Wizard, I Have Another World – Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Merfolk

Endless Sea.

Two cogs floated on the water’s surface.

These were single-decked ships with square sails and sturdy hulls, designed for stability and cargo capacity.

They were typically used for maritime trade or exploration.

“Swish!”

Ripples appeared on the water’s surface in the distance, and several dilapidated caravels skimmed across the water at high speed.

Caravels were warships primarily powered by oars, and they excelled in speed and maneuverability.

They were often used for naval battles or raiding activities.

Merchant ships at sea usually did not travel alone, but rather in groups with various types of ships.

This was clearly an experienced maritime merchant fleet.

“Captain!”

A man on one of the caravels shouted:

“We’ve spotted ruins ahead, probably a merchant ship that encountered pirates. Should we take a detour?”

The Endless Sea was not only home to all sorts of strange sea beasts and legendary creatures, but also pirates.

The danger posed by pirates often exceeded that of the former two.

“Pirates usually don’t follow the same route in a short period of time.” The captain pondered briefly, then waved his hand and said:

“Let’s go take a look.”

“Yes!”

The oars swung, and the heavy ship, propelled by a strange force, sailed towards the sea area ahead.

Not long after.

Some broken planks, floating boxes, and floating corpses appeared on the calm water’s surface.

“There’s a survivor!”

The lookout, who possessed the Eagle Eye Rune, had extraordinary vision and spotted a slowly wriggling figure among the many floating corpses.

“Go.”

The captain said:

“Bring them up. See if they can sober up, and ask them what happened.”

Immediately after, a small sailboat was launched, rushing towards the floating corpses. A sailor approached, poking the corpse with an oar.

“Dead!”

He turned his head, looking towards the lookout’s direction:

“Buddy, it’s a corpse that’s been cold for a long time. You must be seeing things.”

“Careful!”

The sea breeze carried a cry of alarm. The sailor suddenly turned around, only to see a black figure pouncing towards him, holding a harpoon.

“Pfft!”

The sharp harpoon pierced through his forehead, breaking through the skull. With a sudden jerk, brain matter and blood splattered out.

The sailor’s body swayed and slowly fell.

His pupils, which had not yet lost their vitality, reflected a figure.

The one who killed him was a monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish.

The monster’s skin was a dark blue color, covered with a layer of fish scales, as if it had been corroded by the dark forces of the deep sea, exuding a cold and cruel aura.

Its eyes were like cold blades, flashing with ferocity, madness, and bloodlust, without a trace of reason.

“Hiss…”

“Hiss!”

The monster opened its mouth, and its tongue was actually similar to a snake’s forked tongue, thin and forked, hissing.

“What is that thing?”

“A merfolk?”

The monster that suddenly appeared looked very much like the legendary merfolk, but the merfolk in legends possessed intelligence.

But this one,

clearly didn’t!

The captain frowned.

It was common to encounter unseen monsters in the Endless Sea, but a strange premonition made him subconsciously wave his hand.

“Gunners, prepare!”

“Yes!”

“Fire!”

“Boom!”

A scorching cannonball bounced out, traveling straight for over a hundred meters, and hit the merfolk.

Instantly.

The violent force directly blasted the merfolk into a pulp.

“Phew…”

The captain’s expression relaxed slightly:

“It wasn’t too strong, and it was stupid enough not to dodge.”

“Huh?”

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

The calm water’s surface ahead suddenly rippled, as if countless fish were frantically wriggling in a basin.

“Swish!”

“Swish, swish!”

One after another, merfolk rushed out of the water, leaping several meters into the air, drawing an arc in the sky before heading straight for the ship.

Many merfolk leaped and dived, causing the water to ripple. A chilling, bone-piercing killing intent rushed over them first, making their hair stand on end.

The numbers,

were more than a hundred?

Probably as many as a thousand!

Over a thousand crazed monsters rapidly approached the ship, and the faces of the people on board instantly turned pale.

“Turn around!”

The captain roared hoarsely:

“Turn around quickly!”

It was difficult for a large ship to turn around quickly. By the time the ship had turned its bow, some merfolk had already pounced close and were climbing onto the hull.

“Drive them back down!”

“Quick!”

The sailors rushed onto the deck, wielding various weapons to stab at the merfolk below, roaring repeatedly.

“Swish!”

A merfolk leaped several meters, rushed onto the deck, and swung the steel fork in its hand, stabbing at the sailor in front of it.

Where there was one, there would be a second. More and more merfolk rushed onto the deck.

Only now did the crowd see their appearance clearly.

