He also knew that this group of merman was not incapable of speaking, only making squeaking sounds. On the contrary, the voices of the merman race were exceptionally pleasant to listen to.
Moreover, Chu Tian noticed that all the soldiers of the merman race were female. In contrast, the guards around the castle were male, clearly presenting a dynamic of women managing external affairs and men managing internal ones.
As for the four merfolk Chu Tian and his companions had first encountered, as well as the more than ten thousand merfolk that had surrounded them upon entering the city, their numbers were indeed vast. These particular merfolk, it was true, could not speak.
The Third Princess became their sole interpreter. She explained that these merfolk were battle troops with the least pure bloodlines, resulting from intermarriage with other sea races. Chu Tian listened and understood. His understanding, however, was that these individuals were the unfortunate results of genetic issues from hybrid offspring!
Yet, Chu Tian had to admit that the merman bloodline was incredibly potent. All female offspring born to merfolk, regardless of who they mated with, would resemble merfolk. Humans were the exception, as stated by the Third Princess. This observation led Chu Tian to believe that human genes were even more powerful.
"Squeak… report… the allied forces of the twelve tribes are twenty li away!"
Inside the merman city, as troops were being assembled, a merman scout returned with news. Chu Tian's divine sense, while potent, was severely limited underwater. It was effective within Whale Fall City, but in open water, it was drastically compressed. Therefore, he had not detected the events twenty li away.
However, previous scouts had reported that the twelve sea tribes were indeed heading towards Whale Fall City. Furthermore, it was said that the sea tribes previously devoured by the Devouring Dragon were vociferously demanding that the merman race hand over the humans who had recently arrived. Otherwise, their allied forces would flatten Whale Fall City.
Upon hearing this, Chu Tian realized the entire situation was due to him. After inquiring, the Third Princess explained it was likely because of the few merfolk he had disciplined earlier. Those twelve individuals were the children of mermaids from collateral branches of the royal family who had married leaders of the surrounding twelve sea tribes. Due to possessing a trace of collateral royal blood, they were discovered to have powerful abilities upon entering Whale Fall City and were bestowed the duty of royal elite guards. There were thirty-two royal elite guards in total, and these twelve were among them. However, because their fathers were leaders of the twelve sea tribes, they acted arrogantly and overbearingly within Whale Fall City. They only dared not act out when in the presence of the true royalty. But almost all merfolk within the city were bullied by them.
"Truly spoiled brats. If I'd known, I would have crushed them to death earlier." Chu Tian said this with an unchanged expression, as if he were talking about squashing a mosquito.
The Third Princess’s expression flickered upon hearing this. In that fleeting moment, she sensed a fluctuation within Chu Tian's heart. It was not mere boastful talk, because when Chu Tian spoke, his heart showed no agitation; he spoke so casually. At that moment, she suddenly felt that the twelve sea tribes might indeed be in for some trouble.
Following the instructions passed down from the Saint Bone of the Merman God, even if he were to say he wanted to slaughter the twelve sea tribes now, his father would likely dispatch troops without hesitation. Thinking this, the Third Princess's expression began to falter. After all, those sea tribes were no ordinary beings, and a major war would inevitably lead to heavy casualties for the merman race. The thought of her kin falling in battle caused her an inexplicable pang of sorrow.
"Right, you mentioned earlier that you let Luo Luo and Yin Yiran go, which is why they were captured. Why did you let them go?" Chu Tian asked at this point.
"One day, my brother told me that although it was the sacred will of the Merman God, it was wrong to coerce people to come in such a manner! I thought about it, and my brother was very right… I saw that those two women, although they were not strictly confined here and could move freely, they would gaze upwards from within Whale Fall City every day. Although I didn't interact with them, I could tell they seemed to be longing for something. While I cannot understand a woman’s thoughts, it made me feel quite disheartened. So, I found an opportunity, behind my father's back, and had the old sea turtle secretly escort them away. However… after a long time, the old sea turtle didn't return. When I went to investigate, I discovered the old sea turtle… had been bitten to death by a giant-toothed shark."
The Third Princess spoke to Chu Tian without any concealment, tilting her head with an innocent expression.
"Your brother told you?" Chu Tian frowned.
"Yes, brother is very good. He loves his people like his own children and treats me and my second sister very well. It’s just that, for some reason, Father seems to dislike my brother very much…" The Third Princess looked helpless.
Hearing this and observing her expression, Chu Tian harbored a vague suspicion that the golden merman prince might not be a good person at all. He further suspected that Luo Luo’s current predicament was very likely related to this merman prince. This Third Princess, he surmised, might have been manipulated. If that were the case, Chu Tian wouldn’t mind helping the Merman King… create a new account for him!
"Depart…" A voice echoed throughout Whale Fall City. The Merman King, though not large in stature, had a rather powerful voice. Following his command, the troops that had been assembled yesterday were meticulously observed. The entire merman race… were all warriors!
Those merfolk who had been holding jars and seemingly busy with work had disappeared. They were all now clad in armor and wielding tridents. In that instant, Whale Fall City appeared remarkably vacant. There were also some giant turtles and large merfolk carrying siege weapons. These weapons were peculiar, all being various types of conch shells, which Chu Tian could only guess were siege weapons. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly be carrying conch shells for fanfare and singing, could they?
"Holy envoy, shall we go together?" The Merman King did not accompany the troops but floated before Chu Tian.
Chu Tian was taken aback by this address. What? 'Holy envoy'? His expression immediately soured.
"Your Majesty can call me by name; please don't call me 'Holy Envoy'!" Chu Tian thought the name was far too unpleasant.
The Third Princess beside them covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. Chu Tian shot her a glare, knowing she was once again peeking into his thoughts.
"Haha, why don't we follow the human custom? I shall call you 'Great Nephew,' how about that?" The King's eyes twinkled as he said this with a hearty laugh. His statement stunned everyone around Chu Tian, even the Third Princess. Chu Tian's expression became even more peculiar. Was this fellow getting brazen and trying to claim seniority? How shameless! By rights, given his age, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to be considered an elder. However, the way his eyes rolled before uttering the words felt a bit off.
Seeing Chu Tian remain silent, the King laughed again. He extended his hands, which were no bigger than a chick's claws, and grabbed Chu Tian's sleeve.
"Come, Great Nephew, let's go and watch the battle… Oh, and this is my third daughter! Her name is Xing! You two can interact more…" The old fellow inexplicably pulled his third daughter over. With one hand gripping Chu Tian and the other gripping Xing, Chu Tian suddenly felt a tremendous power emanating from the King's fist-sized body.
Thus, Chu Tian found himself inexplicably being pulled forward by this little fellow.