“Only the King Can Possess Such Divine…”
With this thought in mind, Wendy’s gaze turned cold as she once again looked toward the blue planet that was rotating on its own.
The world-ending tsunami had swallowed all the land. Apart from the vast expanses of gray-white rain clouds representing the storm systems, the entire planet was nothing but endless deep blue.
She enlarged it. The gray-white rain clouds covering the surface of the screen automatically became transparent, allowing her to see the territories below more clearly.
There was no land in the Second Solar Era, when the Sea Tribe lived. Their division of the seas was completely different from what Wendy had learned in the human world.
But because she had once lived as a human, Wendy instinctively began comparing and integrating the memories of the Sea Tribe with her human memories.
Although the continents were gone, she could still roughly determine which seas corresponded to which continents before the apocalypse by following the lines of latitude and longitude.
The Sandstone Sea, where the royal capital of Apali was located, was named for its abundant mineral resources. It roughly encompassed three-quarters of the Pacific Ocean as well as the Eurasian continent below 60 degrees north latitude.
As the central sea region, the Sandstone Sea was where the three Sea Tribe races mixed most extensively.
The Sea Hunters who served in the military had gradually adapted to the warm and tropical waters after tens of thousands of years of evolution. They began living alongside the Sea Spirits, giving rise to numerous mixed cities.
The Sirens naturally preferred warmth and possessed a fanatic passion for minerals and gemstones that the other Sea Tribe races could not understand.
The low-latitude region of the Sandstone Sea happened to meet their needs, so most of the Sirens’ settlements were also located there.
The Storm Sea, where Storm-Nest Fruits were produced, roughly corresponded to the cold-temperate waters of the Southern Hemisphere. It was named for the frequent storms on its seabed.
The Sea Hunters preferred cold waters, and most of their clan cities were located in the Storm Sea.
Catastrophic undersea storms possessed enormous destructive power, comparable to hurricanes with wind speeds reaching 160.9 kilometers per hour.
But just as her name, Lelia, originated from the root word for “storm” while carrying the meaning of rebirth, the storms of the deep sea also symbolized new life even as they raged and destroyed.
The once-ferocious sea beasts had nowhere to hide when swept up by the storms, while the brave Sea Hunters would enter the whirlpools to hunt them.
The storms also damaged the geological formations of the seabed. Plants and animals buried in sediment layers millions of years ago gradually evolved into minerals, which were carried to the surface by the storms and became resources that the Sea Hunters relied upon for survival.
Likewise, every storm would bury reptiles, plants, and coral reefs.
They would sleep beneath layers of rock, eventually becoming future sources of energy for this sea region, sustaining an endless cycle of life.
Apart from the Sirens who had migrated and settled in the low-latitude areas of the Sandstone Sea, more Sirens lived in the Noga Sea.
This sea covered a vast range of longitudes, encompassing what had once been the Indian Ocean Plate, as well as the regions of Africa and the Americas near the equator.
In the language of the Sea Tribe, Noga meant “treasure.”
The region produced all kinds of gemstones and was the homeland of the Sirens.
Wendy looked down upon all the seas.
The last time, in order to train the military, the cities she had awakened had all been clan cities belonging to the Sea Hunters. They were scattered far from the Royal City, appearing like tiny stars spread across the planet.
Even with the oceanic pathways connecting them, the cities were so scattered that they still did not give the impression of forming an actual territory.
So this time, she planned to focus primarily on awakening the cities in the Sandstone Sea.
She glanced at the panel.
Last time, she had only awakened part of the cities and had not used many Action Points, leaving her with a surplus. On top of that, she had gained quite a number of Action Points from hunting the Man-Faced Mosquitoes.
She now had a total of 3,033 Action Points.
Awakening a small city required 50 Action Points.
A medium-sized city required 80.
A large main city required 100.
With 3,033 Action Points, she could awaken quite a number of cities.
Wendy smiled with satisfaction and enlarged the planet until she had a complete view of the oceans, selecting the cities in the Sandstone Sea that she wanted to awaken.
[You have selected 10 large main cities, 12 medium-sized cities, and 21 small cities. This awakening is expected to consume a total of 3,010 Action Points.]
[Confirm awakening?]
She nodded.
