In the Wizards' impression, the Sea Monster King was a lazy demon. It often lurked in the deepest parts of the ocean, quietly napping, sometimes sleeping for centuries.
It had become a Legend, an epic, not a reality for the Wizards.
The Wizards' most profound impression of Sea Demons in reality was the four Great Wizards under the Sea Monster King.
Mist, Vortex, Iceberg, Sea God.
The Sea Monster King extracted its own ribs to serve as keels, crafting ocean-spanning warships for its four capable subordinates: the Mist, the Vortex, the Iceberg, and the Sea God.
The four Great Sea Demons each dominated a sea area, according to the cardinal directions: East, West, North, and South.
Even the Wizard Alliance was powerless against them.
"Nikita, come with me to meet some old friends," the Mist Captain emerged from his cabin at some point and came onto the deck.
The young female demon trembled with excitement.
In the world of demons, living Legends were few and far between. These Captains were undoubtedly among the most dazzling of them. Each of them had fought at least one Great Wizard, and the number of Wizard Hunting Teams they had destroyed was countless.
Previously, she had only heard these stories from Sir Ulrich's mouth, but now, she would face these Legends directly!
The female demon tightened the fine fleece cloak wrapped around her. She felt a solemn sense of witnessing history.
Under the sunlight, the four great ships stood in their respective positions, silently facing the boundless ocean.
To the north stood an iceberg.
To the east was a mirage.
To the south was shrouded in Mist.
Only the dilapidated Vortex to the west, covered in seaweed and shells, rested quietly in the sun.
The Mist Captain wore his white cloak, which had a wide hood. He concealed most of his face within the hood. On the back of the cloak, the Mist's lantern emblem was embroidered, shimmering with dazzling green light in the sun.
Nikita followed behind him, carefully stepping on the sea surface, fearing that a slightly larger ripple would displease the figure in front of her.
"It's difficult to eliminate the impact of something, but there are traces to follow when turning a big matter into a small one," the Mist Captain's low voice sounded gentle and mild on the vast sea: "Just like your current footprints, every step you take on the sea surface will ripple in circles, which is the impact you bring."
"Although it's easy to use some abilities to eliminate these ripples, just like our current location, in this vast sea, any unauthorized ability is forbidden and could lead to unpredictable consequences."
Nikita looked around, feeling a bit nervous and confused.
She felt the Captain was hinting at something, but all she could see were the four silent great ships.
On each of the four ships, a solitary figure walked towards the center of this sea area.
On the Iceberg, the sturdy White Bear shook its head, slowly moving forward.
Emerging from the mirage was a burly man with a tricorn hat and a thick black beard.
The Vortex Captain looked a bit disheveled, his worn leather armor covered in seaweed and shells.
But no matter what, each Captain exuded a terrifying aura.
Nikita felt she somewhat understood the Captain's meaning.
For demons, there were no moral restraints like the Wizards' integrity; the only things that could bind their actions were balance and power.
Now, in this sea area, the four ships and four Captains formed a fragile balance.
"To eliminate the ripples under your feet without attracting the attention of others, you can only create more ripples and hide the already indistinct ripples under your feet within them."
"The truth is hidden within that," the Mist Captain sighed, then suddenly pulled back his hood, revealing a pale face.
He burst into laughter, stepping on the sea surface, and rushed towards the other three Captains.
At the same time, the other three Captains also stepped on the sea surface and rushed forward.
A violent impact erupted in front, and the surging airflow, like wild horses unbridled, made the cloak Nikita wore flap wildly.
At the center where the Captains converged, a towering Demonic Qi shot up from the ground, tearing the floating clouds above to shreds, seemingly even breaking through the sky. The seawater beneath their feet frantically evaded their stomping, creating a bottomless sea Vortex in the center of the four great ships.
Nikita gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and followed, rushing forward.
However, her speed was too slow.
When she arrived beside the Captains, the sea surface had already calmed down again.
