Eradication, reduced to nothing

While Chen Fan Rapid Deployment Level-10 City Wall in the Northern Region Coastal Area of the Feng Qiya Continent.

Feng Qiya Continent, over the Coast area in the central- Western Region part of the mainland.

The rulers of several continents were chatting idly.

"Your Dark Eerie Continent has had a lot of dealings with the Mortal Domain. Do you think they'll be able to fight this time?"

The Sahara Continent Lord looked at the Rat Kingdom King.

"It's hard to say."

The Rat Kingdom King frowned. He couldn't quite understand Chen Fan either. Normally, if he was really aiming for peace talks, he wouldn't ask for such a high war reparations. Even if he left enough room for negotiation, he wouldn't have asked for such a high price from the start.

No continent can afford such a large amount of War Reparations.

Although the number of Eerie Stone has dropped to 130 billion.

But the Feng Qiya Continent.

However, if we're really talking about going to war, although the Mortal Domain is currently in a stronger position, the main reason is because of a Sky-Piercing Pillar that can strike across Sea Domain at long distances. Although it is extremely powerful, its blast radius is not that large.

To raze the "Feng Qiya Continent" to the ground with the Sky-Piercing Pillar of Heaven, the number of Sky-Piercing Pillar required would be astronomical, Mortal Domain could never produce.

Once the war officially begins, it will become a protracted war.

The Mortal Domain will definitely be the first to be dragged down.

After all, it has only been a year since it was promoted to the Second-Level Continent, and its foundation is still insufficient.

"Just a young man trying to get more compensation."

The Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent spoke expressionlessly, "Taking advantage of the protection period to make exorbitant demands is not a good thing. Once the protection period is over, even without my intervention, the Good Cat Continent will not let the Mortal Domain off the hook."

"Feng Qiya Continent."

"But you see."

"Given his unforgiving and unreasonable nature, he'll definitely die before me."

"I will stand here and watch the enemy's corpses flow down the river from upstream."

The Continent Lord the Skeleton Rat Continent remained silent, his expression complex. His Filthy Rat Clan had their own unique methods of obtaining information. The conflict between the Feng Qiya Continent and the Mortal Domain some time ago might not be known to other Continent Lord, but he was aware of it.

He knew that the two sides had already clashed several times.

It's hard to say how this will end.

Just then

Chen Fan chuckled and lifted the Cabin curtain, walking onto the deck. He looked at the group of Continent Lord, and the Crippled Monkey beside him quickly brought over a basin of water. Chen Fan washed his hands as if no one else was there, then took the dry towel handed to him by the Crippled Monkey, dried them, and then chuckled.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

"This matter should be put to rest now."

Chen Fan.

The Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, spoke first, her tone leaving no room for argument. "130 billion Eerie Stone is impossible. I maintain my bottom line: a maximum of 50 billion Eerie Stone, not a single one more."

"This is already the highest War Reparations received in this Sea Domain."

"No, I don't want it anymore."

Chen Fan shook his head.

"Don't push your luck, I..."

Just as Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, was about to say something, she suddenly froze on the spot, as if she had misheard. "You... you said you don't want it anymore?" For some reason.

The moment the other person said they didn't want it anymore, he suddenly felt an urge to escape from that place as quickly as possible.

"No, thank you."

Chen Fan smiled and looked at the assembled Continent Lord: "Let me introduce myself. My Chen Fan. Several years ago, I single-handedly created 'Mortal Domain,' which rose to prominence in the Rainy Season of the Jiangbei Wasteland, leading the Eternal Night Continent to the Second-Level Continent."

"Over the years, I've experienced both major and minor crises."

"But"

"Zhang Taiping, Boat Captain group of the Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion."

"He discovered the first Rare Island in the Mortal Domain, and the Mortal Domain had prepared Victory Banquet for him on the Eternal Night Continent. He died at the hands of the Feng Qiya Continent on his return journey."

"And also the Group Leader and members of the Mortal Domain Shadow Pavilion stationed on the Feng Qiya Continent."

I don't know their names.

"But they should know my name."

"Unwilling to be captured alive and used as a bargaining chip, he jumped off a cliff into the sea."

"All Life Tablet are shattered."

