Chapter 72 - 72: Tidal Palace
The New Moon safely left the stormy waters behind and sailed at full speed towards its destination as indicated by the magical map.
After the initial excitement of the voyage wore off, Jichen started to feel a bit bored. The sailing process wasn’t as thrilling and eventful as he had imagined. Most of the time, the surroundings consisted of the vast and monotonous sea, lacking anything interesting.
Moreover, it seemed that the southwestern region beyond the Stormy Seas was not a busy route, as they hadn’t encountered any other ships throughout the day.
However, there was no shortage of marine life, with whales, dolphins, and schools of fish being a common sight. There were also some sea creatures, but they didn’t show much interest in the New Moon, a large ship.
Time slowly passed by, and two days later, the New Moon approached its destination. Suddenly, a dense white fog emerged on the sea, gradually increasing in thickness to the point where visibility was reduced to almost zero.
The surroundings became eerily quiet, with only the sound of the ship’s bow cutting through the water breaking the silence.
It seemed that this place had a magnetic field or some kind of energy that greatly hindered the Crown of Omniscience’s detection capabilities. Their detection range was now limited to a hundred meters in all directions.
“My Lord, should we continue further into this place? It feels quite eerie with the dense fog,” Sparrow said with a hint of unease, observing the thick mist surrounding them.
Jichen looked at the magic map in his hand, which was radiating a blue glow that grew brighter as they approached their destination.
It seemed they were not far away now.
His expression remained calm as he spoke firmly, “No need to worry, continue moving at a slow pace.”
His resolute tone injected the pirates with a renewed sense of confidence.
The ship pressed forward into the fog.
Half an hour later, the fog gradually dissipated, revealing the surroundings.
Ahead, a piece of land came into view.
Within the mist, a massive palace made of blue stones stood in the center.
A brick road lined with dozens of tall stone columns extended from the palace gate all the way to the bow of the New Moon as if the two were precisely aligned as if planned in advance.
It seemed they had arrived at the right place.
“Pirates, stay on the ship and remain vigilant. The rest of you, follow me down,” Jichen declared loudly, then turned to Sparrow, the captain.
“Sparrow, protect the ship and make sure to wait for my return from inside.”
Sparrow nodded solemnly. “Understood.”
With his instructions given, Jichen wasted no time and disembarked from the landing boat, with the Murlocs pushing it onto the land.
Under the protection of the troops, they walked along the brick road towards the palace.
The towering blue stone columns on both sides, reaching a height of twenty to thirty meters, were engraved with powerful and peculiar marine creatures, vividly depicting their awe-inspiring presence.
Walking through the middle path felt like progressing under their watchful gaze, causing his heart to beat faster.
The closer they got to the palace, the more they could feel its grandeur and magnificence.
The city walls stood tall, adorned with exquisite carvings, pavilions, towers, and connecting corridors.
Under the backdrop of the faint white mist, it appeared as if a divine palace had materialized before them.
It was awe-inspiring.
As they approached the main gate of the palace, a shadow on all fours came into sight, seemingly aware of the arrival of intruders and breaking through the mist.
About fifty sea lion-like creatures with sharp-toothed flippers were aggressively charging towards them.
[Tidal Beasts]
[Race]: Tidal Sea Tribe
[Tier]: Second Tier, 8 stars
Bloodthirsty Fangs (blue skill, sharp fangs with powerful penetrating and biting force)
Robust Physique (green skill, possessing strong muscles and bones, increased movement speed in water)
[Guardian beasts protecting the palace, instinctively repelling all intruders)
“Attack!”
There was nothing more to say.
The special main occupation should be inside this palace, and these Tidal Beasts were the gatekeepers with hostile intentions.
The only option was to fight their way in.
The Murlocs swiftly launched a wave of tridents, killing dozens of them.
The Naga Warriors engaged in bloody battles with the remaining Tidal Beasts.
With their strength, dealing with a group of second-tier, 8-star monsters were relatively easy.
After about ten minutes, silence once again enveloped the surroundings.
“Ding- You have achieved a glorious victory. You have gained 3800 experience points…”
Walking through the blood and remnants scattered across the ground, they arrived at the entrance of the palace.
The stone gate stood at least thirty meters high, adorned with intricate and complex patterns and designs.
Standing before it, they felt as small as ants.
As they pondered the meaning behind these patterns and designs, the stone gate suddenly creaked and let out a rough friction sound, automatically opening to reveal a path leading inside.
Jichen was momentarily taken aback.
But without hesitation, he promptly signaled the troops to enter.
Beyond the gate was a long corridor, shrouded in dense white mist.
Towering walls lined both sides, with no visible points for climbing.
Once all the troops had entered the corridor, the door slammed shut with a resounding thud.
Coupled with the pervasive mist and the eerily silent atmosphere, it resembled a scene from a horror film.
To say that there was no anxiety would be a lie.
“Damn, this is quite nerve-wracking…”
Jichen took a deep breath before continuing further into the depths.
Although the setting was eerie, no monsters suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
After advancing several hundred meters, they encountered another stone gate. Beyond the gate was a closed circular outdoor plaza, surrounded by walls reaching dozens of meters high.
It was empty inside, devoid of any traces of monsters.
They swiftly made their way inside.
Aside from the entrance they came through, there were three other stone gates, resembling an arena without spectator seats.
The stone gates served as the passages for releasing enemies.
Similarly, once they entered, the stone door behind them slowly closed.
Then, a mechanical voice suddenly resounded.
“Unknown challenger, welcome to the Tidal Palace.”
“I am an unconscious remnant of the Tidal Lord, left behind to guide those who come here seeking the inheritance of the Tidal Lord class.”
“Since you have arrived here, it means you have defeated the guardian Tidal Beasts and obtained the initial qualification to challenge.”
“The Tidal Lord is an extremely powerful maritime class, possessing formidable strength and the ability to effortlessly manipulate tidal forces to tear apart enemies.”
“But the challenger must complete all the challenges to have a chance of obtaining the inheritance.”
“Furthermore, even if the challenger fails to obtain the inheritance in the end, rare treasures will be bestowed based on the challenge’s outcome.”
“So, unknown challenger, are you prepared?”
The mechanical voice echoed throughout the outdoor plaza.
Jichen’s heart began to burn with anticipation.
He had left his territory and spent so much time to come here for the sole purpose of obtaining this unique maritime class.
Moreover, the Tidal Lord sounded like a tremendously powerful class.
As for the need to challenge in order to obtain the inheritance, Jichen was mentally prepared.
After all, opportunities don’t just fall from the sky… except for when fishing, perhaps.
Without hesitation, Jichen rallied his troops and declared aloud, “I am prepared.”
After a brief pause, the mechanical voice resounded once again.
“First Trial: Tide of Tidal Beasts. First wave, Second Tier 8-star, Quantity: 100.”
As soon as the words fell, apart from the door they entered from, the other three stone doors slowly rose.
A large group of finned and four-limbed creatures with sharp fangs and claws rushed out from within.
They were none other than the Tidal Beasts encountered at the palace entrance.
However, while there were only about fifty guarding the entrance, there were now a hundred here, doubling the difficulty of defeating them..