Chapter 108

That day, the weather was fine and sunny.

At the secret dock on the east side of White Sturgeon Island, a flat-bottomed clay electric boat over twenty meters long and ten or so meters wide had appeared, with twenty young men aboard.

Each young man was strong and handsome, wearing only leather shorts that revealed their strong, bronzed upper bodies.

When sunlight struck them, the smooth bronzed skin took on a faint metallic sheen, making their already bulging muscles seem even more explosively powerful.

It felt as if the boat carried not mortals but twenty sun gods descended to earth; these youths were the core members of the Sun Warrior Project, whom Luosen had cultivated at great cost.

Around the flat-bottomed electric boat were ten Fishman Killer Speedboats, one of which carried Luosen.

This time it was not a puppet, but his true self.

Because a puppet can be controlled only up to 40 kilometers, and this time he would be leaving the island by at least 100 kilometers, far beyond that range.

It was somewhat risky, but not entirely so.

He not only brought guards, he also carried many powerful magical implements, and had already mastered the Six Rings Flawless Steel Dragon Body technique, greatly boosting his defense.

Seeing that everything was ready, he shouted loudly: "Depart, proceed at medium speed!"

"If we encounter fishman obstruction along the way, attack directly without any hesitation."

"Fishmen are indeed servants of the deep-sea demoness, but not all fishmen are the same."

"Fishman society somewhat resembles an ant colony on Earth."

"Each tribe has one fishman queen."

"The queen does only two things: constantly eating and constantly giving birth."

"When the fish eggs hatch, fishmaidens will rear them."

"Depending on their aptitude, they are fed different queen's milk, causing them to grow into various kinds of fishmen for different purposes."

"Ordinary fishmen are the most numerous, making up ninety percent of the tribe; they receive the least queen's milk, grow the fastest, and are pure consumables."

"Therefore, as long as there is no deliberate slaughter and no harm to higher-ranking fishmen, the deep-sea demoness will not regard it as an unforgivable serious provocation."

Woooooon

The speedboat and the flat-bottomed clay electric boat started up slowly, heading at a moderate speed into the depths of the fishman waters.

On Luosen's speedboat, Harry, the commander of the East Sea Fleet, was also present, feeling quite guilty.

"Lord, is this plan reliable?"

He had never seen anyone use seductive techniques to conquer territory; if Luosen hadn't cited classics, he would never have agreed to such a preposterous plan.

Luosen also felt a little unsure, after all, all the data came from ancient texts.

Although there is corroboration from multiple sources, times have changed—who knows what the deep-sea demoness looks like now?

But as Lord, he must never show weakness; even if facts slap him in the face, he must retort regardless of the facts.

What's more, the situation is currently impossible to gauge.

His face showed the usual calm composure, relaxed and unhurried.

"Harry, you must remember: only stories need to make sense; the real world requires no logic. As long as something exists, it is reasonable."

"Harry really was taken aback: 'Mm, Lord, that makes sense.'"

Having been a warrior for many years, he had indeed encountered many bizarre events that could shatter one's worldview, knowing this world is truly absurd.

The speedboat's speed was still not slow; even at medium speed it did thirty to forty kilometers per hour, quickly covering over a hundred kilometers to reach the central area of the triangular waters.

This is the spot with the highest frequency of deep-sea demoness encounters in the maritime log.

Over the past three hundred years or so, the log records about twenty-four encounters, the most recent of which occurred roughly twenty years ago.

"Proceed at reduced speed!"

After the fleet slowed, Luosen took out a specially made Lightning Amplifier Horn, powered it on, set the power to maximum, and began shouting loudly over the sea surface.

Laerte Lis~~~~Laerte Lis~~~~~

The horn's power was truly considerable, the sea surface was indeed open, and Luosen's shout carried far across the water.

Even the warriors fifty or sixty meters away felt their ears ringing, many instinctively covering them tightly.

Along the way, Luosen kept shouting, not just the name but also adding phrases that conveyed his sincere intent to communicate.

"We are neighbors near White Sturgeon Island, we come with goodwill~~~"

"Beautiful maidens, we hope to have a good talk with you and conduct some maritime trade beneficial to both sides~~"

Shouting on, after about half an hour, Luosen suddenly sensed a group of faint magical fluctuations appearing ahead on the sea surface.

The distance was about over a thousand meters; if rocks blocked it he wouldn't feel it, but the sea was open, so he perceived it clearly.

He sensed a source of magical fluctuations entering the sea, moving at considerable speed in the shallow water, and continually approaching the fleet.

Luosen guessed it was the deep-sea demoness approaching, and immediately raised his hand to issue the order: "Stop advancing, but maintain power supply, keep highest alert!"

The fleet stopped, drifting slowly on the sea, leaving only the "buzz" of the motors running at low speed.

