The topics of discussion in the kingdom are like the tides, rising and falling from today to tomorrow.

After a month of silence following a trial that ended inconclusively, the matter of Randall and Barbara gradually faded from public view.

The most talked-about topic in the streets and alleys has changed to the appearance of new immigrants on the sea surface of Muxi City.

Another group of sea creatures abandoned their deep-sea home and came to seek refuge with the Dragon God, begging for protection.

Todd, now in dragon form, perched atop a hill on Waiheke Island, watching a group of strange creatures lurking in the sea near the shore.

It has a shark-shaped head, thick limbs, a sharp spine, and wide webbed feet.

It's half shark and half human.

Todd paused for a moment, then asked, "You said you also received revelation from the ancient sea god?"

The lead shark-man raised his head and said in broken Common, "Black plague, devour, home is gone, food is gone, the ancient god said, eastward, dragon."

Although his understanding was fragmented and he mispronounced a few words, Todd still managed to understand the shark leader's meaning.

"What's your name? Where do you live?"

The leader of the shark-men tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying with difficulty, "I, Yago, homeland, Six Paths Coral, Ring Mother..."

Todd was a little confused: "What kind of place is that?"

"Let me speak!"

Rita, the mermaid who couldn't bear to watch any longer, twirled the harpoon in her hand and looked at the shark man with a look of disgust: "These guys live on the seabed 400 kilometers west of the coast, near the Six Trench and the crater. Their habitat is not far from us."

Todd looked at the mermaid: "You two know each other?"

Rita curled her lip: "I wish I had never seen these rude, ugly, stupid fish."

Yago crawled out of the sea, opened his huge mouth full of sharp teeth, and roared, "Mermaid! Thief! Liar! Untrustworthy!"

These few sentences were spoken very fluently, so they must have said them quite often.

With this thought in mind, Todd asked, "Is there a feud between your two races?"

Ignoring Yego's anger, Rita shook her head: "It's not exactly an enmity, but the fishing grounds of the mermaids and sharkmen are adjacent to each other, and they have fought over food and territory for hundreds of years."

Yego gritted his teeth and said, "Ancient Gods, forbid war. We, we yield."

Todd finally understood what was going on.

It is not surprising that the marine races Leviathan created on the seabed, who worshipped him as a god, often fought each other for survival.

However, in just a few months, the black substance that could turn living things into the dead began to spread again, reaching the deep sea hundreds of kilometers away, and things were heading in the worst possible direction.

Rita looked at the group of sharks and asked curiously, "Why are there only you guys? Where are the Mangart Seahorse Clan and the Quichima Barracuda Clan?"

Yego said in a deep voice, "Plague, the seabed, they failed to escape."

Rita's eyes widened, her hands stopped moving, and a look of sadness and pain appeared on her face: "There are many good people among them."

Todd stretched the dragon's head out in front of Yego and Rita and said, "I need an introduction to the situation on the seabed recently. Tell me everything you know, especially the black plague that swept everything."

Yag bowed down, not daring to look directly at the dragon, and asked in a hopeful tone, "We will protect you and help us!"

Todd flapped his dragon wings, stirring up waves along the shore: "I promise to grant you protection, and you and your people may live in the waters west of Waiheke Island."

Compared to the terrified Yego, Rita, who was already familiar with Todd's personality, complained, "Supreme Dragon God, do we really want to be neighbors with this bunch of stupid fish?"

Todd glanced at Rita: "The rights granted to the merfolk—residence, fishing, trade, entry into the city—I will grant to the shark people the same ones. I don't care what grudges you have against each other; in the waters of Twilight City, I do not wish to see any form of fighting or killing for any reason!"

Yege thumped his chest and loudly proclaimed, "We swear! We will obey the dragon's commands!"

Rita sighed helplessly and glanced at Yego with a look of disgust.

Leaving behind his somewhat estranged neighbors, Todd ascended into the sky and flew towards the palace.

Landing on the ground, Todd slowly transformed into human form, took the robe handed to him by Evie, and solemnly walked towards the king's audience chamber.

Evie, who had never seen Todd so serious, asked, "What happened?"

As Todd walked, he asked, "Has there been any response from the North Island Knights' reconnaissance team sent to the western seas?"

Evie was somewhat surprised by Todd's question, but she answered immediately: "Last week, I sent three more fleets to their mission locations, but so far, there has been no news."

Evie looked at Todd and asked again, "Can't you contact them in the soul space?"

Todd said with a worried expression, "If the Knights of the North Island are still alive, I should be able to contact them; but if they are dead, their souls, having already completed the soul link, should have returned to heaven."

"But the current situation is that I can't contact them, and their souls haven't returned to heaven."

"Could it be that their souls were blocked by something?" Ivy speculated, "Like the anti-magic ore used by the Elders?"

"If it were just magic-suppressing ore, there might still be room for maneuver, but I'm afraid it's a worse situation."

"Worse?"

"The tyrant's leak on the west coast of the empire may have more serious consequences than we imagine. Marine life is turning into undead in large numbers. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if this happened on land."

Evie suddenly remembered something: "The person who went to carry out this mission is the vice commander of the North Island Knights... Little Jerry. He is loyal but straightforward. I'm worried that if he encounters a situation, he won't know how to back down."

Todd's worry deepened.

In his mind came the image of the child who had silently followed him since the monastery, doing everything he could to help.

In Todd's memory, Jerry was shy, timid, and even a little dull, but when it came to his friends, he would become the bravest warrior, facing any threat or challenge head-on.

Todd walked to the door of the audience room, turned to Ivy and said, "Dispatch the Valkyrie Griffin Squad to the last known location of the North Island Knights' fleet."

The latter nodded, glanced at Todd, and asked softly, "If, and I mean if, Jerry's fleet encounters misfortune, what should the Valkyries do?"

Todd's hand froze in mid-air, and he remained motionless for a moment, as if the air had solidified. Finally, he spoke in a low voice: "Retrieving the sample of the Necromancer Tyrant is the top priority."