The merfolk, standing upright, were over two meters tall, their upper bodies had muscles as hard as iron, every movement filled with power. Their fish scales were comparable to armor, able to ignore most stabs from sharp weapons. Their facial features looked like they had been forcibly pieced together after a wax figure had melted, their eyes, noses, and mouths twisted and grotesque.

What was even more terrifying was that,

their bodies exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, filled with madness, bloodlust, and chaos.

Killing,

seemed to be their instinct.

“Pfft!”

“Ah!”

Screams and cries of alarm rang out continuously.

Each of these merfolk possessed the strength of a knight squire, and they were also fearless, crazed, and cruel.

Ordinary sailors fell like straws as soon as they came into contact with them.

The captain, along with the first mate, second mate, and other knights, joined the battle, wielding weapons and rushing towards the merfolk.

The situation temporarily reached a stalemate, but as more and more merfolk came up, the situation would eventually change.

“Start the ship!”

“Start the ship!”

The captain roared. A premonition of danger made his heart race wildly.

“Boom!”

The water surface exploded with a loud bang, and a terrifying black shadow leaped out of the water, its body almost obscuring the sky.

“What is that?”

A sailor stared blankly.

Immediately after.

“Boom!”

The giant object fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ship’s hull, directly causing the cog to tilt and sway.

Even more massive tentacles emerged from under the water, like chains, tightly binding the ship’s hull.

Pulling it towards the seabed, little by little.

“Run!”

“Run quickly!”

In the blink of an eye, the flagship sank to the bottom of the sea, and the captain, first mate, and others were powerless to resist.

The other ships fled frantically.

“Boom!”

Huge waves surged on the water’s surface.

Amidst the waves, merfolk and terrifying monsters surged towards the ships like a tide.

After a few waves, the ships collapsed one after another. By the time the sea surface returned to calm, only some floating planks and corpses remained.

And beneath the floating corpses, merfolk were tearing at the bodies, devouring internal organs and flesh.

Underwater.

Countless black shadows swam, like countless weeds, densely packed.

…………

Somewhere in the sea.

The calm water’s surface split apart to both sides under an invisible force, revealing a passage for passage.

A burly merfolk, nearly three meters tall, slowly walked out from it.

Its eyes were a clear, sapphire blue, like gemstones, or like blue ice crystals that would never melt.

Its hair was like tentacles from the seabed, twisted and wild, each strand seeming to be filled with power and killing intent.

After leaving the seawater, its lower body gradually transformed into legs. It stepped onto the ground and walked onto an island.

There were many buildings on the island, clearly indicating that many people had once lived there.

But now,

the buildings were collapsed.

Corpses were scattered throughout the ruins.

Merfolk were lying on the corpses, gnawing at the flesh, with intestines and internal organs discarded carelessly beside them.

“Plop!”

“Thud!”

The burly merfolk stepped through the mud, walking step by step, finally stopping in front of a trembling young man.

“Human.”

It lowered its head and spoke slowly:

“I need a guide.”

“You…you…” The young man’s eyes were filled with horror, and he stammered:

“You can talk?”

“Of course.” The burly merfolk grinned, a strange smile appearing on its face:

“You’re not hallucinating.”

…………

Tortuga Island.

The Pirate Island.

Dark shadows that blotted out the sky surged in from all directions, turning the already dim sky into a pitch-black expanse.

An invisible killing aura permeated the air.

The pirates who were busy in the taverns, rooms, and stables came out one after another, looking at the sky with bewildered expressions.

“What happened?”

“What’s going on?”

“Suddenly, it got dark. Is the Free Port launching a surprise attack on us?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

The crowd muttered in low voices, quietly gathering together.

Even pirates who did not trust each other would subconsciously gather together when faced with an unknown situation.

With more people,

there was greater strength.

In the center of the island.

The Pirate King, with a full beard, put down the wine glass in his hand, his face grim as he walked step by step towards the door.

“Buzz…”

The sword at his waist seemed to sense something and trembled violently.

“Ultis.”

The Pirate King grasped the hilt of the sword, his eyes flashing with intense fighting spirit:

“What is to come, will always come. It’s been over a decade since we fought side by side, hasn’t it?”

“Today!”

“You can finally taste blood again!”

“Clang!”

The bloodthirsty sword, Ultis, was unsheathed with a clang, a streak of blood red appearing in the area, a sharp killing intent surging forth.

“Charge!”

The Pirate King roared to the sky:

“Charge out, escape from here, and tell the others that the will of the evil gods has been revived!”

