Chapter 262: The Shock Brought by the New Murlocs

The sheer number of Murlocs in the Overseas Archipelago was already terrifying. Now, with the sudden appearance of these exceptionally talented Transcendent-Tier Murlocs, the guests attending the ceremony could no longer sit still.

While the other guests harbored a deep wariness toward the White Dragon Lord, the commander of the Sun-Setting Legion—Orbis Lutherd—had no such concerns. The High-Tier Legendary Warrior, who appeared to be in his early middle age, let out a soft chuckle.

"Lord Amos, you've certainly given us a massive surprise," he said. "Could you introduce these New Murlocs?"

"Of course."

Without needing to think twice, the White Dragon Lord knew exactly what worried everyone. Murlocs possessed incredibly strong reproductive capabilities, and now they had such formidable talents. The crowd feared an explosive population growth of Transcendent-Tier Murlocs that could threaten humanity's status as the continent's rulers.

Their concerns were perfectly normal, and the White Dragon Lord paid them no mind.

"These New Murlocs are the product of decades of my experiments," he explained. "Through the power of magic, the Murloc race has undergone a comprehensive evolution. Their physical attributes are stronger across the board, and their Elemental affinity has vastly improved."

"Unfortunately, as the New Murlocs' life Tier has elevated, their reproductive capabilities have sharply declined. Ordinary Murlocs lay hundreds or thousands of eggs at once, but these New Murlocs only lay a few at a time. Furthermore, there's a chance the offspring might regress."

"Their growth cycle is also much longer. Humans typically mature enough to reproduce by age thirteen. The New Murlocs are more akin to Ogres—they require at least sixteen years."

"The amount of time they can spend on land is no different from ordinary Murlocs. If they are exposed to the scorching summer sun for more than ten minutes, they face the life-threatening danger of dehydration. This will only improve as their personal strength increases."

"What frustrates me most is that their energy affinities are innate. These shadow-affinity New Murlocs have no alternative class options; they can only become rogues or other classes that utilize shadow energy."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. With so many restrictions, it was impossible for the New Murlocs to threaten humanity's hegemony over the continent.

This made sense. Evolving to a higher life Tier inevitably demanded sacrifices in other areas. Even so, the New Murlocs could not be underestimated. Although their fertility had sharply declined, it still far exceeded that of humans, especially when combined with their innate racial advantages.

The guests had a premonition: in a few decades, the coastal regions of Nordhill would become the absolute domain of White Castle.

The New Murlocs might even carve out a place in the deep sea. If that happened, the power dynamics of the deep sea—which hadn't changed in tens of thousands of years—would suffer a massive shock.

Nordhill's oceans were vastly larger than its landmasses and hosted far more species, yet its political landscape was much simpler. The deep sea remained a primitive slave society; the vast majority of creatures were vassals or slaves to the three great overlord races.

The deep sea had virtually no interaction with the continent. These New Murlocs would be a headache for the three overlords of the depths; it had nothing to do with the mainland factions.

Staying aloof from matters of no personal concern, most of the crowd stopped dwelling on it. However, the more perceptive guests were already calculating. While turmoil among the deep-sea factions was none of their business, White Castle was inextricably tied to numerous mainland forces.

If White Castle managed to secure a foothold in the deep ocean, everyone could use its channels to obtain the deep sea's unique resources.

The overseas races were notoriously xenophobic and actively hostile toward land races. Long ago, devastating wars had broken out between land and sea, bringing endless suffering to both sides.

Eventually, spearheaded by the wise of both sides, land and sea creatures signed a treaty. The waters within one hundred thousand kilometers of the Nordhill Continent were designated as the near-sea, belonging to humanity. Everything beyond that boundary belonged to the marine creatures. From then on, the two sides ceased all contact.

However, the special materials produced by the deep sea's unique environment were absolutely necessary for many ancient potions and experiments.

A large portion of this ancient knowledge had been gradually rendered obsolete by the ever-advancing field of alchemy, purely due to the lack of materials and substitutes. But being obsolete didn't mean it was useless. Because of this, the guests' estimation of White Castle's value rose another Tier.

On the empty Kingdom Avenue, the black-scaled New Murlocs gradually revealed their figures as they approached Kingdom Square.

Following the ceremony's schedule, a group of Black-Scaled Fishmen, led by their leader Fidam Nighttide, dropped neatly to one knee before the White Dragon Lord.

Orbis Lutherd raised an eyebrow as he observed the Murlocs below the platform. In the way they gazed at the White Dragon Lord, he saw near-fanatical worship.

