"Roar! Roar!"
The massive Spiny-backed Iron Whale roared, no longer charging at the sailing ship. Its enormous body spun around on the spot, and soon it was even convulsing.
On the deck, the fish-men—even Gegel and Gegeduor—stared dumbfounded at the scene.
That colossal deep-sea monster, which had nearly annihilated the entire fleet, had been reduced to this by a single strike from Mr. Lei? They couldn't even begin to comprehend what method Leilin had employed.
In that moment, Leilin received a great many awestruck gazes.
But he seemed entirely oblivious, his eyes fixed on the direction of the Spiny-backed Iron Whale's struggles.
As time trickled by, the creature's thrashing grew weaker and weaker, until it finally went completely still. Clumps of black blood drifted out from the harpoon wound.
Whoosh! The massive harpoon retracted sharply, dragging out a large mass of white brain matter.
When the harpoon returned to the deck, Gegeduor was horrified to discover that it had transformed into a giant steel hand. The hand rummaged through the brain cavity, picking and selecting, before finally presenting a ring of dark solid material to Leilin. It then retreated back into the cannon port, reverting to its former harpoon shape—as if all the vitality it had possessed moments ago had been extinguished.
"What truly astonishing power!"
Gegeduor's voice carried a note of wariness. If that living metal were ever to infiltrate one's body... just the thought made him shudder.
In Leilin's view, making every strike split heaven and earth while desperately wishing the entire world would take notice—that was the way of a fool.
A so-called
So he merely shook his head modestly: "My current strength is still nothing worth mentioning..."
"Thanks to Mr. Lei's power this time. Otherwise, our fleet would have suffered terrible losses!" Gegeduor said with genuine gratitude.
"Mm! Also, the most valuable thing on that Spiny-backed Iron Whale seems to be this!" Leilin held up the dark solid object in his hand. A foul, fishy odor wafted from it, but as time passed—upon contact with the air and through the process of oxidation—the smell gradually turned fragrant.
"Congratulations, Mr. Lei! That's Whale Ambergris! A specialty of the Spiny-backed Iron Whale—such a large piece is extremely rare!" Gegel said with a touch of envy, though harboring no ill intent.
If this were an ordinary person, he would have snatched the precious material and thrown the other party straight into the sea to feed the fish. But toward Leilin, he didn't dare—not even the faintest thought.
"Oh!" Leilin nodded, then tossed the Whale Ambergris over to Gegel.
"Take this as compensation for my passage!"
In Leilin's estimation, such a resource was nothing worth fussing over, so he simply tossed it to the other party.
But in the eyes of Gegel and Gegeduor, this only deepened the mystery surrounding Leilin. An adventurer who could hand over such immense wealth without so much as a change in expression—his backing must be no small matter.
Next, at Gegeduor's command, the entire sailing ship returned to the waters where the battle had taken place, and they began carving up the Spiny-backed Iron Whale. A third-level sea monster—besides the specialty Whale Ambergris—every part of its body was an extremely precious material, worth more than fifty percent of the cargo they had originally been carrying!
Such things held no interest for Leilin, but for Gegel and Gegeduor, this was an unexpected windfall.
Leilin didn't interfere, simply watching as they methodically dismembered the Spiny-backed Iron Whale, separating chunks of meat and hide, and storing the blubber separately.
Meanwhile, Guliduoke was summoned back. Groups of fish-man sailors transformed into their aquatic swimming forms and applied a translucent gelatinous substance around the creature's wounds.
This work continued for nearly a day. Although the Inferno World was mostly shrouded in darkness, the bright moonlight provided ample visibility.
When the fleet finally set out again, Gegel's enormous vertical eye had nearly squinted shut from smiling. To reduce their burden, they had even been forced to discard some miscellaneous and lower-value cargo.
Guliduoke, having recovered most of its wounds, had regained its vitality. Under the creature's pulling power, even against the wind, the massive ship achieved respectable speed once the sails were lowered.
When the sun rose for the third time, a chain of islands appeared before Leilin, strung together like a strand of pearls.
Several large white seagulls circled overhead, crying out excitedly.
"Iyaas Harbor—is this it? We've finally arrived!" Leilin leaned against the mast, gazing at the surrounding waterways.
This was the last supply point before the Heil Continent, and also a thriving center of maritime trade. A casual glance revealed ship silhouettes in every direction.