In an instant, the Action Points transformed into streaks of light and sank into the boundless ocean beneath her.
Wendy clicked [Observe] and looked into the depths of the sea.
The Magnetite Stone fragments in nearly fifty cities suddenly burst into dazzling light.
Countless mermaid statues shattered simultaneously, and the Sea Tribe emerged from within them, staring at one another in confusion.
What happened?
They looked helplessly at their surroundings.
The buildings around them had collapsed so completely that their original forms were almost impossible to recognize.
Houses made of stone had sunk into the mud, covered in holes and depressions, as though they had been eroded for countless years without anyone maintaining them.
Large structures such as plazas and altars could still vaguely be recognized, but the carvings and decorative patterns had long since been worn away.
Layer upon layer of oysters and tube worms clung to their surfaces. Some had even died long ago, becoming stone-like deposits permanently fused to the structures.
Everything had changed.
Only the Magnetite Stones suspended above the cities continued to emit their gentle light, shining over the cities as they had since ancient times.
Under the shimmering light of the deep-blue ocean, the Sea Tribe finally saw their homes, which had long since become unrecognizable.
Memories sealed away for billions of years gradually began to awaken.
They remembered.
Magma.
Cracks splitting the earth.
Xenotypes.
Disaster…
That had been the final scene before they fell asleep.
And now, a resonance originating from their bloodline told them that the previous King had died and a new King had ascended to the throne.
So…
Had the King awakened them?
One after another, the little mermaids followed the sensation in their bloodlines and looked toward the surface.
Although they did not understand why their bloodline guidance pointed upward, they could sense it clearly.
Where is the King?
The barren sea beyond the protection of the Magnetite Stones was pitch-black and frightening.
Moreover, their senses told them that the King was extremely, extremely far away from them.
That had to be somewhere deep within the dangerous open sea.
They looked around in confusion.
Then, gradually, they felt an enormous gaze upon them.
The Sea Spirits sensed [Observe] earlier than the Sirens and Sea Hunters did.
Although they did not understand what was happening, the instinct of their race immediately caused them to curl their tails reverently.
The Sea Hunters, who had initially been startled and had their fur standing on end, gradually calmed down when they saw the Sea Spirits’ reaction.
They followed suit and curled their tails.
Only the Sirens did not live together with the other races.
Inside their settlement, the Sirens had no idea what was happening. One after another, they fearfully found places to hide and took cover.
Wendy watched the little mermaids’ different reactions through her field of vision and found them rather amusing.
She clicked on the status panel of one of the Sirens who appeared to be the leader.
[Name: Erepona]
[Race: Siren]
[Clan: Eri]
[Identity: Clan Leader]
[Age: 80]
[Status: Panic, Exhaustion, Discomfort]
The Sea Tribe had an average lifespan of 200 years.
This Siren was currently in the prime of her life.
Her fish tail was a combination of orange and blue, with more than a dozen blue-green horizontal bands running along her sides. The spaces between the bands were dark red. She had numerous tail frills layered one over another, resembling a long gown trailing along the ground.
Wendy zoomed in for a closer look.
If the Sea Spirits had relatively ordinary and simple fish tails, while the Sea Hunters’ tails were characterized by features resembling deep-sea predators such as whale sharks, then the Sirens’ tails were more like those of betta fish.
Vibrant and luxurious.
Yet this beautiful little mermaid’s dorsal fin had completely broken off, leaving not a single soft fin ray intact. Her caudal fin also had several tears.
The petrification spell had caused the Sea Tribe to fall into a deep sleep and preserved their vital signs, but the injuries they had suffered during the catastrophe billions of years ago had also remained with them until now.
However, this was also a perfect opportunity to display a miracle.
Wendy cast [Blessing] on Erepona.
In Wendy’s field of vision, the beautiful little mermaid visibly froze.
She spun around behind the ruins of a reef where she had been hiding, staring incredulously at the newly grown fin rays before looking at her tail.
It doesn’t hurt anymore?
Her injuries had all healed in an instant.
Even her dorsal fin had grown back!
Missing fins were practically the stuff of nightmares for beauty-loving Sirens.
And that nightmare had truly happened to her.
Although she had never regretted protecting her people, she had still felt sad whenever she thought about how ugly her caudal and dorsal fins would look from then on.