Soon, Luosen saw fifteen or six black shadows burst consecutively from the distant sea surface.

Once in the sky, their wings spread rapidly, then they flapped fiercely, rushing toward us.

The transformation process was smooth and fluid, the magical fluctuations harmonious and beautiful, displaying a natural, innate beauty.

Luosen silently thought: "This must be an innate talent for transformation."

It was strong, yet one could feel that this transformation talent merely altered muscles and bones simply, without affecting vital organs.

Seeing the women burst from the sea, the crew members were all greatly shocked, instinctively crying out in alarm.

Even the High-tier Mage Harry could not avoid it.

"Quiet!"

Luosen shouted loudly: "Those coming are not monsters, but a group of sea dwellers skilled in transformation technique!"

The Lord's composure gave the warriors an anchor; their minds steadied considerably.

Soon the black shadows flew close up; their form matched the maritime log's description: naked, bodies held straight in the air, with feathers covering the outer thighs, outer arms, head, and belly.

Most female demons have dark blue feathers, but there is also an exception.

Among them, one female demon has noticeably stronger magical fluctuations; although her base feather color is also blue, in sunlight one can see many pearl-like iridescent glints.

The female demons circled above the fleet for a while.

The pearl-blue feathered female demon shouted at the fleet: "Rude intruders, you have dared to shout our queen's name without permission; apologize to us immediately!"

It was actually the common tongue of the Natural Alliance, more precisely, the ancient common tongue.

Luosen apologized without hesitation: "I apologize to you; I offended the queen's majesty because I was unaware of the deep-sea rules—it was my mistake."

The female demons' expressions softened considerably; the earlier female demon continued shouting: "Follow us forward; ahead is a reef that protrudes above the sea, where we will talk."

Luosen raised his hand: "Move forward, maintain low speed, watch out for underwater reefs!"

The fleet started up again, neither hurried nor slow, following behind the flying female demons.

Harry whispered: "Lord, will this group of female demons harm us?"

Luosen shook his head: "Don't worry, they have no reason to harm us."

With the Ten Rings Mage's sensitivity and Laifu's keen observation of expressions,

He detected no malice.

All along the way, after about ten or so minutes, sure enough we saw a reef of considerable size.

The part of the reef above water covers about a hundred square meters; the surface is very uneven, like a tiny little island hill.

The female demons flapped their wings and landed on the reef one after another; as they descended, all the feathers on their bodies turned into thick long hair at a visible speed.

The dark blue hair covered their snow-white skin, like a combination of azure waves and white surf, gorgeous beyond description, instantly capturing the warriors' gazes.

The Female Demon Leader, from above, shouted at the fleet: "Alright, stay thirty meters away; do not come any closer!"

Luosen immediately ordered the fleet to comply.

At the same time, he carefully observed the female demons and found that, by human aesthetic standards, most of their looks could only be considered above average.

But perhaps because of prolonged high-intensity activity in the sea, the female demons have very graceful figures, and their skin is indeed very moist, as smooth and white as if oiled.

Also because they wear no clothing, a group of crew members found it hard to restrain themselves, their eyes gathering on the female demons like spotlights; the Female Demon Leader also paid no heed to the gazes.

She stood with arms crossed, one leg high and one low on the reef's slope, looking down on Luosen and said: "You are the leader, right?"

"That's right, I am."

"I ask you, what kind of ship is this?"

"It's a Rune Lightning Ship, a kind of magical artifact."

"Oh~~ it's actually quite fast."

The Female Demon Leader then turned her gaze to the twenty Sun Warriors seated on the flat-bottom boat, staring for a long time before slowly looking away.

"You just said you want to trade with us?"

"Yes, trade, and the larger the scale the better. If you cannot make the decision, I hope to meet with your queen."

"Our queen is currently unavailable; you might as well first tell us what you want to trade."

Luosen then produced the prepared trade goods: "We need fish, seaweed, pearls, coral from the sea, and various seabed minerals."

"We can at least provide you with sharp knives that are keen and rust-resistant. They are very handy tools, especially good for filleting fish."

"Look, this is it."

While speaking, Luosen lightly tossed the steel-hardened clay dagger as a sample upward.

This item uses a comparatively rare gray-white clay; after hardening, its material resembles a ceramic knife from a past life, extremely sharp.

The Female Demon Leader took the dagger, drew the weapon from its sheath and examined it carefully, her face showing satisfaction: "Indeed it's a fine weapon; how much do you intend to exchange for it?"

This question put Luosen in a bind—quoting too high or too low would both be bad.

So he said: "These weapons were crafted at considerable cost to us; they are precious to us, but only to us."

"After all, this is a mutual transaction, so it must be worth whatever you think it's worth."

The female demon played with the dagger and said: "We do not lightly trade with outsiders unless that foreign party can prove their sincerity."

