Chapter 216: Divine Revelation and Magic Ship (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader 'Open Textbook to Page Thirty-Four')
"They're coming for us."
Coley narrowed his eyes.
Andrea frowned and said, "The Deep Sea Naga and Sirens both regard this area as their territory. They will not allow outsiders to enter, and attacking ships is commonplace. Our three Artificial Islands under construction are frequently harassed by them."
"I see," Sheman replied with a smile that was more amused than reassuring. "It seems our neighbors aren't very fond of us."
Coley said coldly, "If we beat them hard a few times, they'll quickly understand who they shouldn’t mess with."
Tagana and Fleming, standing to the side, already wore eager expressions.
Seeing this, Sheman chuckled and added, "In that case, everyone should go all out and have a good fight. It's a prime opportunity to gather intelligence on the Sirens' strength."
The entire team naturally fell in line with Sheman's lead. Once he spoke, the other four had no objections and began to prepare for battle.
Andrea hesitated about calling up the Mithril Golem from the cabin, but seeing that Sheman hadn’t mentioned it, he decided against it.
More than ten Sirens opened their mouths and began to sing. Their sweet, enchanting melodies spread throughout the nearby sea, and an eerie fluctuation enveloped the entire ship in an instant.
The remaining Sirens quickly climbed up the hull.
Their hands and snake-like tails possessed a suction-cup-like ability, allowing for exceptionally nimble and smooth climbing.
This was a common tactic the Sirens employed when dealing with ships.
They would first use their singing to place the creatures on board into a state of illusion, rendering them unable to move, and then take the opportunity to board the ship. They could easily dispatch the creatures aboard without breaking a sweat.
They had used this tactic countless times, and it had always yielded significant results.
But this time, things took an unexpected turn.
When the Sirens leaped onto the deck, what they encountered was not the dull-looking prey they had expected, but a few humans gazing at them with keen interest.
Their stares made it seem as if the Sirens were the ones who had been surrounded and were now the prey.
Before the Sirens could react, they saw the humans raise their hands, and in the next moment, dense swarms of Spell Missiles swept in, engulfing the sky.
More than a dozen Sirens at the very front were instantly riddled with holes!
Strange incantations erupted from the mouths of the humans.
It was then that the Sirens finally came to their senses, screeching as they charged toward their enemies.
The Sirens' illusions had no effect on the Level Three Wizard Apprentices.
Artier Fleming and Tagana had taken Clarity Potions in advance, allowing them to ignore the songs and screeches assaulting their ears.
With their most potent illusion rendered useless, the combat effectiveness of the Sirens diminished significantly. They couldn't even approach Sheman and the others, being sent flying in every direction.
In just three or four breaths, nearly a hundred Sirens who had charged onto the deck had been cut down by half.
A Siren that appeared to be the leader let out a sharp cry, suddenly leaping into the air. It dodged an incoming Spell Missile and brandished a trident, preparing to stab fiercely at Sheman.
The sharp tip of the trident tore through the air, producing a piercing sonic boom, its momentum formidable.
However, in the next instant, a gray phantom of a giant claw materialized from thin air, passing through the Siren's body like a ghost. The Siren didn't even have time to let out a cry of pain before crashing lifelessly to the ground.
Seeing their leader defeated, the remaining Sirens became frightened, jumping into the sea and mounting their Headhunter Sharks to escape with their waiting companions below.
But soon, they were horrified to discover that the Wizard Apprentices were actually pursuing them.
Whether using Levitation Spells or activating Magic Items, Sheman and his companions flew high in the sky, relentlessly chasing after them and continuously claiming the lives of the Sirens with their spells.
It wasn't until only five Sirens were left that Sheman signaled for the others to stop. He then cast a Sleep Spell to knock them unconscious and used Mage Hand to bring them back to the ship.
"Lock them up, and we'll interrogate them after we return to the bay," said Sheman.
"Yes, Your Excellency," they replied.
Andrea lowered her head slightly, truly convinced.
Today, she had witnessed the power of the Wizard Apprentice.
Just five individuals had routed over a hundred Sirens, nearly annihilating them all.
Such power was genuinely terrifying!
No wonder Lord Carolina held that great one in such high regard.
If the Wizard Apprentice is this formidable, how powerful must the legendary Formal Wizard, said to be far stronger, be?
With the battle concluded, Sheman and the others decided to end their on-site observation, and the ship turned to head back.
In the Star Alliance, a total of five City-States had been constructed in Rainbow Bay, arranged in a gentle arc along the edge of the bay and facing the sea.
The central White Bay City served as the command center for coordinating exploration efforts of the Rainbow Sea and was also the City-State under Andrea's jurisdiction.
As soon as they returned to White Bay City, Sheman and the others immediately interrogated the Sirens.
