The Sea of Thunder

After suffering heavy losses at Anbaixiu's hands, the surviving Githyanki had fled on the backs of ixitxachitl. By rough estimate, there were about two or three thousand survivors. Anbaixiu had always wondered how the Githyanki could ever cooperate with the ixitxachitl. To say that Tiamat and Demogorgon had a bad relationship would be an understatement; they went at each other's throats the moment they crossed paths. Yet they had still managed to work together. At times, Anbaixiu had to admire the sheer open-mindedness of devils and demons. At the helm of the *Grey River*, Ariel flew along the route the Githyanki had taken when they escaped. The *Grey River* was far smaller than the *Black Tide*, so it was not equipped with combat drones and possessed simpler, more specialized functions. Yet simplicity had its advantages. After improvements in craftsmanship, the *Grey River* was capable of brief bursts of supersonic flight. When the immense g-force kicked in, only the three legends aboard remained conscious. The sailors Ariel had brought along blacked out entirely, only slowly coming to after the *Grey River* decelerated to normal cruising speed. Shaken, Ariel said to Anbaixiu, "Terrifying speed... Who on a battlefield could ever catch this?!" As a battle-tested female commander, Ariel had understood the terrifying potential of an aerial warship the moment she laid eyes on one. Yet seeing it today made her realize her horizons were still far too narrow. Anbaixiu replied with no small measure of pride, "When it comes to flight speed, only my products can reach this level. You could call it a monopoly technology unique to the world. But rest assured, Your Highness: supersonic craft will eventually become one of the Raging Tide Kingdom's products. As for this airship, your people will have ships like it as well." Ariel knew Anbaixiu's words were not truly meant for her, but for the sailors she had brought aboard. Though these veteran sailors hadn't voiced any strange complaints out loud, some of the white-haired old men harbored an instinctive resistance toward the vessel. To their minds, perhaps, only something cleaving through waves upon the sea could truly be called a ship; a contraption soaring through the heavens was no ship at all. That subtle reluctance made it difficult for them to focus on their work. Anbaixiu had seen his fair share of human nature's darker sides; how could he fail to notice? The older and more skilled a person was, the more unshakable their faith in their own expertise, and the more psychologically reliant they grew on the hard-earned craft they took pride in. When such elders encountered new technology capable of completely surpassing that "craft," more than half naturally resisted it. What they had relied on was being shattered, and they were powerless to stop it. Some channeled that helplessness into the drive to master new skills out of fear of obsolescence; others let it fester into passive defiance, refusing to embrace anything new. Even knowing it was irrational, they could not control their emotions—a universal facet of "human nature" shared by all intelligent life. Anbaixiu could tell that at least a third of these sailors were stubborn old fools of that sort. Having no time for heartfelt heart-to-hearts, he opted for the simplest approach: a show of force. Letting them witness supersonic flight would smash their stubborn prejudices to pieces, after which reminding them that this was something the Raging Tide Kingdom could one day wield would give any reasonable person the push they needed to come around. If even that failed, Anbaixiu wouldn't mind tossing them overboard to keep them from wasting his time. Ariel had also guessed Anbaixiu's intentions; otherwise, he wouldn't have tested supersonic flight knowing the strain it caused. She had originally planned to use other means to soothe the sailors' morale, but the lich's method, while cruder, was undeniably far more effective. Putting unruly subordinates in their place was a minor matter. What Ariel cared about far more was whether Anbaixiu's words were true. Could the Raging Tide Kingdom truly deploy such supersonic craft? If the Raging Tide Kingdom possessed enough aircraft, reclaiming the continent would be trivial. The people of Ryan wouldn't stand a chance; they would be reduced to mere punching bags. Anyone with even a modest grasp of military strategy knew what terrifying air superiority meant. At the very least, it provided an overwhelming intelligence advantage. Dispatching numerous aerial warships into the sky would lay bare every movement on the ground. When the enemy knew your every strength and weakness before a single blow was struck, how could you even wage war? During a siege, aerial bombardment could rain down unchecked. Even if all they did was drop stones, no defensive magic array could hold out indefinitely over time, to say nothing of the morale inside the city. Enduring daily strikes with no ability to retaliate would breed suffocating despair until the defenders collapsed from within. The Raging Tide Kingdom's decision to ally with this lich was undeniably the right choice. In terms of military power, at least, they would never have to fear falling behind the era. Pondering these grand affairs of state, Ariel summoned the sailors back and reminded them to get to work. This time, whatever personal reservations they held, the sailors dared not show them. Clutching their sea charts, they began comparing landmarks and