This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 457 - 429: The True Deep Sea War

Chapter 457: Chapter 429: The True Deep Sea War

Tiflin held a deep-seated hatred towards all Laine people, blaming these aggressive humans for the exile of Impure Chant, a feud comparable to the destruction of an entire nation.

No sooner had Allen and Kaid surfaced than a great hammer fell upon their heads.

Allen reacted swiftly, instinctively dodging to the side and, with his Legendary Grace, he blinked onto a coral branch.

But his elder brother Kaid wasn’t so quick to react, and one blow from the hammer sent him sinking to the bottom, his head buzzing.

Thankfully, this was a dream world, otherwise that hammer blow would have cracked his skull open.

The two Tiflins were ready to continue their assault, but Allen recovered and surged forward, pressing his long sword against one attacker’s throat. Meanwhile, the last, a tall paladin, sprang into action and kicked the other ambushing Tiflin away.

The force of his kick was so great that it sent the Tiflin embedding into the seabed.

Amberser was an absolute amateur in large-scale military operations, but he was a centuries-old adventurer. Just from that kick, he could tell this paladin was no ordinary fighter, certainly at least a high-order paladin, the kind that could enter the Laine Imperial Capital to be knighted.

As both sides were about to clash again, Amberser snapped his fingers, and layers of transparent ice separated them.

Amberser hovered above their heads and spoke loudly, "Now that each side has taken a hit, let’s call it even, shall we? If anyone else raises a hand, I’ll expel them from the Connected Dream Realm."

Upon hearing this, the Tiflins immediately put away their weapons and hastily moved to one side.

The three Laine men, for their part, showed no objection; Allen helped his brother up from the seabed. Only the tall paladin kept a gaze fixed on Amberser, his eyes betraying undisguised disgust.

Amberser stroked his chin, wondering what James Watson meant by sending over such a thorn. Was he not afraid of inciting murder and an attack on Laine?

Seeing the tension in the air, Allen quickly tried to smooth things over, "Long time no see, Master Ultraman. You’ve met my second brother Kaid, and this is my eldest brother, Ange, Ange Watson."

Amberser said with a puzzled tone, "Your eldest brother? How many siblings do you have?"

"Just us three brothers, and we have two sisters, but they’re both married off," said Allen as he introduced them.

"That old fellow sure is prolific," Amberser remarked.

Aside from the Royal Family, Laine practiced monogamy, and here was James Watson, an old fellow who had fathered five children. It surprised Amberser a bit, as the old man didn’t seem the type to be keen on having many kids.

Amberser looked over to Ange Watson, the paladin who seemed to be under forty, the likely eldest in the family judging by James Watson’s age. Although his attitude wasn’t the best, Ange Watson did not openly provoke and merely said coldly, "I’ve long heard of you, Master Ultraman; my father and brothers have mentioned your name many times."

Being the eldest seemed to make him a lot more reserved than Allen, who had been eager to fight upon their first meeting.

But something didn’t seem right. Wasn’t there a rift between him and Allen? Since Allen was deemed a traitor, the eldest brother broke away from the family, didn’t he?

"I’ve heard there’s some discord among you brothers. Why have all three of you come here today?" asked Amberser.

Allen quickly replied, "Just a misunderstanding; what family doesn’t argue? My eldest brother now understands my true stance and has decided to support our cause. Master Ultraman, you may not know, but my big brother has taken the top spot several times in the Laine military drills. He hasn’t obtained the rank of general only because of insufficient seniority."

These words made Amberser take a fresh look at this solemn paladin. War was frequent in Laine, and to consistently take first place in military drills indicated genuine talent.

However, it was also apparent that Allen was lacking in capable leaders if the military drill of such importance had to be attended by the brothers themselves, suggesting that Allen didn’t have many generals to call upon.

Amberser didn’t dwell on these family affairs and told everyone to simply wait in peace.

Despite the Tiflins’ ongoing resentment and readiness to strike at the three brothers, with Amberser holding sway, they had to hold back.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to endure much longer as all members from the Elf Tribe and Mermaid Clan arrived.

Elf King Aldarian arrived with two elves, one male and one female, and the Mermaid High Priestess with two subordinates clad in coral armor.

Amberser wasted no time and briefly addressed the gathering, "The reason I’ve invited everyone into the Connected Dream Realm is simple: the combat plans you’ve devised are too unfit for the sea; it’s normal for you land battle experts to not understand naval warfare.

"Therefore, today we’ll have the simplest form of practical training."

