Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The dragon lowered its head, its sharp teeth drawing ever closer to Priscilla, and the white dragon's breath sprayed onto the dragon priestess's face, leaving a layer of frost.

“I don’t care about your hatred at all, but my student, you’ve chosen the wrong target. You are servants of the deep sea, destined to fall. Mermaids’ lives are like the tides. When the slumbering are at peace, you are briefly free; when the slumbering awakens, you are instantly overturned. Why hate me for giving me freedom? Why not hate the god who gave you your tragic fate?”

Principes remained silent, her resentment undiminished. The white dragon Alicia continued to whisper like a wicked witch.

“We share the same goal, my dragon priest. Haven’t you noticed how similar we are?”

"Our lives are burdened with responsibilities forcibly imposed by our Father; it is our destiny, an inescapable destiny. The only difference is that you resist to the end, while I gladly accept. The slumbering ones are about to surge onto the land, and the war of the gods will finally begin. I will not allow your people to be transformed into the enemy's forces. Next, I will fulfill the responsibility bestowed upon me by the great dragon father. And you, my student, you should remember this coldness and pour out the pain you have suffered to your creator."

Under Principes's strange gaze, the white dragon continued speaking.

“This is an open and transparent deal between you and me. Priscilla, help me complete my mission, drive away the evil god, and I will allow your filth to be reborn in the ocean. Yes, I will spare that ‘Egg of Despair’ with my last act of mercy. Oh? Not satisfied? Then add one more condition: my life or my death. White Dragon Priest, as long as you help me complete my mission, I will give you my life, this very body.”

The noble dragon flapped its wings and disappeared into the sky, its last sound echoing in Principes' ears.

"Go to my rebellious tribe and their priests. Tell them that the Dragon Father's tolerance is not eternal, and it is time for them to play their part. The prophecy speaks of the slumbering ones being sealed away by the dragon priests. Join them, my priests, and let them understand the power of the Frozen Wings."

Princess was frozen in the ice for three days. Before her blood congealed, she escaped her cage, aided by the warmth of the sun. She didn't pursue revenge; reason told her she couldn't kill the white dragon that had destroyed her kingdom. The grief and anger filling her chest needed an outlet…

Later, Princess became a queen who commanded the cold; no matter how frigid the temperature, it couldn't dampen her icy demeanor. Even in the Dragon Priest Council, her blatant hostility was like a raging blizzard.

The fire dragon priest glared at the madwoman; his incompatible nature made him the first to voice his opposition to the council.

“Her dragon is different from ours! The white dragon is the scales and claws of a brutal dragon king. She is not like us. They do not know compassion or respect. I will not entrust my back to such a cold-hearted person.”

Blue Dragon Priest Morokui took control of the meeting. He was rational and composed. "Lady Principes has brought us definite news. The investigation of the mermaid... ruins has proven their authenticity. Our enemy is the god of this planet. We should unite all forces, not just Lady Principes, but if necessary, the white dragon Alicia will also become our ally."

Before the other dragon priests could object, a beautiful figure stepped forward.

The intoxicating fragrance momentarily stunned Principia, reminding her of those afternoons spent lying on the grass with him, their heads resting in the sun. A beautiful fairy, with a gentle smile, approached gracefully. She lifted her skirt and greeted Principia with a friendly yet elegant manner.

"I am Irason, leader of the Dream Elf race, Green Dragon Priestess. Finding a sister among these dragon priestesses is no easy task. Lady Priscilla, on behalf of all the Dream Elves, I welcome you and the Merfolk race to join us."

The cold was biting, but at that moment, Principes didn't care about anything.

“I don’t need it, and neither do the merfolk. I will not join your foolish alliance to play house. All I want to do is kill the Sleepers, and I will carry out whatever you do.”

Finally, the Black Dragon Priest Ormhead delivered the decisive blow.

"Let's do it this way. Letting the dark tide of the Sleepers devour the land will have endless consequences. We must defeat the restless evil god. The Sleepers' landing this time is to absorb the Devourers and bring the rebellious outcasts back to their original forms. The Dragon Devourer Yemotar will certainly not appear on the front lines. Our troops, and our dragons, will be the main force... For the future of our race! Warriors gathered here by our ideals, prepare to slay the god."

