Chapter 669: A Familiar Merfolk

"I'll play a game with you all now. If you win, I'll let you go.

"I'll turn around now. You all run. When I turn back, anyone who moves dies."

With that, Loren turned around and began counting down:

"Three... two..."

The pirates immediately bolted outward like madmen. The one running at the very front was the pirate who had received Loren's silk pouch.

While everyone else saw despair, he saw hope.

Many people became pirates because they had no choice. He was one such case. He had previously been nothing but an ordinary commoner, utterly powerless.

Even though he had obtained a certain amount of strength now, before those people it still amounted to nothing.

In this moment, he finally saw hope, and suddenly felt as though even the road ahead was bright.

"One! No one moves!"

Loren whipped his head around. Quite a few people had failed to keep their balance and tumbled to the ground, and just like that, they were killed by Panike.

Afterward, Loren turned around once more. This time, he did not count normally. Without even reaching one, he turned straight back, and the number of dead this time was even greater than the first.

For each of the remaining rounds, Loren never counted properly. Because of this, the pirates chose to run backward, but that only made them more prone to falling.

Just like that, by the time the pirates evacuated, roughly only two-fifths of them had survived, and among them was the pirate who had obtained Loren's silk pouch.

"This number is enough."

Loren nodded in satisfaction. The reason he had spared those pirates was precisely so they would go back and spread Panike's reputation.

After some time, Panike's strength would absolutely undergo a qualitative transformation.

These pirates came from all over the world. Their spread of information was far faster than that of the Light and Fire believers.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

Only after dealing with the pirates did Loren look toward the merchant who had been standing guard nearby the entire time.

He was someone from the Falling Star Merchant Guild. He had previously been with the Drowned Bone Pirate Crew's people. He was the one who wanted to purchase the Merfolk.

"Master Mentor, we wish to purchase the Merfolk. Name your terms."

Even though Loren had just killed so many people, this merchant showed no trace of fear.

"What do you think you can offer me?"

In the past, Loren needed the Falling Star Merchant Guild's help to buy things simply because it was convenient, and they were not entirely omnipotent either.

Putting other things aside, not a single one of the important items Loren currently needed could be obtained by the Falling Star Merchant Guild.

"What do you want? As long as we can afford it, we will certainly provide it.

"Moreover, back then you left in a hurry and didn't bring anything with you, especially funds. The Merfolk are also of no use to you..."

"You should know..."

Loren interrupted the merchant in a timely manner and spoke:

"Back when I hadn't yet torn all pretense with the Church, the Church wasn't protecting me. It was protecting you.

"If I want anything, I can simply go and take it.

"Do you think that if I wanted to take anything from you, you could possibly guard it? There is absolutely no need for me to trade with you."

"This..."

The merchant's expression turned somewhat awkward. Even Angels could not stop Loren, let alone a mere merchant guild.

"Furthermore, don't think your contract will be of any use against me. I've even killed your Angels before. Bypassing a contract is not difficult at all."

From beginning to end, Loren never once mentioned what use the Merfolk were to him. He absolutely refused to reveal even a scrap of information.

"Alright, then we'll trouble you no further."

With that, the merchant intended to leave.

"Wait!"

Before the merchant left, Loren called him back.

The merchant let out a sigh. He knew it was impossible for him to escape from Loren's grasp so easily.

"What do you want?"

"You have no value to me, but I can't just let you leave like this either. Otherwise, where would I put my reputation? After all, this whole string of terrifying titles was pinned on me by you people. If I don't do something, wouldn't that make your efforts go to waste?"

This matter had nothing to do with the Falling Star Merchant Guild, but since Loren had said as much, the merchant could only comply.

"Leave two arms behind before you go."

The whole reason Loren did all this was to make the merchant hate him, so that when he went back, he would spread Loren's and Panike's reputations, making Panike stronger.

The Falling Star Merchant Guild's role was far greater than those pirates'. Their intelligence network was formidable, and information could spread far more widely through them.

As soon as he finished speaking, the merchant's two arms were torn off from a distance by Panike.

"Goodbye."

With a gentle smile, Loren waved at the merchant.

After today, Loren's reputation would surely worsen once again, but Loren's reputation was already at rock bottom, so it could not get much worse.

In any case, his infamy had already been spread far and wide. If Loren did not actually do something to match it, wouldn't that be a loss?

The merchant departed, and Loren and the others needed to formally begin searching for the Merfolk.

"Is there really a Merfolk here?"

Only at this point did Anna raise the question.

"If there weren't, it wouldn't have stirred up so many big shots."

Although these big shots were nothing before Loren, that did not change the fact that they were indeed big shots.

In particular, people from the Falling Star Merchant Guild had also come. Their intelligence was always reliable.

"You all wait up there first. I'll go down and take a look."

After going underwater, the first thing Loren saw was the Drowned Bone, assembled from bones. The thing really did look eerie.

Afterward, a great many fish gathered around Loren, and among them were quite a few Magical Beasts.

"Help me find the Merfolk in the water."

Loren issued his command to this school of fish. He did not know whether they could understand him.

Previously, Loren had conducted experiments. Dogs were basically the dividing line. Animals smarter than dogs could understand Loren's words, while those dumber than dogs could only obey simple commands.

For example, Loren could make a cat go bite someone, but he could not make it go find a specific person.

He could make crows deliver messages, but he could not make sparrows deliver messages.

Unexpectedly, it seemed some fish really did understand Loren's words, and one signaled for Loren to follow it.

Originally, Loren had planned to use his title as the Perpetual Observer to lure the Merfolk out, but since there was a fish that could find the Merfolk, that conveniently saved him the trouble.

Loren followed that fish. Its destination was clear, swimming toward the depths.

This lake was not only wide but also very deep. No wonder those pirates had searched for so long without finding that Merfolk.

In order to get close to that Merfolk, Loren also transformed into the appearance of a Merfolk through the World Card.

Loren swam for some distance. There was basically no light left here, but Loren possessed not only the Sea God's blessing but also the True Sight Eye, so this did not affect his vision.

Eventually, after Loren arrived at a certain place, that fish stopped in front of a particular rock.

"Right here?"

Loren tentatively lifted that rock, and there, beneath the stone, he saw the hidden Merfolk.

And that face was one he was quite familiar with.

That Merfolk had instinctively wanted to flee, but then she saw Loren's face.

"Mas... Master Mentor?"

"Korali? What are you doing here?"

The Merfolk before him was none other than Korali, the very first Merfolk Loren had ever met.

"Master Mentor... the Princess has been locked up by the elders..."

Korali suddenly threw herself into Loren's arms and began to sob out her grievances.