Chapter 224

"Lord Alan, it's possible—any creature can stay freely in the sea for three days after consuming the bubble clam!"

"Moreover, for safety, our Fish-People tribe's settlement environment is much like that of the human race—we also use giant bubbles to keep the seawater out!"

After Waga's explanation, Gervas learned for the first time that Fish-People like Waga did not spend their entire time submerged in seawater.

Within their tribal territory, they used bubble fish to generate enormous bubbles that separated the seawater.

This allowed their tribe to exist in a dry environment.

The reason for this was simple: safety.

Imagine if the entire Fish-People tribe were surrounded by seawater.

If enemies launched an attack, wouldn't they be able to surge in from all directions?

That would be extremely disadvantageous for the defenders.

Conversely, if the seawater around the tribe were drained, enemies could only attack from the ground, just as on land.

Then the defenders merely needed to build walls or fences to effectively repel attackers.

Moreover, this defensive method was not invented by the Fish-People alone.

It was said that nearly all intelligent sea races upheld this tradition.

Even the powerful sea kingdoms in the north followed the same practice.

Some of these mighty sea kingdoms had even built magnificent underwater cities within their bubbles.

Waga and his Fish-People, by contrast, were no more than marginal, weak tribes akin to the goblins of the land.

The only difference between them and goblins was that they did not survive by raiding other races, but by catching sea fish for food.

Good heavens! Gervas exclaimed in astonishment!

He felt Waga had opened a glimpse into the mysterious world of sea races.

In the past, he had never had the chance to learn such information.

Of course, this might be due to the northern powerful sea races severing all contact with the human race.

Thus, for minor nobles, they could only occasionally catch fragments of information about sea races in books.

Yet the full details and conditions regarding sea races remained secrets held by the great noble families.

After all, in this world, information monopolization was one of the control methods used by powerful clans.

"Gervas, our tribe has urgently gathered over a hundred bubble clams, but I know this request is truly excessive..."

"No, Waga! We're good friends—when a good friend is in trouble, I, Gervas, will not hesitate! No more words—where are the bubble clams? I'll immediately gather my men!" Gervas cut off Waga's words as the Fish-People once again felt ashamed.

"Gervas, the bubble clams cannot be out of seawater for long, so they've been kept right by the shore!"

"Good, then let's head to the shore at once!"

Gervas wasted no time—he immediately assembled a group of knights and their squires, along with fifty barbarian warriors and over forty archers and crossbowmen!

In short: bring as many men as there are bubble clams!

Upon reaching the shore, Waga pulled the bubble clams from the sea.

Indeed, these were clams with power—upon seeing them, Gervas immediately sensed magical energy.

Without delay, he ordered his men to open the clams and eat them raw—smooth, firm, and delicious.

"Oh! Delicious, my lord! These clams are absolutely exquisite—I wonder if there are any more left!" Mi Gen finished and his eyes sparkled.

After all, these were magical clams—not to be compared with ordinary ones.

Naturally, Mi Gen's fate was predictable: Gervas slapped his helmet with a sharp crack.

"You fool, do you really think magical clams are just shells lying on the roadside?"

"Uh... my lord, I was only asking, please don't be angry!" Mi Gen shrank his head and dared not speak again.

The effect of the bubble clams took immediate effect—seeing Gervas and his men consume them, Waga immediately urged them to test it.

It was said one didn't even need to remove armor, nor worry about water seeping in.

Gervas naturally wanted to see it for himself—he immediately took his men to the shore to try.

As he stepped into the seawater, he immediately noticed something miraculous.

A thin membrane naturally formed on his feet, separating him from the seawater—neither his pants nor his skin became wet.

"My god! This is incredible! My lord, look at me—I've lain flat in the water, yet nothing happened, and I can even breathe underwater!"

Mi Gen, ever reckless, moved far faster than Gervas—upon seeing the membrane form beneath his feet, blocking the seawater,

he immediately dove headfirst into the sea.

Fortunately, the bubble clam's effect lived up to its reputation: not only did it repel seawater, but it also allowed free breathing without suffocation.

This was no round bubble—it was a skin-tight membrane, and achieving such an effect was truly miraculous.

Gervas carefully sensed it further: the magical membrane likely extracted oxygen from the surrounding seawater, enabling free respiration.

Moreover, they felt no water pressure—indicating they could indeed use the membrane to enter the deep sea.

Though unbelievable, this world possessed qi and magic.

Thus, anything was possible.

With the bubble clam's effect confirmed, Gervas and his men wasted no time—they immediately boarded the ship.

Yes, they needed to sail by sea to the region inhabited by the Buwa tribe, then dive into the water to reach them.

After all, swimming there from this location would take at least half a day.

Though Gervas's group could breathe freely and withstand pressure, they certainly preferred the ease of a ship.

The Fish-People tribe's surface location was never revealed to humans.

But in this moment of survival, the Buwa tribe could no longer afford caution.

……

"Ha! Toca! Surrender! How many Buwa warriors remain? If you fight again, you'll all be wiped out!"

"Rada, dream on! Even if we die, our Buwa warriors will never surrender!"

"Is that so?" Rada's smile vanished, his eyes turning fierce. "Toca, out of respect for our past as neighbors, I've been kind enough to warn you!"

"But if you refuse, don't blame me for being cruel—I'll kill your Buwa women and children one by one, right before your eyes, once I take your tribe!"

"So think carefully now—will you surrender immediately, or lose your chance forever?"

"You... Rada, you despicable bastard! Even when our Buwa tribe grew strong, I never thought of swallowing your Dack tribe—yet now you dare use such cruel methods to force us?"

Toca's eyes burned red—Rada's cruelty and shamelessness were unbearable.

Though Fish-People tribes had fought before, after defeating enemies, their women and children were never slaughtered—only enslaved.

But Rada had just spoken of killing women and children—this had crossed into madness.