The Cannon Fodder in the Global Apocalypse Game lives a leisurely life
Chapter 301: King Nephim’s History

Chapter 301: King Nephim’s History

In the fish ponds, situated in the economic area located on the neighboring island, a group of halflings were just halfway through their shifts. They conducted their regular check-up routine to feed the fish, only to be stunned when they saw thousands of fish floating on the surface, motionless and without a sign of life.

The staff were severely frowning and ran to assess every pond to see if there were still at least those alive.

But they did not find a single one alive or moving, and even those baby fish were not spared!

"Damn!" The staff kicked the water in frustration. "We’re going to be in trouble with the owner."

Not long afterwards, the owner, resting in his private house in the wealthy district, got a hold of the news and nearly suffered a heart attack. He immediately ordered for a ship to take him to the island, but he found out that His Majesty Dranax actually deployed all, leaving none left!

"Barnacles!" The fat on the fishing pond owner’s face jiggled from anger.

----

Old Ron was unsettled, partly because he didn’t want to be involved in the big problem, but since Mother Halfling from 405 had already revealed his secret to the Dean, he couldn’t escape.

Now all they could do was buy time. The Dean promised Ron that he would not tell anyone of his involvement at all, including the relatives of the patients.

His mouth is sealed, and he will take all the blame in case a problem arises.

Even with the dean’s promise, Ron was not very convinced they would be able to keep that secret forever.

Li Chunhua noticed the listlessness of the uncle and remembered the earlier conversation.

He said that apart from him, who had access to the water created by the nymphs, a group living in the periphery of the wealthy district was monopolizing, and every dose was sold at one to two thousand basic energy crystals.

Only a very few people working in government could afford it.

Being unaware of the power of their currency, Li Chunhua had asked how many fish, just like what Auntie Rita gave her, she could buy with that amount, and Uncle Ron’s answer made her wonder if this group was the system’s relatives.

"If you ask that way, it is around 500–1200 crucian carps," Uncle Ron calculated.

"That’s a lot..." Li Chunhua was flabbergasted.

"But Uncle, do you know where they get the energy crystals from?" Li Chunhua lowered her voice, looking at the street getting crowded.

Uncle Ron browsed his memory before answering her question: "I only heard from a neighboring island Dranax owned; there was a cave full of it, but I don’t know any other information." He shrugged.

"Since all the workers there are golems, there’s not much I know about, and probably even those from the wealthy district don’t know any better. Dranax never spares anyone who crosses his bottom line or touches his things. Our lives aren’t even enough for his golems to play," Ron scoffed.

Uncle Ron calling the sorcerer by his direct name was unexpected and clearly indicates that he didn’t have high regard for Dranax.

Seeing that Uncle Ron’s apartment building was getting nearer, Li Chunhua wanted to ask another question. This time her voice was in its lowest tone with a hint of seriousness. "Uncle Ron, do you know about the trident?"

Chef Long’s mandatory mission was about this. This afternoon, after finding the whereabouts of Little Mantou, Little Ginseng, and Little Lotus, she will explore the map and find the next seafood. She still needs 2 more.

A split second after she asked that, Uncle Ron stopped and looked at her deeply. "Why are you looking for that?"

Uncle Ron knows about it! Li Chunhua was a bit happy.

Ron saw the gossiping spirit suddenly burning inside the girl’s eyes. He resumed his walk. "It’s not a secret, actually. You don’t need to be so careful. If not every halfling, at least the majority of us—the adults—have heard tales of it, but in different versions."

There was a mix of nostalgia and helplessness in his tone as he began narrating a distant memory.

"As for my version, well, for starters, our ancestors were not from this world."

The opening sentence was dynamite exploding, making Li Chunhua stare at Ron blankly.

Li Chunhua couldn’t help but stutter, "Not from this world?" What does he mean? The map? The realm? Or the planet?

"At least from what I heard," Ron added, letting Li Chunhua recover a bit. "When the ancestors came here, there was an aborigine intelligent species already living, and they occupied most of the sea. You already know them; it is the nymphs."

"Same with ours; they also have a ruler."

"King Nephim." Li Chunhua intercepted.

"Right," Ron affirmed. "The early years were kind of rough. King Nephim didn’t welcome us outsiders and often launched wars. In the end, the King of the halflings before Dranax could only choose to surrender and present tributes every year. King Nephim was also interested in exchanging knowledge."

"I heard that our ancestor back then was a highly skilled craftsman, more skilled than Dranax. Using the resources he found in this world, he made legendary-grade items to appease King Nephim. Someone testified that he made a sail that allows a ship to fly in the sky, a mirror, and a gem that can let you see your future."

Li Chunhua stiffened, recalling the loot she obtained, except for the gem. She didn’t find it there.

"He made many more that weren’t recorded." Being a craftsman too, Ron deeply admired the previous king’s works, but only his works.

"It is said King Nephim developed fondness for the things the previous king made and the stories he shared and demanded more while promising to allow the halflings to occupy the lands."

"Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last long because of the emergence of the bloodmoon ore mine on the ocean floor, greatly weakening King Nephim. Her trident could no longer command the whole sea, and without its threat, the previous king took advantage of the opportunity, but he underestimated his foe."

After all, two tigers can’t live in the same territory peacefully.

"From the mouths of our ancestors, both sides fought for three days. The sky rumbled, the heavens and oceans split, with pillars of water and fire wreaking havoc everywhere."

"Who won?" Li Chunhua asked out of curiosity.