Chapter 421 - 421: Human Kingdom, Royal Token, One of the Biggest Gains (2)
As they drew closer, Ji Chen couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment upon seeing the panicked soldiers at the harbor.
These soldiers were at most Tier 2, level 20, and their combat abilities were sorely lacking.
There was no nation was immune to external challenges or dangers.
It seemed that over the millennia, with the closing of the Mystic Realm Gate, these human inhabitants not only lost their land but also their fighting prowess.
The arrival of the Crown of the Ocean army naturally drew the attention of this human kingdom.
More than a hundred human soldiers in cotton armor rushed out to the harbor upon receiving news of the enemy invasion.
However, when they saw that the Crown of the Ocean forces outnumbered them by more than tenfold, fear gripped their legs, and they showed no inclination to fight. Instead, they scrambled back into the city and closed the gates.
Inside the cramped royal palace, the general rushed in, panicking, to the king’s chamber.
“Your Majesty, I have urgent news!”
The overweight king, who was playing blindfold hide-and-seek with his concubines, impatiently removed his blindfold. “Speak quickly; don’t interrupt my enjoyment!”
“We have an enemy invasion, and there are at least three thousand of them!”
The king’s face turned pale instantly.
Three thousand? His kingdom’s army consisted of only four to five hundred soldiers!
Where did so many enemies suddenly appear from!?
“Where have they reached?”
“They’ve already reached the harbor! But they seem to be like some marine creatures, perhaps only capable of staying in the water and not coming ashore?”
The overweight king breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, returned to his throne, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief provided by one of his concubines. “That’s good, that’s good…”
However, at that moment, panicked voices from outside reached their ears.
“Your Majesty, the enemy has come ashore! They are heading straight for the city gates!”
The overweight king slipped off his throne and fell to the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself, “It’s over, my kingdom is doomed…”
Ji Chen observed the terrified soldiers on the low city walls and turned to Sonia.
“These Mystic Realm humans are the descendants of those humans from the past, and it seems they have completely deteriorated.”
Sonia wore a complex expression. “The rising seawater has been pressuring their living space, and without land for cultivation, their population has dwindled… But 1 didn’t expect them to have fallen to this extent. They can’t even muster a thousand soldiers for their entire country.”
“Lord, I have one request.”
Sonia implored with sincerity.
“If they choose to surrender the dimensional key, may we spare their lives?”
After a brief contemplation, Ji Chen nodded.
“Yes, I agree to your request.”
“I do not relish bloodshed; my intention is solely to acquire the dimensional key.”
Upon hearing this, Sonia expressed her gratitude and respectfully bowed.
“Thank you for your mercy, my Lord. 1 am willing to go and persuade them on your behalf.”
On the city wall, the overweight king, seeing the formidable enemy forces waiting outside, turned even paler. His legs almost gave way, but the general quickly caught him.
At that moment, they saw a woman who looked as beautiful as a celestial being stepping out from the enemy ranks.
She spoke coldly, “Surrender your royal token, and we may spare your lives.”
The overweight king was momentarily stunned. Surrender his royal token?
Although he didn’t understand why, he suddenly felt a surge of courage and asked through gritted teeth, “May 1 ask who you are?”
“I am Lady Sonia, subordinate to Lord Ji Chen, the Lord of the Crown of the Ocean.”
“Crown of the Ocean? Sonia?”
The overweight king found these names somewhat familiar as if he had heard them somewhere before. He looked at the woman’s face, so cold and noble, with a few white scales on her forehead, and suddenly recalled.
In an ancient royal tome passed down through the royal family, there was mention of a time when the kingdom’s territory was countless times larger than it was now. In those ancient days, their ancestors had two powerful sea allies, one being the Dragon King, and the other, Coral.
The images in the tome seemed to bear some resemblance to the woman before him!
The overweight king swallowed hard and cautiously asked, “Do you happen to know Coral?”
Sonia’s expression darkened, “Coral was my name in the past. This, your ancestors should know.”
The overweight king’s mind was in turmoil. Could this sea woman be Coral?
That would mean she must be at least a thousand years old!
He looked towards the human man standing at the center of the unfamiliar army, obviously their leader.
To be able to subdue a sea woman who had survived for over a thousand years, and to command such a formidable army, this man must be an extremely terrifying presence.
“Have you made your decision? Surrender the royal token, and we will leave.”
The overweight king wasn’t foolish; he just needed something of symbolic value. If giving it away meant they would leave, then so be it.
“I agree!”
Soon, the city gates opened.
The overweight king, with his protruding belly, walked out, holding a wooden box in his hands. He trembled as he approached Sonia.
With a flattering expression, he said, “Inside this box is the royal token. Please accept it.”
Sonia casually opened the wooden box, and a white crystal lay peacefully on a red silk cloth, emitting a faint glow.
After confirming its authenticity, she nodded and closed the box.
The overweight king looked around and cautiously asked, “Lady Sonia, may I know where Lord Ji Chen comes from? Is it from the depths of the ocean?”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just know that this world now belongs to Lord Ji Chen. You only need to advise your descendants and subjects to live peacefully as they did before, and you won’t have to worry about any harm coming to you.”
Sonia’s cold words left him pale, and he quickly nodded, saying, “I will remember that!”
In any case, he wasn’t particularly interested in these matters. As long as these formidable armies wouldn’t return here in the future, that was enough for him.
Sonia watched as the overweight king, who could barely walk, returned to the city and closed the gates. Then, she turned to Ji Chen and presented the dimensional key.
“My Lord, mission accomplished.”
Ji Chen nodded slightly, suppressing his inner excitement. He picked up the dimensional key, placing it alongside the one he had obtained earlier, and examined them together.
Faintly, he could sense a connection forming between these two dimensional keys. By placing them separately at the arch and the outside world, he could establish a stable link between this mystic realm and the main world.
At this moment, he finally let go of all his worries, and a smile crept onto his face.
The entire Great Luminescent Sea was about to become the territory of the Crown of the Ocean. Inside it lay wealth, both known and hidden, from a complete mystic realm. It would all belong to the Crown of the Ocean.
Regarding the tiny human kingdom, just as he had previously assured, as long as they didn’t stir up any problems, he had no interest in bothering with them.
Ji Chen put away the two dimensional keys and didn’t waste any more time. With a wave of his hand, he commanded, “Let’s go!”
At his command, the army returned to the sea, retracing their path through the underwater cave.
Back in the Luminescent Forest.
“When the mystic realm connects to the main world, it may cause some anomalies. Sonia, 1 want you to stabilize the hearts of the people in the Coral Palace’s army.
This place will be an important reserve base for the Crown of the Ocean in the future, and I won’t tolerate any mistakes.
This is the task I’m giving you.”
Sonia nodded with a serious expression.
She had completely embraced her role as a subordinate, and when she heard the orders, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had returned to the time when humans ordered her to do things thousands of years ago.
It left her feeling a bit nostalgic and also pleased.
After going through this period of experiences, Sonia was certain that Ji Chen was an ambitious lord with a far-reaching vision and remarkable abilities. Encountering such a talented and strategic lord was a stroke of luck. Naturally, she intended to make the most of this opportunity.
Seeing Sonia’s complete lack of arrogance, Ji Chen nodded in satisfaction. A Red-Legacy Tier heroic unit was one of the biggest gains of this journey.
Moreover, she was a hero with extensive experience in management, leadership, and combat—a priceless asset that couldn’t be bought with money..