This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 497 - 458: Thunderous Sea Area

Chapter 497: Chapter 458: Thunderous Sea Area

The Githyanki, after being severely wounded by Amberser, fled on their Yixi Manta Rays.

A rough estimate would put the number of survivors at two to three thousand.

Amberser had always been curious about how the Githyanki managed to cooperate with the Yixi Manta Rays, considering the relation between Goddess Tiamat and Dimogorgen was not exactly friendly, but rather, they were at each other’s throats whenever they met.

That they could cooperate at all, Amberser sometimes had to admire the magnanimity of devils and demons.

Airel, piloting the Gray River, followed the route the Githyanki had taken in their escape. The Gray River was much smaller than the Black Tide, and thus, did not come with any combat drones; its functions were relatively simple.

But simplicity had its own advantages, for after technological improvements, the Gray River could achieve super-sonic flight for short periods of time.

With the powerful thrust bearing down on them, only the three legendaries aboard could maintain consciousness. The sailors Airel had brought all blacked out, and did not come to until the Gray River slowed down to normal flying speed.

Airel said to Amberser in amazement, "What terrifying speed, who on the battlefield could keep up with it?!"

As a battle-hardened female general, Airel understood the power of a sky warship upon seeing one. But today, she realized she had still seen too little.

Amberser said proudly, "In terms of flight speed, only my products can reach this level, which is a unique monopolized technology in the entire world. But don’t worry, Your Royal Highness the Princess, sooner or later supersonic flight machines will become one of Fury Tide Kingdom’s products. This ship, too, could be owned by the people of Fury Tide Kingdom."

Airel knew that Amberser wasn’t speaking to her, but to the sailors she had brought with her.

These old sailors, though they didn’t say much, some of the silver-haired old men still resisted the idea of this ship in their hearts.

Perhaps in their view, sailing the seas and cutting through the waves was what constituted a ship, and this thing flying in the sky simply did not qualify as a "ship."

The subtle resistance in their minds made it difficult for them to concentrate on their work.

Amberser had seen his fair share of malicious hearts, and could easily read their sentiments. The older and more skilled they were, the more they were convinced of their own expertise, which made them psychologically dependent on their time-honored skills.

When these old individuals saw new technologies capable of surpassing their "skills," more than half would develop a resistance. They felt helpless as the things they relied on were shattered to pieces beyond their control.

Some would convert this helplessness into motivation to learn new technologies, fearful of becoming obsolete, while others would turn it into passive resistance or outright refusal to accept new things.

Knowing that their reaction wasn’t right but being unable to control their emotions was a common "human nature" shared by all intelligent beings.

Amberser could see that at least a third of these sailors were such obstinate old guys, but he had no time to coddle them; he could only choose the simplest method—intimidation.

Having witnessed the super-sonic flight of the ship, which shattered their stubborn thoughts, Amberser then informed them that this was something the Fury Tide Kingdom could possess, hoping that normal people would come around.

If that didn’t work, Amberser wouldn’t mind throwing them overboard to avoid delaying his own affairs.

Airel could somewhat guess Amberser’s intentions, or else he wouldn’t have tested the supersonic flight despite knowing the risks. Initially, Airel considered using other methods to address the sailors’ emotional issues, but it turned out that the Lich’s approach was more direct and effective.

Disciplining disobedient subordinates was not unusual for her, but what Airel cared more about was the veracity of Amberser’s words.

Could these super-sonic flyers really be incorporated by the Fury Tide Kingdom?

If the Fury Tide Kingdom had enough of these fliers, then returning to the mainland wouldn’t be a problem- the Laine People would be inconsequential; they’d be nothing but sitting ducks.

Anyone with a bit of military sense understood what terrible air supremacy meant, the most basic of which was an intelligence advantage.

Send out a large number of warships to fly in the sky, and you’d have a clear picture of everything happening on the ground. How could you still wage war if your strengths and weaknesses were known to your enemy without even engaging in combat?

During sieges, they could just drop attacks from the sky—even just throwing rocks would eventually overwhelm any defense magic array—not to mention the morale in the city; enduring attacks without the ability to retaliate would lead to suppressed tensions and then a collapse from within.

Choosing to collaborate with the Lich was a move that was too right for the Fury Tide Kingdom. At the very least, the Fury Tide Kingdom didn’t have to worry about falling behind the times in military might.

Contemplating the affairs of the state, Airel called the sailors over again, reminding them to start working.

This time, regardless of what they were thinking, the sailors didn’t dare show it. They picked up charts and began to compare them, directing the Gray River to the nearest island for patrol.

Despite their minor gripes, these sailors were indeed professionals.