The worldly and experienced commander of the Sun-Setting Army had seen many similar looks—in the eyes of religious zealots.

Clearly, the White Dragon Lord's control over the New Murlocs was absolute. A hint of intrigue crept into Orbis Lutherd's eyes as he looked at the White Dragon Lord.

It was only natural. As their creator, the White Dragon Lord rightly deserved the New Murlocs' reverence.

Yet, it was also highly unusual. Creating a new race was a recognized shortcut to achieving godhood, and right now, the White Dragon Lord had found that shortcut.

If the White Dragon Lord intended to ascend, the simplest method would be to spread a faith among the New Murlocs. Once his believers multiplied, he could ignite his divine fire, raise his divine throne high, and step into the halls of immortality.

A powerhouse with the potential for godhood was worth befriending for any faction. Orbis Lutherd decided that the moment the founding ceremony concluded, he would immediately report to the Imperial Emperor to determine how they should manage their relationship with White Castle.

The black-scaled New Murlocs left the field. What the crowd didn't know was that these Black-Scaled Fishmen were only one type of New Murloc.

The White Dragon Lord called these shadow-affinity Murlocs the Dark Murlocs. Besides the Dark Murlocs, White Castle's years of experiments had yielded two other New Murloc variants: the physically powerful Savage Murlocs, and the magic-element-affinity Magic Murlocs, who were born Mages.

Of course, the designations of Dark Murlocs, Savage Murlocs, and Magic Murlocs were purely for internal categorization; to the outside world, they were collectively known as the New Murlocs.

Furthermore, the White Dragon Lord had bestowed unified surnames upon these New Murlocs. The Dark Murlocs shared the surname Yeshi. The Savage Murlocs inherited the surname of the entity that had inspired the New Murloc experiments—Jiageras Megatide, the giant fishman pet of the Legendary Murloc Mage, the Sea-Caller. Lastly, the Magic Murlocs all shared the surname Huanmo.

As the figures of the Black-Scaled Fishmen approached the corner, the crowd along Royal Capital Avenue stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to watch this new race leave, firmly engraving their appearance in their memories.

The New Murlocs hadn't really put on a performance this time. For the first half of the route, they simply marched ordinarily, and for the second half, they advanced in full stealth. Commoners and Low Tier professionals couldn't see the stealthed New Murlocs at all, and even Intermediate Tier professionals could only make out a blurry silhouette.

Only High Tier and stronger powerhouses could track their movements clearly, but this provided them with absolutely no sense of security.

An assassin's greatest threat lay in the shadows. If a New Murloc premeditated an attack against an unprepared target, many experts weren't confident they could escape with their lives.

"Too terrifying. This entire race consists of born assassins."

The vast majority of factions silently decided that even if they couldn't befriend White Castle, they absolutely must not offend it. Being targeted by such a formidable squad of assassins meant they would never sleep peacefully again.

Most of the audience members didn't overthink it. Aside from a few outsiders, most spectators were either residents of the Overseas Archipelago or people who made their living there; they had no intention of making White Castle an enemy to begin with.

Moreover, being able to witness the debut of a new race with their own eyes was a tremendous honor, giving them bragging rights that would last a lifetime.

The atmosphere in the venue grew more fiery than ever before.

Just as the Black-Scaled Fishmen were about to vanish from sight, the gnoll commentator's voice boomed once again.

"Everyone! The brilliance of the past is behind us; let's turn our anticipation to the next performance! And which race will be taking the stage? They are—!"

"The Harpies!"

Truthfully, the audience was quite familiar with the Harpies, as their performance hadn't stopped. From the opening moments until now, a fluttering rain of petals had been cascading from above.

Whenever a Harpy emptied her flower basket, she would dive toward the side alleys, and a new Harpy would immediately take her place.

Their flight paths were meticulously choreographed. They wove through the air in graceful, sweeping arcs, occasionally spinning. Paired with their vibrant plumage, neon-bright garments, leg ribbons, and elf-like beautiful faces, it felt exactly like watching a dance.

If the spectators couldn't see the troops marching on the avenue, they could always look up and enjoy the Harpies' aerial ballet.

Of course, the Harpies in the military parade wouldn't be doing the same thing as their atmosphere-building peers, because the core theme of a parade was projecting combat power.

The Harpies' entrance was completely different from the other races—they flew straight in from outside the city walls.

