Confronted by the aggressively charging Ariel, Anbaixiu's first instinct was to open his personal demiplane and release Aige to cut loose.
Yet hearing her words, Anbaixiu realized his true identity had not been exposed. Fighting back right now would push things into an active state of war, making his search for the artifact far more troublesome.
Seeing Ariel's warhammer about to strike, Anbaixiu first cast Shield upon himself. Any spellcaster knew this spell, so there was no fear of blowing his cover.
Lightning exploded against it, spiderwebbing his magical barrier with electric fractures.
Anbaixiu was taken aback. This girl was this fierce? Even without the boost from the Golden Throne, he shouldn't be seeing his barrier shattered by a casual strike from her, should he?
Ariel was even more astonished than Anbaixiu. In her memory, if Mengge Grayriver took a blow from this hammer, he would end up dead or grievously wounded at the very least. Worshipers of Talos fought with ferocious brutality, after all.
Yet this coward had actually deflected it with a mere Shield spell?
Something was wrong. He had been hiding his true strength!
Ariel had no intention of letting it rest. After her first blow failed, the lightning wrapping around her body surged even brighter.
Empowered by the thunder, her speed doubled.
"Haste? No, a similar effect!"
Her warhammer spun into a whirlwind, instantly smashing Anbaixiu's Shield to pieces.
Had Anbaixiu not promptly cast Misty Step to blink dozens of meters away, he likely would have suffered several more strikes.
Setting aside whether he would be injured, taking a hammer blow would very likely shatter his transformation spell, exposing him on the spot.
Seeing Anbaixiu flee, Ariel said in surprise, "You old dog, you were hiding your strength all along!"
Anbaixiu: "..."
"Hiding your strength won't do you any good! Let's see where you can run!" Ariel roared, then leaped straight toward him.
She cleared a distance of dozens of meters in a single bound—a truly terrifying leap.
Wreathed in lightning, Ariel crashed down like a falling meteor, pulverizing the surrounding ground and leaving vast scorch marks from the scattering arc flashes.
Anbaixiu had no choice but to teleport once more to evade the thunderous blow. This time, however, he cleverly chose the most crowded spot.
Ariel wanted to press her advantage, but seeing Anbaixiu surrounded entirely by commoners, she could only grind her teeth and spit, "Coward, do you dare duel me?!"
She truly lived up to being a devotee of Talos; this ferocious display was even more frightening than an orc's frenzy.
Anbaixiu had no desire to fight her. He only wanted an opportunity to excavate the artifact in peace. Why was this princess fighting him again? Anbaixiu racked his brains, recalling Mengge Grayriver's memories.
Even though he could strip the man's soul bare, Anbaixiu remained an outside observer in the end; a cursory glance left him with limited details. This Princess Ariel... seemed to be a capitulationist?
No, Mengge Grayriver's perspective had been skewed. This Princess Ariel merely held differing political views from him; she couldn't simply be labeled a defeatist. What capitulationist would be this fierce, hammering people the moment she saw them?
Anbaixiu thought fast, then addressed the raging princess, "If you have something to say, speak reasonably. Coming to blows here will only harm the kingdom's subjects."
"You have the gall to say that?! Look who dragged these commoners here to use as slaves!"
Though furious, Ariel actually reined in the lightning around her body. Her Royal Highness genuinely cared for the commoners.
Straining to recall relevant memories of Mengge Grayriver, Anbaixiu ventured, "If Your Highness is displeased, we can simply let them go. I will find other people to finish this project."
Ariel sneered. "Ha! Do you take me for a fool? If you dragged them here once, you'll do it a second time. The moment I look away, you'll go right back to such cruel atrocities!"
"Then why don't you take over!" Anbaixiu replied decisively.
Ariel froze for a moment, asking suspiciously, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, since Your Highness is uneasy, wouldn't it be settled if the matter were handed over to you?"
All Anbaixiu wanted now was to shake this woman off as quickly as possible. If she took over the project, even better; at worst, he would just pick another spot to dig his tunnel.
Mengge Grayriver, having been publicly humiliated by Princess Ariel, had gone home to shut his doors and weep—this excuse would serve nicely, leaving him free from worries about anyone probing his identity.
Ariel seemed completely thrown by Anbaixiu's gambit. How had this man suddenly shirked his responsibility?
Anbaixiu did not intend to give her time to think. He said in a snide, mocking tone, "Noble and merciful Princess Ariel, since you are unwilling to let me use commoners to construct the magic circle, please see to the matter yourself. A cruel and incompetent man like me had best head home to sleep."
With that, Anbaixiu turned to leave. He planned to find a spot to dig downward once he left the area. If he angled it correctly, he ought to be able to tunnel back beneath the magic circle.
Yet Ariel sneered, "Don't think you can push this responsibility onto me. It was your faction that decided to wage war on those undead. I said from the very beginning that it was unnecessary and a waste of national strength."
*Oho, this princess isn't stupid after all. How could a personality like hers catch Talos's eye and earn his blessing?*
From their brief clash just now, Anbaixiu could already tell she was a blessed storm priest, a genuine legend who could blast this entire square into rubble if she went all out. But how could a princess who was so level-headed and cared so much for commoners receive the favor of Talos?