……

"The war against the evil gods was more difficult than we imagined. The forces of all races were blocked by the servants of the Sleeper. We fought against the dragons before the gods. Alicia brought even more dragons. The Sleeper's body was piled with mountains of dragon corpses and seas of blood. We paid a heavy price and finally tore Him apart."

“The fragments of God were separated and isolated, while His core had to remain in the deep sea. Alicia did not keep her promise, and I have forever lost my chance for revenge. She was killed by the gods, and her remains formed the temple that sealed the core. I finally… continued my bloodline. The temple needs soldiers, and my people who will not be affected by the whispers.”

“I built a tomb for the Egg of Despair, the place where he and I originally agreed to sleep together…” Principes said softly, sitting on the reef and pointing to the hidden tomb on the cliff.

The mermaid looked tremblingly at her queen, her mother.

Why...why are you telling me this, Principal...?

With an apologetic look in his eyes, the White Dragon Priest looked at Vina.

"The gods are about to awaken again, and our race is about to enter a new cycle. Vina, you will be the new continuation. The Egg of Despair is there, and my bloodline can activate that device. If the gods awaken again, I will be at the forefront of the resistance. The Tide Orb in your hand is the Dragon Jade of the White Dragon Alicia, containing the power to instantly destroy the Coral Reef. To prevent mermaids from becoming the gods' toys, you must kill all your sisters before that moment arrives."

Vina covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face with fear.

Why me? Why not someone else? There's Boldris, please don't make me do this, Lady Principality. I can't bear it, I can't do it.

Princess embraced the terrified child, whispering softly, but the words were chillingly cruel.

"The ambiguous attitude of the newborn dragon father towards Lyle has turned the original deep-sea enemy, the white dragon Bolderis, into a gentle and kind child. He is somewhat of a saint and will inevitably not accept my request. But you, Vina, all mermaids are personalities extracted from fragments of my memories. You can do it. I know I will abandon my innocence in adversity, and you will make the same choice as me."

"Just because I've been to land, just because I met Lyle, that's why you chose me from among the mermaids and imposed these truths and choices on me," Vina lamented.

"Yes, you have gone further than those innocent children, my dear. Because you have experienced the trials of good and evil, I cannot bear to do it. The tainted bloodline and the painful truth need only be left to the King of Mermaids. My people, those innocent children, I hope they will remain pure and innocent forever, even in their final moments, they may perish in beautiful dreams."

"This suffering, however bitter, is the only thing we can pass on."

"Oh, and fairy tales too, don't forget them."

"You, too, are the daughter of the sea."

Chapter 786 Pirates and Dragons

The old house stands on the mountain, with three floors, each inhabited by seagulls, monkeys, and termites. The dilapidated courtyard is overgrown with weeds, and the mottled fence is mostly collapsed, like a timetable recording the years the old house has been abandoned. Whenever the sea breeze blows, the old house whistles, the load-bearing pillars riddled with wormholes emit an unpleasant sound, and several green vines that serve to mend the walls break off.

Viewed from this side of the mountain, it appears desolate in its twilight years, like a dying old man struggling against the wind. Though dilapidated, it still retains the dignity of architecture.

From across the sea, it looked utterly destroyed, like a half-decomposed zombie. The other wall had completely collapsed, leaving a horrifying crack running from top to bottom through the main hall, perfectly cleaving the old house in two. Half of the main hall, piled high with bird droppings, remained; the kitchen had a skylight; and the cellar preserved the entire seascape.

After sunset, its severe wounds became even more grotesque. The sunlight cast shadows, and a thick fog enveloped the ancient house, creating an eerie, ghostly atmosphere. The salty sea breeze poured into the house, and the dense moisture made the night even colder.

Then they came.

The boots, tangled with seaweed, kicked the seagull, overturning its nest. The little beast cried out in terror and flew away. Water dripped onto the rotting planks, and the octopus-faced man in the tricorn hat watched the seagull fly away and laughed. He turned, the slime from his clothes washing away the stench of excrement.

"Men! Clean this place up! Tonight is a banquet! If it's not cleaned up before 'that friend' arrives, you'll all be jumping off this boat!" The captain pulled out a plank, tossed it aside, and set up a gangplank to reach the sea. The old house swayed, and the gangplank fell into the sea three or four seconds later.