Amberser waved his hand mightily, and the scenery around them transformed dramatically, from the brilliant coral bushes to a gloomy and rugged sea gouge. The schools of fish also vanished without a trace, replaced by various gigantic sea beasts lurking in the shadows.

As the shark with eyes larger than a human swam by, whether it was Tiflin, Laine People, or even the Elven King, all of their complexions changed.

Simply looking at data didn’t provide any tangible feeling, but now, seeing such massive creatures before their eyes, everyone gained a more profound understanding of the deep sea.

Fortunately, they were outstanding representatives of their respective kingdoms and managed to maintain a composed exterior, without showing excessive panic.

Amberser allowed them a few seconds to calm down, then continued, "This is the important location mentioned in everyone’s battle plans. A sea gouge that can sustain so many large sea beasts naturally becomes an area rich in resources and worthy of contention. I’m quite pleased about this, as all three of your families have identified this sea gouge without prior agreement.

"However, the tactics you’ve devised are far too presumptive. In the eyes of the advisors from the Mermaid Clan, they have no practical significance whatsoever."

Upon hearing what Amberser had said, Ange Watson was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

"Although I’m not familiar with the deep sea, and my tactics might have flaws, to say they have no practical significance at all, I must respectfully disagree."

Amberser chuckled and said to the proud Paladin, "Then let’s put them to the test."

Amberser turned to the Mermaid High Priestess and said, "May I trouble you."

The Mermaid High Priestess nodded and raised her Trident. At her command, hordes of Sharkwa Fishmen appeared, seemingly indistinguishable from the real thing, all equally ferocious and terrifying.

The Mermaid High Priestess, controlling these Sharkwa Fishmen, said, "Three thousand Sharkwa Fishmen, this is my force. Gentlemen of the land, imagine you have already taken this sea gouge, now arrange your defense line according to the plans you’ve created."

Such a novel method of operation dazzled everyone present.

They were military commanders, and how could they not recognize the benefits of such military exercises? This was the perfect training ground, offering an experience far more thrilling and realistic than any simulated tabletop war gaming.

Ange didn’t hold back and began trying to control things with his mind. Soon enough, a large number of merpeople and Roca Murlocs appeared around him. These were the resources provided by Amberser, with a brief on the combat characteristics of merpeople and Roca Murlocs to use for tactical simulation.

The Mermaid High Priestess gave Ange Watson two hours to set up his defenses and even generously allowed him to modify the topography of the sea gouge for strategic advantage.

Just when Ange Watson thought his defense line was as solid as a rock, the Mermaid High Priestess gestured, and the Sharkwa Fishmen began their assault.

Then, there was no ’after that.’

Ange Watson’s defensive line was breached within three minutes, completely collapsed after fifteen, and all the merpeople and Roca Murlocs under his command became food for the Sharkwa Fishmen, who lost about a thousand of their own in the process.

With a casualty ratio of one to three, but the result was that the sea gouge was lost, and the defense line totally collapsed, the territory changed hands.

Seeing the outcome before him, Ange Watson was so shocked he couldn’t speak.

The Mermaid High Priestess said calmly, "Your thinking is still grounded in land warfare. Using coral bushes and crevices in the sea walls to create a concealed defense line is clever, but the sea doesn’t require these. To hold this territory, what’s truly needed is control of the space above."

The Trident of the Mermaid High Priestess pointed to the sunlight-kissed surface of the water. The Sharkwa Fishmen had attacked from above, first dropping a large quantity of cuttlefish as smoke bombs. Once the sea gouge was obscured by the black ink, the Sharkwa Fishmen launched their direct melee attack.

The advantage of merpeople lay in their spell casting, a race adept at using spells to strike their enemies. Once their vision was obscured by the ink, their spell casting ability was severely reduced.

And what Sharkwa Fishmen excel in is using their sense of smell to lock on to targets, moving seamlessly in darkness, and in close combat, the merpeople truly were no match.

The conditions were set such that morale was locked, so the merpeople wouldn’t flee and would fight until the very last one. Had it been a real situation, the losses for the Sharkwa Fishmen would have likely been even fewer.

"This isn’t fair! I simply don’t understand these tactics!" exclaimed Ange Watson, agitated.

Although the provided material mentioned that many marine creatures could be used as wartime resources, a land-dweller like him couldn’t possibly comprehend all the materials useful in marine warfare in such a short time.

Who would have thought that cuttlefish could be used in such a way?

Who would have considered that one can’t disperse cuttlefish ink with spells, or that the ink could be dropped from above?