That brutal deity wished for nothing more than to torment people every day; when had he ever shown mercy?
The only explanation Anbaixiu could think of was that Talos had been thoroughly thrashed by the Lord of the Dawn during the divine war a thousand years ago, and wanting to copy the Lord of the Dawn's playbook, he had elevated this short-tempered yet benevolent princess as a model.
Still, the problem remained: how was he supposed to deal with her relentless badgering?
This time, it was Ariel's turn to taunt him.
"What's the matter? Without tormenting commoners, you lack the ability to complete your military plans? Mengge Grayriver, I've always looked down on you, but I never expected you to be this useless."
Anbaixiu sorely wanted to roll his eyes. What a mess. That Mengge Grayriver really was excessively pathetic. According to the customs of the Children of the Storm, status was irrelevant; if you could fight an open, honorable duel, even the king would have to give you the respect you deserved.
Yet Mengge Grayriver, a hawkish general, couldn't beat this dovish princess, and he didn't even dare step into the dueling ring. As a result, he ended up getting cursed to his face without being able to utter a word in retort.
Still, Anbaixiu quickly caught himself. Mengge Grayriver was the pathetic one; what did that have to do with him?
Instantly donning an expression of profound remorse and sorrow, Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Yes, that's right. Your Highness is entirely correct. I truly am a useless piece of trash. The only achievement worth mentioning in my entire life was finishing off a few measly undead."
The mocking smirk on Ariel's face warped into confusion. "Are... are you being sarcastic?"
Anbaixiu launched into his performance once more. "How could I be? Every word comes from the bottom of my heart. In truth, I know everything I have done was wrong. Otherwise, why have I been unable to break through to the rank of legend all these years? The deity's blessing upon you has long explained everything; I was simply blinded by power and prestige before, incapable of looking at my own errors. Your Highness, you are the true pillar of this nation, while I am nothing more than a clown grasping at authority."
Ariel had lived in the Raging Tide Kingdom for so many years, yet she had never seen a single prominent figure lower his head and admit fault.
In this land, you were allowed to lose, but admitting fault was strictly frowned upon; it was viewed as an act of cowardice, far more despised than simply doing something wrong.
Mengge Grayriver was practically the highest-ranking military commander in the Raging Tide Kingdom. His sudden bowing of the head left Ariel at a complete loss for how to respond.
She had initially come to pick a fight with him, but his sudden capitulation left her tongue-tied. She could only stammer, "You... I... there's really no need to put it so severely..."
Anbaixiu declared loudly, "No, it truly is that severe! My longstanding arrogance and stupidity have squandered far too much of the nation's manpower and wealth. I am a criminal to the kingdom!
"Your Highness is right. This magic circle could only be completed on schedule by wringing the blood and sweat from these commoners. But even if we eliminate those undead once it is built, what purpose does it serve? How much were the occasional goods plundered by the undead even worth to our entire realm? This exhausting, wasteful endeavor is ultimately nothing more than a vanity project. It offers not a shred of benefit to the kingdom!"
Ariel was deeply moved. Finally, someone understood her perspective; he was the sole kindred spirit in the entire kingdom!
Though this man had been utterly detestable before, who would have thought he would experience such a sudden awakening?
Anbaixiu continued in a booming voice, "Your Highness, let me atone for my mistakes! Hear me, all of you! We will not build this magic circle! Return to your homes and your lives! Any injured commoner will be provided free medical treatment, and as for the wages lost today, I, Mengge Grayriver, shall compensate you in full!"
After a beat of stunned silence, the commoners erupted into wave after wave of cheers.
Even Ariel could not help looking at Anbaixiu with admiration. She had never imagined his repentance would come so swiftly and thoroughly—he had shut down the entire operation on the spot.
Ariel said to Anbaixiu, "However, regarding Father..."
Anbaixiu pressed on with his bluff. "I shall bear all the blame! Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will stake my life on bringing an end to this war!"
"End the war? You want to negotiate peace with those undead? You have a way to communicate with them?" Ariel asked in astonishment.
Anbaixiu nodded. "Having fought them for so long, delivering a letter is always possible. If I couldn't even manage that, how could I have pinned down their position to set an ambush earlier? Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will exert every ounce of effort to negotiate peace with the Silent Night Pirates. However, I must ask for your help in shouldering the pressure from His Majesty.
"Three days. I need only three days, and I will bring results! If I fail, may I, Mengge Grayriver, die without a grave, and may my corpse be devoured by the fishes!"
Anbaixiu spoke with ringing conviction, inspiring deep respect in Ariel.
Such a vow carried immense weight. It seemed this man was truly resolved to reform his ways.
Though the change was somewhat drastic, Ariel harbored no suspicion; the people of the Raging Tide Kingdom were straightforward by nature.
Ariel raised her warhammer, swearing upon the swirling arcs of lightning, "Rest easy. For three days, I guarantee Father will not give you trouble. Whatever you wish to do, proceed boldly!"
Chapter 180