Only the ceaselessly spinning sea Vortex spoke of the great power of these Legends.
Half of the Mist Captain's white cloak was torn off, and the other half looked as if it had been scorched by fire, revealing charred fluff.
The White Bear that came down from the Iceberg had two dark circles under its eyes, and there were also charred marks on its body. It looked like a distant relative of that Old Panda from Huaxia.
The Captain from the mirage had transparent icicles hanging from his dark beard, and two corners of his tricorn leather hat were torn off.
Only the Vortex Captain, being already disheveled, showed no visible signs of injury.
Immense Demonic Qi flowed ceaselessly among the Captains, and Nikita felt like she was suffocating. Countless thoughts raced through her mind. For a moment, she thought the Captain had brought her to be a snack for the four of them; then, she wondered if seeing the Captains' damaged appearance would lead to her being silenced.
"Is this the little demon you mentioned?" The Sea God Captain was a rugged man with a wild black beard and dressed in fiery red leather armor. Seeing Nikita, he asked gruffly.
"You can see for yourselves," the Mist Captain waved his hand, his voice sounding somewhat tired.
Nikita was terrified to find herself floating, drifting directly above the pitch-black sea Vortex.
Will I be used to fill the sea Vortex?! Her mind went blank.
The White Bear was the first to step forward.
It had a pair of brutal eyes. Nikita looked at those crimson little eyes, telling herself not to struggle, not to move, and not to look into its eyes.
The Great Bear slowly ambled to her side, wrinkled its nose, sniffed, then circled her twice, nodded, let out a low growl, and then retreated.
Then came the Sea God Captain.
Then came the Vortex Captain.
They successively came to her side, as if confirming something.
Only when she landed back on the safe sea surface did Nikita confirm that she would not be used to fill the sea Vortex.
The Captains' expressions were all very serious.
"You estimate, how long has he been gone?" The Vortex Captain's voice was sharp and grating, like shells scraping together. He looked at the Mist Captain.
"At least ten years."
"But in the past few years, they've been attacking everywhere, capturing many of our crew members, making a big commotion," the Sea God Captain stroked his big beard.
"Just a paper tiger."
"Do you know where he went?"
"Perhaps he's exploring newly discovered worlds, perhaps lost on some star path, perhaps he had a sudden whim during a trip and entered a certain cave for a secluded cultivation," the Mist Captain grinned, smiling silently: "It's also possible he died of old age. Everyone knows he's very old."
Nikita's mind was in chaos; she vaguely guessed who these Captains were discussing.
Her face turned pale, and she covered her mouth in horror.
"If your speculation is correct, then it is indeed worth our full-out risk," the Sea God Captain glanced at the female demon, then looked back at the Mist Captain, his voice sounding very dull: "But before that, we need to test it."
"For peace of mind, each of us must try," the Mist Captain pulled his hood back up, his cyan-black lips twisting happily: "And I will be the first to test."
...
On the way back to the ship, the Mist Captain did not say another word.
It wasn't until they reached the Mist's gunwale, standing on the sea surface and looking at the towering gunwale, that he spoke again: "Don't you want to say something?"
He glanced at the female demon.
"If you need me to," Nikita's demeanor was even more humble and submissive than when she first saw the Captain.
The Mist Captain nodded with satisfaction.
"You should have guessed something just now."
"Since you've guessed it, just keep it to yourself. There are many strange Spells among those Wizards, and I don't want them to know."
The female demon prostrated herself on the sea surface, trembling.
"Don't be afraid, you're still useful," the Captain pulled her up, looking at her pale face: "You mentioned before that you could get into First University's flights, very good. I'll give you one month. If you succeed, you can officially become a crew member of the Mist. If you fail."
The Captain smiled: "The Wizards will like a demon who walks into a trap."
Nikita blinked, the paleness on her face slowly receded, and she revealed her charming smile again: "As you wish, my Lord."