Heroes' Prison

Chapter 290 - 285: Mermaid

Huang Yi feared that the velociraptor might startle them, so he dismounted as he approached the fishing village, dismissed the velociraptor, and proceeded on foot.

Soon, Huang Yi entered the fishing village where every household was drying fish in front of their homes, the strong fishy smell wafting through the air.

At every doorway, huge conch shells were hung, swaying slightly and making a wooing sound when a sea breeze blew by.

Some bare-chested, dark-skinned fishermen also noticed him, stopping in their tracks to gaze curiously at him. However, the crowd was mostly women and children; there were no young adults to be seen.

"Excuse me, who is your village chief?" Huang Yi surveyed the surrounding crowd and asked.

"What do you want with me?" At that moment, a small old man in his fifties or sixties stepped out from the crowd. He was hunched over, his face lined with wrinkles, but his body remained robust, suggesting that he must have been a sailor in his youth and probably still went out to sea frequently. He stared intently at Huang Yi and introduced himself, "My name is Bai Fan, the chief of this village. I can tell you’ve come from afar, welcome to our place."

"I did indeed come from a distance and am unfamiliar with this area, so I’d like to ask you some questions," said Huang Yi politely. "Is there a suitable place to build a harbor here? Something like the bay of this little village, the bigger the better."

"Hmm? Are you a city lord, looking to build a city here?" Bai Fan pondered, "The best bay around here is 50 kilometers north, but there’s a war going on, and I’m afraid you can’t go there."

"Why is there a war?" Huang Yi asked, frowning. He hadn’t seen any signs of conflict on his journey, which should’ve been peaceful.

"These days, this sea area is becoming increasingly dangerous. That port is the only safe place, so everyone is fighting over it," explained Bai Fan, sighing. "Our village lost out in the competition. Haven’t you noticed that we only have elders and children here? All our young people have died on the battlefield."

"Why is it dangerous? The ocean looks quite normal to me!" Huang Yi looked around at the blue sea and sky.

"Because there’s a sea monster here," Bai Fan replied, turning to gaze at the endless ocean. "On the surface, it seems fine, but a terrible sea monster often emerges from those waters, and encountering it means certain death. Last month, a fisherman from our village went out to sea and never returned, probably falling to the sea monster."

"Why don’t you several fishing villages unite and kill the sea monster instead of fighting each other?"

"Impossible!" Bai Fan shook his head. "We have lived here for generations. Our ancestors left us a legend saying that the sea monster has been here since the Near Ancient Period and is a being of the Holy Domain Rank. In the past, it rarely harmed people, emerging only once every few centuries. But in recent years, the appearances of the sea monster have become much more frequent, and many fishermen have fallen victim to it. Even if we united all the fishermen, we couldn’t defeat her."

"The Ancient Times?" Huang Yi was suddenly taken aback. Ancient Times were incredibly remote, yet this sea monster seemed to defy the passage of time!

This abnormal behavior immediately reminded him of the Sand Thief King!

The Sand Thief King, too, had withstood the passage of vast time, surviving to the present!

It seemed that this sea monster, much like Sand Thief King, might have joined forces with The Seven Archdemons, gaining tremendous mysterious powers, which allowed it to live until now.

And the recent frequent appearances of the sea monster coincided with the time when The Seven Archdemons had begun stirring.

The Seven Archdemons, being of high status, were naturally expected to make a dramatic entrance. Before that, their henchmen would stir trouble, like the Skeleton Ocean’s siege on Dragon City or the sea monster’s frequent surfacing—these were indications, with similar incidents occurring on other continents as well.

With this in mind, Huang Yi immediately asked, "Is there any sign of the sea monster?"

"None of us has ever seen her, but legend has it she is a mermaid, and every night we can hear her singing. You can listen for yourself tonight," Bai Fan said.

"Thank you, then I shall not disturb you further." Huang Yi nodded, deciding to stay the night to hear for himself what the sea monster’s singing was like.

If he had the chance, he would very much want to eliminate this sea monster. Without removing the sea monster, even if he built a harbor in this maritime area, it would be futile as no one would dare to go to sea, and basic personal safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

But this was a huge challenge. The sea monster roamed the boundless ocean, with space to move freely in all directions. In such an environment, even releasing criminals from Heroes’ Prison would be of no use.

Gradually, a brand-new night fell.