“Kill!”

Amidst the roars, he leaped dozens of meters, the long sword in his hand dancing, countless streaks of blood-colored sword light scattering.

They also illuminated the monsters hidden in the darkness.

A monkey over ten meters tall, covered in white hair, a shark that was strangely twisted as if fused from multiple organisms, and a terrifying monster that looked like an insect with segmented limbs and two heads.

Terrifying!

Grotesque!

Madness and chaos intertwined.

“Boom!”

A violent collision sounded, and roars shook all directions.

One day later.

The darkness dissipated.

The once prosperous Tortuga Island, the sacred place in the hearts of countless pirates, was reduced to ruins.

In the center of the ruins.

The broken Ultis was slanted into the ground, and the Pirate King, his eyes wide open in anger, lay on the ground, having already lost his vitality.

The sea breeze howled, whipping up dust and fallen leaves. The flying locks of hair and the gentle wind seemed to be the pirates’ funeral dirge.

“Free Port.”

A massive figure appeared in the area, stepping on the Pirate King’s corpse, looking towards the direction of the Free Port.

“I can finally go back.”

***

Catherine actually became a believer of the Morning Sun.

As a wizard’s companion, under the influence, most are non-believers, or at most, casual believers.

But looking at Catherine’s appearance, she seems somewhat like a fanatic, a believer who dedicates everything to the gods.

“Sybil never mentioned it, perhaps she wasn’t aware either.”

Karl shook his head, focusing his attention on what was before him.

Wizard companions rarely believe in deities, but it’s not unheard of, it’s not worth him spending too much energy on it.

Before him was the skeleton of a legendary creature.

Only bones.

A collection of the Dragon King Trading Company.

This skeleton belonged to a ‘Three-Headed Hound’, a legendary creature with three deformed heads.

***

Each of its heads could spew attacks of different attributes, and it also possessed a certain degree of intelligence.

“Multi-headed creatures are a big taboo for blood and flesh wizards.”

Karl put a piece of bone into a container, observing the changes, while flipping through a book for reference.

“Transforming into a multi-headed creature easily leads to mental fragmentation, unless one cultivates a special form of mental wizardry, it’s not recommended.”

“Mental fragmentation?”

He shook his head, closing the book.

Unless one is a Nightmare Wizard, no one would willingly split their consciousness, and Nightmare Wizards are even rarer than bloodline wizards.

Peering into dreams,

easily attracts the gaze of the gods.

And once targeted by the will of a god, even if it’s just a glancing blow, it’s not something a Formal Wizard can resist.

“But it’s just for analyzing a bloodline model, to increase experience in bloodline wizardry, so it’s fine.”

Karl didn’t plan to turn himself into a Three-Headed Hound.

With the remains of a legendary creature for him to analyze, the path of a bloodline wizard was becoming clearer and clearer.

He just had to wait until his mental power was sufficient, then he could choose a legendary creature to transform into.

…………

The Sickle Brotherhood.

In the spacious hall, there was a long bronze table, with four high-backed chairs on each symmetrical side.

In the center stood a heavy stone chair.

Each chair here signified a position within the Brotherhood.

And the stone chair,

belonged exclusively to the leader.

Peak Grand Knight, Blood Sickle Ah Heng! A taciturn dictator!

It is said,

that he had a thin trace of the Duke’s bloodline flowing through him, and he was the only one in the Free Port who had a chance of becoming a legend.

Unlike the Dragon King Trading Company and the Sea God Society, the members of the Sickle Brotherhood were complex, many of them originating from street thugs.

Because of their own experiences, they tended to act more chaotically.

Their reputation was also not good.

Even the elders of the Brotherhood were not without vulgar language and were prone to anger and violence.

“Monroe has come looking for us.”

The candlelight flickered, and the Sixth Elder spoke in a muffled voice:

“He hopes to get our support, and if the leader is willing to take action, he can give up 30% of the Dragon King Trading Company’s share.”

“Thirty percent?” The Second Elder sneered:

“That crazy woman Emma is not easy to deal with, not to mention a few more Grand Knights have emerged, at least half is needed.”

“Impossible.” The Fourth Elder, Eagle Henry, gently shook his head:

“Even if we could do it, the Sea God Society wouldn’t watch us grow stronger, they would definitely step in to stop us.”

“Why not sit down and negotiate?”

“Negotiate?” The Second Elder scoffed:

“Henry, you are always so cowardly, you can sit down and talk about anything, then what use are we?”

