The Era of Gods

However, before he could make a move, he suddenly heard a strange clamor from behind. Turning around, he saw a panicked Fishman guard running towards him, shouting and pointing backwards as he ran.

Lin Xiao frowned and listened intently, then immediately looked back.

According to the Fishman, a group of extremely large creatures was approaching.

After a brief consideration, he ordered his troops to close ranks and retreat to avoid being caught in a pincer attack.

Less than a minute later, he saw a convoy of very large figures swimming in the distant waters. At first glance, they seemed to be a group of sharks, but as the distance between them closed, it became clear that these sharks were mounted by fully armed Merfolk Knights.

But what caught Lin Xiao’s eye the most was a particularly huge whale in the center of the group, whose body length of twenty to thirty meters made it look like a floating island moving towards them, as well as the Merfolk sitting on the whale’s back, clad in thick plate armor, looking extremely strong, and gazing down at them from above.

Behind the convoy, there was also a large group of what seemed to be elite Fishman warriors, numbering in the thousands and arranged in neat formations, following behind.

These Fishman warriors were well-equipped. Their condition and spirit were stronger than those of their kin, and even their gazes toward their own race carried a hint of arrogance and disdain, akin to the feeling of city folk looking down on country people.

A count revealed one Knight who was either of Level 4 or Fifth Level, seven Knights who were estimated to be Level 3 Shark Riders, thousands of First-Level Fishman warriors, and hundreds of Level 2 valiant Fishmen.

Lin Xiao silently assessed the strength of both sides and felt it was going to be very difficult. Even if they could win, the losses would likely be vast.

At that moment, he saw the Merfolk Knight on the back of the whale, which resembled a floating island, produce a vast horn and place it to his mouth…

“Wuuu….”

The dull and long horn sound reverberated through the water, and as the ripples spread in tiny circles, Lin Xiao felt his eardrums vibrate uncomfortably.

But the ones who reacted most were not them but the fighting Lobster Men and Fishmen. At the sound of the horn, akin to a muffled thunder, all Lobster Men and Fishmen halted before promptly withdrawing from the battle, clearly demarcated on either side.

From afar, one could distinctly see both the Lobstermen and the Fishmen’s unease and fear.

Lin Xiao discreetly gestured to his subordinates to quietly withdraw to the side.

At this moment, the convoy led by the Whale Knight swam over, inspectingly passing by Lin Xiao’s location. The Knight atop the huge whale immediately fixed his gaze upon Lin Xiao, who looked different from the others. Pausing for a moment, the Knight leaned forward, sweeping over him and the Black Scale Nagas behind him with a puzzled look and, pointing with a whip in hand, asked:

“What race are you? Why have I never seen you before?”

The voice was unexpectedly beautiful. This seemingly strong Merfolk Knight, fully concealed within armor, was in fact a woman.

Lin Xiao looked up, his fierce face spreading into an unpleasant smile as he replied,

“We are Nagas, recently migrated from another place.”

“What race is that, the Nagas?”

The Whale Knight seemed not to know of the Nagas, pondering with a puzzled look on her face.

Obviously, Naga as a species did not exist in the seas of this plane; otherwise, a Merfolk Knight of such clear status and standing would have no reason to be ignorant of them.

She quickly gave up her contemplations, scrutinizing them carefully and then somewhat disdainfully shifting her gaze away, asking with an arrogant tone, “How many are in your tribe?”

Lin Xiao immediately answered,

“All of us are here.”

“So few?”

He could clearly detect surprise and regret in the Knight’s voice. It might have been an illusion, but he felt the interest in the Merfolk Knight’s eyes vanish in an instant, her voice returning to its icy tone as she said,

“As a foreign race, I allow you to settle in these waters, but you must pay taxes and tribute to the Empire annually. Do you accept?”

Lin Xiao hurriedly nodded:

“It would be our honor!”

“Hmm!”

The Merfolk Knight nodded in satisfaction, gently urging his mount forward. The massive whale, large as a small island, let out a whistle-like call as it swam past him, its wake pushing him back involitarily.

With that, the Merfolk Knight led his subordinates away, not sparing a glance at the Fishmen and Lobster Men stopped to the side, let alone paying any heed to the conflict between the two races.

From this, it was clear that the Empire only cared about collecting taxes and tributes; it did not involve itself in the conflicts between its subjects. This was good news for him.

He had feared interference from the Merfolk Empire as that could severely affect his mission. Now, his worries were allayed.

Lin Xiao watched the Merfolk Knight until he was out of sight, then cast a vicious smile towards the Lobster Men who were at a disadvantage, as well as the Fishmen who had lost nearly half of their number, revealing an enigmatic grin.

Following his signal, a few of the Grey Mist Fish People charged at the Lobster Men and were killed in a counterattack, triggering the battle once more.

The subsequent battle was almost without suspense. Under his command, the Lobster Men and the native Fishmen kept dying in battle, their numbers dwindling until half an hour later, when less than two hundred Lobster Men and just over ten thousand native Fishmen remained alive. Only then did he order his subordinates to launch a full-scale charge, defeating all the Lobster Men in one fell swoop.

They didn’t kill everyone; about seventy to eighty wounded or crippled Lobster Men were left, tied up with ropes made of seaweed, lifted by his subordinates, to be dealt with after returning.

Then, his gaze swept over the Fishmen who were cleaning up the battlefield, particularly those Fish people tribe chieftains.

Most of the Fishmen were injured; the Lobster Men’s pincers had significant crushing power. Typically, a Fishman caught in them would lose whatever limb they clamped onto, leaving at least a couple thousand Fishmen with either a broken arm or leg, their future looking bleak.

Given the current state of the Fishmen, he was very confident of defeating them.

But defeating them was one thing; conquering them was another.

In the Divine Realm, he could have spent decades slowly assimilating them.

But for this final exam, he had only ten years, not nearly enough time for slow assimilation.

Therefore, he had no choice but to put some effort and heart into slowly conquering them.

He already had a plan in mind and led his subordinates to the Fishmen Chieftain—the Level 3 Fishman Tidecaller.

This Fishman Tidecaller knew a few water series spells, but their power wasn’t very great. His strongest ability, Tide Call, was ineffective against his fellow aquatics; the Water Element he summoned in the melee didn’t last long before being crushed to death by the Lobster Men. That’s why he hadn’t joined the fight earlier, merely commanding from the rear, serving as the leader throughout and the Tribal Chief in wartime.

Lin Xiao approached him, his ferocious face breaking into what could only be described as an even more sinister grin, and with a wave of his hand, his subordinates brought over a pile of items tied with seaweed. He said:

“These are the spoils of war taken from the Lobstermen Tribe. As partners, you all get a share.”

The Fishmen Chieftain was somewhat surprised, visibly touched, and said:

Literally translated, that meant

“Your generosity is as wide as the chest of the Sea God; you will be the best friend of the Fishmen!”

Lin Xiao replied solemnly:

“@%…#%

The Fishmen Chieftain kept nodding:

Lin Xiao said with a smile:

The Fishmen Chieftain reached out his hand in friendship:

“%￥ @…# ￥ ~￥ %”

Lin Xiao quickly took the Fishmen Chieftain’s withered hand and shook it; thus, they established a friendly agreement..