Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Mermaid: Princess Hai Ge
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Her upper body was that of a human girl, with snow-white skin. Her long, green hair, which resembled instant noodles, was splayed wetly across her shoulders.
Her lower body was a long fishtail, its pale golden scales shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Holy cow. Lynch couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Even though his understanding of this world was still rather poor, he had heard of mermaids—an extremely rare and mysterious oceanic race.
Mermaids were also known as the "Elves of the Sea."
Legend had it that they possessed heavenly voices and a powerful talent for controlling Water Elements, and that their tears could turn into pearls.
Because of this, mermaids were often extremely valuable and sought after by countless wealthy nobles.
Capturing one could make a person rich overnight. While it might not be enough to trade for a piece of Legendary Level equipment, it would at least guarantee a cultivator wouldn’t lack resources for several decades.
For a moment, Lynch’s breathing grew heavy.
Meanwhile, on the reef,
Serena, captain of the Naga guard, swung her twin blades and sent a goblin flying.
Her face was grim as she watched the endless stream of Tidal Fishmen surging from the sea and the ceaseless Goblins emerging from the forest. Her turquoise, vertical pupils were filled with anxiety.
For some time now, they had been hiding in the crevices of reefs in various coves to escape the pursuit of the Tidal Fishmen, who were part of the rebel army. But in the end, they had been found.
They had originally planned to flee ashore and use the forest to evade the Tidal Fishmen, but they had unexpectedly run headfirst into a horde of Goblins.
The moment those filthy, greedy land Goblins saw Princess Hai Ge, they attacked as if they had gone mad.
Forced into a corner, they could only fight while retreating, eventually falling back to this reef where they put up a desperate last stand behind a Magic Water Curtain.
This had already cost them three of their sisters.
Fortunately, the Tidal Fishmen clearly didn’t want the Goblins to capture them either, so they immediately launched an attack on the Goblin forces.
But Serena knew all too well that whichever side gained the upper hand in the chaotic battle only had to turn its attention to them for a moment. A single, full-force charge would shatter their weak shield, and her small group would be unable to resist.
As for what would happen next...
Whether they fell into the hands of these oath-breaking Tidal Fishman traitors or the notoriously vile Goblins, for the noble Princess Hai Ge, it would be a fate more terrifying and unacceptable than death itself.
"Captain!" a Naga guard cried, her face a mask of despair as she tightened her grip on her trident. "We can’t just sit here and wait to die! Why don’t we guard the Princess and make a break for the sea? If the rest of us fight to the death to cover the retreat, we might be able to create a chance for Her Highness to survive!"
"No," Serena rejected the idea at once. She glanced back at Princess Hai Ge.
The princess’s beautiful face was deathly pale. A huge gash marred her pale golden tail, the scales torn away from the wound, which was oozing faint blue blood.
The mermaid was completely listless, her spirit gone.
"Her Highness’s tail was wounded by a rebel’s poisoned fishing spear. Although we’ve temporarily suppressed the poison, her mobility is severely impaired. She wouldn’t be able to swim fast even in the sea."
She forced herself to calm down and analyze the situation. "Wait. We have to wait a little longer. Hopefully, these filthy Goblins will wear down more of those traitors and create even greater chaos. Perhaps... there’s still a sliver of hope."
Serena tightened her grip on her twin blades and said grimly, "Listen up! Remember your oaths! Until we’ve shed our last drop of blood, we will not let those filthy creatures lay a single finger on Princess Hai Ge."
"Yes! We will defend Her Highness to the death!" the other five Naga guards shouted in unison. Though their faces showed extreme exhaustion, a resolute will to fight rekindled in their eyes.
Suddenly,
just then,
"Captain, look over there," a sharp-eyed Naga guard exclaimed in surprise. "It looks like another army is charging out of the forest, and I don’t think they’re Goblins!"
Hearing this, the others first tensed up, but then a faint glimmer of hope sparked within them.
’Could it be... a human army?’
They hurriedly looked in the direction of the commotion.
Sure enough, emerging from the cover of the trees, a sizable force charged out. They immediately enveloped the Goblins’ rear, catching them completely off guard. Cries of pain echoed as the Goblins were thrown into chaos.
"Our luck has turned!" the young Naga guard said, overjoyed. "I hope it’s the regular army of the Human Empire."
It wasn’t necessarily a good thing to fall into human hands, though. A good portion of humanity was so greedy and vile that they far surpassed even the Goblins.
But still, there was a sliver of hope, wasn’t there?
What if they ran into a general who possessed the spirit of a Knight?
At the very least, they might have a chance to negotiate. Perhaps they could use Princess Hai Ge’s status to persuade the other party to help them quell the rebellion.
In short,
this was a chance.
The Nagas’ spirits lifted, and even Princess Hai Ge, who had been on the verge of fainting, roused herself slightly.
Everyone stared intently at the approaching army.
However, as the army charged out from the shadows of the forest and onto the beach, the sight that met their eyes instantly extinguished the tiny flame of hope that had just been kindled in the Nagas’ hearts.
A bone-chilling cold and a wave of despair washed over them.
Undead!
It was a massive Undead Corps.
As for Lynch, he was currently mounted on Red Rabbit, surrounded by his elite guard of Bear Goblin and Goblin warrior Skeletons. He continued to watch the battle from a hidden position far away.
His elite Soul Fire Undead were no longer what they once were.
Even the weakest among them, like the Bone Wolves and Fish Priests, had Soul Fire on par with Bone Jade’s when he had first emerged from the Netherworld. Because of this, they could follow Lynch’s vague commands from a distance and make their own decisions on how to lead the troops in battle.
This battle was also the perfect opportunity for Lynch to test his young commanders and see which of them had the makings of a great general. Then he could focus more resources on carefully cultivating them.
’As for the possibility of losing?’
’That was impossible.’
Lynch’s Undead Army had a numerical advantage, making the fight against the Goblins completely one-sided. It didn’t even matter if his forces suffered some losses during the engagement.
The Bone Mage, whose strength had recovered to Tier One, needed only to wave its Magic Staff, and the fallen Skeletons and Goblins would rise again to join the ranks.
As a result, Lynch’s forces were actually growing larger the longer they fought.
Just then, through the shared vision of a Squirrel Skeleton that had crept close, Lynch got a clear view of the Nagas and the mermaid, seeing the looks of utter terror and despair on their faces.
He couldn’t help but find it secretly amusing.
’Let me ask you this: a group of beautiful snake-women and a mermaid. Falling into the hands of the Tidal Fishmen, the Goblins, or the Undead—which of these would be the most despair-inducing?’
’Oh my, it’s so hard to guess.’
*Heh heh heh...*
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