NOVEL NEXT Chapter 717: Started Arriving
Four days later, at the eastern coastline of the Barisan continent, there was a small fishermen village. The village had tens of villagers, and most of them were fishermen who had been fishing for generations.
In the past, when the continent was still covered by the protective barrier, these villagers could only sail not too far from the coastline, but they could still catch enough fish to keep their economy moving and fill their bellies. However, since the barrier disappeared, they could sail much farther, and they could also catch many more fish, which in the end elevated their condition.
At this moment, a few fishermen had just come back from fishing. Their catch was satisfying, with many fishes caught inside the net. Their ships anchored near the simple dock, and they moved their catch to the land through it.
"What a great catch today too. At this point I don't think we will run out of fish," one of the fishermen said as he helped pull the net full of fish from the ship.
"Yeah, I'm truly grateful to live to this day, as I can enjoy this," replied his friend.
"Thanks to His Majesty, we can live to this day and enjoy this condition full of peace and fish."
While they kept working and conversing with each other, their activities suddenly stopped as their gazes turned toward the middle of the ocean. At first, they were confused when they saw what looked like a "wall" approaching. But then, their eyes widened in shock, as they finally realized what it was, a huge wave rushing toward them at great speed.
"Shit! A wave that high?! A tsunami? Where the hell did that suddenly come from?" one fisherman shouted in shock.
"Run! Warn the other villagers about the incoming wave!" another yelled. But the wave moved too quickly. It was already closing in on them, and as mere mortals, they were not fast enough to reach the village. In that moment, they thought all of them were going to die as the wave loomed over them.
But then, before the wave could crash into the land or even touch their anchored ships, it suddenly broke apart, splitting and splashing to both sides. A massive figure appeared beneath the water, growing clearer and larger as it rose from the sea.
The fishermen looked upward in disbelief.
What they saw was a giant whale.
Standing on top of the whale were several humanoid figures. In the next instant, those figures leapt down and landed right in front of the fishermen.
By now, the villagers had already gathered near their place, drawn by the commotion from the sea.
The moment they saw the scene before them, they were shocked, as this was the first time they had ever seen something like this. A giant whale and five blue-skinned figures stood before them, and some of the features on their heads reminded them of fish. Still, their shapes were more or less human, and it was even possible to distinguish their genders.
At the front stood a beautiful woman with long blue hair, wearing a blue dress, while four muscular men stood behind her like guards. They exuded a strong aura that made everyone present tremble in fear.
The fishermen were only mortals, so when faced with these powerful figures, they did not know what to do. But then they remembered the words about the outsiders who would begin arriving on the continent. Their emperor had already told them not to be afraid and to stand with dignity, for he would be behind them.
Recalling their emperor's words gave them a surge of confidence. They forced themselves to stand firm, trying to appear unafraid, even though fear still lingered in their hearts.
However, at that moment, the beautiful woman suddenly spoke, in the same language as them.
"My apologies if our arrival startled you all. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xeris Nerevalis, princess of the Ardemia Empire, located in the Sermoin Ocean, the eastern ocean of the Barisan continent. We are, in a way, your neighbors. We are the sea folk, and we wish to meet with His Majesty Aldrian."
Her voice was soft and comforting, which helped ease the hearts of the villagers. They also finally understood her intention, and one of the fishermen stepped forward to speak.
"I see. Then, Your Highness, you should head toward that floating land with the grand palace. That is the Imperial Palace, where His Majesty resides. Although the floating land can be seen from here, it is located in the central region of the continent, which is far away from this place. Even we have never visited it." As he spoke, he pointed toward the floating land.
The sea folk turned their gaze to the floating land in the distance, and then Princess Xeris looked back at the fisherman.
"I see, thank you for the information. However, before we go, may I ask a few questions to any of you? We will compensate you for your time and make sure you suffer no loss, as we will reward you generously."
The fisherman nodded, though he still felt wary in his heart.
"Please ask, Your Highness. If this is something I, or we, can answer, then we will do so."