Chen Fan lowered his head and carefully wiped the spaces between his fingers with a towel, as if trying to wipe away the blood and grime on his hands, muttering to himself in a daze.

"Throughout my life, from the very beginning of the Rainy Season, my goal has been simple. I truly have no dreams of conquering the world. I just want to stay quietly on my own continent, a safe enough continent where I don't have to worry about not seeing tomorrow, a continent that can keep all the Strange Tide outside."

"There's one more after that."

"I want to be a good leader. I want those who work for me to have a good future and a good ending."

"I tolerated Feng Qiya Continent several times before."

I think...

"We are all human beings, and we should value harmony. The Strange Entities are our common enemy."

"Only"

"When Zhang Taiping risked his life to send back the news, telling me that Feng Qiya Continent had sent more than three thousand Flying Boat to launch a surprise attack on the New Continent, I knew that some people are impossible to tame; they may have human faces, but their hearts are treacherous."

"People like this should be Eradication."

"So, this time I'm not going to tolerate it anymore."

"Hello."

Listen carefully.

Chen Fan casually tossed the towel in his hand outside the Flying Boat, looked up at the Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent who was also standing on the deck not far away, and laughed, "The Mortal Domain officially Declaration of War on the Feng Qiya Continent."

The words had barely left his mouth.

The Continent Lord froze on the spot, some staring at Chen Fan in horror. As Continent Lord, their words were not empty threats; with these words, war was practically inevitable.

"That works too."

The Rat Kingdom King muttered to himself, although he didn't want to see war break out, he could still make a fortune if it did.

The Continent Lord looked rather grim. He was the last person who wanted to see war break out. More importantly, he knew more about the situation, and if too much fighting broke out in this Sea Domain, it could attract attention from afar.

"If a Third-Level Continent were to notice this place, or if a higher-level Strange Entity Clan were to take notice of them, it wouldn't be a good thing." "Good, good, good!!!"

Feng Qiya Continent, her face grim, repeatedly said "Good!" three times, then laughed in a fit of rage, "Then let's start a full-scale war! I want to see how many Sky-Piercing Pillar you have!"

"Let's go!"

"Call."

The granddaughter standing behind him also breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Chen Fan and said coldly, "I was just about to say, I don't like you, but you still picked me."

"Walk?"

Chen Fan leaned on the railing of the Flying Boat and chuckled, "Where are we going? So many Continent Lords have come all this way, they should at least get to see a spectacular fireworks display, shouldn't they?"

"Crippled Monkey, relay the order."

The "Eradication of the Feng Qiya Continent" plan has officially begun.

Eradication.

A word that doesn't sound like it has any murderous intent is far less oppressive than "erasure".

It floated lightly out of Chen Fan's mouth.

It sounds like child's play.

But.

The next moment

A chilling sense of oppression instantly washed over everyone, and they all instinctively turned their heads to look at the "Feng Qiya Continent" behind them. Nothing happened.

But at this moment, all Living Beings on the entire Feng Qiya Continent, whether cultivators, mortals, birds and beasts, simultaneously felt a tremor originating from the Depths of the Soul —a shiver of being stared at by the Abyss, a tremor from which there was no escape.

Immediately afterwards.

They witnessed the most breathtaking scene of their lives.

Thirty-five pure white Golden Light Pillar covered the entire Feng Qiya Continent at an extremely fast speed and continued to penetrate it.

There was no sound.

There was no sound in the literal sense; the thirty-five Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon deployed on the City Wall devoured everything they encountered, even the sounds.

The mountains did not collapse.

Instead, it looks like a pencil drawing that has been erased.

From the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain, they gradually faded, became transparent, and disappeared, as if they had never risen on this land.

The City's outline, edges, lines, bricks, and figures, all blurred, faded, and vanished like a watercolor painting dipped in water.

Looking down from thousands of feet in the air.

Thirty-five beams of Blazing Pillar converged, forming a vast, rapidly expanding, and perfectly flat gray-white void that covered the entire Feng Qiya Continent, and was advancing rapidly toward the south.

The mountain ranges along the way are doing their best to block the way.

But just as one Golden Light Pillar was exhausted, another one followed.