Luosen, knowing full well, asked: "How do we demonstrate sincerity?"

The Female Demon Leader then pointed at the Sun Warriors on the flat-bottom boat.

"We have taken a liking to them; we want to play with them thoroughly. If they can satisfy us, we will trade; otherwise, you may go back."

Luosen immediately looked at the Sun Warriors on the flat-bottom boat and, according to the number of female demons, selected sixteen.

"No, we want them all, and I want that one. Yes, the tallest, strongest, with blue eyes and blond hair."

"We will play here on this reef; the rest of you withdraw farther away and wait."

Since that's the case, Luosen ordered this group of youngsters.

"Go, warriors of White Sturgeon Island, show them your utmost sincerity!"

These youngsters were already of excellent stock, true men picked from a thousand miles.

Luosen also cooperated with Mentor Anna, bestowing upon them all the Master version of the Divine Gun Technique, raising their strength by several levels directly.

At this moment, each of them was already excited like a starving wolf.

Upon hearing Luosen's command, they vied with each other to jump off the flat-bottom boat and swiftly swam to the reef.

Luosen then waved his hand: "Retreat 100 meters!"

The fleet retreated, then waited patiently.

Time passed second by second, but the battle on the reef remained incessant, with artillery fire never ceasing.

Harry initially looked exhilarated, even envious all over his face, but as he watched, his whole body shuddered and his expression grew increasingly grave.

"Lord, this group of deep-sea female demons is indeed formidable!"

Half an hour has already passed; some female demons are even fighting two opponents at once and still not losing ground.

If it were him going up, he would likely be defeated within a few minutes.

However, the Sun Warriors were not entirely at a disadvantage; among them were also top masters.

The tall, strong warrior chosen by the female demon leader was especially formidable.

He even struck the supposedly strongest female demon leader into a step‑by‑step retreat, almost to the point of being stunned.

Luosen admired silently: "What is that youngster's name?"

"Frodo, he was originally a senior knight."

"No wonder he's so heroic; when we return, we'll promote his rank by one level and raise his pay."

"Yes, my lord."

Harry also thought Frodo was truly impressive; while others fought two against one, after he defeated the female demon leader he even faced a second one.

He suspected that fellow could even pierce holes through the reef below.

After a grueling two‑hour battle, the Sun Warriors completely defeated their opponent and secured final victory.

Luosen waved his hand.

"That's enough, come close."

When the fleet drew near, the Sun Warriors immediately returned to the flat‑bottomed boats, each wearing a smile of both satisfaction and fatigue.

Look again at the reef.

Since the demons had already been defeated, their condition was even worse than the Sun Warriors; they lay motionless on the reef.

After a while, the female demon leader was the first to regain some strength.

She said weakly, "Lord, you have demonstrated your sincerity very well."

"For this dagger, we'll give you ten thumb‑sized pearls, or a fresh fish weighing as much as an ordinary fish‑person, or seaweed three times that weight."

Luosen's heart lit up: "This is a huge profit."

Then the female demon leader pointed at the Sun Warriors.

"But for each trade, you must bring strong youngsters like this; the more, the better, because the other sisters also need to feel your sincerity."

Luosen immediately showed a troubled expression: "Lady, may I state three conditions?"

"Speak, but I hope you won't be too greedy."

"First, we wish to move the trade location to the reef near the island, or simply to the island's edge. The reef is too hard; it would wear our youngsters' skin away."

The female demon leader nodded: "That's correct; now set a spot."

Luosen continued with the second condition: "Consider our strong youngsters; to show sincerity they expend great physical effort and energy. Among our people, that requires extra compensation."

The female demon leader paused, looked down at the Sun Warriors on the flat‑bottomed boats, then turned to whisper with the sisters, and nodded again.

"I agree as well; such strong, masculine youngsters are rare."

After thinking, she was about to state a price: "Then…"

Luosen immediately replied: "Lady, let the youngsters negotiate the price directly with your sisters; after all, they are the ones giving and receiving."

"Very reasonable. Good, let them negotiate themselves."

Luosen added the final condition: "Leader, we would like to use the deep‑sea route to head toward the East Golden Cape in the south with our ship."

He added at once: "We know the rules and will pay the full toll, but for the exact amount I'd like to discuss it at an official venue, at an official time."

The female demon leader was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "Let's not rush this; after all, we're still unfamiliar with you."

"Let's conduct trade for a while first; if we find you trustworthy, we'll discuss the next step."

During the first contact, Luosen didn't expect to settle everything in a single discussion.

Moreover, his ultimate goal was not to do business with the demons but to control this sea region.

Just as the demons need to understand them, he also needs to use trade to thoroughly learn about the demons.

Whether war or peace, intelligence comes first.

"Lady, you're right; then let's start with trade first."

(End of chapter)