Having obtained what he wanted most, Anbaixiu had no intention of lingering in this barren place.
He looked toward the Githyanki, weighing in his mind whether he should simply slaughter this bunch of toads. But on second thought, what good would slaughtering them do him?
On this excursion, aside from securing the intelligence he sought, every other expenditure had exceeded his budget. He had received a divine spell as a reward, only to find he couldn't use it anytime soon—he would still need to invest massive amounts of time and material costs in experimentation just to potentially turn that useless scrap into treasure.
In other words, this long journey had been a net loss.
This was a reality Anbaixiu found hard to swallow. He had to figure out a way to recoup the losses elsewhere; otherwise, it felt as though ants were crawling all over him, an itch that wouldn't subside until he made some money again.
Anbaixiu stared at the Githyanki until their heads began to take the shape of gold coins in his eyes, at which point he finally spoke. "Life must be pretty hard for you here, isn't it? Formidable though Githyanki vitality may be, surviving on fish alone probably isn't enough to maintain your combat readiness. Besides, food is scarce here; sustaining your current population is already pushing your limits, right?"
The Githyanki leader narrowed his eyes, unable to fathom the trio's intentions.
Going to such lengths to track them all the way to a place like this just to ask for some intel on mind flayers? That defied common sense.
If the fallen Githyanki hadn't merely been knocked unconscious, the two sides likely wouldn't have been able to talk so peacefully at all.
Was this necromancer called Kel'Thuzad finally about to reveal his true objective?
"What exactly are you trying to say? We Githyanki don't like beating around the bush. If you have something to say, say it directly."
Hearing this, Anbaixiu dropped the pleasantries and said bluntly, "What do you Githyanki have left to be proud of? Isn't it just your aggression and formidable combat prowess? For an entire race of warriors like yours, not going to war is a total waste.
"I have connections. I can help you enter the fray as mercenaries, and in exchange, you will receive food, weapons, alchemical potions, and other supplies. And to show my sincerity, I can help you freely enter and leave this thunder-shrouded domain."
This expanse of sea was blanketed by thunderstorms, with the only way out being the ocean depths. Yet the undersea labyrinth teemed with sea beasts, and traversing it even once risked untold casualties.
Anbaixiu, however, possessed Talos's blessing and was immune to attacks from the sea beasts. Leading them out would be no trouble at all.
This offer genuinely excited the Githyanki.
Their race's nature was never one for settling down peacefully. Plunderers from the Astral Plane, they invaded plane after plane, mimicking the mind flayers by slaughtering and enslaving the native inhabitants, leeching their resources, and discarding the husk once drained.
Even after heavy losses, violence remained hardcoded into Githyanki genetics.
They were bound to leave this place and plunge back into battle eventually. If they could come and go freely, this place would serve as the ultimate secret base.
"Do you truly have a way to come and go freely?"
"Naturally. You can test it whenever you like. The Ryans and the orcs are currently at war, so there should be plenty of battlegrounds where you can display your talents. Since you already hold a grudge against the Ryans anyway, earning money while using the orcs' strength to enact your vengeance ought to be a win-win for you, wouldn't you say?"
Originally, he had intended to assemble a force of heroic spirits and deploy them to the battlefield as mercenaries to make a fortune off the war.
Now, the same logic applied. The Githyanki were also high-caliber mercenaries. As long as they were put to good use, this bunch of toads could easily replace the heroic spirits to work for him, completely eliminating the headache of subsequent maintenance—the Githyanki could take care of themselves.
Anbaixiu conferred with the Githyanki leader for quite a while, even diving into the ocean depths with him to prove he could ward off the sea beasts. In the end, the two parties formed a preliminary agreement to cooperate.
Leaving behind a magic mirror as a means of communication, Anbaixiu departed from the dreadful sea with Ariel and Arthur.
On the way back, Anbaixiu was still calculating what cut of the middleman markup would be appropriate.
*These Githyanki have a terrible reputation. If I'm vouching for them, taking a seventy-percent cut is the absolute minimum, or it won't be worth my while.*
Because Anbaixiu was so absorbed in crunching numbers, he didn't notice Ariel staring at him the entire way.
To Ariel, that indescribable sense of déjà vu was growing increasingly pronounced.
The lich before her was simply too strange. How could his facile, off-the-cuff way of deceiving people bear such a striking resemblance to Mengge Grayriver's?
*Could it just be my imagination?*
Ariel wasn't sure, because when comparing the two closely, there really weren't any obvious similarities.
Their tone, cadence, and speech rate were completely different, as were their habits of phrasing. Mengge Grayriver had frequently used proverbs unique to the Raging Tide Kingdom to lend weight to his arguments.
This lich did nothing of the sort. His accent sounded more like someone from the mainland, and his mannerisms were far more akin to a scholar's than an admiral's leading troops out to sea.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Ariel still felt they were remarkably alike—as if they were two brothers raised in different places with different habits, yet fundamentally similar all the same.
Finding no flaws did not preclude suspicion. Women were far more perceptive and intuitive than men; Ariel couldn't find any hard evidence, but her intuition told her that something wasn't right.