This process lasted only a few dozen breaths.

It didn't even take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

But.

After several dozen breaths, the Feng Qiya Continent had become an extremely flat Wasteland.

No defensive lines, no mountains, no City Wall in sight.

It has become Void.

At this moment, everyone finally understood what "Eradication" meant—a complete and literal Eradication.

This day.

All the Continent Lord etched this scene deeply into their minds and also deeply understood a principle.

The Eradication of the Mortal Domain.

It is absolute, Eternity, and unstoppable.

Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, was already completely limp. She struggled to hold onto the railing of the Flying Boat to keep herself from falling to the ground in a sorry state. Her eyes were red with despair as she turned to look at Chen Fan, her voice trembling with a strong sob.

"You... you have such a cruel heart."

"Feng Qiya Continent has billions of people, you... you... how dare you?"

"Madman, madman!"

"You're crazy!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Immediately afterward, Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, suddenly laughed, her eyes somewhat vacant as she put her fingers in her mouth and muttered, "Father, please pass the throne to me, okay? Don't pass it to my brother, okay?"

"No, no, pass the throne to me!"

But he quickly put on a ruthless expression.

"Brother, don't blame me for being heartless. It was Father who insisted on passing the throne to you. Blame him if you must."

This position can only be mine!

Then he started laughing foolishly again.

"Brother, brother, I want to play on the rocking horse too! Let me play with it, you've been playing with it for so long!"

"My brother is the best."

The Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, a figure who once held sway over the Feng Qiya Continent, has gone mad and completely lost his mind after witnessing the Feng Qiya Continent being wiped out within a hundred breaths.

And her granddaughter beside her.

He was now limp on the ground, covered in excrement and urine, his eyes lifeless, almost like someone who had gone mad.

As for the other Subordinate on the Flying Boat...

They exchanged glances.

With bloodshot eyes and a furious roar, they leaped out of the Flying Boat and charged towards Chen Fan.

"Chen Fan, you old dog, prepare to die!"

The Cannon Tower mounted on the Flying Boat also began to extend, ready to be activated.

However

"Boom!"

After several Godslayer Cannons were fired, the Flying Boat disintegrated into a fireball in mid-air, and the wreckage fell into the Sea.

Chen Fan calmly took a cup of tea from the Crippled Monkey, took a sip, and then said, "Please spread the word that this continent will henceforth be taken over by the Mortal Domain and renamed 'Provocateur Continent'."

"Certainly."

"If you want, that's fine too."

"We'll see how things go."

The surrounding Continent Lord appeared calm on the surface, but their hearts were already churning with turbulent emotions. The Sahara Continent Lord thought he was acting calmly enough, but the moment he opened his mouth, he found that his voice had changed. He realized that he was not as calm as he appeared, and his voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.

"Domain Lord Chen excellent methods."

"Our Sahara Continent has always cherished Peace. This time, we've made acquaintances with the 'Mortal Domain.' In a few days, the Sahara Continent will send a delegation carrying 'national gifts' to the New Continent, hoping to establish friendship between us."

"If you can."

"We also sincerely invite the Mortal Domain to send a delegation to our Sahara Continent."

"Like the Mortal Domain, our Sahara Continent has no desire for war, only for Peace."

"No problem."

Chen Fan chuckled and clasped his hands in agreement, saying, "I don't know the exact Coordinates of your mainland yet. Could you please tell me?"

The Sahara Continent Lord suddenly froze on the spot, hesitating for a moment. He had never thought that revealing his home and Coordinates was such a dangerous thing, but since he had already come this far, he could only bite the bullet and say it.

"Located at 87 degrees northwest of Feng Qiya, oh no, at 0.27 million kilometers from the Provocateur Continent,' not far from the 'Good Cat Continent,' we are neighboring continents."

"Of course, we don't interact much on a regular basis, and our relationship isn't particularly good."

"I've got it, I'll definitely go."

I definitely have to go.

He hasn't even finished collecting the Soil from Other Continents yet.

Next.

One by one, the Continent Lord began to bid farewell. The king of the "Rat Kingdom" was the last to leave, and was about to say some polite words like the other Continent Lord.

Chen Fan suddenly spoke with a half-smile.