"Boss, the piece you lost was a support plate for a roof beam."

Before he could finish speaking, the attic collapsed. The octopus-faced captain and his ghostly underling carrying a bucket of rags exchanged a glance and waved his hand dismissively. "I've cut most of your work off. It's alright. You, you, and you all, you'll stay on the roof tonight."

The crew members didn't seem to mind. They climbed up the walls to the third floor, using rags soaked with water to wash the ruins. The entire old house was filled with chaotic footsteps, but not a single person could be seen. Two more emaciated sailors, their bodies dangling from rotting flesh, appeared at the doorway. They carried huge metal crates on their backs, their backs bent like crescent moons.

"Boss! I brought the cursed gold coin box, where should I put it?"

"Outside! Just find a spot and dump it there, and have two people guard it!" he yelled at an even louder volume. "First mate! First mate! Where's my precious rum barrel?! And the meat! Throw away the fish!! I'm allergic to seafood. Wait, the oranges can stay!! Get me some bastard who can cook right now, I'll make him captain and first mate!"

As darkness fell, the sailors lit torches and struggled to ignite the soaked cloth, but accidentally burned the curtains in the process.

The captain nodded, quite satisfied. "Good, that's bright enough now."

The haunted house was quiet, except for the hissing sound of the flames. The ghost stood in the firelight, looking at the dark sea.

"Here it comes! Here it comes! 'That friend' has arrived!! Jump, men! The feast begins!!!" The captain raised his glass and danced a few steps towards the giant shadow that appeared on the sea. Shouts rang out, and the ghostly screams grew louder and louder with the white ridge rising from the sea. The white dragon flapped its wings, stirring up a storm that crashed down on the ancient house on the mountaintop. The pirates were blown off balance, uttering vulgarities, but the joyous atmosphere remained undiminished.

Poldris crouched on the gap in the old house, as if he were lying inside a giant cake. He lowered his head and greeted the captain, as purifying magic rained down from the sky. The hideous ghost crew members and the pirates who had turned into seafood all returned to human form in the rain. They excitedly embraced each other, savoring the vitality of life.

"I'm alive again?! Haha, I feel warmth!! And this damn delicious aroma!!"

"Eat! Eat as much as you want!! You won't have an appetite after tonight!!!"

"Praise be to the dragon, my darling!!!"

These greedy undead, who had lost their lives due to the curse, found the feeling of being alive again in the White Dragon's purified realm, indulging in pleasure and soaking their heads in alcohol.

"Boss! Bob's dead! He drowned in brandy!!!" The other crew members burst into laughter, fiddling with the now-cold body.

"Tsk!" The captain, his cunning expression returning, picked up his wine glass, his left hand, adorned with gold rings and greasy, and said, "Do I need to arrange this? Foolish peasant! Throw him overboard, he'll be guarding the ship tonight." The ghosts of the ghost crew belong to the ghost ship; when they leave the White Dragon's domain, these glib-tongued humans revert to their immortal, ghostly forms.

The captain took out a piece of lamb leg and chewed it a few times. He told the crew a few trashy jokes and then drunkenly swaggered over to Poldris, winking and making faces at him.

"Brother, we're a match made in heaven. How about coming to work for us? We can discuss the terms. With you, we can become the King of the Seas, the greatest pirates ever!"

Poldris was clutching a large bucket of orange juice mixed with alcohol—who knows which idiot had concocted this drink? He rolled his eyes at the pirate captain, thinking: "King of the Seas, my foot! Princess could freeze you all to death with a single breath."

“No discussion, Drake, I have my mission.”

Drake vomited. He waved his hand apologetically, wiping his mouth with his damp sleeve. "Ugh, a nostalgic kind of nausea. Fine, don't agree then! But, Paul, I, Drake, consider you a friend. I'll save your life in a pinch, I promise!"

Poldris smiled. Drake's drunken ramblings always had a way of making people laugh, absurd yet filled with genuine affection. That's why the White Dragon didn't dislike these ghost pirates. Bound by the cursed gold coins and ghost ships, they maintained their humanity amidst the suffering of the living dead. Poldris admired these cursed ones and was willing to associate with them.

"More new crew members?"

