In the wizards' minds, the Sea Demon King was a lazy demon. It lurked in the deepest parts of the ocean year-round, quietly dozing off, sometimes sleeping for centuries at a time.
It had become legend, become epic, rather than the wizards' reality.
The deepest impression wizards had of sea demons in reality was of the Sea Demon King's four Great Sea Demons.
Misty, Whirlpool, Iceberg, Sea God.
The Sea Demon King had pulled out its own ribs as keels and built warships to roam the four seas for its four capable subordinates: the Misty, the Whirlpool, the Iceberg, and the Sea God.
The four Great Sea Demons dominated their respective waters in the east, west, south, and north.
Even the Wizard Alliance could do nothing about them.
"Nikita, come meet a few old friends with me." At some unknown point, the Sea God Captain had emerged from his cabin and arrived on deck.
The young female demon trembled with excitement.
In the world of demons, there were only a handful of living legends. These captains were undoubtedly among the most dazzling of them. Every one of them had fought and killed at least one Archwizard, and the wizard hunting parties they had destroyed were beyond count.
In the past, she had only heard such stories from Sir Ulrich. Now, she would face these legends herself!
The female demon pulled her fine-fur cloak tighter around herself, filled with the solemn feeling that she was witnessing history.
Under the sunlight, the four great ships occupied separate positions, silently facing the boundless sea.
An iceberg stood tall to the north.
The east lay within a mirage.
The south was shrouded in mist.
Only the battered Whirlpool, covered in seaweed and shells, rested quietly beneath the sun to the west.
The Misty Captain wore a white cloak with a broad hood. He hid most of his face within it. On the back of his cloak was embroidered the Misty's lantern insignia, glimmering with dazzling green light beneath the sun.
Nikita followed behind him, carefully stepping across the sea's surface, afraid that making even slightly larger ripples would displease the figure ahead.
"It is difficult to erase the impact of something, but there is a way to turn a major event into a minor one." The Misty Captain's deep voice was gentle and mild over the open sea. "Like your footprints now. Every step you take across the sea sends ripples spreading outward. That is the impact you bring."
"Though it would be easy to use certain abilities to erase those ripples, in a place like this open sea, any ability used without permission is forbidden and may bring unforeseeable consequences."
Nikita looked around nervously and confusedly.
She felt the captain was implying something, but as far as the eye can see, there were only four silent ships.
A solitary figure from each ship was walking toward the center of these waters.
On the iceberg, the burly White Bear swayed his head as he lumbered forward.
From the mirage emerged a burly man in a tricorne hat with a thick black beard.
The Whirlpool Captain looked somewhat disheveled, his worn leather armor covered in seaweed and shells.
Yet regardless, every captain radiated an intimidating presence.
Nikita felt that she somewhat understood what the captain meant.
To demons, moral restraints such as a wizard's honor did not exist. The only things capable of restraining their actions were balance and power.
At this moment, four ships and four captains had formed a fragile balance over these waters.
"If you want to erase the ripples beneath your feet without drawing anyone else's attention, the only way is to make more ripples and hide your originally inconspicuous ripples among them."
"The truth is hidden within them." The Misty Captain sighed, then suddenly threw back his hood, revealing a pale face.
He burst into laughter and charged across the sea toward the other three captains.
At the same time, the other three captains also dashed forward over the sea.
A violent impact erupted ahead. The rushing air currents were like wild horses breaking free of their reins, making Nikita's cloak snap fiercely in the wind.
At the center where the captains converged, soaring demonic energy rose from the sea, shredding the floating clouds overhead to pieces. Even the sky seemed to have been pierced through. The seawater beneath their feet frantically fled from their stomping, leaving behind a bottomless sea eye at the center of the four great ships.
Gritting her teeth and closing her eyes, Nikita rushed after them.
She was simply too slow.
By the time she reached the captains, the sea had already calmed once more.
Only the endlessly rotating sea eye spoke of the legends' tremendous power.
Half of the Misty Captain's white cloak had been torn away, while the other half looked as though it had been scorched by fire, exposing charred threads.
The White Bear from the iceberg now had two blackened circles around his eyes, along with scorched marks across his body. He looked like a distant relative of Huaxia's Old Panda.
The captain from the mirage had transparent icicles hanging from his black beard, while two corners of his leather tricorne had been torn off.
Only the Whirlpool Captain showed no obvious signs of injury, since he had already looked so disheveled to begin with.
Vast demonic energy flowed endlessly among the captains, and Nikita felt as though she were about to suffocate. Countless thoughts flashed wildly through her mind. One moment, she thought the captain had brought her here as a drinking snack for the four of them; the next, she wondered whether she would be silenced for seeing the captains in such damaged states.
"So this is the little demon you mentioned?" The Sea God Captain was a rough-looking burly man in fiery red leather armor, with an unruly black beard. Seeing Nikita, he asked in a gruff voice.
"You can see for yourselves." The Misty Captain waved a hand, his voice sounding somewhat tired.
To her horror, Nikita discovered that she was floating upward, drifting directly above the pitch-black sea eye.
Are they going to fill the sea eye with me? Her mind went blank.
The great White Bear was the first to approach.
He had savage eyes. Looking at those tiny crimson eyes, Nikita told herself not to struggle, not to move, not to look into his eyes.
The great bear slowly paced over to her, wrinkled his nose and sniffed her, then circled her twice. He nodded, let out a low howl, and stepped back.
Then came the Sea God Captain.
Then the Whirlpool Captain.
One after another, they came to her side as though confirming something.
Only after she landed safely back on the sea did Nikita confirm that she would not be used to fill the sea eye.
The captains all wore grave expressions.
"How long do you estimate he has been gone?" The Whirlpool Captain's voice was shrill and grating, like shells scraping together. He looked at the Misty Captain.
"At least ten years."
"But in the past few years, they have been striking everywhere and capturing many of our crewmen. They made quite a big move." The Sea God Captain stroked his thick beard.
"All bluster, no substance."
"Do you know where he went?"
"Perhaps he is developing a newly discovered world, perhaps he got lost on some star route, or perhaps he had a sudden whim while traveling and crawled into some cave for secluded cultivation." The Misty Captain grinned soundlessly. "He may even have died of old age. Everyone knows he is very old."
Nikita's mind was in chaos. She vaguely guessed whom the captains were discussing.
Her face turned deathly pale, and she covered her mouth in terror.
"If your guess is correct, then it truly is worth risking everything for." The Sea God Captain glanced at the female demon before turning back to the Misty Captain, his voice heavy. "But before that, we need to test him."
"For peace of mind, each of us must test him." The Misty Captain pulled up his hood again. His bluish-black lips twisted happily. "And I will be the first to do so."
On the way back to the ship, the Misty Captain did not say another word.
Only when they reached the side of the Misty and stood on the sea, looking up at its towering hull, did he speak again. "Don't you want to say something?"
He glanced at the female demon.
"If you require it." Nikita looked even more humble and obedient than when she had first seen the captain.
The Misty Captain nodded in satisfaction.
"You must have guessed something just now."
"Since you have guessed it, let it rot in your stomach. Those wizards have far too many strange spells. I do not want them finding out yet."
The female demon prostrated herself on the sea, trembling all over.
"Don't be afraid. You are still useful." The captain pulled her to her feet and looked at her pale face. "You mentioned before that you could get onto a flight headed for First University. Good. I will give you one month. If you succeed, you may officially become a crew member of the Misty. If you fail..."
The captain smiled. "The wizards will like a lich who walks into their net."
Nikita blinked. The pallor slowly faded from her face, and her alluring smile returned. "As you wish, my lord."
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