On the eastern coast of the Blood Qin Empire stood Hurricane City, a major shipbuilding hub. It governed over a hundred cities and towns of varying sizes, with a population in the tens of millions, most of whom made their living through shipbuilding. The giant warships produced by Hurricane City alone each year could meet thirty percent of the Blood Qin Empire navy's demand.
Dawn was hazy, and a thin mist shrouded Hurricane City's countless shipyards. Within the docks of several of the largest shipyards, hulls as massive as mountains stood proudly amid the dim light and shadows. From far away came the roar of magic-powered furnaces—the early-rising craftsmen had begun forging the metal components needed for the ships. The whole of Hurricane City was awakening from its sleep.
The sea east of Hurricane City was especially strange today. Its surface was as flat as a mirror, without the slightest wrinkle. The blackish-blue seawater carried an eerie aura that chilled the heart, as though countless unfathomable beings were lurking secretly in the depths.
Suddenly, just as the first ray of red light in the east slowly stretched across the sea, tens of thousands of huge bulges rose from that mirror-flat surface. The seawater silently swelled upward. Vast quantities of water cascaded down from the sky, and waves gradually spread in all directions, accompanied by a faint rumble like thunder.
Tens of thousands of deep-sea giant whales over a hundred meters long surfaced, breathing heavily. They swayed their enormous bodies once, then their muscles began to writhe violently. Amid the grinding of bones, tendons, and flesh, the lower halves of these whales transformed into two thick legs, while their upper bodies took human form. They let out pained groans and slowly rose to stand upright.
Tens of thousands of whale-headed giants