The sea breeze in the Raging Tide Kingdom was never gentle.
The followers of Talos preferred the thrill of braving the wind and waves, even if the kingdom no longer relied much on fishing to survive.
With alchemy factories continually springing up, the Raging Tide Kingdom had gradually transformed from a small fishing realm into an affluent nation centered on manufacturing and trade.
That lich had kept his promise: no one in the Raging Tide Kingdom starved to death anymore.
Yet they could no longer do without alchemy, either, and their faith seemed far less pure than before.
Even so, Talos had no objection. At the very least, the king could still hear divine oracles, and Talos had not unleashed any great disasters to display his fury.
Rumors spread among visiting travelers that it was not that Talos had grown merciful, but rather that out of deference to a certain prominent figure, he had granted the Raging Tide Kingdom a degree of preferential treatment.
Furthermore, while faith might not be as devout, the sheer number of followers had multiplied many times over. It was hard to say whether the number of truly devout believers had increased or decreased, making it difficult to judge whether Talos came out ahead or behind.
Regardless, that was how things stood. The newly crowned King of Raging Tide was quite content with the status quo; his only dissatisfaction was that he, the king, did not have the final say in the realm.
The true folk of Raging Tide all knew that the one responsible for transforming the kingdom was not the king, but Her Highness the Princess, who had lived as a widow for nearly thirty years.
But those days were ending today.
Her Highness the Princess had finally reached the moment of her ascension.
For a mortal body to win the recognition of a deity and ascend to the divine realm was an immense honor.
It was only a pity that the princess had turned down a grand send-off ceremony, wishing only to wait quietly by the sea for that moment to arrive.
This suited her personality well enough. Over these decades, she had never cared for indulgence, showing no interest even in the throne.
In the end, the previous old king had been forced to muster what vigor he had left and father another child—who became the present new king.
At this very moment, Her Highness the Princess stood on a desolate island isolated far out at sea.
Here lay only a few bare rocks, encircled by surging waves—a fitting place for her ascension.
Followers of Talos always preferred the company of wind and waves.
Ariel was now in her fifties, but the power of a legend kept her youthful. The ocean winds could not weather her face, nor had they silvered her red hair.
She looked just as she had in days gone by, yet only Ariel knew that she was, in truth, a little weary.
After seeing the Raging Tide Kingdom truly flourish, Ariel felt she had achieved her life's greatest goal. It was time to pause and rest.
Right at this time, Talos had timely delivered his oracle.
As long as she completed one final trial, Ariel could ascend to the divine realm, becoming a heroic spirit under Talos's command and enjoying eternal life.
Talos's trial was as straightforward as ever: combat, nothing more.
So long as she killed the oncoming opponent on this lonely island, Ariel could ascend to that eternal divine realm.
Ariel found nothing amiss with that. Even though she had not fought in a war for years, bloodstains on her hammer could never be washed clean.
Wealth drew bandits; as the Raging Tide Kingdom grew rich, naturally many coveted its fortune. Over the years, Ariel had smashed the heads of countless pirates.
Though older now, her combat experience was richer than in her youth.
Yet when she saw the figure descending from the sky atop a silver dragon, Ariel almost lost her grip on her hammer.
The former Mengge Grayriver appeared before her, leaving Ariel stunned for a fleeting moment.
One might have expected her to swing her hammer right away and blast him with lightning, yet Ariel merely smiled bitterly and said, "Even to this day, you still try to deceive me?!"
Hearing this, Anbaixiu sighed, returned to his true form, and offered a sincere apology: "I'm sorry. I deceived you back then."
Looking at this unfamiliar face, Ariel could nevertheless discern many familiar little details.
Ariel did not seem keen on discussing everything that had happened in the past, merely asking with puzzlement, "I heard you've become a big shot in Hell now. Why are you here?"
Anbaixiu explained, "Talos wanted you to leave this mortal realm without any lingering regrets, and I need Talos to owe me a favor. So, if you need revenge, I can let you destroy this avatar."
Ariel looked up toward the sky. A thunderstorm brewed above, as though Talos's eyes were watching her.
