Chapter 349: The Blackscale Demon

Chapter 349: The Blackscale Demon

Upon realizing that Onatu was lying, High Priestess Sona raised her hand and unleashed a torrent of water, sealing him in mid-air.

Onatu endured the water's confinement, grunting in discomfort as he struggled against the watery prison.

"Tell me, have you come into contact with the Abyssal Pollution Source?" Sona's expression hardened, and her aura as the strongest Tide Caller High Priestess of the Mermaid Clan pressed down on the Merfolk warriors outside her residence, causing them to bow in deference.

Onatu, struggling against the water's confinement, managed to reply, "Can't you sense the Abyssal Pollution's presence on me, High Priestess?"

Sona had indeed examined him and found no trace of the Abyssal Pollution Source on his person.

However, she wasn't sure if Onatu had encountered the source through other means, so she chose to release her aura to pressure him into confessing.

After questioning him, Sona waved her hand, releasing the bindings and returning him to the ground. "Among my people, you are the one I trust the most. You shouldn't deceive me!"

Onatu bowed deeply, "Onatu pledges absolute loyalty to the High Priestess. Everything I do is for the future of our clan."

Sona pondered for a moment before waving her hand and saying, "I'm willing to believe you, but from now on, no one is allowed to disobey my orders. The Mermaid Clan and the Black Iron Dwarves must reconcile and form an alliance against the Abyss. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Onatu replied, bowing his head, though his heart was conflicted.

Sona flicked her tail and walked out, giving the Merfolk guards outside an order, "Elder Onatu's injuries require him to rest in his residence. Unless necessary, do not disturb him."

"Yes, High Priestess," the Merfolk guard acknowledged respectfully.

This order was akin to a soft house arrest, but it wasn't strictly enforced.

If Onatu wanted to leave, the guards at the door wouldn't be able to stop him.

Sona didn't believe the guards could detain Onatu either. This order was more of a message to Onatu, implying that any disobedience would further erode the remaining trust.

It was a test of Onatu's loyalty.

...

The negotiations with the Black Iron Dwarves had been sabotaged by a Merfolk elder, and Sona felt helpless. What should have been a simple matter had now become complicated, leading to various complications.

S

After infusing the conch with magic energy, she waited for a moment before Lu Heng's voice emerged from within.

"Has the High Priestess found the answer?" Lu Heng asked.

Though she didn't want to admit it, it was true.

"It's my side that has the problem," Sona conceded.

She refrained from mentioning Onatu's name, as she still wanted to protect her trusted aide.

Normally, when two races were in talks and one party disrupted the negotiations and attacked the other's envoy, someone would need to take responsibility.

If Sona still wanted to reconcile with the Black Iron Dwarves, she would have to expose Onatu, but she chose to protect him instead, keeping the details of the incident to herself.

Lu Heng: "So, what does the High Priestess plan to do now?"

Sona: "I wish to negotiate once more and resolve the hostility between our clans."

Lu Heng: "After the previous negotiation ended without resolution, it might be difficult to reopen talks, isn't it?"

Sona: "I understand, and I'm willing to make concessions in the terms of reconciliation. Let's put this matter behind us."

Lu Heng, upon hearing her words, guessed her intention, "It seems the High Priestess wants to protect her elder."

Sona didn't deny it, reiterating, "I've already made my concession."

Lu Heng: "You should know that even if I don't pursue this, do you think the Black Iron Dwarves will let it go?"

Sona: "That's why I'm asking for your help."

Lu Heng pondered for a moment before replying, "I might be able to make it happen, but you should know that no other Summoner would have the ability to convince the Dwarf King."

Sona: "Of course, as a reward, I'll grant you a request, whether it's a treasure or a task for the Mermaid Clan, as long as it doesn't harm our interests."

Lu Heng remained silent for a long time before agreeing, "I'll give it a try."

If he could facilitate this reconciliation and earn a favor from the Mermaid Clan's High Priestess, it would be a worthwhile endeavor.

...

After speaking with the Mermaid Clan's High Priestess, Lu Heng returned to the Crown of Magma to negotiate with the Dwarf King, Sorvill Copperforge.

Initially, Sorvill Copperforge was indignant and refused to continue negotiations.

Lu Heng promised to find a way to return Tempering Castle to the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom, which finally convinced the Dwarf King to set aside his previous prejudices and continue negotiations with the Mermaid Clan.

After convincing Sorvill Copperforge, Lu Heng delivered the message to High Priestess Sona of the Mermaid Clan.