“Don’t forget, our own strength is the sharpest spear! And the capital to sit down and negotiate!”

“Sigh!” Someone sighed:

“I originally thought that nothing more would happen to the Dragon King Trading Company, that splitting it three ways was the best outcome.”

“I didn’t expect…”

“That a potion maker, Karl, would emerge.”

“Yes.” The Fourth Elder, Henry, his eyes flickered:

“Actually, Karl had originally agreed to join our Sickle Brotherhood, it’s just a pity…”

“Oh!” The Sixth Elder tilted his head:

“Is there such a thing?”

“Yes.” Henry nodded:

“I promised Karl a Shadow Walker Rune, but at that time, Little Herley took a fancy to the rune.”

“So…”

He spread his hands, looking helpless.

Little Herley?

Everyone looked at the Second Elder.

They were very clear about Little Herley’s personality, although Henry didn’t say it outright, it must have been the Second Elder’s fault that it didn’t happen.

If it had happened…

The Sickle Brotherhood would not only have gained an excellent potion maker, but also a Grand Knight.

And not just any ordinary Grand Knight.

Instantly.

The gazes of the others at the Second Elder couldn’t help but carry a hint of resentment.

“The future is unpredictable, who could have thought he would become a Grand Knight back then.” The Second Elder’s expression remained unchanged:

“The problem now is, how to deal with it, you don’t want the Dragon King Trading Company to rise again, do you?”

“I propose that Henry come forward to call Karl out, and then we can have a good talk with him.”

Speaking of ‘talk’, he had a sneer on his face.

“Henry’s son, Yates, has been in contact with the potion maker Karl, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to call him out.”

“Fink!” Henry’s expression changed, and he suddenly stood up:

“What do you want to do?”

“Nothing.” The Second Elder, Fink, said:

“Just correcting a mistake we made back then.”

“No!” Henry directly rejected the other party’s proposal:

“If we are going to talk, we should talk properly, Karl is not an ordinary Grand Knight, being too forceful will only anger him.”

“Moreover…”

“Yates has always been helping the Brotherhood with commercial matters, his credibility is very important, we can’t ruin it.”

“It’s okay.” The Second Elder, Fink, said:

“It’s just borrowing his name, if something really happens, you can push the blame onto me.”

“You…” Henry’s face showed anger, and then his heart skipped a beat:

“You’ve already made a move!”

Fink shrugged.

…………

Dragon King Trading Company.

The residence.

“Madam.”

A maid rushed over, her face showing panic, and whispered in Emma’s ear:

“Young Master over there…”

“Whoosh!”

Before the other party could finish speaking, Emma had already stood up abruptly from her seat and strode out.

In the middle of a dense forest, there was a simple courtyard, and in the center of the courtyard was an artificial pool.

In the center of the pool, a figure was lying prone.

The figure was bound by chains, and even though he struggled desperately, injuring himself all over, he couldn’t break free.

“Hiss hiss…”

“Eat!”

“Eat!”

He roared lowly in the water, constantly howling, completely disregarding that struggling would only worsen his injuries.

“Tap tap…”

Footsteps sounded.

Emma appeared in the scene with a gloomy face, and when she saw the figure in the pool, her face couldn’t help but show surprise.

And an indelible grief.

“My child…”

Her voice trembled:

“What happened to you?”

The Dragon King Zimmerman did not only have one daughter, Lula, but also a son.

It’s just a pity.

Their youngest son had not yet become a knight when he contracted the water plague, and everyone knew that he was dead.

Those who contract the water plague will surely die, this was the iron law of the Free Port.

But now,

the iron law seemed to have been broken.

The Dragon King’s son had not died, but was trapped in this pool, as if he had lost his mind.

“What happened?”

Emma gritted her teeth, and roared loudly:

“Who allowed you to treat my child like this?”

“Madam.”

A middle-aged man in white robes rushed over, bowing and saying:

“Young Master’s changes have been too great these past few days, and he is very violent, so we had no choice but to bind him with chains.”

“Open the chains!” Emma’s face was gloomy:

“Open them!”

“……” The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

“Yes.”

He waved his hand, and immediately someone stepped forward to unlock the chains, while cautiously watching the figure in the water.

“Hiss hiss…”

The ‘Young Master’ in the water had his long hair scattered, his eyes filled with bestiality, scanning the crowd.

Too many people were surrounding him, making him instinctively afraid to act rashly, but the urge in his heart never stopped for a moment.

“My child…”

Emma’s eyes filled with tears, and she slowly took two steps forward:

“What happened to you?”

