Chapter 23: The Sea Halberd Behemoths
–Saintess Selection Day
Along the coast of the Sea Concubine Palace, the endless azure seawater stretched to the horizon, waves rolling, the line between sea and sky blurred.
Two massive, nearly hundred-meter-long, dark whales rested in the shallows, only half their bodies above the surface, like two enormous cruise ships lined up neatly.
These were the Sea Halberd Behemoths, transport-type mid-rank spirit beasts specifically bred by the Sea Concubine Palace.
Due to the Sea Halberd Behemoths’ unique nature, they could be commanded without a contract, as long as they were fed regularly.
“Participants heading to Fallen Whale Island, form two lines! After your identity tokens are checked, board the Sea Halberd Behemoths. We will depart in two groups!!”
“Damn it, why two groups? Doesn’t that mean I have to wait here for four or five hours?”
“Stop complaining. You’re a senior instructor!”
Standing on the broad, soft back of a Sea Halberd Behemoth, two women in instructor robes whispered to each other after issuing their commands.
One Sea Halberd Behemoth could carry 200 people, and over 700 members of the Sea Concubine Palace were participating in the Saintess selection. Two behemoths, in two groups, was just about right.
Four or five hours was nothing. It would pass quickly with a bit of cultivation. No one complained much.
They had been preparing for this day for years. A few hours wouldn’t make a difference.
Of course, they weren’t aiming for the Saintess position, but for the generous rewards and rankings, hoping to secure a place for themselves in the future of the Sea Concubine Palace.
“Weren’t there seven or eight of these last week? Where did they all go?” the woman in the light green instructor robe asked, puzzled.
“No choice. The Ice Shield Palace just finished their Saintess ceremony. Their forces are spread thin, and their defenses are struggling, so we sent all the Sea Halberd Behemoths to support them a few days ago,” the other woman in blue robes sighed. The Saintess selection wasn’t just the Sea Concubine Palace’s affair.
The ten factions of the Sea Region Alliance selected their Saintesses in reverse order of ranking. The Ice Shield Palace was ranked fourth, while the Sea Concubine Palace was third.
The first six factions had already chosen their Saintesses. After the Wrathful Saintess of the Ice Shield Palace, it was naturally the turn of the Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace.
After them would be the Grieving Saintess of the Cold Court and the Desireless Saintess of the Winter Floating Sky.
Incidentally, all the women who ultimately inherited the will of the Saintess were the ones initially appointed by their respective factions. Without exception…
“Alright, I’ll take the first 400 people. You stay here and wait.”
After chatting for a bit, seeing that the first group was ready, the blue-robed instructor dismissed the green-robed one.
The green-robed woman jumped off the Sea Halberd Behemoth without a word.
The next second, the two whale-like behemoths opened their massive jaws, swallowing the hundred members standing in line in one gulp.
“…”
“…”
Watching the departing Sea Halberd Behemoths, Gong Lianyue’s eye twitched. She had thought they would ride on the behemoths’ backs, but they were actually swallowed?
She had already removed the teardrop beauty marks from her face and altered her eyes to their normal appearance, blending in with the second group of members.
The apprentice instructors were checking the identity tokens of the members in line. Gong Lianyue also took out her special Saintess token, her expression calm.
A few minutes later, an apprentice instructor approached her.
“Show me your identity token.”
Gong Lianyue calmly handed over the token, engraved with [Saintess] on one side and [Sorrow] on the other.
Glancing at it briefly, the apprentice instructor was about to return the token when her hand suddenly trembled, almost dropping it.
“S-Saint…”
[Shhh~~ Don’t make a fuss. This is a secret mission.]
Hearing the soft whisper in her ear, the apprentice instructor looked at the expressionless blue-haired girl, gulping nervously.
The hierarchy within the Sea Concubine Palace was Palace Master → Vice Palace Master → Saintess → Senior Instructor → Instructor → Apprentice Instructor → Elite Member → Ordinary Member → Prospective Member (Awakening Stage).
If it were an ordinary member playing these tricks, she would have already smacked them. But this was a genuine Saintess token, practically equivalent to a direct order from the higher-ups.
The Saintess secretly participating in the preliminaries? Could there be some special reason?
Returning the token, the apprentice instructor moved on to the next participant in silence, her heart filled with anxiety.
“Whew~~”
Gong Lianyue breathed a sigh of relief. Tidal Wave was quite useful indeed.
After waiting for a long time, two massive blue whales appeared in the distance, swimming towards the Sea Concubine Palace at a speed comparable to a high-speed train.
It seemed the first 400 members had arrived safely.
“The second group can board now!!”
The green-robed instructor waved impatiently, urging the remaining participants to get closer so the behemoths could swallow them easily.
She was the only senior instructor escorting this group, along with five instructors and a dozen apprentice instructors.
This force was enough to destroy a small mortal nation. She felt it was unnecessary, but she couldn’t question the higher-ups’ decision.
“Ahwu~”
As the Sea Halberd Behemoth opened its massive jaws, the 200 members, their faces filled with nervousness, were swallowed in one gulp.
A moment later, Gong Lianyue opened her eyes, slightly startled.
There was no terrifying sensation of being swallowed whole. Before her was a luxurious underwater palace, blue water flowing gently through the air.
Corals and blue crystals adorned the vast hall, connected to hundreds of rooms, a complex and intricate maze like a luxurious cruise ship cabin!!
It wasn’t that Gong Lianyue was unsophisticated, but everyone riding a Sea Halberd Behemoth for the first time was stunned.
“Alright, everyone choose a room to rest. You will be notified upon arrival.”
Several apprentice instructors from the Sea Concubine Palace directed the members to their respective rooms.
Gong Lianyue casually entered a nearby room. The interior was even more luxurious, the walls and floor made of blue crystals, a veritable crystal palace.
Even a king’s bedchamber couldn’t compare…
Once all the members and instructors were settled, the green-robed woman, as the senior instructor, sat on the back of one of the Sea Halberd Behemoths, acting as escort.
“Ooo!”
A whale’s cry, echoing for kilometers, caused the crystal palace within its belly to tremble slightly.
The two massive Sea Halberd Behemoths slowly descended into the deep sea, leaving the coast of the Sea Concubine Palace and heading towards Fallen Whale Island.
–The Saintess selection was about to begin.
Leave a Reply