“Captain, let’s head outside first and let Jiang Qiao get some rest.”
“With the recovery pod, she’ll be fine.”
A heavy sigh came from outside the room.
The person in the lead remained silent for a long while before turning around.
The others followed one after another, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance until the door finally closed.
Inside the silver-white recovery pod, the short-haired young woman lay undergoing treatment.
She wore a badly damaged combat suit, its surface covered in large patches of dried blood. Her injuries appeared extremely severe.
Suddenly—
She opened her eyes.
A flash of blue light swept across her calm black pupils.
At the same moment, both the treatment room’s surveillance system and the recovery pod’s operating system flickered subtly for an instant.
Wendy slowly surveyed her surroundings before lowering her gaze to her left arm.
Her expression grew thoughtful.
After settling the affairs of the seafolk, she had followed the guidance of spiritual energy to the shallow seas.
Human escape vessels drifting across the ocean were like floating cans of meat, irresistibly attracting Aberrations.
Following the monsters’ trail, she had indeed found an escape submarine.
When she arrived, its escort forces were already engaged in a fierce battle against the giant spiders.
The original escort soldier, Jiang Qiao, had attempted to abandon her combat sub and escape after it was destroyed.
Instead, one of the giant spiders had pierced straight through her abdomen with one of its legs, killing her instantly.
Wendy killed the spider, preserved Jiang Qiao’s body intact, and took advantage of the opportunity to assume her identity.
That was how Liao Chengyu had rescued her and brought her aboard the escape submarine.
What she hadn’t expected…
Was to make such an unexpected discovery after boarding.
She had used spiritual energy to mimic Jiang Qiao’s appearance.
Her injuries, however, could not be imitated.
To avoid exposing herself, she had deliberately broken several of her own bones and even stabbed herself in the abdomen.
Such wounds would have been fatal to an ordinary person.
To her, however, they could heal completely at any time.
She merely slowed her regeneration deliberately to avoid attracting suspicion.
Now…
Those intentionally preserved injuries were rapidly healing under the effects of the recovery pod.
Although its healing speed still couldn’t compare to her own regenerative ability…
Compared to the medical technology that existed before the apocalypse, it was like something from an entirely different era.
Wendy thoughtfully examined the recovery pod surrounding her.
The smooth, silver-white chamber emitted a soft blue-violet glow that enveloped her entire body.
Countless resonating emitters pulsed rhythmically, rapidly repairing her damaged cells.
Before the apocalypse, Huaijiang City had been one of the nation’s foremost metropolitan areas.
She had grown up there.
Yet she had never seen technology like this.
The scanners at the relocation base.
The escort forces’ particle weapons.
And now…
This recovery pod.
Before the apocalypse, technology like this would have been dismissed by the public as pure science fiction.
Yet now…
Those fantasies had become reality.
Her mentor and his wife had often said that, aside from advancements in a few specialized fields, society as a whole had barely progressed compared to sixty years ago.
Neither she nor Tong Yu had ever truly understood what they meant.
But now…
Wendy slowly reached out and brushed her fingers across the pod’s smooth outer shell.
Perhaps…
The moment humanity discovered the signs of the coming apocalypse…
Ordinary people had already been abandoned.
Glancing at the display, she saw there was still more than an hour before the treatment finished.
Without hesitation, she entered her Sea of Consciousness.
【You have slain 12 C-Rank Aberrations—Abyssal Giant Spiders. Action Points +600.】
【You have unlocked a new Authority: Blessing.】
The moment she entered, the system interface displayed the notification.
Raising an eyebrow, Wendy tapped it.
【Blessing: Loyal children shall always receive the grace of the Supreme. (Costs 5 Action Points per use.)】
As soon as the familiar description ended, her vision instantly shifted.
In the pitch-black ocean ten thousand meters beneath the surface…
A dozen enormous squids covered with mane-like tentacles were fleeing in panic.
Behind them pursued an even larger Aberration.
It resembled a giant eel.
Near its gills, however, three grotesque fish heads split from its body, each baring rows of razor-sharp fangs.
It darted swiftly through the water.
At the tip of its tail, a glowing organ emitted an eerie crimson bioluminescence through the darkness.
The Mane Squid were naturally red.
Red light could not penetrate to depths of ten thousand meters, so most deep-sea predators were unable to perceive it.
For thousands of years, the crimson-colored Mane Squid had lived peacefully in these waters.
