Divine Beast Creator
Chapter 615 - 616: Things That Once Happened_1

Chapter 615: Chapter 616: Things That Once Happened_1

"At that time, Li Tianhai did indeed succeed in negotiating with them; although the affected towns expressed dissatisfaction, it actually did no good."

"If that were all, it should be only the Maritime People who are angry. Why would the Aquatic People also harbor hostility towards them? While it might be possible they wanted to cover their own mistakes by smearing the others, I don’t think everyone is a fool."

Liu Wenli asked with confusion, while Xia Yu sighed and said

"Jealousy, because not long after, the Sea God gifted them with quite a few Divine Islands – this included the ones the Sea God had gifted in the past."

"But... isn’t this now the territory of the Aquatic People?"

"If it had stayed that way, the later events wouldn’t have happened, but it seems that after that victory, General Li Tianhai felt he had found something to rely on."

"Whenever he thought the Maritime People were ’losing out’ in trade, he would lead his men to their doors, and those people didn’t dare to confront him, only to compensate according to his demands."

As he spoke, Xia Yu sighed helplessly and said

"However, trade has never been so fair. An occasional loss is nothing strange, but because of his actions, some people became even more arrogant."

"In any trade, they wanted the upper hand; otherwise, it was seen as a loss, necessitating retaliation. Over time, those towns were less willing to trade with the Maritime People."

"An occasional loss is nothing, but who would trade with you if you always lose..."

"And then he started another war?"

Liu Wenli asked, although she guessed this was very likely the truth. Nodding, Xia Yu sighed and said

"Indeed, this time, although the Sea God still helped him, but..."

"What an idiot. Even if you can force them with military power, what if they simply abandon their cities?"

Liu Wenli said with a cold laugh. She didn’t believe that Delong Tower would help him attack the inland. At least from what she learned from Feng Yuan, if Delong Tower did that, there was a high chance other Divine Beasts would judge it as interference in human affairs, and they would be surrounded and attacked by all Divine Beasts.

"The reality was exactly that; they abandoned their coastal cities. Due to their plight, all towns near the sea viewed the Maritime People as if they were poisonous snakes, and once again the Maritime People found themselves in difficulty."

"At that time, the Aquatic People who had left the Maritime People sent delegates to tell us that they had found a relatively reliable trading post to the north."

"But before everyone could get too excited, they sent people again to question why we had done that. Because of that attack, the towns they had finally found refused to continue trading with them, and even their looks were suspicious..."

"This really is..."

Wei Dingwu didn’t know how to judge Li Tianhai. Without him, maybe the Maritime People would always be at a disadvantage in trading. As for that so-called reliable trading post? Honestly, even she could understand that if not for the fuss Li Tianhai created, there would be no ’reliable’ trading post.

"So what happened after that? I remember her saying she learned your language in a coastal town, which suggests that there were further changes."

Feng Yuan asked curiously, and Xia Yu nodded and said

"Afterwards, Li Tianhai once led men to negotiate with those towns, but if the other side refuses to trade, what can you do? Even conquering them wouldn’t be useful, and since then, the Sea God never appeared again."

"With no other choice, Li Tianhai planned to plunder merchant ships at sea, even thinking about raiding those coastal towns."

"But before he could do that, his son, Li Xiaping, detained him. With an apology, Li Xiaping, carrying the little left of the Maritime People’s supplies, sought reconciliation."

"Through his efforts, although the result was that only some towns cautiously started trading with the sea’s visitors, too much time had passed. Because of the missteps taken by Li Tianhai, in that period many Aquatic People died due to a lack of medicine, and that’s how the conflict arose."

"Originally, it was already difficult for us to communicate across the vast sea. After this incident, those Aquatic People directly chose to continue northward. At least those I know of, they are in far-off places."

"Those of us who left because of the ensuing war between Li Tianhai and his son settled in the area between the early Aquatic People and the current Maritime People."

"War?"

Liu Wenli was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected this development. She nodded as Xia Yu looked at the price list and said,

"That’s right. Back then, Li Xiaping made sacrifices regarding the interests of the Maritime People in order to achieve reconciliation. As a result, many were dissatisfied. Thus, Li Tianhai and Li Xiaping had the most direct dispute. The Maritime People split once again, and some who didn’t want to be involved in war chose to leave."

"But Li Xiaping showed his dissatisfaction with us, even going so far as to attack us."

At this point, Elder Xia Yu couldn’t hide his indignation. After all, they were not the ones who fled at the most critical moment. Now, for no apparent reason, you’re stirring up a civil war and we still can’t stay out of it?

"So that’s how the feud started. Both the original Aquatic People and those who left the Maritime People during the civil war hold no fondness toward them. Over time, under various misunderstandings, it evolved into the current situation."

"I really don’t know what to say..."

Liu Wenli rubbed her temples and spoke wordlessly. She truly couldn’t understand these two—just when they were close to success, they insisted on spoiling the situation. Feng Yuan smiled and said,

"Isn’t this quite common?"

Thinking of the nobles and families in the inland regions, Liu Wenli nodded her head in helpless agreement. When it comes to making a mess of things, it seems geography doesn’t make a difference.

"After the split, the Maritime People actually divided into two factions: one supports Li Tianhai’s policy of using military force to occupy a piece of land and defend it fiercely, never again allowing those countries to threaten them with materials; the other supports Li Xiaping’s policy of coexisting peacefully with the land-dwellers, but insists on maintaining a certain level of military pressure."

"Military pressure?"

Everyone found that strange, and Elder Xia Yu said with a wry smile,

"Yes, military pressure. Because of the civil war at that time, the Maritime People didn’t have the strength to suppress the land-dwellers, so after some time, those land-dwellers reverted to their old ways, starting to oppress the Maritime People’s children again."

"It was also for this reason that the civil war came to a halt. Li Tianhai and Li Xiaping each led people to deal with these land-dwellers, but their approaches were different."

"Li Tianhai eliminated every town of land-dwellers he came across that had oppressed the children of the sea. Li Xiaping, on the other hand, only attacked the towns to eliminate the instigators."

"Therefore, disputes arose again between the Maritime People and the Aquatic People, but this time the leaders of the Aquatic People saw some truths more clearly and did not engage them again."

"Even the Aquatic People in the north formed a guard and showed their strength to those restless towns."

"It’s said that after the split, the leaders of both Water and Sea gathered to discuss the future, but I did not participate and am not clear on the details,"

Old Master Xia Yu said, then paused, seemingly tired from speaking so much. Feng Yuan, a little puzzled, said,

"If it’s just a matter of trade... it really shouldn’t escalate to this extent, right?"

The group looked at Feng Yuan with some bewilderment. As he jostled Xiao Ji in his arms, Feng Yuan glanced at Guo Huai and said,

"It’s not that time anymore when there is no commercial environment. The Aquatic People must have resources that cannot be obtained on land. Why not exchange these?"

"It’s useless... the things we can get are not essential for them, while herbs and certain foods are necessities for us,"

Cheng Yong said with a sigh, conveying a sense of helplessness. Feng Yuan, not understanding, said,

"There are things beyond just the sea’s bounty."