The Sirens were skilled in Illusion and had high resistance to both Charm Human and Hypnosis.
In the end, it was Andrea herself who took action, torturing the five Sirens until they were on the brink of death and their will nearly broken. With the help of Coley and Sheman, they finally managed to extract the desired information.
“So? Did you manage to get anything out of them?”
As soon as Sheman and Coley returned to the Council Hall, Artier asked impatiently.
"We got something from them." Sheman's expression was strange. "Those Sirens claimed that the reason they were able to learn those Combat Skills and enhance their Illusion was that they received a Divine Revelation."
Divine Revelation?
Artier and Fleming exchanged surprised glances.
Tagana’s expression changed, recalling what had happened back in Spider City.
“Does this mean that the Sirens also received the favor of God?” Artier frowned, deep in thought.
Sheman shook her head. “I think there's something fishy going on here.”
“Although they claim it was Divine Revelation, those Sirens have never actually witnessed a Divine Miracle, nor have they received any Edict from God.”
"Within the entire Siren tribe, the only one who has ever received the so-called Divine Revelation is their chieftain. All the cultivation methods for Combat Skills and Illusions are also passed down to the tribe members through the chieftain’s words."
"That does seem a bit strange," Artier said, her brow slightly furrowed.
Generally speaking, the more devout and fervent a believer's faith is, the more benefits the deity can reap from it.
The best way to enhance a believer's faith is to display a Divine Miracle and bestow power.
Yet, the Sirens have never witnessed any Divine Miracle. Even the so-called bestowing of power consists merely of teaching cultivation methods for Combat Skills and Illusions, leaving the Sirens to cultivate on their own.
This method of granting power feels rather plain and unadorned.
"If it's not a true God, then someone must be pretending to be one," Coley suddenly suggested.
Everyone was taken aback.
Pretending to be a God? What could be the purpose of that? Just to control the Sirens?
Tagana suddenly turned to Andrea and asked, "What is the reason for the Sirens attacking the Deep Sea Naga? Are they trying to seize territory?"
Andrea paused, then shook her head as she understood the question. "The Rainbow Sea is vast and rich in resources; there’s really no need to fight over territory. What they are truly after is the Heart of the Sea."
"Heart of the Sea?" Sheman pondered, searching her memory, but she had never heard of such a thing.
Andrea explained, "The Heart of the Sea is the essence of the ocean, embodying its serene qualities. It has the power to dispel Sea Monsters and calm storms and tsunamis. As long as a Heart of the Sea is placed in the center of a sea area, that area can become a safe and stable settlement, free from attacks by Sea Monsters or disasters."
"Generally, the more Hearts of the Sea a Marine Race possesses, the larger the territory they can occupy, making it easier for their tribe to grow and thrive. That is why the Deep Sea of Gana and the Sirens frequently clash to seize each other's Hearts of the Sea."
After listening to Andrea's explanation, the group couldn't help but marvel.
"I never imagined there could be such a magical thing in this world," Fleming said, her eyes wide with wonder. Yet suddenly, her expression shifted.
"If we could obtain a Heart of the Sea and place it on the ship, we wouldn't have to worry about the wind and waves or attacks from sea monsters!"
Andrea smiled, pursing their lips. "Theoretically, that's true. However, if we did that, all the Marine Race would desperately attack the ship to steal the Heart of the Sea. The Marine Race can sense the Heart of the Sea from afar."
"Don't underestimate the allure of the Heart of the Sea to the Marine Race."
Fleming chuckled awkwardly.
After discussing for a while, no one could come up with a good solution.
Seeing this, Sheman made a decision. "I will compile a report regarding the Divine Revelation matter and submit it to Teacher. How to handle this issue will be determined by Teacher. Our immediate priority is to assist City Lord Andrea in constructing the three Artificial Islands as quickly as possible and to make progress in the Rainbow Sea."
The others exchanged glances and expressed their agreement.
Half a month later, the support ships and the Puppet finally arrived at White Bay City.
Alongside the accompanying Golem Legion, there was also the Magic Knight Order escorting the supplies.
To Sheman's surprise, the leader of the escort was the current commander of the Magic Knight Order, Sheen.
"Sheen, why are you personally overseeing this escort?"
"Sheman, it’s been a while."
Sheen bowed to Sheman, then continued with a smile, "There is a special team in this support group, and I came to see how things are progressing."
Sheman immediately became intrigued. "What kind of team requires a commander like you to supervise personally?"
Sheen turned and gave an order, prompting a Knight to quickly run off.
Not long after, to the sound of orderly footsteps, a team of Knights jogged to Sheen and Sheman, lining up to await orders.
What surprised Sheman was that these Knights were riding neither Black Rock Leopards nor Dragon Antelopes, but a type of Sub-Dragon adorned with shining, bright blue scales all over its body.