"The Mortal Domain has never had the will to wage war; this move is a 'Preventive Strike.'"

"We have always conducted trade with the Dark Eerie Continent with the utmost sincerity."

"But the sincerity of the Dark Eerie Continent seems to be questionable. Our subordinates found some tampering you've done with the goods from your continent. Surely this was done on your own initiative, not by you, the leader?"

The Rat Kingdom King suddenly froze in place and fell silent. After a long while, he took out a Silver-White Orb from his robes and handed it Subordinate his subordinate, gesturing for him to leave the Flying Boat and give it to Chen Fan: "Indeed, the sincerity wasn't enough. Add some more sincerity."

"I hope this friendship between our two continents can last forever."

"Certainly."

Chen Fan looked down at the "Dark Technology Source Point" in his hand and grinned. This time he had three "Dark Technology Source Point" unused. He shook them in his hand. "This time I feel the sincerity of the Dark Eerie Continent."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Soon.

The Continent Lord had all dispersed and returned to their respective homes, leaving behind only an empty "Provocateur Continent".

"Crippled Monkey."

Chen Fan calmly ordered, "Have the Logistics Pavilion of the Mortal Domain send more people over to clean up this continent and see if there's anything left behind. Also, have Weiwei come over; he's a master at treasure hunting."

"This continent will be our Third Continent."

"Establish a 'Mortal Domain Cruise Missile Base' here."

At present.

All his Sky-Piercing Pillar were launched from the "Mortal Domain," and there was one reason for this: the distance was too far, so it would take a long time to fly. But if a Missile Base were built here, this continent would be quite close to other continents.

They can bomb whichever one they want.

He did not want war.

But he needs to be prepared to have the strength to defeat any continent that might want to attack him.

Only those who wield a sharp blade have the right to aspire to Peace.

Holding a Buddha statue only leads to being at the mercy of others.

Just then

"Domain Lord!"

An excited voice came through the Message Talisman Commerce Pavilion Group Leader: "We found the bodies of several Shadow Pavilion members at the spot where they jumped into the sea. They were lucky; their bodies didn't fall into the shallow waters and weren't eaten by the Strange Entities."

"Well done."

Chen Fan let out a long sigh, "Bring it back to 'Rugged Island' and bury it on the island along with Zhang Taiping."

"Clear!"

The war lasted only a few dozen breaths, but the post-war inventory work was extremely time-consuming.

"Domain Lord."

Wang Kui, standing beside him, lightly licked his fingers before flipping through the ledger. "Our current Eerie-Stone Reserves are critically low, as Thirty-Five Heavenly Dao Cannons deployed on the 'Provocateur Continent'."

Three rounds of fire were fired in total.

"A total of 105 rounds."

"The current cost of a single Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon in the Mortal Domain is 450 million Eerie Stone. This firing alone consumed 47.25 billion Eerie Stone. Adding to this the numerous buildings deployed in the Northern Region of the 'Provocateur Continent,' the multiple 'Sky-Piercing Pillar' bombardments carrying Nuclear Warhead, and the Hundred Heavenly Dao Cannons placed on the Flying Boat, the total cost of this 'Eradication the Feng Qiya Continent' military mobilization is 69.97 billion Eerie Stone."

"After deducting the normal Eerie Stone costs of the 'Mortal Domain' for three years, such as maintaining the operation of the Undersea Tunnel, constructing and maintaining various basic buildings, and fixed expenses for external exploration, etc."

"Currently, the Mortal Domain possesses only 29.7 billion Eerie Stone."

"These Eerie Stone are now severely insufficient. If we were to encounter another war, our current stockpile of Eerie Stone would be completely inadequate for a war."

Two years later.

"The Continental Protection Period Eternal Night Continent has ended, and we still need to deal with the massive Strange Tide released after the Thunderstorm Sea shattered."

"We must acquire enough Eerie Stone as soon as possible, otherwise the operation of the Mortal Domain may come to a standstill."

Wang Kui worked diligently, like a competent Old Steward.

It has to be said.

Wang Kui is more suited to be a head steward than the Pavilion Master the "Finance Pavilion".

"I see."