"Hmm, another greedy fool has gotten his hands on the gold coins. We dragged them back to strengthen the ghost ship fleet." Drake's cursed gold coins are an evil treasure passed down through generations in this sea. Anyone who touches them will become a mindless living dead. This isn't due to Captain Drake's will, but rather because, during his long years of plundering, his gold coins gained a spirit, corrupted by human greed. These coins will secretly "disappear" when Drake isn't looking, to lure greedy humans away.

Poldris glanced around.

"I didn't see any new faces."

"They've contracted malnutrition, acclimatization issues, and scurvy. Without proper care, they won't be able to attend the banquet. I've arranged for experienced sailors to take care of those poor worms. Perhaps they touched the gold coins not out of greed, but because they couldn't survive as humans."

Drake didn't want to continue the conversation, and he put on his shameless smile again.

"How about the ship I gave you? I just stole it. I originally planned to put that stinky water dog's head in the figurehead, but considering you can't accept pirate 'art,' it's a real shame."

Poldris snorted, and Zhang Yi caught the sailor who was falling from the roof and tossed him next to Drake.

“Fantastic. I’m considering installing a seawater purifier in my dragon’s nest. The curses sticking to the deck are just as stubborn as the barnacles in the bilge.”

"Hey, I have to keep some of my own personality. By the way, there's your name painted on in the captain's cabin, written with the original owner's crushed brains."

"Damn it, you disgusting, stinking pirate."

Chapter 787 Jinghai

As Poldris left the pirate feast, the sun had already climbed above the horizon. Letting the lingering ghost pirates sleep was the white dragon's final act of mercy. What roused them was the blinding sunlight. The purifying curse's domain closed, and the pirates, now ghosts, were instantly ignited by the sunlight, screaming as they fell into the sea like fireballs. Minor external injuries to their spirits; the next night these fire-men would be full of life again. He could still hear their curses behind him. Poldris grinned, folded his wings, and swooped down.

The white dragon submerged into the sunless waters, activating its purification domain. Pure currents enveloped its body, and Poldris turned, patrolling the outer waters beyond the reach of the mermaid scouts. He needed to wash away the smell of alcohol. Priscilla was certain she had returned to Moshuy, and since he hadn't returned all night, the white dragon priest, who cared deeply for him, would undoubtedly be standing atop the coral reef, waiting for Poldris's return.

Prinz clearly disliked the ghost pirates, though she didn't say it explicitly, giving Poldris ample space. The white dragon felt a strange connection to this priestess who had watched him grow up—a mixture of respect, fear, and dependence—like he felt towards the Dragon Mother Sylvia. So, like a teenager who had just finished a game at an internet cafe, he planned to wander outside for an hour or two to get rid of the smoky smell before returning home to await the dragon priestess's judgment.

Sure enough, he saw the figure, floating at the very top of the complex, like a glowing crystal.

"Where did you go?" Principes' tone was somewhat cold, even colder than usual.

Poldris undoubtedly shrank back, his enormous body becoming quite rounded after shrinking. He scratched his belly with his claws, his eyes showing some fear after making contact with Principes.

“I…I went to check on the fish I was keeping. Those fragile little guys weren’t feeling well, so I stayed with them all night.” Poldris glanced at Principes’s face and noticed that her demeanor was gradually softening. He thought for a moment and ended his lie. “…Then I attended the Ghost Pirates’ banquet and played until this morning.”

As he finished speaking, Bai Long narrowed his eyes, his body bracing for the impact. After a few seconds, he felt the condensed chill dissipate at the slightest touch. He gazed at Principality's complex expression, a growing sense of unease forming in his mind.

Princess let him go today.

"Did you have fun?"

"Hmm, humans used to be quite interesting."

He saw Princess smile knowingly; she actually smiled. The smile quickly faded, and the White Dragon Priest adopted the dignity of an elder, extending his index finger to stir the ocean currents and gently poke the White Dragon's head.

"Next time, please let us know; they're worried about you."

"Uh-huh."

The white dragon's earnest attitude made Princip nod. She knew Poldris's temperament; he rarely made mistakes and always remembered what he said, unlike other young dragons. Princip was quite reassured. She slightly turned her body to make room for Poldris, indicating that he should go home.

As if granted a pardon, Bohr exhaled a string of bubbles, and as he swam downstream, he only gently stirred the current. Princess stood beside him, her tiny body appearing like an untouchable block of ice to the sea dragon.