Sovereign of the Ashes

The group of Sea Lizards that emerged before them was far from elite in terms of their gear and presence.

Yet, what stood out was their sheer numbers.

In a matter of moments, the sea surface was densely populated by a growing throng.

As time progressed, the number of Sea Lizards visible on the sea ranged from twenty to thirty thousand.

Kurt’s loud curses and shouts echoed his fury.

In the Magus World, knights and mages typically held Sea Lizards in low regard, a sentiment rooted in historical context and the significant power disparity between them.

Since the dawn of recorded history, knights and mages had reigned supreme in the Magus World.

Without the protection granted by divine towers and the orders of the knights, these aquatic beings, despite their numbers, were as defenseless as sheep ready for slaughter.

Kurt was no stranger to these Sea Lizards. They were one of the aquatic racees living near Storm City.

If mermaids represented the upper echelons of the aquatic races and the Nagas were the middle echelon, then the Sea Lizards, with their vast numbers yet minimal capabilities, were undoubtedly the lower echelon.

Beyond their remarkable reproductive abilities, Sea Lizards were considered useless among the aquatic races!

They served as shepherds of the sea, tending to simple marine livestock and cultivating underwater crops.

Remarkably undemanding about their diet, they would consume nearly anything, including decaying seaweed—a habit that had perhaps earned them the title of “sea beggars”.

This contempt was not exclusive to land dwellers like knights and mages; even other aquatic races viewed them with disdain.

Now, with these Sea Lizards daring to confront Kurt, it was no wonder the seasoned knight was both shocked and incensed.

An elderly Sea Lizard, his skin hanging loosely, steadied himself with a cane atop the broad back of a fish, roughly five meters long.

He explained, “We, the Kunala Clan, ask for merely fifty magicoins or supplies of equal value for safe passage. This year’s storms have wreaked havoc on our fish stocks, forcing us into dire straits. We have no choice but to...”

“I couldn’t care less about your reasons. You’d better be prepared to meet your end for standing in the way of Great Master Kurt!” Kurt interjected angrily.

This group of sea creatures was quite pitiable. They steered clear of targeting the large merchant vessels backed by merchant guilds, as their feeble clan lacked the means to withstand any form of potential retaliatory action.

Instead, ships operating on the fringes of legality, like Kurt’s, became their targets.

Kurt’s anger was not unfounded. The sea was rife with individuals engaged in professions similar to his own.

Showing weakness now would jeopardize his future standing in these seas, where the Sea Lizards were merely one of the many aquatic races in this region.

If these Sea Lizards managed to extort him today, the other aquatic races might view him as an easy target and try their luck tomorrow.

It was crucial not to view the aquatic races merely as naive or pitiable beings. Among them, especially in the middle and lower tiers, the fierce struggle for survival cultivated a pragmatic approach that shaped their way of life.

In a world where strength reigned supreme, reason held little sway.

Kurt listened to the old Sea Lizard’s plea with skepticism, questioning not only the plight of the so-called “Kunala Clan” but also the authenticity of this tribe.

Among the Sea Lizards, many had turned to piracy, targeting lone knights and mages. Some even dared to raid the larger, well-connected merchant fleets. Motivated by profit, they were capable of anything.

For passengers like Sein, the fare they paid before boarding Kurt’s ship implicitly included a protection fee.

Thus, Sein and the others were not obligated to intervene in this situation. It was upon Kurt and his partner to ensure their safety.

Despite the overwhelming numbers of Sea Lizards present, only two among them possessed life levels of Rank One and above—the elder and another formidable Sea Lizard riding on a large shark.

The rest, in their ragged attire and with shoddy weapons, hardly posed a real danger.

Their bold demand for a toll of only fifty magicoins might seem funny at first. Yet, upon reflection, this request revealed the desperation of these Sea Lizards.

Fifty magicoins might seem trivial to Sein but for a tribe comprising tens of thousands of Sea Lizards, such a sum could significantly alleviate their plight and secure the sustenance they needed to survive.

The struggle of the Sea Lizard clan to amass even fifty magicoins, despite having two Rank One beings among their ranks, underscored the oppressive economic system of the Magus World and the stark inequality in wealth distribution.

In this world, the majority of wealth was hoarded by knights and mages. Lower-ranked aquatic races were relegated to a status no better than that of the most humble native creatures—all victims of oppression.

Sein could already tell that Kurt was far from being a lesser entity among Rank One beings.

Plunging into the sea, waves billowed around him as light blue battle qi surged from his arms.

As a Rank One knight who harnessed water battle qi, Kurt’s capabilities were magnified on the aquatic battlefield.

He swiftly cut through the ranks of Sea Lizards and decapitated dozens in the blink of an eye.

The chief of the Sea Lizards, the younger Rank One Sea Lizard with remarkable constitution, snarled at Kurt and commanded the sharks beneath him to charge at Kurt.

Tens of thousands of other Sea Lizards around them began swarming toward the ship, threatening to capsize it.

Amidst this chaos, the goateed elder, who co-owned this alchemy ship, flew out from the bridge on the third floor above the deck.

He took out a long magic rod and began chanting incantations, causing ice prisms to descend from the sky.

The efficiency and coverage of his spell surpassed Kurt’s assault, as the icy projectiles impaled numerous Sea Lizards.

The synergy between these two combatants, one wielding water and the other ice, proved remarkably effective against the threats on the sea.

The rate of casualties among the Sea Lizards accelerated beyond Sein’s expectations.

Surprisingly, the old Sea Lizard merely observed passively as countless of his kin were cut down.

“Perhaps his aim isn’t merely the fifty magicoins but to cull the numbers of their group,” Sein speculated coldly.

“Oh?”

His hypothesis caught the attention of the brown-robed mage standing near him.