Their coloration allowed them to hide perfectly and reproduce without fear.
But the Aberrations emerging from the Abyss had shattered that balance.
This particular Aberration could produce red bioluminescence.
It was equivalent to possessing infrared vision.
Bathed in its crimson glow, it could clearly see the red Mane Squid concealed within the darkness.
The squid themselves remained completely unaware.
They fled in panic, believing they could once again deceive their predator through the protection of their unique coloration.
【Sandstone Sea — A Mane Squid colony is under attack by an Aberration. Initiate Blessing?】
【Upon receiving your Blessing, the Mane Squid will become your retainers and submit themselves to the Seafolk.】
Wendy chose Blessing.
The next instant—
In the deep sea, nearly half a world away from the escape submarine…
An immense surge of spiritual energy suddenly descended.
The Aberration charging toward the Mane Squid with its three gaping mouths plunged headfirst into the spiritual energy before it could react.
In an instant…
It disintegrated into ashes.
【You have slain a D-Rank Aberration—Three-Headed Devouring Eel. Action Points +20.】
【Congratulations! You have acquired your first Retainer Race—Mane Squid.】
【Mane Squid: Dark crimson in color, naturally adept at concealment. Length: 10–14 meters. Maximum speed: 220 nautical miles per hour. Can serve as mounts after domestication. Rating: ★★★】
The bewildered school of Mane Squid instinctively swam toward the Royal Capital.
Within the temple, Hegaluoyin, who had been quietly meditating with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide.
The Queen… has tamed the Mane Squid?
Filled with astonishment, she immediately followed the guidance she had received and swam toward the outskirts of the capital.
Before leaving, the Queen had demonstrated this ability and asked her several questions about it.
That child…
Seemed to believe this was simply one of the Sea King’s inherited powers.
But…
Hegaluoyin gazed at the obedient school of Mane Squid waiting beyond the capital’s barrier.
A complicated expression filled her eyes.
The only power ever inherited by the rulers of the Seafolk…
Was the authority of Dominion, passed down from the Primordial Sea God.
Yet their current Queen…
Was capable of controlling events on the ocean floor while remaining ten thousand meters above the sea.
Such a power…
Had never been heard of.
Compared to a king…
That child felt far more like…
A god.
Above the ocean, Wendy watched the tiny figure representing Hegaluoyin open the city’s barrier and welcome the Mane Squid into the Royal Capital beneath the radiant light of the Magnetite Barrier.
【Your civilization has gained its first Retainer Race. Prosperity has increased to 2.】
【Historical Prosperity: Glorious Age — 500】
【In addition to the number of Retainer Races, territory, population, military strength, citizen happiness, birth rate, agriculture, animal husbandry, and other factors all play important roles in determining your civilization’s prosperity.】
【Once Prosperity exceeds 300, the Seafolk will once again become the dominant race of the oceans.】
【While reclaiming the seas, don’t forget to build and nurture your civilization as well.】
As the notifications faded…
Wendy noticed the Royal Capital beneath her viewpoint brighten ever so slightly.
The tiny merfolk who had been exhausted from rebuilding the city visibly became more energetic.
They began chatting excitedly among themselves.
Their cheerful conversations blended into countless indistinct fragments of sound that echoed continuously through Wendy’s mind.
【Your subjects have felt the prosperity bonus. Faith +3,090.】
【You have unlocked a new Authority — “Listen.”】
An ear-shaped icon lit up on the interface.
Wendy tapped it.
【Listen: Hope and prayers, greed and malice—nothing escapes your hearing. (Costs 10 Action Points per use.)】
Her vision stretched outward before descending once more.
Looking down upon the Royal Capital from above, bubbles began appearing above the heads of the tiny merfolk bustling through the city.
Wendy casually tapped one of them.
In the Lower City, a Sea Hunter with a grayish-brown tail was carrying a mountain-sized block of brownstone, laboriously swimming toward a winding street.
[Brownstone is so heavy… I’m definitely eating a huge meal later.]
Wendy chuckled softly.
Her gaze shifted upward as she searched for several familiar faces.
In the Upper City, within the Tuo Lie Clan, the red-haired Sea Hunter, clad in black crystal armor, was directing her clansmen to transport supplies and ore into the Lower City.
She looked perfectly serious.
Yet several thought bubbles floated around her.
[I want some Drunken Fruit.]