Amberser couldn’t detect anything unusual about this sea, yet they could pinpoint their exact location and the direction to head in with minimal error.

Before long, the Gray River had already swept over seven or eight islands.

But although they found the islands, there was no sign of the Githyanki.

After half a day of searching at sea, every habitable island in the area had been scoured, yet no discovery was made, not even a trace that the Githyanki had been there.

Amberser found it incredible. Could it be that the Githyanki had all perished? Or had they returned to the Star Realm?

Unfortunately, this was not something he could ask Goddess Tiamat. Not only was it questionable whether the Evil Dragon Goddess would be willing to see him, but also handing this leverage to her would surely result in another hefty fee.

But now it seemed he had no choice but to spend the money.

Just as Amberser was preparing to return, Airel suddenly spoke up, "Master Ultraman, I have a hypothesis that this place is not far from the Thunderous Sea Area. It’s very possible that these Githyanki have entered that dangerous area."

The Thunderous Sea Area, was that the region the Laine People had entered before?

Last time the Laine People attacked, Airel used pirates as cannon fodder, forcing the Laine People into that eternally thunderous sea area. It was home to the most powerful sea beasts and forbidden to all living people.

But somehow, the Laine not only managed to pass through the Thunderous Sea Area but also brought back a super-huge octopus, looking as if a hero en route to subdue the Devil King had acquired a pet along the way.

What a pity they were eventually dealt with by Amberser.

Now that Airel had brought up the Thunderous Sea Area, Amberser also thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.

"What exactly is the situation in this Thunderous Sea Area? The Laine People went there last time but didn’t seem to encounter any trouble," Amberser asked.

Airel felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t expected the Laine to be so powerful. Despite a storm powerful enough to scatter their ships, they managed to calmly enter the Thunderous Sea Area and even succeeded in escaping from it.

"I can’t explain how the Laine managed to get through, but indeed, the Thunderous Sea Area is the most forbidden region in this sea. Constant storms rage there, with never-ending thunder, and countless deep-sea behemoths build their nests there. Even we, the Fury Tide Kingdom, wouldn’t dare approach. But this harsh environment has many undiscovered islands. If they could overcome these environmental hurdles, sustaining a few thousand people shouldn’t be an issue."

Since Airel had put it that way, Amberser was naturally inclined to take a look.

Constant Thunder? The Gray River could simply fly above the clouds and be unaffected. Taking a tour around should pose no problem.

Only when he arrived at the sea area did Amberser comprehend why it was deemed a forbidden zone.

His understanding of Constant Thunder was thunder striking every few seconds, like electric serpents tearing through the sky. But the reality of the Thunderous Sea Area was utterly different; the thunder wasn’t every few seconds, but rather like a downpour of rain.

From afar, the thunder fell like rain, leaving trails of flame upon the turbulent sea surface. This time, the sea was truly alight with fire.

This wasn’t merely a thunderstorm; it was a barrier of thunder, completely enveloping the area.

And that wasn’t all. The closer one got to this area, the less calm the sea surface became. Whirlpools large and small littered the sea, certainly not something passable by ships. Even the metal-built Black Tide would be shredded if thrown into it.

If the outer perimeter already looked apocalyptic, what horrors lay within?

"Could anyone truly survive in such an environment?"

Amberser felt the Githyanki weren’t invincible. In such conditions, entering would mean certain death.

"However, the Githyanki can ride Yixi Manta Rays, can they not? If they passed through from the seafloor, perhaps they could avoid the thunder and whirlpools on the surface. I’ve never entered the interior of the Thunderous Sea Area myself, but maybe there’s an environment suitable for survival inside. Of course, this is only my suggestion; please, Master Ultraman, use your own judgment."

Airel was merely acting as a guide. Whether to venture into such a terrifying place was ultimately for Amberser to decide.

Without a second thought, Amberser said, "Even if we do go, we can’t take the Gray River."

Amberser’s Undead Alchemy essentially transformed the entire warship into a Metal Undead, with each critical component controlled by specially-created Pseudo-Souls.

These functional souls didn’t provide much in the way of defense. If they crashed into this area of thunder, the souls inside the Gray River would be rapidly destroyed, either by the vibrations or by the lightning, rendering the ship useless.

And Amberser glanced at the clouds. The Gray River would likely be unable to reach above them. The altitude of these thunderclouds was abnormal, certainly not natural, and exceeded the maximum height of the Gray River.

"In that case, shall we head back?" Airel asked.

Amberser shook his head, "Of course we can’t just return. Since this is the last possibility, I have to go in and see for myself before I give up. If we can’t cross the sea, we can emulate the Githyanki and travel through from the seabed."