Both parties agreed on a time and place for another negotiation.

This time, Lu Heng himself acted as the messenger for the Black Iron Dwarf side.

Of course, it was still the elders of the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom who were in charge of the actual negotiations.

...

On the other side, after receiving a reply, High Priestess Sona summoned another elder of the Mermaid Clan, the Tide Summoner Serian.

After a brief discussion, Serian was tasked with handling this negotiation.

The next day, at the appointed time, the two parties met on the Murky Beach to engage in talks.

To prevent any unexpected incidents, Lu Heng brought his team of thirteen and personally stood guard beside the negotiators.

As the negotiations proceeded, Su Muyun approached Lu Heng and whispered, "There's something in the water."

Lu Heng looked out at the sea and noticed something unusual about the waves, but he couldn't see what was happening beneath the surface.

"Can you make out what's going on in the water?" Lu Heng asked.

Su Muyun shook her head. "Water is a powerful medium for concealment. Unless we send the Bright Sunbird to dive in for a closer look, we won't be able to see anything below ten meters."

Lu Heng turned to Jiang Shaoran behind him and said, "There's something in the water. Go and check it out."

Jiang Shaoran's third-tier Origin Quality was that of a Tide Summoner. In the water, she could partially assume the role of a scout.

Scouts from the land, when submerged in water, often experienced a significant reduction in the effectiveness of their scouting abilities.

Consequently, land-based and ocean-based scouts were mostly incompatible.

Jiang Shaoran nodded in agreement and then walked into the water, standing amidst the waves and creating a small splash as she moved forward.

After a moment, she turned and replied, "There is indeed something in the water. It's a black creature with scaly armor, and there are many of them. They have four limbs and a tail, something I've never seen before."

Upon hearing this description, Lu Heng's mind conjured an image of an Abyssal race.

"They're likely Black-Scaled Demons, an Abyssal race, and possibly Abyssal Summoners. Everyone, prepare for battle. Try to keep the fight on the shore and don't pursue them into the water without my order."

Liu Haiyang and the others immediately spread out, forming a battle formation.

In truth, their combat strength in the water was stronger than on land.

However, they strictly obeyed Lu Heng's command and refrained from diving into the water.

The Black-Scaled Demons were oceanic Abyssal beasts.

Regardless of Liu Haiyang's team's strength in the water, the Black-Scaled Demons would only be more formidable in their aquatic environment.

Even with ocean-based empowerment skills, human ability users were not naturally aquatic creatures. No matter how much they enhanced their abilities, they could never surpass ocean-dwelling beings of the same level.

Therefore, keeping the battle on the shore was the right choice.

At least Lu Heng's team of four had guaranteed combat strength on land, while in the water, they couldn't fully utilize their abilities.

Not only had Lu Heng's team discovered the Black-Scaled Demons in the water, but the Mermaid Clan's innate powerful water perception also allowed them to sense the presence of the demons.

As Lu Heng was about to remind them, the Tide Summoner Elder Serian of the Mermaid Clan spoke first, "We've detected the demons in the water. They seem to be heading for us."

Lu Heng nodded and asked, "Shall we join forces?"

Serian nodded in response, "Although the negotiations aren't over, my High Priestess's desire for reconciliation. So, we're willing to fight the demons together, but we can only fight separately."

After all, the Black Iron Dwarves and the Mermaid Clan had been enemies, and before a complete reconciliation, it was unlikely for them to fight side by side.

Even if Lu Heng wanted to arrange for them to fight together, he was concerned about potential conflicts during the battle.

Therefore, Lu Heng positioned the Black Iron Dwarves to defend the left coast, while the Mermaid Clan defended the right coast. Lu Heng's team, led by him, held the center, separating the two clans.

Once the formation was set, hundreds of Black-Scaled Demons burst out of the water, charging towards the Mermaid Clan and the Black Iron Dwarves.

The battle was about to commence.

Lu Heng's team and the Black Iron Dwarves adhered to the strategy of fighting only on the shore, refraining from pursuing the demons into the water.

The Black-Scaled Demons, being aquatic demons, were less powerful on land than in the water.

As a result, the battle wasn't overly challenging.

Lu Heng's sword danced across the sandy beach, and with each strike, he took the life of a Black-Scaled Demon.

[Kill Black-Scaled Demons, Absorb 800 Energy Points]



The battle was intense, and Lu Heng absorbed a substantial amount of energy.