Chen Fan, who was initially in a relaxed state after winning the battle without taking any damage, rubbed his temples and said with a slight headache after listening to Wang Kui's report, "I'll think of something."

This battle destroyed 70 billion of his Eerie Stone.

He carried Level-20 Sky-Piercing Pillar with a "Nuclear Warhead," and throwing it around was exhilarating.

But those things are expensive too.

A single release contained 500 million Eerie Stone.

10 billion Eerie Stone are enough to throw 20 times.

It's lightweight and easy to use.

Finding 10 billion Eerie Stone is no easy task; it's incredibly difficult.

Wang Kui stared longingly at Chen Fan, blinking his eyes. Of course, he knew it would be difficult. Obtaining Eerie Stone sounded simple, but where would he get hundreds of billions of Eerie Stone? But there was no way around it, even though Chen Fan was the boss.

As the boss, I definitely have to worry about making money.

"How's the Fallen Firmament's project progressing? If it can be breached, it could yield quite a few Eerie Stone."

"Weiwei, there's been almost no progress. This means that the 'Fallen Firmament' requires an enormous impact to break through; it can't be penetrated by dripping water." "Back when the 'Eternal Night Continent' was in its final battle, the Heavenly Dao Cannon destroyed countless Strange Tide, but it didn't damage the Eerie Stone, did it? Perhaps a large number of Eerie Stone are still left on the 'Provocateur Continent'."

Wang Kui continued to respond fluently, "A fleet of Flying Boat has already departed from the New Continent, carrying a large number of 'Pick-Up Sculpture,' and is expected to arrive in five days. There may be..."

"The Dark Eerie Continent can do the 'Acceleration Formation Disc' business, but we can't?"

"It's possible, but our Trade Route aren't as extensive as his, and it would take some time to develop them. Also, according to the Formation Pavilion's calculations, the 'Acceleration Formation Disc' sold on the Dark Eerie Continent are almost entirely unprofitable, so our cost-effectiveness is definitely not as good as his."

"Damn it."

Chen Fan rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache. "Aren't there many races inhabited by 'Strange Tide' in the surrounding Sea Domain? Can't I just wipe them all out?"

"Natural arrangement."

Wang Kui murmured, "The greatest truths are the simplest. The Eerie Stone are naturally dropped by Strange Entities, so it's acceptable. Moreover, these Strange Entity Clan that can occupy the 'continent' generally hold several 'Black Abyss,' so the reward should be quite substantial."

"Then let's fight!"

Chen Fan downed his tea in one gulp: "Check the battlefield. We need to clear out these Strange Entity Clan near our house in a few days. Damn, they're so annoying." "Let's not talk about that. We'll deal with the Eerie Stone later."

"First, let's check around 'Provocateur Continent' for any Heavenly Dao Strange. They're good stuff; you can get a lot of Eerie Stone if you die." After Wang Kui went down...

Chen Fan sighed deeply as he stood on the deck. War is truly expensive; 70 billion Eerie Stone... and that's for a quick victory. If it turns into a protracted war, they'll really be throwing away their entire fortune.

No.

We must stockpile enough Eerie Stone.

Otherwise, when others attack our doorstep, we won't have any Eerie Stone to fight back.

Although the cost was enormous, it was worth it.

In the Northern Region Coastal Area the "Provocateur Continent," rows of Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon mounted on City Wall stand between Heaven and Earth, appearing extremely Ice-Cold, while a group of members of the Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion are quickly dismantling the Heavenly Dao Cannon.

This thing can be disassembled.

Take it back.

Don't waste it.

Immediately afterwards, Flying Boat carrying "Pick-Up Sculpture" began to take off, preparing to plunder the remaining supplies scattered across the continent. But soon, a message reached Chen Fan's ears.

Two messages.

One good news, one bad news.

Good news: There are indeed many remaining Eerie Stone on the mainland that were not destroyed by the Heavenly Dao Cannon.

Bad news: "Pick-Up Sculpture" can only pick up Eerie Stone dropped by defeated Strange Entities. Eerie Stone on this continent cannot be picked up by "Pick-Up Sculpture," making the task of picking them up a challenge.

The Flying Boat that had been carrying the Pick-Up Sculpture and preparing to take off from the New Continent landed again.

