Yun Shu halted and turned her head toward the sea.
Not far away, the sea, which had been calm and still, slowly began to swell into an arc like a small mountain. Waves surged outward from the center with a thunderous roar, raising layer upon layer of white foam.
Then—
A gigantic blue back broke through the surface. Sheets of water poured down both sides of its body like waterfalls cascading over a cliff.
It was a blue whale.
Its enormous body, even larger than the tower ship, rose out of the sea. Droplets slid in sheets down its smooth back before crashing into the water below, sending countless splashes into the air. Under the sunlight, they scattered into glittering points of light.
The deck had already erupted into chaos.
“It really is that creature—the Kun from beneath the sea!”
“What is it here for?!”
“Who knows…”
The soldiers instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons. Nervous yet curious, they stared at the colossal creature without blinking.
In no time, the blue whale had swum to within a dozen or so yards of the tower ship. It gazed at them with gentle eyes.
Then it lightly sprayed a mist of water into the air.
The mist rose high above the sea and transformed beneath the sunlight into a beautiful rainbow, like an awkward but friendly greeting.
Yun Shu walked slowly back to the ship’s rail. The sea breeze lifted the loose strands of hair by her temples, giving her an indescribably cool and distant air.
“Little Blue, what brings you here?”
She leaned forward, half her body extending beyond the railing, and placed her slender, ivory-white hand on the blue whale’s head.
Everyone held their breath as they watched the scene.
The Goddess and the great fish stood side by side. Their sizes differed enormously, yet together they formed a strangely harmonious picture.
“Pearl-Pearl, you saved all the fish in the sea. They wanted to come and thank you, and they also said they wanted to acknowledge you as their leader.”
Of course, aside from Yun Shu and Little Fox, no one present could understand what the blue whale was saying.
All they could hear were several deep calls from the enormous creature.
A faint smile touched Yun Shu’s lips, so pale it was like moonlight falling upon the surface of the water.
“Of course.”
The blue whale let out a delighted cry and happily slapped its tail against the sea, sending out a massive ring of ripples.
“Pearl-Pearl, wait here. I’ll go call them.”
With that, it plunged into the water. Its enormous tail fin struck the surface, sending up a towering column of seawater as spray flew in every direction.
The soldiers gathered together and whispered among themselves.
“What did the Divine Lady say to the Kun?”
“How should I know?”
“Could it be that the Divine Lady saw it had spiritual awareness and enlightened it? That’s how it always happens in the storytellers’ tales.”
“It does seem that way…”
While everyone was murmuring among themselves, the sea around the tower ship suddenly darkened. Beneath the waves, countless shadows were converging from every direction.
Schools of silver-scaled fish were the first to leap from the water.
They spat out the treasures they had been carrying in their mouths and slapped them onto the deck with their tails. The offerings landed everywhere with a steady clinking sound.
Next, several enormous clams floated to the surface. Their shells slowly opened, revealing plump coral beads, pearls, and other treasures inside.
“Are they… offering treasures to the Divine Lady?!”
A soldier cried out in astonishment. Even Shen Jue and Pei Du, who had seen almost everything, could not help widening their eyes.
Before they had time to recover, several sea turtles swam closer, carrying huge tridacna shells on their backs. The shells were piled high with shrimp, fat crabs, sea cucumbers, abalone, and more.
Every one of them was plump, fresh, and lively.
The blue whale surfaced once again. It tilted its head slightly and gazed at Yun Shu with eager eyes, as though waiting for her praise.
Behind it, schools of little fish also poked their heads out of the water.
They were packed together, large and small, all staring at Yun Shu on the tower ship. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and reverence.
[Shen Jue’s astonishment value +100]
[Pei Du’s astonishment value +100]
[Feng Chunya’s astonishment value +100]
[…]
[Current astonishment value: 76,000,000]
“Host, these marine animals are so thoughtful,” Little Fox said, staring at the seafood with shining eyes. “We can have a magnificent seafood feast later!”
Yun Shu ignored the Gluttonous Pig System.
She looked at the marine animals presenting their treasures, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly.
“You have been most considerate.”
Who could dislike small animals that knew how to repay kindness?
“No…”
“Leader…”
“All for you…”
The fish began chattering over one another.
Since these fish were far too unintelligent, even though Yun Shu possessed a fashion item that allowed her to understand the language of all living creatures in the four seas and could communicate with them, she still had to rely on guesswork to understand them.
She had more or less figured out what they were saying and was considering how to get them to quiet down when she heard—
“Stop making so much noise!”
The blue whale slapped the surface of the sea with its tail. The fish were so frightened that they all sank back beneath the waves, not daring to show their heads again.
It then turned to look at Yun Shu on the tower ship.
“Pearl-Pearl, I know you like peace and quiet.” Its voice was childish, but its tone was unusually firm. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep them under control. I won’t let them disturb you.”
Little Fox crouched on the railing. “Big Dummy Fish, you’ve finally gotten a little smarter. Hurry up and tell those fish to go home. We still have to get to Wuling Prefecture, and they can’t block the ship.”
The blue whale obediently nodded and told all the marine animals that had come to acknowledge Yun Shu as their leader to return to the deep sea.
“Why are you still here?” Little Fox asked.
The blue whale blinked innocently. “Lucky-Mud, can’t I go to Wuling Prefecture with you and Pearl-Pearl?”
Little Fox rejected the idea without a second thought. “What are you coming with us for? You’re so stupid. Don’t cause us trouble.”
The blue whale looked utterly aggrieved. “All right, then. I’m leaving. You and Pearl-Pearl must remember to come back and see me. I’ll wait for you.”
Yun Shu suddenly spoke.
“Wait.”
Her gaze fell upon the enormous blue whale. A trace of contemplation flickered through her eyes, vanishing in an instant.
Wuling Prefecture was home to many illusionists, and the local people often saw all kinds of illusion performances. A single tower ship would probably not be enough to completely astonish them the moment it appeared.
But if they added a blue whale…
The visual impact would surely be doubled.
“Since you have shown such sincerity, I shall permit you to accompany the tower ship and escort it to Wuling Prefecture.”
After saying this, she glanced at the invisible Little Fox and discreetly gave it a look.
Little Fox had been at Yun Shu’s side for a long time, and their understanding of each other was impeccable. With just one glance, it knew that Yun Shu wanted it to explain everything in plain language to the illiterate blue whale.
“My host says that since you’ve been obedient, you may follow the ship and go with us to Wuling Prefecture.”
“Really?”
Little Fox looked at it helplessly. “Really.”
The blue whale happily slapped the water with its tail.
“Pearl-Pearl, Lucky-Mud, I’ll protect your ship properly! I won’t let any fish get in its way!”
“Good.”
Yun Shu tossed out that one word, then left Little Fox to explain it to the blue whale while she turned and prepared to leave the deck.
Shen Jue, however, stepped forward.
“Divine Lady, what should we do with these rare treasures the fish have brought?”
This time, Yun Shu did not even turn her head.
“Take whatever you wish.”
