The ghost ship was at its absolute strongest upon the open sea. By summoning her true vessel onto land, Aige had severely weakened herself.
Yet she had no other choice; the might of Arthur Ryan's heroic spirit far exceeded her expectations.
In his hands, the energy of the Holy Light seemed almost alive. Where an ordinary paladin's Holy Light might counter two measures of dark magic with just one—a normal elemental advantage—Arthur Ryan's Holy Light could cancel out a hundred measures of dark magic with a single measure of his own.
Aige had no desire to drag this out. Vast as her magical reserves were, they were not infinite.
The colossal ghost ship plunged from the heavens, locking onto Arthur Ryan's spiritual body and crashing down with cataclysmic force.
A tremendous roar was accompanied by a terrifying shockwave that transformed the entire district into a massive crater. The blast rippled across more than a dozen kilometers, toppling countless buildings. Even the palace walls were rattled, visible fissures cracking across the masonry.
Anbaixiu had been sulking as he walked alongside Ariel to mobilize the Raging Tide Legion, but when the earth-shattering blast reached his ears, he instantly sensed something was wrong.
*Isn't this a bit too absurd? He's just a heroic spirit, for heaven's sake.*
Such horrifying destructive power sent a cold chill through Anbaixiu. He had considered himself top-tier among legends, yet in a battle of this caliber, he could only ever play support.
Ariel, on the other hand, had glowing eyes and an eager, itching-for-a-fight expression.
Her eyes were glowing in the most literal sense. Whenever these battle-crazed zealots favored by the Lord of the Storm unleashed their power, lightning energy turned their eyes a brilliant blue-white, as though their very blood had become thunder.
Storm priests were berserkers when they fought. Lightning granted them speed, strength, and nigh-indestructible bodies.
Fortunately, Ariel still retained a shred of sanity and did not charge headlong into the fray. Instead, she asked Anbaixiu curiously, "How in the world did you lure that undead here, and what did you use to trap her?"
Anbaixiu replied, "An ancient seal from the Ryan Empire, dating back to when Ryan was first founded. The thing sealed inside happens to be what this pirate captain seeks. The one locked in fierce combat with her right now should be the guardian within the seal."
"Did you say the Ryan Empire?!"
Ariel's voice abruptly pitched up several octaves, and her knuckles cracked loudly as she clenched her fists.
Only then did Anbaixiu remember that the Raging Tide Kingdom had migrated from the mainland. The reason they had abandoned that fertile continent in the first place was that Ryan had driven them out. It was a blood feud—one that likely took precedence even over their hatred of the undead.
If that was the case, perhaps he could use it to his advantage.
Anbaixiu instinctively reached to stroke his chin, but caught himself in time. Lately, he had developed a bad habit of rubbing his chin whenever he thought. A lich shouldn't keep repeating himself.
Though he checked the gesture, the idea had already taken shape.
Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Your Highness, I am well aware of the enmity between Ryan and Raging Tide. For that very reason, this is a pivotal moment, and you must make your preparations early."
Perplexed, Ariel asked, "A pivotal moment? What are you talking about?"
"The plan you mentioned earlier, of course—collaborating with the Silent Night Pirates. Your Highness, as we go to mobilize the Raging Tide Legion now, we can strike at the pirate captain while she is isolated, or we can help her unseal the vault, offering the treasure inside as a show of good faith to negotiate cooperation.
"How we proceed rests entirely on your decision as our future queen."
Ariel blinked her clear, emerald-green eyes, seemingly stunned by the question Anbaixiu had suddenly thrust upon her.
Over the centuries, Anbaixiu had seen that look far too many times—most recently on Catherine's face. Both were women of immense rank and power, blessed with extraordinary talent and favored by gods from childhood; their guileless innocence was cut from the very same cloth.
Which meant swindling them should work pretty much the same way.
"Your Highness, what are your thoughts? Strike her down while the chance presents itself, or join hands with her?" Anbaixiu pressed.
Ariel hesitated, glancing toward the distant battlefield where heaven and earth seemed to be tearing apart. Frowning, she asked, "Even if we prepare, can we truly kill that undead?"
Anbaixiu was immensely pleased by her reaction. She had walked right into his trap.
"Splendid. Your Highness has finally grasped the crux of the matter. The greatest problem with the Silent Night Pirates is that they cannot be wiped out; we have no guarantee of complete victory. Furthermore, even if we slay their captain, do you think the remaining undead pirates will just vanish? By no means. Any single detachment could plunder our sea lanes. Aside from forging an irreconcilable blood feud, our situation would not improve in the slightest."
Ariel said, "So you mean we should seize this opportunity to cooperate? But with such a golden chance... I can't help feeling a bit reluctant."