They began arriving with a large number of Logistics Pavilion Member.

The Pick-Up Sculpture is too large to pick up.

Then we'll have to use manpower.

"It's truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly."

Standing on the deck, Chen Fan said helplessly, "How long will this take? It requires a lot of manpower and is an extremely time-consuming process." Just then, a low roar came from behind him.

"Roar!"

He turned his head to look.

Weiwei, he arrived on the deck via the Teleportation Formation, his lantern-sized eyes filled with anxiety, and the "Beast Pavilion" Pavilion Master's Token hanging around his neck. "What's wrong?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh, "You're getting impatient. Did Zhao Shengping not give you any Braised Delicacies? I'll go tell him right now."

"You wait."

"Roar!"

"Weiwei, hey," it growled a few more times, sounding somewhat anxious, and its claws flashed rapidly in the air.

This time, Chen Fan understood. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked with some suspicion, "You mean you want the 'Beast Pavilion' to collect the Eerie Stone?"

"Roar!"

Weiwei.

Are you sure you can do it?

Chen Fan looked at Weiwei with a strange expression. What difference does it make whether the Exotic Beast or the Logistics Pavilion do this? Isn't it all just a waste of time? The "Beast Pavilion" in the Mortal Domain should be the most marginalized department.

Weiwei, this is the Pavilion Master.

All the Exotic Beast that join the Mortal Domain are under Weiwei's jurisdiction.

Aside from initially creating a batch of "Exotic Beast Breeding Pavilion," he didn't really manage them. This department was essentially like a playground for Weiwei, and they basically didn't carry out any missions.

"Alright, alright, I'll grant you access to the Teleportation Formation Access Rights."

"Call your Subordinate over here."

The next moment

The Teleportation Formation inside the Cabin lit up, and then the top of the Cabin was instantly blown off. A huge toad suddenly appeared on Flying Boat, pressing it down three feet. After appearing, it looked at Chen Fan with a glint in its eyes and bowed its head, as if to pay its respects.

"The Gold-Swallowing Toad of Medicine King Valley?"

Chen Fan's expression became even stranger. This toad was an old acquaintance. It was originally the guardian Exotic Beast of "Medicine King Valley", later became a mascot of Tourist Attraction along with the Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail, and then joined Medicine King Valley in the Mortal Domain.

I had no idea that it had already been acquired by Weiwei.

Then, a low growl was Weiwei.

The Gold-Swallowing Toad leaped into the air and landed heavily on the Coastline.

The next moment

This "Gold-Swallowing Toad" crouched on the Hainan coastline, resembling a living, Dark Green Mountain Range. Its skin was as rough as ancient rock, and after opening its blood-red maw and taking a deep breath, it sucked in all the Eerie Stone within tens of thousands of meters of the surrounding area, then expelled them to the side, forming a small mountain. It was truly a living "Pick-Up Sculpture."

"This guy... he has this kind of trick up his sleeve?"

Chen Fan was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized, "A toad Gold-Swallowing Toad Gold-Swallowing Toad, swallowing gold seems to be an inherent skill, right? But one isn't enough."

Weiwei sideways at Chen Fan, his lantern-sized eyes gleaming with smugness. Then, after letting out another low growl, the Teleportation Formation began to flash with White Light.

One head, two heads, three heads.

More and more Gold-Swallowing Toad are being teleported in and joining the battle.

Are there really that many Gold-Swallowing Toad on the Eternal Night Continent?

"What do you mean? You mean many of them were born this year?"

"So prolific?"

"Oh, the effects of the Exotic Beast Breeding House?"

"Good."

Chen Fan silently gazed at the group of Gold-Swallowing Toad. Unbeknownst to him, this toad, which had once been the mascot of Medicine King Valley, now had a large family. He had almost forgotten about the building, but these Exotic Beast clearly hadn't forgotten it.

Good.

"All right."

Chen Fan glanced at Weiwei, who was lying to the side, and couldn't help but laugh, patting its head. "I have to admit, Weiwei has managed the Beast Pavilion very well."

"I'll give you credit for that."

"Roar."

"Weiwei, hey!" it growled excitedly, its tail slapping against the deck.