Among them were ancient models like Gegel's sailing vessel, enormous metal alchemical warships, and many ships whose volume and tonnage far surpassed those of Leilin's own.
Beyond alchemical technology, there were vessels powered by supernatural forces. Leilin even spotted a pirate ship entirely controlled by undead creatures—its decks crawling with beings formed from white bones and ghostly flames. A tattered black triangular skull flag flew overhead, exuding an aura of blood and savagery. Yet strangely, it attacked no other vessel. This phenomenon piqued Leilin's curiosity.
"This area falls within Iyaas Harbor's domain and is under its protection. Even pirate ships must abide by the rules here. No matter what atrocities they commit on the open seas, once they arrive, they must rein themselves in..."
Gegel kindly explained from the side: "Though Mr. Lei possesses formidable power, it would be wise to respect Iyaas Harbor's rules. After all—within Iyaas Harbor, there are several powerhouses whose strength rivals the stars!"
"Mm! I understand. Thank you for the advice!"
Leilin nodded. He had some understanding of how the Evil Eye race classified strength. Unlike the Wizard World, which maintained strict rank divisions, they simply measured by age.
In the Evil Eye species, power was divided only into a few broad stages: juvenile, developing, adult, and extremely old. An Evil Eye that reached the extremely old stage might not appear even among ten thousand of them.
As for descriptions like "strength that rivals the stars"—in Leilin's understanding, this was their way of referring to Morning Star-level powerhouses. The phrasing was somewhat inelegant, but understandable enough.
And once an Evil Eye bore such a title, within their race, only extremely old-stage elders could hope to rival them.
By the same token, Gegel was still in the developing stage, roughly equivalent to a first or second-level Wizard. As for his progenitor Gegeduor, he had entered the adult stage, possessing strength comparable to a third-level Wizard.
Of course, owing to their racial talents, their power was likely slightly greater than that of ordinary Wizards at the same level.
"Gegel, if there are no objections, I'll part ways with you here!"
Leilin gazed at the increasingly close harbor—its waters thick with enormous ships of all shapes and sizes—and suddenly spoke.
"Lord Lei! Have we done something to offend you? Why the rush to leave?"
The moment Leilin mentioned parting from the fleet, Gegel grew anxious.
After all, for a powerhouse of his caliber who also harbored no greed, any ship captain in the world would do their utmost to keep him close.
And from Iyaas Harbor to the Heil Continent, though the distance was already quite close, they still needed roughly a month of sailing. Should any danger arise along the way, Leilin would serve as a guarantee.
"I'm sorry! But I'd like to stay in Iyaas Harbor for a while and make inquiries about my fleet's situation. Though the chances of my companions' survival are exceedingly slim, still..."
Leilin's gaze grew somewhat distant, and seeing him like this, Gegel found himself unable to press further.
After all, searching for one's companions was only natural.
When Gegeduor received the news, he immediately came to the deck, waving his tentacles whose tips had turned pure white.
"Mr. Lei is leaving already? What a terrible pity!" His spiritual fluctuations clearly conveyed reluctance and regret.
"I've already delayed here far too long. My thanks once again to the Yidong Trading Company and to both of you for your generous help. May the glory of the Inferno be with you!"
After his time spent among them, Leilin had grown well-acquainted with the conversational customs of the Inferno World, and spoke without a single flaw, like a true native.
"What a shame! In that case, please accept this gift!"
Gegeduor waved his hand, and immediately a fish-man respectfully handed a leather scroll to Leilin.
The scroll was covered in a layer of fine fish scales that reflected a dazzling luster, giving it a striking appearance.
Leilin reached out and took it, giving it a light shake. The entire scroll unfurled, revealing a pale yellow map. Beside the map were some simple rules and explanations.
"This is a map of Iyaas Harbor along with its guidelines. I believe it will prove very useful to you!"
Gegeduor transmitted another burst of spiritual fluctuations.
The Chip scanned it, and Leilin instantly committed all the information to memory, never to forget it. Outwardly, he simply rolled the scroll back up, stored it safely, and thanked Gegeduor.
"Thank you! This map is indeed very useful to me!"
"Our ship will also be docked in Iyaas Harbor for a while to replenish supplies and such. Should Mr. Lei need anything at all, please don't hesitate to come find us..."