Those who contracted the ‘water plague’ would lose water from their bodies at an alarming rate, eventually turning into a sticky, unidentifiable liquid.

To save her son, Emma had people prepare a special medicinal liquid that could continuously replenish the lost water.

And so, he had been soaking in this pool filled with medicinal liquid.

This soak,

had been for several years!

“Hiss hiss…”

“Whoosh!”

Emma’s approach seemed to stimulate the ‘Young Master’s’ ferocity, and he suddenly leaped out of the water and pounced on her.

“Ah!”

“Madam, be careful!”

The crowd couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Swish swish…”

Several vines drilled out from the ground, as flexible as long snakes, tightly binding the pouncing Young Master.

Controlling vines!

This was Emma’s unique talent, as she possessed Wood Elf bloodline.

“My child.”

Emma’s face was filled with sadness, and she reached out to stroke her Young Master’s cheek, tears welling up in her eyes.

However.

Her sadness could not move a person who had lost his normal reason, and the Young Master was still struggling desperately, constantly roaring.

“Eat!”

“Hungry…”

“My child is hungry.” Emma turned around, looked at the middle-aged man, and her voice became icy:

“Go get some food.”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged man lowered his head and responded.

Soon.

All kinds of food were placed by the pool, including fresh fruits, soft pastries, and various cooked dishes.

Emma controlled the vines, gently placing the Young Master back into the water, and said softly:

“Child, eat!”

“Eat whatever you want, with mother here, you don’t have to be afraid.”

She lightly waved her sleeve, dispersing the vines.

“Hiss hiss…” The Young Master in the water made a strange ‘hiss hiss’ sound, but he didn’t look at the food beside him, instead, he looked at the maid on the side.

“Eat!”

“Hungry…”

His eyes were full of greed, desire, and filled with inhuman bestiality and ferocity.

Emma slowly frowned.

“Madam.”

The middle-aged man hurried forward, and whispered:

“I don’t know why, but ever since Young Master’s body changed, he has developed a desire similar to that of a wild beast.”

“Especially for fresh flesh and blood, he is very sensitive.”

“Fresh flesh and blood?” Emma pondered, her gaze following her son’s, landing on the maid.

“Madam!”

The maid seemed to have guessed something, her face instantly turned pale, and she stammered, then suddenly turned and ran.

“Whoosh!”

A vine shot out like lightning, tightly binding the fleeing maid, and dragged her in front of the Young Master.

“Child, eat!”

Emma’s voice was gentle:

“Since you like to eat it, then eat.”

“Hiss hiss…”

The Young Master’s eyes widened, his mouth hissed, and with a low roar, he pounced towards the screaming maid.

“Thud!”

“Ah!”

“No!”

“Ah…”

The screams grew weaker and weaker, until they disappeared completely.

Blood mixed into the pool, and the still-beating internal organs were pulled out by the ‘Young Master’ and swallowed whole.

The maid’s eyes were wide open, staring at the sky, and the next moment her neck was torn open, blood gushing out.

The surrounding servants were all terrified, but they just turned away, not daring to look, no one dared to stop it.

“Eat people?”

Emma thought for a moment, and said:

“There are many people in the slums who can’t afford to raise their children, you can buy some with money, and feed them to my child regularly.”

“……” The middle-aged man opened his mouth:

“Yes.”

“Take good care of him.” Emma finally looked at the ‘Young Master’, her eyes still filled with love:

“I will come to see him again when I have time.”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged man responded.

At this time.

Lula, having heard the news, rushed over:

“Mother, what happened to my brother?”

“You still remember that you have a younger brother?” Emma snorted coldly upon hearing this:

“Go see for yourself!”

Lula sighed.

She understood her mother’s feelings, but she didn’t agree with Emma’s actions. She stepped forward and saw the scene in the pool, her face changing again.

“What is going on?”

“Miss.”

The middle-aged man’s eyes flickered, and he whispered:

“It was that maid who accidentally fell into the water, Young Master is now inhuman, and we didn’t dare to stop him.”

“You…” The scene of eating people made Lula’s body tremble, and after looking at her younger brother, she said again:

“What happened to my brother?”

“Half a month ago, Young Master’s body changed for some unknown reason.” The middle-aged man said:

“When he was in the water, Young Master’s legs would turn into the shape of a fish, and some fish scales also appeared on the surface of his body, and his originally thin body also grew some muscles, we originally thought it was a good thing…”

“Who knew…”

“Sigh!”

Lula’s face was blank.

Merfolk!

Her brother had become a monster!