[I miss my sister.]
[I want to become the Queen’s royal guard… but Her Majesty seems to have gone to the surface again.]
Wendy looked at her and fell into thought.
Strictly speaking, the Sea Hunter force that had rescued the young seafolk earlier had simply been an emergency gathering of every uninjured Sea Hunter of fighting age in the Royal Capital.
At best, they had barely formed a makeshift unit.
By military standards…
It couldn’t truly be called an army.
The forced integration of different clans…
The inconsistent combat styles…
Had it not been for the excellent coordination between Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe, the enemy could easily have exploited countless weaknesses.
A kingdom…
Could not exist without a proper army.
She opened the Civilization tab on the interface.
It clearly displayed the current population and clan structure of the entire seafolk race.
Including the rescued young seafolk, the Royal Capital now housed 3,090 people.
Of those, just over 700 were Sea Hunters.
The clans were arranged in a pyramid hierarchy.
At the very top were three great clans:
Diya.
Ponto.
Tuo Lie.
The entry belonging to the Ponto Clan had already dimmed completely.
It represented a clan that had perished in its entirety during the cataclysm countless ages ago.
Wendy’s gaze lingered on the darkened space for a long while before moving downward.
The Naqi Clan, with which she was more familiar, occupied the second tier.
Five hierarchical levels.
Twenty-three clans in total.
Twelve had already gone dark forever.
Of the remaining eleven…
Most consisted almost entirely of the elderly and children.
The Sea Hunters were a race defined by unwavering loyalty and martial valor.
From the moment each Sea Hunter was born, becoming a warrior was both their life’s goal and their greatest honor.
During the ancient cataclysm…
Nearly every clan had sacrificed everything it possessed to protect the seafolk.
Wendy opened Tuo Liesuola’s detailed profile.
A towering tree symbolized the clan.
Its countless branches represented the bloodline connecting every family member.
The crimson tree flourished with lush branches.
Yet among the fruits hanging from its trunk, nearly all had faded.
Only two still glowed.
【Tuo Liesuola — Second daughter of the Tuo Lie Clan Leader. Mother (deceased). Elder sister (deceased).】
The remaining glowing fruit clung closely beside hers.
Wendy examined it.
It belonged to Tuo Liesuola’s late sister’s child.
Looking at the image displayed within the fruit, Wendy recalled the red-haired young Sea Hunter among the stranded children in the Desolate Sea.
Before the Sea Hunter Army had arrived…
It had been that child who organized the other young Sea Hunters, imitating their elders by forming a miniature Sea Hunter unit to fight back.
A promising talent.
Someone worth cultivating.
Thinking this, Wendy continued opening the enormous family trees of the eleven remaining Sea Hunter clans.
After the Primordial Sea God fell during the Age of Endless Darkness…
The Sea Hunters had once erupted into civil war.
Some believed that with the gods gone, the royal bloodline was no longer worthy of their loyalty.
They abandoned the kingdom and journeyed to the far northern reaches.
Legend said that the ancient Royal Capital, connected to the Sea of the Gods, lay sealed beneath ten thousand meters of eternal ice there.
The remaining Sea Hunters…
Led by the Tuo Lie Clan…
Chose to continue following the royal family that carried the Primordial Sea God’s bloodline.
After the rebellion, to prevent history from repeating itself, every clan’s main bloodline was relocated to the Royal Capital.
Their original clan cities were entrusted to collateral family branches instead.
When disaster later erupted within the Royal Capital…
Those scattered branch families survived.
She needed more Sea Hunters to build an army.
And right now…
Those branch families were undoubtedly the best candidates.
Focusing her mind, Wendy slid her finger across the interface.
The branches of the family trees instantly connected to a panoramic map of the oceans, revealing the locations of every Sea Hunter city.
【You have selected 11 medium-sized cities and 4 major cities. This awakening will consume 1,280 Action Points.】
【Confirm awakening?】
Without the slightest hesitation…
She confirmed.
The next moment, accompanied by the familiar sensation of spiritual energy being drained from her body, brilliant blue lights began illuminating the depths of the ocean one after another.
Far beneath the sea…
Countless Sea Hunters opened their eyes.
At the very same moment—
Back in reality, an electronic voice sounded beside Wendy’s ear.
“Escort Soldier Jiang Qiao, your physical condition has fully recovered. You may now exit the recovery pod.”