Thus, once they returned aboard the *Grey River*, Ariel couldn't help asking, "Master Ultraman, do you have any brothers or sisters? Or perhaps any other blood relatives?"
Anbaixiu was caught off guard, having no idea why Ariel would ask such a question.
Still, the question was easy enough to answer.
"I'm afraid I don't really know. After all, I've lived for several centuries, and before I transformed into a lich, I did have a few romantic encounters, so I can't say for certain whether I have any blood descendants. However, if you're asking about siblings, I shouldn't have any. Why does Your Highness bring this up so suddenly?"
Ariel felt a bit self-conscious. Inquiring into someone's personal privacy was rather improper, but she answered honestly, "I once knew a friend who was nothing like you in any way, yet I just can't shake the feeling that the two of you are very similar. I really can't explain why, which is why I asked. Please forgive me."
Anbaixiu's soul fire flickered subtly.
*No way, this girl connected the dots all the way to me from that?* Anbaixiu could state with absolute certainty that his acting was entirely flawless.
Having assumed so many alternate personas, Anbaixiu took immense care with every role, striving to fit every detail of the persona. Otherwise, he never could have hoodwinked an entire prominent clan among the orcs into ruin.
Hence, Anbaixiu was supremely confident that not a single trace of Mengge Grayriver lingered on him. As for the matter of "clever people," most clever people in the world were alike—speaking diplomatically and cutting straight to the heart of the matter were universal traits that could never serve as proof.
Just how had this girl managed to associate him with that identity?
Anbaixiu didn't dare draw attention to it, choosing to keep his tone even as he said, "Oh, the friend Your Highness speaks of must be General Mengge Grayriver, yes? I have heard of his illustrious deeds. You even named this airship after him, Your Highness—you truly are someone who cherishes old bonds."
Ariel seemed lost in reminiscence, speaking slowly, "In truth, I only really knew him for a few days. Before that, I thought he was just a flattering man of no real ability, but later I realized he was the only person who understood me..."
Ariel slowly recounted their past story.
Influenced by their faith in the Lord of Storms, the entire leadership of the Raging Tide Kingdom consisted of battle-hungry warmongers—and warmongers who utterly lacked self-awareness at that.
Militarism was the kingdom's greatest flaw, yet it was surrounded on all sides by adversaries it could not afford to provoke.
Growing up in such an environment, Ariel was the first person in the kingdom to recognize the problem.
Yet even as a princess, her stance back then had been questioned by everyone.
*You want to sue for peace? How would you face the Lord of Storms?*
*How can a coward who swallows her pride just to survive inherit this kingdom?*
Therefore, regarding the issue of the Silent Pirates, Ariel had argued fiercely with her father on more than one occasion. When even her own father failed to understand her, Ariel had felt utterly alone.
And Mengge Grayriver had been the first person to support her.
What was more, it wasn't mere support; Mengge Grayriver had braved the pressure of the entire kingdom and pulled off an impossible feat. Ariel had watched the whole thing unfold, watching this man help fulfill her dream.
The kingdom no longer had to throw lives away into that meat grinder, nor did it have to mobilize the entire populace to battle a horde of undead to the death. The common folk of the Raging Tide Kingdom could live in peace for a while without having to fear starvation.
Ariel could not describe what she felt. Beyond shock and gratitude, there were many other emotions entangled within.
Regrettably, before Ariel could sort through her own feelings, Mengge Grayriver died without warning, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ashes.
Ariel had frantically searched for the truth, but all her efforts were in vain.
The heavy burdens of the kingdom fell squarely upon her shoulders. Since only she and Mengge Grayriver had steadfastly championed cooperation, and now Mengge Grayriver was dead, Ariel had to press on alone.
Then came the crushing workload that numbed her senses. For a long time, Ariel had forgotten about Mengge Grayriver, and forgotten about herself.
Only when she had a rare idle moment would those few days they spent together resurface with vivid clarity.
Now, prompted by Anbaixiu's question, Ariel almost felt like crying—though she had not wept since she was four years old.
The dwarf vampire, who had been slacking off inside the airship the whole time, finally seized his opportunity. His quill twirled furiously once more:
*"The princess spoke in hushed tones, pouring out boundless longing. Her eyes shimmered with the light of memory, as though reaching through the mists of time to touch those warm moments once again. In this instant, she was no princess, merely a young maiden lost in the joys and sorrows of yesteryear. Alas, little did she know that the cold, detached lich before her was none other than that wanderer of the past. Beneath those rigid bones, had his soul fire ever stirred for her...?"*
Anbaixiu looked awkwardly at Ariel's reddening eyes. *It seems I've really opened up an old wound here. After just a few days together, could her feelings run that deep? Did this princess spend her entire life single without ever dating anyone? Her resistance in this department must be in the negatives.*
*This won't do. Ariel's intuition is frankly terrifying. I have to find a way to redirect her attention.*
Anbaixiu said to Ariel, "Your Highness, did you just say that General Mengge Grayriver left behind ashes and a message saying he would return sooner or later?"
Chapter 469