Anbaixiu raised his voice, adopting a stern tone. "The greatest taboo for a leader is indecision! No matter your goal, if you waver back and forth, those beneath you will have no idea how to act. Tell me, Your Highness, do you possess the confidence to utterly eradicate the Silent Night Pirates?!"
Ariel admitted helplessly, "I have no such certainty."
"Indeed. We all know this pirate crew has existed longer than the Raging Tide Kingdom itself. We have failed to wipe them out after a thousand years, which proves that road is a dead end. So tell me, Your Highness, standing in the shoes of the Queen of Raging Tide, what decision should you make?!"
Ariel's resolve hardened, and she ground her teeth. "I will seize this opportunity to negotiate cooperation with the Silent Night Pirates."
Anbaixiu praised her warmly. "Precisely. You have made the right choice. But fear not, Your Highness. We are not groveling for peace; we will negotiate as equal partners."
Ariel asked in pleasant surprise, "Can we really pull that off?"
"Of course we can. Who was it that lured this undead ashore in the first place? I prepared everything long ago. Consider this: on a treasure hunt of such immense importance, why did their captain come alone instead of bringing her fleet to seize it?" Anbaixiu prompted in a guiding tone.
"Huh? Why?" Ariel wanted him to hand her the answer directly, but meeting his expectant gaze, she began racking her own brains.
She was a princess, the future queen; there were matters she genuinely needed to ponder for herself.
After a long while, just as they reached the gates of the Raging Tide Legion's encampment, a sudden revelation struck Ariel. "I've got it! The treasure must be extraordinary—if another undead got their hands on it, her position might be threatened! I really am a genius!"
Anbaixiu was speechless.
*Right, brilliant.* It had taken him five seconds to invent that excuse, while Princess Ariel had spent nearly twenty minutes arriving at it.
Still, not bad. After all, Anbaixiu was a wizard who dumped all his points into Intelligence.
Praise should be given where useful. Lull her critical thinking beneath a mountain of flattery. Anbaixiu chimed in, "Your Highness is truly brilliant. It took me the better part of a year to realize that."
"The better part of a year? You began preparing this plan that long ago? How did I know nothing about it?" Ariel asked, puzzled.
Anbaixiu hurriedly explained, "Because I suspected there was an undead spy within the Raging Tide Kingdom. Look at the three court wizards, especially Winston the necromancer. Who would believe he has no ties to the undead? The more people who know, the greater the risk of exposure. That is why I kept it concealed all this time. I hope Your Highness does not take offense."
"Why would I take offense? Lord Grayriver, you are a pillar of the kingdom. In the future... please assist me well."
For some reason, Ariel's face suddenly flushed red.
Anbaixiu thought to himself: *Did I lay the flattery on too thick and make this silly princess overly excited? That won't do.*
Once people grew overly thrilled, they were prone to doing foolish things. With circumstances looking so favorable, he couldn't have her running wild; he needed to redirect her attention at once.
Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Your Highness, we have arrived at the Raging Tide Legion. Why don't you issue the order to prepare for battle?"
"Me? Why? You used to treasure this legion more than a wife—why hand it over to me now?" Ariel looked at him again with those clear, innocent eyes.
"Because times have changed, Your Highness. You are the future queen, and everything in this kingdom will naturally belong to you. I merely oversee the Raging Tide Legion on your behalf. Now is a critical turning point; it is time for Your Majesty to take command of your own forces. All of this was prepared for you from the beginning."
This was nothing more than an excuse. In truth, whenever orders were issued to the Raging Tide Legion, a ritual was involved—usually summoning thunder and lightning for a flashy, crackling display. Anbaixiu could cast lightning spells, but as he had told the necromancer, the nature of his mana was fundamentally different. An insider would spot the discrepancy in an instant.
No matter how masterful his Polymorph was, it could only alter his outward appearance; it could never convert his dark magic into the divine power of the Lord of the Storm.
The moment he cast a spell, his cover would be blown, and he would be exposed on the spot.
Duping Ariel into doing it for him was the ideal solution. Giving her a task would keep her thoroughly invested and tied to his side.
Hearing his words, Ariel blushed even deeper and murmured softly, "To think you held such intentions all along, and I never even noticed."
"Naturally, I could not make it too obvious. His Majesty is still on the throne, after all. Pledging loyalty to you in private borders on treason. I must ask Your Highness to keep this confidential and pretend you know nothing."
Ariel broke into a smile and reassured him, "Rest easy. I won't let Father blame you, and I doubt he would anyway."
*This girl looks rather pretty when she smiles,* Anbaixiu mused. *Still, she can't hold a candle to Catherine.* If he could remain immune to Catherine's smiles, Ariel's naturally had no effect on him whatsoever.
Ariel led Anbaixiu into the encampment, and the strongest military force of the Raging Tide Kingdom sprang into motion.
Watching the storm priests assemble in full battle gear, Anbaixiu only hoped that everything would proceed smoothly from here.
Chapter 186