Yet Ariel did not raise her hammer, saying calmly instead, "Then I'm afraid the deity will be disappointed. I have never had any regrets in this life."
"That comes as a bit of a surprise," Anbaixiu said.
Ariel said placidly, "Back then, the entire Raging Tide Kingdom had lost its way, and not even I knew which direction the future lay. Though I wanted to bring about change, I was utterly alone in the kingdom. Whether you were the disguised Mengge or that lich, and whether your words were sincere or not, at least at that time you stood by my side and were willing to support my cause.
"All my life, I have sailed upon the sea. Fogs and storms made me pause my journey, and you were an island where I once anchored. Even if you were merely a mirage, I still drew the strength to forge ahead from you.
"Now I have reached the end of my voyage. Why should I harbor hatred for an island where I once dropped anchor?"
Anbaixiu was silent for a long time, then said, "Your Highness, it seems my vision was lacking. I underestimated you."
Hearing Anbaixiu's praise, Ariel narrowed her eyes and said with a touch of pride, "Don't take followers of the Lord of Storms for fragile little girls. I am the one who changed the fate of a kingdom."
"So you don't intend to smash my head in with a hammer after all? Then what about your trial of ascension?"
Anbaixiu knew full well that the oracle Ariel received instructed her to kill him before she could ascend to Talos's divine realm.
Ariel shook her head. "Combat devoid of murderous intent is nothing more than hypocritical theater. Even if I swung my hammer at you, it wouldn't satisfy my god."
"Well, then it seems..." Anbaixiu paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
Anbaixiu raised his head and shouted toward the storm above, "Talos, see that? I told you Ariel wouldn't strike me! You lost this wager!"
Ariel's eyes widened, staring at the man before her in utter disbelief!
The next second, thunder exploded across the sky, as if Talos was truly enraged.
"You damned liar!"
Ariel roared. The hammer in her hand unleashed myriad bolts of thunder, crashing down onto Anbaixiu's head.
The rocks shattered completely, the sea turned to fire, and furious lightning battered down for minutes on end until everything before her was reduced to dust.
Only then, panting for breath, did Ariel withdraw her hammer.
The abominable liar had vanished, as if shattered to pieces long before.
From above the heavens, divine light descended, enveloping Ariel and guiding her toward that stormy divine realm.
Rising high into the sky within the divine light, Ariel cast one final glance at the spot where Anbaixiu had vanished, gritting her teeth in one last curse: "You damned liar!"
Once the radiance faded completely, the sea regained its calm, leaving behind half a destroyed islet.
The silver-white dragon glided through the sky, and at some point, Anbaixiu's figure had reappeared upon its back.
"Master, you did that on purpose just now, didn't you? Even if you really made a wager with the Lord of Storms, you didn't have to blurt it out right then and there."
Anbaixiu said with surprise, "Naomi, you've grown clever! Over these years, you didn't just absorb the power of the time dragon, but wisdom too!"
Naomi, in her dragon form, said proudly, "What wisdom could a Demonic Dragon have? Compared to you, Master, it's nothing. I learned it from you."
Anbaixiu couldn't help chuckling. As expected, pets grew more and more like their masters.
"Master, where are we heading next?" Naomi asked.
"Wherever. Go where you want to go. Or perhaps to the Land of Exile to see that old grandfather of yours? If you want to give him a beating, I can hold his head down for you and make sure he can't fight back," Anbaixiu suggested.
Naomi said dismissively, "That doesn't matter, Master. Princess Ariel isn't the only one in the world with such breadth of mind. I stopped dwelling on the past long ago."
Anbaixiu gave a comforting smile and said to Naomi, "Then go wherever you like. Once you've had your fill of fun, there'll be plenty to keep you busy later. Tiamat said the dragons want you to become the new Demonic Dragon to safeguard dragonkind's interests in the mortal realm. Whether you actually take the mantle or not is another matter, but we'll pocket the benefits first."
The silver-white dragon flapped its wings and flew into the distance, finally vanishing beyond the edge of the horizon.
Chapter 635