Chương 232

Rudra pushed the heavy crystal doors open and stepped outside. The cool, damp cave air hit his face. It smelled like salt and wet rock, a nice change from the stuffy golden light of the temple. Thalassa and Neria were waiting by the wooden boat. Kratos was curled up nearby, snoring softly with his paws twitching in his sleep. The moment they saw Rudra, their expressions shifted completely.

Thalassa had respected Rudra from the very beginning—saving the Divine Orca cub had proven his character—but this time it was different. The [Champion of the Sea] title was actively radiating its effect. To them, Rudra didn't just look like a strong challenger anymore. He seemed to carry the natural authority of the ocean itself. He was their chosen leader. Thalassa immediately dropped to one knee. He planted the butt of his spear into the crystal sand and bowed his head.

Neria, who he had already reached max affinity with, also knelt right beside him, clasping her hands together in deep prayer. [Affinity with Thalassa has reached the Maximum!] [He will lay his life down for your sake!]"You have returned, Champion," Thalassa said. His rough voice was filled with intense respect.

"The Orca Archipelago is yours to command. My spear is yours. Point it, and I will strike."

"The Ocean God's will is clear," Neria added softly, her eyes shining.

"We will follow your guiding light into the darkest waters." Rudra blinked. He pushed mana into his eyes to see exactly what he was working with. [Name: Thalassa] [Age: 58] [Gender: Male] [Race: Human] Titles: [Chief of the Orca Archipelago] - Exercises high authority over the residents of the Orca Archipelago. [Survivor of the 12 Trials] - Stamina and Persistence are increased by 50% when fighting in aquatic environments.

[Vanguard of the New Champion] - All stats increase by 20% when fighting alongside the Champion of the Sea. [Level: 385] [Strength: 3, 100 | Stamina: 3, 450] [Agility: 1, 800 | Intelligence: 600] [Dexterity: 1, 200 | Persistence: 2, 100] [Courage: 1, 850 | Ocean Affinity: 1, 500] [Skills: Advanced Spear Mastery (S), Deep Sea Breathing (A+), Abyssal Strike (A), Veteran's Footwork (B+), Ocean's Resistance (S-).] [The rugged Chief of the Orca Archipelago. Having survived 12 of the Ocean God's trials using raw instinct, his physical endurance is far beyond normal humans. He has pledged absolute loyalty to the new Champion of the Sea.] [Name: Neria] [Age: 66] [Gender: Female] [Race: Human (Siren Lineage)] This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Title: [Voice of the Calm Sea] - Singing naturally pacifies aquatic beasts and hostile weather conditions within a 1-kilometer radius.

[Guiding Light of the Archipelago] - Healing magic efficiency is increased by 100% when cast near or on the ocean. [Apostle of the New Champion] - Mana regeneration and Divine Power increase by 30% when in the presence of the Champion of the Sea. [Level: 340] [Strength: 400 | Stamina: 850] [Agility: 1, 100 | Intelligence: 2, 950] [Dexterity: 1, 400 | Charm: 3, 200] [Divine Power: 3, 100 | Composure: 1, 800] [Skills: Asterion's Healing (S), Siren's Hymn (S+), Water Barrier (A), Ocean God's Blessing (A+), Purify (B).] [The High Priestess of the Ocean God. She possesses a rare voice passed down from a distant Siren bloodline, allowing her to naturally calm the tumultuous sea. She views the new Champion as the absolute authority of the sea.] Rudra smiled. Getting two high-level Named NPCs right out of the gate was a huge win.

"Stand up," Rudra said, walking toward the boat.

"Your knees are going to lock up if you stay like that." They stood up slowly. Thalassa gripped his bone spear, looking incredibly serious.

"What are your orders, Champion? Do we rally the islanders? Do we hunt the remaining sea beasts in the trench? Do we build a monument in your honor?

""No," Rudra said.

"I don't need a monument. We need to talk business." Thalassa tilted his head.

"Business?"

"I'm not just a challenger passing through," Rudra told them plainly.

"I'm a Duke on the mainland. Right now, your islands are completely isolated. If we connect the archipelago to my territory, we can open up safe trade routes." Thalassa rubbed his bearded chin.

"A Duke... mainland nobility, yes? The ones with the fancy hats and the large stone houses?"

"Something like that," Rudra said.

"Except it's a bit bigger than a stone house. I rule a massive territory. A few cities, actually." Thalassa's eyes widened slightly. He knew the mainland had kingdoms, but he hadn't realized the young man standing in front of him ruled a large chunk of one. As a chief, he immediately saw the practical value.

"A whole territory... Our people wouldn't have to ration kelp and dried fish during the harsh storm seasons. But mainland politics are tricky. Do we need to fight other nobles for you?"

"Not really, unless they go offend us," Rudra said. Thalassa nodded firmly, his grip tightening on his spear.

"Understood. Just point out the ones you want impaled."

"We'll save the impaling for later," Rudra said, holding back a laugh.

"First, we have to handle the paperwork. I have an administrator who handles all the legal and trade details. I want to take you there to meet him right now so we can sort out the contracts and formally integrate your islands." Neria stepped forward, her face filled with holy determination.

"Do not fear, Champion. If you require these 'contracts' to be vanquished, we shall stamp them with the absolute wrath of the Ocean God!" Rudra stared at her. She looked completely ready to cast a divine smite on a tax document.

"... Just signing them with a pen is fine, Neria." Thalassa and Neria exchanged a quick look. It was a lot to take in. They were ready for war or monster hunting, but becoming part of a mainland trade network was entirely new territory.

"If the Champion commands it, we will go anywhere," Neria said without hesitation.

"Good," Rudra said. Before casting his spell, Rudra pulled up his system menu and sent a quick command to dispel his clone. A rush of memories hit his brain all at once. For the last few days, while Rudra was undergoing the trials, his clone had been travelling to the main island and helped the various islander for free by cooking for them, making some alchemical items and helping heal them.

The memories were mostly just the clone sighing, grinding constantly and using [Mumud's Spell Drain] to recover Mana whenever it decreased. It had spent the entire time continuously cooking meals, brewing various alchemic potions, and healing the islanders.. The clone had also spent some time safely walking around the other outer islands searching for any talents. According to the memories, there were no other hidden talents or Named NPCs hiding around.

Thalassa and Neria were the only two real prizes in the archipelago. Rudra opened the system prompts that showed the clone's grinding the last few days. [Your skill 'Intermediate Medicine Making (Lv. 7)' has reached (Lv. 9).] [Your skill 'Advanced Alchemy (Lv. 2)' has reached (Lv. 3).] [Your skill 'Advanced Cooking (Lv. 8)' has reached (Lv. 9).] Perfect.

He was only one level away from finally mastering Advanced Cooking and reaching the advanced in Medicine Making, it helped that there were many injured islander present with no access to proper healing methods other than the priestess's simple healing. Rudra raised his heavy metal staff and gathered a large amount of mana. The air around the boat began to hum and vibrate with thick blue energy.

"Get in and hold on to the boat," Rudra said. Thalassa and Neria climbed in and grabbed the wooden rails tightly. Thalassa looked a bit nervous about the glowing magic swirling around them. Kratos finally woke up. The tank sized lion yawned widely, stretched his front legs, looked at the blinding blue teleportation magic, and then just laid his head back down on the floorboards, completely unbothered.

"Try not to throw up," Rudra warned them. [Mumud's Mass Teleport]. A bright flash of blue magic swallowed the crystal beach and the boat. With a loud pop, they vanished, leaving the fifteenth island completely empty once again.