guiding the *Grey River* toward the nearest islands to patrol. Despite their eccentricities, their professionalism was undeniable. Where Anbaixiu could discern no differences across the open sea, they could pinpoint their exact location and chart courses with astonishing precision. Before long, the *Grey River* had swept over seven or eight islands. Yet while the islands were found, of the Githyanki there was still no trace. After circling for half a day, every habitable isle in this maritime expanse had been scoured, yet they uncovered nothing—not even a hint that the Githyanki had ever set foot here. Anbaixiu found it baffling. Had all the Githyanki perished? Or had they returned to the Astral Plane? Unfortunately, he couldn't simply consult Tiamat. Leaving aside whether the Dragon Goddess would even deign to grant him an audience, handing her such leverage would undoubtedly cost him an exorbitant fee. Yet as things stood, saving money seemed out of the question. Just as Anbaixiu was preparing to head back, Ariel spoke up. "Master Ultraman, I have a thought. We aren't far from the Sea of Thunder. It's very possible those Githyanki ventured into that treacherous expanse." *The Sea of Thunder... isn't that the area the Ryan forces entered before?* During the last Ryan invasion, Ariel had used pirates as cannon fodder to drive the Ryan fleet into that domain of perpetual lightning. Inhabited by the mightiest sea beasts, it was a forbidden zone for the living. Yet the Ryanites had not only made it through the Sea of Thunder unscathed, they had even emerged with a colossal octopus in tow, like heroes taming a pet on their way to vanquish the demon lord. Too bad they had ultimately been wiped out by Anbaixiu in the end. Now that Ariel brought up the Sea of Thunder, Anbaixiu thought it wouldn't hurt to take a look. "What exactly is the situation with this Sea of Thunder? When the Ryanites went in last time, they seemed to come out just fine," Anbaixiu asked. Ariel looked somewhat sheepish. She hadn't expected the Ryanites to be so capable either. A simple storm should have battered their ships to splinters, yet they had somehow entered the Sea of Thunder without incident and escaped smoothly. "I cannot explain how the Ryan fleet passed through safely, but the Sea of Thunder is truly the greatest forbidden zone in this ocean. Storms rage there year-round and thunder never ceases, with countless deep-sea leviathans nesting within. Even our Raging Tide Kingdom dares not approach. However, that harsh region holds many undiscovered islands. If they could withstand the environment, supporting a few thousand people wouldn't be an issue." Since Ariel said so, Anbaixiu naturally intended to take a look. Perpetual thunder or not, the *Grey River* could simply fly above the clouds and remain unaffected. Taking a lap around shouldn't pose any problem. Only when they actually arrived did Anbaixiu understand why it was called a forbidden zone. His notion of "incessant thunder" had been bolts striking every few seconds, slithering across the sky like lightning serpents. But the reality of the Sea of Thunder was nothing like that. The thunder didn't strike every few seconds; it fell like rain. From afar, lightning poured down in sheets, leaving streak after streak of flame dancing on the churning swells—this time truly setting the sea ablaze. This wasn't mere storming; it was a cage fashioned from lightning, walling off the entire region. As if that weren't enough, the closer they got to the zone, the more violent the sea became. Maelstroms large and small churned across the water, making it utterly impassable for ordinary vessels. Even an all-metal juggernaut like the *Black Tide* would be torn to pieces if dropped in there. If the outer perimeter already resembled the end of the world, how terrifying must the interior be? "Could anyone really survive in an environment like this?" Anbaixiu doubted the Githyanki were made of steel; plunging into conditions like these looked like certain death. "Still, aren't the Githyanki capable of riding ixitxachitl? If they traveled undersea, they might have bypassed the lightning and whirlpools on the surface. I've never ventured into the depths of the Sea of Thunder myself, so perhaps there really is a habitable zone within. Of course, that's merely a suggestion—Master Ultraman, I leave the final judgment to you." Ariel was only here as a guide; whether to enter such a terrifying place ultimately rested on Anbaixiu's decision. Without hesitation, Anbaixiu said, "Even if we go in, we can't take the *Grey River*." The essence of Anbaixiu's undead alchemy was transforming an entire warship into a metallic undead, with every critical section steered by specialized Simulated Souls. These utilitarian souls possessed little to no defensive power. If they plunged into this barrage of lightning, the souls inside the *Grey River* would quickly be shattered or electrocuted to death, rendering the ship completely useless. Looking up at the clouds, Anbaixiu realized the *Grey River* couldn't fly above them either. The height of the thunderclouds was unnatural, far from a phenomenon of nature, and far exceeded the *Grey River*'s maximum altitude. "In that case, should we head back?" Ariel asked. Anbaixiu shook his head. "Turning back won't do either. Since this is the last remaining possibility, I have to see it with my own eyes before I give up. If we can't cross by sea, we can follow the Githyanki's example and cross beneath the waves."