In terms of attire, these Harpies wore uniform skin-tight bodysuits, which drastically reduced air resistance and noise during flight. Their eagle-like talons grasped crossbows loaded with bolts, the arrowheads glinting with a cold light.

"The Harpies are another race with a long history! They fly high in the sky and dwell among steep cliffs. As everyone knows, their reputation hasn't always been the best," the gnoll commentator announced.

His voice suddenly pitched higher.

"That was until they joined White Castle! Moved by our esteemed King's call, the Harpies became members of White Castle and shed their old, unsavory customs!"

"In times of peace, the Harpies are the finest messengers and dancers! Countless festivals and celebrations would be incomplete without them; they have become an inseparable part of our lives!"

"In times of war, their wings and eagle-sharp eyes make them White Castle's greatest scouts! The intelligence they deliver has saved countless lives!"

"Do not let their petite frames fool you—their combat strength is highly formidable! Let's watch the Harpies' magnificent performance with bated breath!"

The crowd threw their heads back, staring at the Harpies in the sky.

Up above, the Harpies formed a ten-by-ten phalanx. Flapping their wings at the exact same frequency, they flew over in a perfectly rigid formation.

As flying creatures, they moved far faster than the other troop types and rapidly reached the airspace above Royal Capital Avenue.

The moment the gnoll commentator finished speaking, the Harpies pulled their triggers. One hundred crossbow bolts formed a rain of arrows, plunging toward the avenue.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The spectators focused their eyes, and their pupils shrank. The bolts were embedded into the stone pavement at the exact same angles and intervals. The perfect symmetry was a blessing for anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

This proved that these Harpies were highly disciplined and impeccably trained—an elite force with incredible combat capabilities. Furthermore, this method of attack made people's scalps tingle with dread.

As long as the Harpies flew high enough to escape their enemies' range, they could unleash a blanket bombardment on ground targets. Almost no one could dodge such a dense volley. Without cover or sufficient shields, ground troops would just be live targets.

And that wasn't even the most terrifying part. If the Harpies used their extreme mobility to launch high-altitude nighttime air raids with crossbows or Alchemical Bombs, they would become their enemies' worst nightmare.

When it came to hunting down deserters, the Harpies were equally brutal. After all, those running on foot could never outrun those flying on wings.

The Harpies' demonstration didn't end with a single volley. While still flying, they used their nimble talons to pull fresh bolts strapped to their calves. Drawing the bowstrings and reloading was done in one fluid, seamless motion, and they immediately pulled the triggers again. Another perfectly square grid of bolts appeared on the ground.

Firing continually as they advanced, the Harpies soon arrived in front of Kingdom Square. They touched down on the pavement, crossed one wing over their chests, tucked the other behind their waists, and bowed.

The reason they didn't kneel on one knee was simply that their avian leg structure wasn't suited for such a salute.

Up on the platform, the guests looked at the Harpies with complicated emotions.

These wicked monsters were actually being utilized by White Castle, forged into an overwhelmingly powerful combat force.

The crowd looked toward the massive white silhouette at the forefront and realized it made perfect sense. White Dragons were an evil race themselves; taking in subordinates from the evil alignment was nothing out of the ordinary.

The White Dragon Lord was also very satisfied as he looked at the disciplined Harpy regiment. The Harpies' utility on the battlefield might even surpass that of powerful brute races like the Ogres.

Because they could fly, scouting enemy movements, executing long-distance strikes, and launching high-altitude night raids were all effortless tasks for them.

Furthermore, they were using regular bolts for this performance, but on a real battlefield, the White Dragon Lord would absolutely have those bolts coated in lethal poison.

If necessary, they could even employ magical ammunition like Explosive Arrows to annihilate elite enemy forces or assassinate enemy commanders.

Naturally, human nations were not entirely without air forces. Certain kingdoms had domesticated flying Transcendent Beasts and formed aerial legions.

However, human-tamed air forces were typically astronomically expensive. Take griffins, for instance. Griffins were High Tier Transcendent Beasts; they were difficult to breed, took a long time to reach adulthood, and required massive amounts of meat for every meal.

In contrast, the cost of cultivating Harpy soldiers was much lower. The bulk of the expense was simply outfitting them with matching crossbows and gear.

Moreover, only a tiny minority of nations on the Nordhill Continent possessed official air force divisions, mostly among the developed kingdoms of the South. In the relatively backward northern nations, only the Elance Kingdom—home to the headquarters of the Northland Witches' Council—maintained a Royal Snow-Eagle unit of three hundred mounts.