationed, we need not fear the small Fishman Tribe.”
“Now, the most important thing is to salvage the treasure.”
“With money, we can bribe and provide a solid material foundation for the rebuild of Twin Eyes Island.”
Thinking this, Hun Tong had already made a decision in his mind, glancing at Yan Ding, he spoke, “As for you, aren’t you going after that Undead Mage?”
“Didn’t you say at the auction that he was your prey?”
Yan Ding shook his head leisurely, watching as the silhouette of the Iron Lump faded on the horizon, “No rush. The longer the line, the bigger the fish one catches.”
With that, the battle for Twin Eyes Island had finally come to an end.
Deep sea.
“This place should be safe now,” the scout said to the Naga Priest. “None of our kinfolk left behind have seen any pursuers.”
The Naga Priest nodded. “Then let’s count our numbers.”
The ice continent whale slowly came to a halt, letting out a low, mournful cry.
It, too, bore great wounds; hastily tended to earlier, the injuries were still bleeding.
The Fishmen were either dead or injured.
The old Clan Leader of the Fishmen had died, and the scout, being the only Golden Level in the tribe, inevitably became the new Clan Leader.
They gathered the Fishmen with serious injuries in one place.
After the Naga Priest finished her prayers, she cast a wide-ranging Healing Divine Technique.
Her faith was in Mei Lan, and while she was not adept at healing, her god was omnipotent and possessed Healing Divine Techniques.
After the healing, the Fishmen’s wounds were significantly alleviated.
Although they were generally still injured, their condition had greatly improved.
“Praise our Lord!”
“Thank you, Priestess.”
“Thank you for saving my father’s life!”
The Fishmen expressed their thanks in the Fishman Language.
Divine Officers, with the most powerful healing capabilities, easily gained prestige.
Just like now, a single healing spell had earned the Naga Priest widespread affection.
The Naga Priest could not hide her fatigue as she said with a deep sigh, “This is all I can do.”
During the retreat, she had conserved Divine Power, worried that there might be pursuers.
Now that they were relatively safe, she had used her Divine Arts to heal the Fishmen.
Although these Fishmen were not her kin, and she was a Naga, not a Fishman, they shared the same faith.
Often, faith can bridge the gap between species, making believers feel like one family.
A preliminary count was quickly conducted with results soon in hand.
At least 70% of the Green Coral Fishman Tribe had died, and nearly all who remained were the old, weak, sick, or disabled.
The loss was devastating.
The old Fishman Clan Leader had perished in battle.
The Fishman Tribe’s plan to seize a homeland had failed, and they faced an even harsher living environment.
The sea floor was no utopia. The roles of prey and predator often reversed.
“Given the tribe’s current strength, we can no longer hold our original underwater dwelling,” the scout said to the Naga Priest. “We plan to migrate towards the Holy City; what do you think of this plan, Priestess?”
His Vinegar Pot pirate group was left with only a flagship, which was thoroughly damaged.
The Naga Priest nodded. “Your tribe can live on the outskirts; I will make arrangements.”
Though there were elements of utilitarianism, the Naga Priest’s sympathy was genuine.
The scout let out a breath of relief. Getting help from the Naga Priest was good news for the tribe.
He thanked her again, “The changes in Hun Tong were too sudden. Thank you, Priestess, for issuing the retreat order. It was the timely evacuation that preserved the seed of our tribe. Otherwise, we might have been completely annihilated.”
Only then did the Naga Priest manage a small smile. “The credit is not mine.”
“It was the Divine Envoy who personally gave the order!”
“It is fortunate that he was there, or my mission would have ended in failure.”
“If you ever get the chance, thank him in person.”
The scout’s spirit was lifted. “You mean that giant Fishman?”
“Yes,” confirmed the Naga Priest.
Annoyed, Denail could not help but reprimand, “If the Divine Envoy has been lurking beneath the sea all this time, why didn’t he act sooner? Maybe if he joined the battle earlier, we could have taken back our homeland.”
The Naga Priest snorted disdainfully, her expression immediately darkening, “Fishman, watch your words.”
“Everything is arranged by our Lord!”
“With our shallow vision, how can we see the chaos clearly?”
“The fact that we got this far is a grace from our Lord.”
“How dare you question?!”
By the second sentence, Denail was already on his knees.
The Naga Priest’s ruthless rebuke changed the faces of the surrounding Fishmen.
The Fishmen began to blame Denail.
Feeling the danger, Denail hurriedly bowed his head in penitence.
In the end, the scout stepped in and punished Denail severely, finally easing the Naga Priest’s expression and mood.
The Iron Lump floated on the sea.
“No pursuers,” Cang Xu breathed a sigh of relief and recalled his ghost, which he had sent out to scout, back into his body.
This was the effect of the “Ghost Possession Skill,” an Undead Magic.
“Let’s talk about you, Miss Qing Xin,” Cang Xu said to his companion.
They were the only two by the ship’s railings.
Whether Human Race or Dwarf, all were temporarily detained in the ship’s hold.
Alchemy Puppets patrolled around.
It was a strain for Cang Xu to control the Iron Lump.
Qing Xin did not answer, instead instinctively lowering her voice to ask, “What about Zi Di?”
In order to gain Qing Xin’s trust, Zi Di had actively used the Communication Device to talk to Qing Xin when Cang Xu appeared to assist.
Cang Xu said, “She’s in a safe place. Twin Eyes Island is too chaotic; we can’t let her take the risk.”
At that moment, Zi Di’s voice came through the Communication Device worn by Cang Xu, “Sister Qing Xin, I’m listening.”
Qing Xin nodded, her face softened with tenderness: “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’m not afraid of the Undead Mage and voluntarily boarded the ship with you.”
“Zi Di, how much do you know about your father?”