His Origin Energy intensity, which was already close to breaking through the level limit, surged with energy tides after slaying thirty Black-Scaled Demons.

【Origin Energy Level Upgraded to Level 42, All Attributes +5, Agility Attribute +1.5】

The Blackscales launched a sudden attack, realizing the battle was going against them, they left behind seventy to eighty corpses and fled into the sea.

The Merfolk immediately pursued them.

After receiving permission from Lu Heng, Liu Haiyang and the other six also entered the sea to continue hunting the Blackscales.

Lu Heng, however, rushed to the surface of the sea, sprinting across the water. He reached into the sea, grabbed a Blackscales, and pierced its abdomen with a single sword strike.

Through the Aurora Blade's Level 3 Soul Sever special effect, he reduced its mental attribute by 16 points, then used Mind Control to interrogate it.

After the interrogation, he confirmed the purpose of the Blackscales' assault.

This group of Blackscales was part of a larger population hiding in the Tidal Sea.

Due to the vast area of the Tidal Sea, the Blackscales rarely came ashore and thus did not encounter land-dwelling races like the Black Iron Dwarves.

Occasionally, when the Blackscales encountered the Merfolk, conflicts would arise, but they rarely fought to the death and would usually part ways.

This time, the Blackscales' shore attack was ordered by an Abyssal Summoner, with the goal of disrupting the peace talks between the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk.

After understanding the purpose, Lu Heng made a rough guess about the Abyssal Summoner's objective.

Based on his knowledge from his previous life, Abyssal Summoners were similar to regular Summoners.

Summoners could receive tasks, and Abyssal Summoners could also receive tasks.

Moreover, the rewards for Abyssal Summoners' tasks were often very generous.

Some Ability Users even analyzed that the "Traitor" missions received by human Summoners were a type of Abyssal Summoner task.

This meant that Abyssal Summoners also had main quests and possibly challenge missions, though the forms might differ from those of human Summoners.

Regardless of the form, one thing was certain:

Human Summoner tasks had clear objectives, so the tasks given to Abyssal Summoners must also have clear objectives.

This time, the Summoner task aimed to facilitate the reconciliation between the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk.

Therefore, the Abyssal Summoner's task was likely to sabotage this reconciliation.

For the Abyssal Demons, if the intelligent races of the target world united against the Abyss, it would definitely slow down the Abyss's consumption of the world.

If the intelligent races of the target world were engaged in internal conflicts, they would have no energy to resist the Abyss's invasion.

...

After the battle, Lu Heng returned to the shore and recalled all the members of the Marine Squad.

Liu Haiyang brought back all six members of his squad, confirmed that no one was missing, and then reported to Lu Heng.

Lu Heng ordered them to clean up the battlefield and then approached the Merfolk, reminding them to recall their warriors.

The Merfolk's combat strength was greater in the water, so for them, the land battle was less exciting, while the pursuit into the sea was more exhilarating.

After Lu Heng's reminder, the Tide Caller, Siren, took out a horn and blew it, summoning all the Merfolk warriors back.

Once all the Merfolk returned, Lu Heng formally communicated with Siren: "I just interrogated a Blackscales and confirmed that their attack was aimed at disrupting the peace talks.

"Actually, many aspects of the situation are now clear. Anyone with a clear mind can see that the Abyssal Summoner's task is to sabotage the reconciliation between the Black Iron Dwarves and the Merfolk.

"As long as the hostility between your two races continues to worsen, you will have no energy to search for the Abyssal Pollution Source."

Siren nodded in response: "Yes, I have already discussed this with the High Priestess, and I strongly agree that the two races should reconcile and find a way to combat the Abyss."

Lu Heng was clear that the current High Priestess of the Merfolk could see the situation clearly. If someone like Onatu, with his extreme personality, were ruling the Merfolk, this peace talk would likely have been much more difficult.

"The Blackscales have been driven back, and the peace talks can continue." Lu Heng beckoned the Black Iron Dwarf elder responsible for the negotiations.

Both sides sat down to continue the talks.

Without the interference of the Blackscales, the negotiations went smoothly.

After all, the two races did not have any conflicts over living space; they had only developed hostile feelings due to the issue of dumping Groth's Ashes.

So their demands were simple, and the Merfolk, due to Onatu's influence, made many concessions during the negotiations.

By evening, all demands were acknowledged, and the two races signed a peace agreement, verbally agreeing to work together to combat the Abyss.

The two races had just reconciled and could not immediately form an alliance, so the joint effort against the Abyss was, for now, only a verbal agreement.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end