In the fishing village, each household lit their fish oil lamps, casting a cozy glow. Everyone in the village was enjoying their dinner, and a gentle sea breeze carried the savory fragrance of fish.

Huang Yi was also invited to the village chief’s home, where he enjoyed a seafood dinner.

"Luo Luo, take Big Brother to the seaside, the sea monster is going to sing soon," the village chief said to his grandson, who looked to be around twelve or thirteen.

"Okay!" The young boy obediently nodded and led Huang Yi away.

The boy took Huang Yi to the sandy beach by the sea and sat down on the soft sand, quietly waiting.

At that moment, a huge round moon and seven colored stars hung in the starry sky, casting down their bright light, making the sea surface tranquil with only the rhythmic sound of the waves.

"Big Brother, is your faraway place fun?" the little boy suddenly asked curiously.

"Yes, it’s fun," Huang Yi nodded, "There, cities can house millions of people, with buildings reaching hundreds of meters tall, and all kinds of things for sale."

"Wow, I really want to go see it," the boy’s eyes lit up as he said enviously, "But my family has lived here for generations, and we can only spend our lives on the beach and in the sea. I’ve only heard the elders talk about those distant big cities; I really want to go see them."

"You’ll see them soon. I’m going to build a harbor here, and then you’ll see what a big city is like," Huang Yi said, patting his head.

"But as long as the sea monster is still around, it won’t do any good building this harbor. Even the biggest ships are doomed if they encounter the sea monster, unless it’s one of those super-large warships," the boy kindly said, "All right, the sea monster should be about to sing."

Huang Yi calmed his heart, perked up his ears, and patiently waited.

Just then, the dark horizon of the sea suddenly echoed with an ethereal song, faintly audible.

The song was melancholy and elusive, wafting through the air with a mysterious aura that made one want to dive into the deep sea to find its source.

Slowly, the singing became clearer, and though Huang Yi could not understand the words, which must be in another language, the poignant yearning revealed in the tune was distinctly palpable.

"What’s the legend about this sea monster?" As soon as Huang Yi heard the desolate singing, he knew there must be a story behind the sea monster.

Gazing at the dark ocean’s horizon, the little boy elaborated, "My grandfather told me that, a very, very long time ago, there was a beautiful mermaid princess in the deep sea, her name was Anqila, and her voice was sweet. One day she quietly left the seabed to sing above the surface, and by chance, a boy on a fishing boat heard her. The boy forgot himself and accidentally fell into the water, and the mermaid princess saved him. From then on, the two fell in love."

"What happened after that?" asked Huang Yi, knowing that the story had been romantic so far, but it was bound to take a turn.

"Then it became very sad!" Indeed, the boy revealed a tragic ending, "The mermaid tribe cannot fall in love with humans. The beautiful princess violated the ocean’s laws and was imprisoned. The boy went over and over to the place where they first met, but he never saw her again. Then suddenly, it seemed like the boy gained a powerful strength, he couldn’t bear the longing anymore, jumped into the ocean, and plunged into the dark depths of the sea, never to be seen again. When the princess learned of this, she escaped and swam back and forth in the deep sea, searching for her beloved, but no matter how much she looked, she could not find him. Since then, she was no longer the beautiful mermaid princess but became an evil sea monster. Every night, she would sing over the ocean, calling for her beloved boy, and all the sailors that came and went would hear this sad song."

At this time, the sea monster’s song continued to sing mournfully in the ocean. After hearing the story, Huang Yi felt the song was all the more infused with an endless longing that wouldn’t fade no matter how many years passed. It was just a pity that seas change into mulberry fields, and no matter how many times she sang, the boy would never appear again.

"You just said, the boy in the story suddenly gained powerful strength, do you know what his name was?" Huang Yi asked thoughtfully.

"He seemed to be called Leviathan, a very ordinary boy from a fishing village."

"Leviathan," Huang Yi murmured the name, immediately pulling out the Book of Heroes, searching with a glimmer of hope to see if there was any mention of this character.

If the boy had suddenly acquired great strength, then it was very likely related to The Seven Archdemons; perhaps he met someone like Biliev, the King of the Fallen, and made a pact to gain a sudden increase in power. In the Heroes’ Prison, there were indeed some criminals like this.

Huang Yi flipped page by page, his gaze sweeping over the names of powerful heroes as the sea breeze blew, rustling the pages.

After a long while, he finished flipping through the catalog of criminals, but did not find any named Leviathan.

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