"This is... a Water Wyvern?" Sheman asked, looking amazed.
"That’s right," Sheen said with a smile. "Under Sunan Master's orders, Long Lin has recently opened Water Wyvern Ranch, Pterosaur Ranch, and Storm Dragon Beast Ranch. These Water Wyverns are the latest batch of Sub-Dragons from the ranch, assigned to the Magic Knight Order for the formation of a dedicated naval force, known as the Water Wyvern Knight Unit."
"However, since it was just recently established, the Water Wyvern Knight Unit currently has only a little over a hundred members."
"That’s still pretty good," Sheman exclaimed.
Like the Dragon Antelope Knight Unit, the Water Wyvern Knight Unit is also clearly an elite force with legendary combat strength!
A little over a hundred members means a little over a hundred legendary warriors!
The arrival of such an army can greatly enhance the Star Alliance's combat power on the Rainbow Sea—a timely boon indeed.
What more could he possibly be dissatisfied with?
Sheman then went to the harbor to inspect the supporting ships.
Artier, Tagana, and others were already at the harbor, curiously examining the vessels.
To Sheman's surprise, he had expected the magic ships developed by Starlight Academy to be extraordinarily large. However, upon seeing them up close, he discovered that the ships were only slightly larger than ordinary seagoing vessels, comparable to some large ships.
The difference was that these ships were constructed entirely of metal, their surfaces adorned with mysterious enchantment runes that shimmered with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight, resembling giant steel beasts coiled at the dock.
Andrea was already in awe.
It was her first time seeing ships entirely made of metal.
Sheman and the others were more accustomed to magnificent structures like the Dragon Bone Tower, so their acceptance of the magic ships was naturally higher.
The group then entered the ship's cabin.
Once inside, they realized the interior of the ship was a world of its own, with a much larger spatial volume than it appeared from the outside.
"So that’s how it is; they used space expansion technology," Fleming remarked, clicking his tongue. "How much gold must it have cost to build such a magic ship?"
Sheen grinned and replied, "The disciple of Starlight Academy who was responsible for handing over the ships to me mentioned that this is a Class B Second Level Magic Ship, and each one costs about 150,000 gold coins."
"Fifteen thousand Gold Coins!" Fleming gasped, inhaling sharply.
Sheman Cole and Artier, however, remained calm. They had participated in the unified Underworld war and had encountered high-cost Puppet items more times than they could count, so they were already accustomed to it.
Fifteen thousand Gold Coins was roughly equivalent to three Mithril Golems, not even one-third of the cost of a Secret Puppet.
Sheen said, "That student mentioned that this Magic Ship is equipped with ten Magic Cannons, powerful enough to instantly kill legendary-level creatures. There is also a main cannon turret that can eliminate a Third Circle Legend-level creature with a single shot."
"That’s incredible!" Fleming exclaimed, shocked. "No wonder it costs fifteen thousand Gold Coins."
Artier chuckled, "Sounds like operating costs for the Magic Stones would be expensive."
Tagana suddenly asked, "You mentioned this is a Class B Second Level Magic Ship. Does that mean there are higher-level Magic Ships?"
Sheen nodded. "That's correct. There are three levels of Magic Ships in total."
"The lowest level, Level One Magic Ships, are small vessels focused on maneuverability, emphasizing agility and speed as their main advantages."
"Above that are Level Two Magic Ships, which are medium vessels equipped with powerful long-range attack capabilities and can transport a certain number of troops."
"The highest level is Level Three Magic Ships. Well, Starlight Academy hasn't constructed any physical examples yet, but according to their information, the most significant feature of this level is its ability to fly."
Flying capability!
The eyes of the several Wizard Apprentices present lit up. If they could fly, the ships would be much easier to operate at sea, and they would no longer have to worry about being attacked by sea monsters. If they were also equipped with powerful long-range attack capabilities, they would become invincible sea fortresses!
"What a pity! If there were three Level Three Magic Ships stationed above the three Artificial Islands, what would we have to fear from the Deep Sea Naga and Sirens? We could take down as many as they send!" Fleming exclaimed with longing.
Everyone wholeheartedly agreed.
Sheman asked, "How many Magic Ships are being provided this time?"
"Twelve Level One Magic Ships and three Level Two Magic Ships," came the response.
Sheman nodded inwardly. With this support of Magic Ships, both the defense of the Artificial Islands and maritime exploration voyages would become much easier, allowing them to no longer be as passive as before.
While chatting and touring, the group soon arrived at the door of a cabin.
Sheen pointed at the cabin and said, “The newly supplied Puppet is inside.”
At the end of the month, requesting monthly tickets, thank you all!
P.S. One chapter still owed!
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