Chapter 238 : Secret Schemes in the Shadows

Secret Schemes in the Shadows

While Serea and Tethys were engaged in an underwater chase, far away in the jungle at the Silver Ear tribe, maregof was looking at the intelligence that Black Hat had brought back.

His expression was somewhat unpredictable, making it difficult to tell whether he was pleased or worried.

While he remained silent, the black-robed man beside him was the first to speak—it was the mysterious figure who had come to seek refuge with Maregof a few days ago.

"Maregof-sama, were the 'mutant ogres' not powerful enough to satisfy you?"

The man asked, while Maregof stayed silent, seeming to be deep in thought.

The "mutant ogres" mentioned by the man were precisely those monsters from last night. Just thirty of them had utterly crushed an alien tribe like the Jawfang tribe; their strength was undisputed. However...

"Lord Adolf, those big guys are indeed strong, but their performance was less than satisfactory."

Maregof spoke as he tossed the intelligence file to the man named Adolf. Next, he held close a young girl in sheer black garments—the girl who had come together with Adolf.

At that moment, the girl wore a spirit control collar around her neck, and Adolf also had one on his arm. These were Mental Receivers installed by Maregof to keep them under control.

Until he fully mastered their techniques, maregof needed to ensure both of their loyalty. As for what would happen once he acquired the technology... heh...

Adolf looked through the intelligence file in his hand, while Maregof, despite having a beauty in his arms, still wore a troubled expression.

He was pleased by the destruction of the Jawfang tribe, but simply destroying them was not his ultimate goal. What he wanted was to take control of the Jawfang tribe, enslave them, and have them collect black pearl from Lake Nos for him.

But now, the lizardmen of Jawfang tribe had disappeared, and the previous operation had even alerted the 'creature' in the lake. With such a powerful creature present, how could he collect black pearl?

At this moment, Adolf had finished reading the report and wore a mysterious smile.

"Maregof-sama is concerned about the creature in the lake, isn't he?"

Adolf hit the nail on the head, and Maregof did not deny it.

"That's right. The mutant ogres are powerful, but every single one of them is a landlubber, incapable of dealing with the monster in Lake Nos, so I can't say this test was a success."

"I see, I think I understand. But you have to recognize one thing—the creatures I made aren't weak; it's simply that ogres are too incompetent underwater. If Maregof-sama could provide me with other materials, this problem could easily be solved."

As Adolf spoke, maregof's hand paused at the girl's chest.

"You mean, you can create not just mutant ogres, but other kinds of monsters too?"

"Yes, but I need your help, maregof-sama. That's actually why I came to you."

Adolf said this as he shot Maregof a knowing look.

Maregof hesitated for a moment at this, then suddenly remembered that he seemed to have just such "materials" in his own "collection."

Besides, he couldn't sell those guys, and it would be a pity to kill them. So why not...

"I've got a batch of little ones; Lord Adolf, would you like to take a look?"

"Most delighted."

"Friesen, lead the way."

Maregof stood up and left. The man and woman followed behind him as they went with Friesen to an underground passage at the rear of the hall. Before entering, maregof dismissed all the guards.

In the dim, damp, and chilly corridor, cells lined both sides, imprisoning dwarves, beastmen, half-beastmen, and various other alien races—most of them members of weaker tribes destroyed by Maregof.

As a merchant, maregof naturally knew what the "slave trade" could bring him, and capturing those weaker aliens served this very purpose.

Of course, aside from the weaker aliens from obliterated tribes, there were also some other "big ones" here.

At the end of the passage was a room sealed with a thick metal door. Through the iron-barred window, the group could see the creatures held inside.

They were beings covered in scales, with heads like giant dragons and four arms apiece.

"How about these materials?"

"Perfect!"

Hearing this, maregof gave a look to Friesen, and then opened the metal door so Adolf could go inside.

......

In the Mohr River, Serea was tightly pursuing Tethys, and an hour had already passed. Judging from the direction Tethys was swimming, Serea had already guessed the destination.

Lake Nos!

Giving up the power of the "Deep Sea Relic" was now impossible, so Serea had to obtain the method of becoming human again from Tethys.

To play it safe, Serea divided her team into two groups: Maro would lead his group in following her, while Little Black would go ahead to Lake Nos and wait in ambush. That way, if the other side tried any tricks, Serea would still be able to escape by herself—no problem at all.

With all worries eased, Serea accelerated, and soon three mermaids followed the river into the mysterious waters of Lake Nos.

Splash splash!

Tethys and Nora each leaped out of the water before diving straight toward the lake bottom with the gained momentum. Trailing them, Serea saw their destination—a submerged cave, where Pelam had been taken yesterday.

Serea hesitated for a moment before following inside. After a stretch of pitch-black tunnel, she surfaced into the glowing cavern, where Tethys and Nora were seated on a shell bed looking at her.

"Welcome, miss Mermaid."

Tethys greeted with a subtle smile on her face.

"Cut the nonsense. Do you have the method to turn me back or not?"

"Of course I do. See for yourself."

As she spoke, a blue glow appeared on Tethys' legs, as well as Nora's. Their slender legs emerged, and upon seeing this—along with the meaningful smile on Tethys' face—Serea asked,

"What do you want in exchange for telling me how?"

On hearing this, tethys didn't bother to hide the smile on her face any longer.

"So, you're ready to do anything I ask, huh? Don't worry, my request is quite simple."

As she spoke, she waved her hand, and a rope made of flowing water wrapped around Serea. Instinctively, Serea attempted to disperse the rope with "Water Flow Control," but Tethys said,

"Relax, I won't hurt you."

As she spoke, Serea was placed onto another shell bed. Seeing Serea curled up with her fish tail on the shell bed, tethys' smile gradually grew more twisted.

Being stared at by Tethys in such a manner, Serea couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen...

(To be continued...)