The princess nodded with a smile, and they began their question-and-answer session.
While the guests from the sea folk were the first to arrive after Aldrian's announcement, out in space near the Barisan continent, an interstellar vessel was approaching. As it drew closer to the continent, the vessel began to slow down and descended into the atmosphere.
A few moment later, the giant vessel nearly reached the coastline of the Barisan continent, but it hovered for a moment before flying off in a certain direction. From its position, the crew could see a wide field that had been prepared by the authority of the Barisan continent, specifically for such massive vessels to land.
Not long after, the vessel finally landed, and the side hatch opened, revealing several figures. Among them was someone Aldrian knew well—the emperor of the Martal Empire. These people were the group from the Avilandis imperial family. Beside him stood his son, Prince Ronwell, along with several imperial guards.
After disembarking from their vessel, they looked around at their surroundings.
"Finally, we have arrived on this continent. Still, we wasted too much time, which caused us to arrive only now, even with an interstellar vessel," Emperor Rozwald said.
"Well, it couldn't be helped, Father. The gift for His Majesty Aldrian only appeared not long ago, and we were fortunate to obtain it," Ronwell replied as he gazed at the surrounding scenery.
They had even resorted to using an interstellar vessel in order to travel through space at greater speed. Warp ability could not be used, as the vessel had a minimum warp range, but they could still take advantage of its flight capability, which was far faster than that of cruisers. This allowed them to travel freely through space and reach the Barisan continent without hindrance.
Emperor Rozwald sighed and gave a nod before looking at his surroundings once more. Not far from the landing zone, he noticed a lone structure where a few figures could be seen standing. He and his group decided to approach it, but before they could walk further, they suddenly sensed something approaching from the sky.
They lifted their heads and saw another giant interstellar vessel descending, which made Emperor Rozwald click his tongue.
"Cih, we truly wasted too much time. Even those who were located much farther away from the Barisan continent have arrived at the same time as us."
The vessel slowly descended, and before long, it landed right beside the Martal Empire's vessel. As the hatch on the side of the hull opened, numerous figures disembarked, all wearing the distinctive robes of the demon territory.
The moment Emperor Rozwald laid eyes on them, he was stunned. Many renowned figures had arrived aboard this vessel. The lineup was no joke, the three sect masters of the three great sects, along with several other notable individuals from distant stars. Among them were the Sword Maiden, and the twin redheads—the Two Red Stars.
Emperor Rozwald did not expect that he would meet these people all at once. He understood the importance of the Barisan continent, and he knew many sought to explore this land, but that alone would not normally make the leaders of great organizations come personally. They could have simply sent envoys composed of their key figures to show their seriousness in building relations with the Barisan continent.
Yet, to think that the three sect masters of the three great sects of the demon territory had made the journey themselves… He had believed that he alone showed the most sincerity, thinking he was the only leader of an organization who would come in person at this moment.
"Ah, I did not think I would meet Emperor Rozwald here. I thought you would have arrived a few days ago, since the Orian continent is much closer than the Central Continent," Sect Master Han said after spotting the emperor.
"Well, there were matters I needed to settle, so we departed late. But I also did not expect to see the sect masters of the three great sects come personally, not to mention the Sword Maiden and the Two Red Stars arriving with you," Emperor Rozwald replied.
"We just happened to have time and wanted to visit personally. Coincidentally, the Sword Maiden and the Two Red Stars also came to my sect, so I thought, why not visit this place together?" Sect Master Han answered with a smile.
Emperor Rozwald narrowed his eyes suspiciously but remained silent.
"Anyway, we'll go first. Have a good day," Sect Master Han said before leading his group toward the teleportation station.
Emperor Rozwald watched them for a moment before following behind.
'It looks like this continent will be quite festive in the next few days.'
Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment, many transport vessels could be seen approaching the Barisan continent from every direction. Just as Emperor Rozwald thought, the continent would indeed become lively in the coming days.