But now, all her fins had been restored.
Erepona excitedly flicked her tail.
The resulting wave of water sent her several meters upward, exposing her outside the shelter.
The moment she emerged from behind the cover, the omnipresent, enormous gaze suddenly became much more intense.
Erepona abruptly came to her senses and hurriedly tried to swim back behind the reef.
But…
Thinking of the sudden awakening and the miraculous restoration of her injuries, she raised her head again and looked toward the source of that gaze.
The gaze descending from above was unimaginably vast. When it fell upon each of them, it felt as though an enormous being had descended upon them, pressing down with overwhelming intensity.
Yet it seemed to harbor no malice toward them.
Once her fear subsided and she calmed herself enough to truly feel it, Erepona sensed the emotions contained within that gaze.
Warmth.
Gentleness.
Compassion…
Like a mother.
Realizing this, she immediately suppressed the powerful emotions surging inside her and began leading her people out one by one from behind the reefs where they were still trembling in fear.
Eri City was only a small settlement.
Before the catastrophe, it had been home to more than 60,000 citizens.
Now, only around 10,000 remained.
The Sirens were still terrified, but when they heard their clan leader’s summons, they forced themselves to overcome their fear and swam out from behind the ruins scattered throughout the city.
They gathered in the spacious plaza where Erepona stood.
Erepona raised her head expectantly and looked toward the source of that gaze above the sea—the same direction indicated by the guidance of her bloodline.
Could it really be?
Could it truly be what I think it is?
She waited expectantly.
Sure enough, in the next second, the Sirens in the plaza completely changed from their previous frightened and timid state.
The entire plaza erupted into commotion.
“My scale sheath! My scale sheath has grown back!”
“This… my pelvic fin has recovered too…”
“The wound on my head is healed too! This, this is simply a miracle!”
…
Amid the uproar, Erepona stared steadily toward the surface of the sea.
Suddenly, she felt like crying.
Yes.
A miracle.
Something this miraculous could seemingly only be accomplished by a god.
But the gods had fallen long ago.
And yet, the guidance deep within her bloodline constantly reminded her that the source of that gaze was precisely where the King was.
The only one who possessed such overwhelming power, who had returned to awaken them, and who cared about their injuries could only be—
The King.
[You have now awakened a total of 59 Sea Tribe cities. Ocean Control has increased to 6%.]
[Your people have offered you their purest loyalty. You have gained ×2.85 million Faith.]
[Your ability “Dominion” has automatically advanced to B-rank.]
Scenes similar to what had happened in Eri City continued unfolding throughout the Sandstone Sea.
Wendy watched as the wounded little mermaids gradually recovered one after another.
An endless stream of Faith transformed into white glowing light and flowed into her panel, while the displayed Faith value rapidly accumulated.
2.85 million Faith.
More than two million awakened members of the Sea Tribe.
Compared to the earlier numbers, which had been counted in mere thousands, the increase was practically explosive.
But as Wendy looked at the Sandstone Sea finally lighting up in large connected areas below her, her mood grew somewhat heavy.
Without comparison, there was no way to truly grasp the scale of something.
When she had previously awakened the Royal City and seen only a few thousand Sea Tribe members, she had thought their population was pitifully small.
But now, with other cities providing a comparison, she finally understood clearly just how horrifying the catastrophe had been for the Royal City billions of years ago.
Among the three Sea Tribe races, the Sea Hunters and Sirens had relatively low birth rates.
Therefore, compared with human cities where populations could easily reach one million or more, the Sea Tribe’s populations were much smaller.
Before the catastrophe, a large main city had approximately 300,000 citizens.
A medium-sized city had around 100,000.
A small city had only 50,000 to 70,000.
After the catastrophe, the populations of almost all the cities had been cut roughly in half.
Those numbers already seemed devastating enough.
Yet the Royal City, where only a few thousand Sea Tribe members had survived, had been the only city with a population of more than ten million before the catastrophe.
Wendy pursed her lips as she looked at the deep sea below, which was gradually becoming prosperous once again.
Her gaze returned to the panel.
At the very top, alongside “Dominion,” which had just advanced to B-rank, another divine authority next to it had also begun glowing with a faint light.