Inside a side hall of the Iowa Ruins, Landen was still teasing the high-rank octopus he had captured in the north as if it were a dog. Outside the hall, Lily stood guard at the door with a group of merfolk.
The group had all been captured earlier on White Mountain Island. Among them were enormous merfolk warriors like Fuershi and Tao'ola, as well as Tide Mage Apprentices like Tao Xiya and Shalei.
Unlike Yalanzhuo, the high-rank Mage, these merfolk weren't particularly devoted to the Sea God. The Sea God had planted very few eggs in them, and after Lily had a "heart-to-heart" with them, they had willingly joined Landen and become Eithris's subordinates.
To the Naga warriors among them, Eithris was a traitor to the merfolk. But to the Tide Mage Apprentices, she was the genius senior apprentice their teacher Yalanzhuo had spoken of. The two groups of merfolk felt very differently about her.
So when Eithris had appeared yesterday and tried to give the merfolk orders, she'd met with fierce resistance.
Fortunately, the "fishmonger" Tierney had suddenly shown up. Just the sound of his voice had been enough to make every merfolk there tremble. After all, while half-conscious, they'd all heard his terrifying words:
"I think that's about enough. If we bleed it any more, it really won't make it."
"Don't worry. What kind of fish haven't I stabbed? As long as I'm here, I'll drain every last drop!"
The feeling that the other guy had a cleaver while they were laid out on a cutting board had left every merfolk with a deep psychological scar.
Landen had now developed a whole system for dealing with races enslaved by magical beasts, balancing kindness with intimidation. Providing them with enough Magic Potions and space to live was the kindness;