Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 891: The Exchange and the Ruler

The turtle swam steadily through the winding trench and remained unaware of its pursuers. They trailed the massive beast of burden for several miles as the rocky trench grew wider and deeper. The turtle eventually arrived at a seemingly random area of the ocean floor consisting of a barren plateau of jagged black rock. It came to a halt and rested its heavy flippers on the seabed while waiting patiently.The ambient water pressure suddenly spiked as an oppressive force descended from the gloom above.

"Void." Li Yu whispered through a Qi transmission.

Talia immediately pulled the team into the first layer of the void. They could not risk their auras being detected while a Tribulation ruler was this close to them. The dark blue ocean vanished and was replaced by the monochrome safety of the spatial pocket.

A massive shadow landed on the black plateau just seconds later, it was Gart the Tide Shark.

The Tribulation ruler radiated an aura of oceanic aggression that made the surrounding water physically tremble. He was an imposing figure with dark blue scales covering his muscular frame and rows of jagged teeth visible even when his mouth was shut. His shark tail swept back and forth to keep him anchored in the current.

From the back of the resting turtle, the large metal box creaked open and a siren swam out of the interior.

The team watched closely from the void while evaluating the new arrival. The aura of the siren was much weaker than Gart and rested in the Paragon realm so he was likely just a follower of Thalassa rather than the Abyssal Siren herself. He possessed pale blue skin with elegant webbed fins along his arms and carried a confident smirk that seemed out of place in front of a Tribulation ruler.

The siren swam back into the metal box and dragged two chained eels out into the open water. The captive beasts were bound tightly with glowing coral shackles and looked heavily bruised from a recent struggle.

The team could not hear the exchange as they were too far away. They had to be to avoid detection but they watched as the siren spoke and gestured to his captives. Gart listened for a moment before accepting the heavy chains with a terrifying grin. The Tide Shark tossed a glowing item back to the siren, probably in payment. It looked like a specialized oceanic resource but the exact details were obscured by the distance and the void distortion.

Both parties quickly departed once the transaction was finished. Gart swam deeper into his territory with his new prey in tow while the siren retreated to his carriage and commanded the turtle to move out.

Talia released the void pocket as the Tribulation aura faded and they materialized back in the physical water. She gasped for air as the strain of folding space under such heavy oceanic pressure took its toll on her body. Having to do it twice in such a short period of time was taxing.

"From the looks of the captives, are they capturing Mire's people?" Li Yu said while processing the transaction. "Those eels had the same distinct markings as the ones described in our intelligence for what Mire looks like. It seems Gart and this siren are working together to go against Mire?"

He thought about the strategic implications of the deal. Gart was a glutton who ate powerful beasts to increase his strength and Mire was a rival ruler who controlled a massive territory nearby.

"Perhaps we can use this and get Mire to fight Gart." Li Yu explained to his team while looking in the direction the shark had vanished. "If they are capturing Mire's people for food then we have a good reason for Mire to attack Gart. We need a distraction and a heavy hitter to deal with Gart so an enraged rival ruler is exactly what we are looking for if it works out."

It was a calculated shot since Li Yu did not truly trust any of the aquatic rulers. They were all predators who would gladly consume him if given the chance. But he could at least use their hostility against each other to create an opening for his own goals.

"Lead us to the eel territory." Li Yu ordered Ouros.

The bounty hunter nodded and adjusted their course. They traveled through the dark waters for another day until the environment changed drastically. The rocky seabed gave way to a dense underwater maze where thick pillars of stone and toxic yellow kelp blocked out the minimal light.

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It was a murky and heavily fortified domain built exclusively for defense. Thick clouds of acidic silt drifted through the water and sharp coral traps lined the narrow passages between the stone pillars. It was an environment designed to make an invading force bleed for every inch of ground they took.

They walked along the seabed through the labyrinth since swimming higher would expose them to the toxic canopy above. Zhan used his sword intent to push aside the acidic silt while Ouros relied on his iron plates to shrug off the minor traps hidden in the mud.

A patrol of eels suddenly ambushed them from a dense patch of yellow kelp.

The beasts attacked fiercely with their jaws snapping wide to inject venom. However the team was far too strong for border guards and easily overpowered them. Zhan used the flat sides of his scythes to bat the attackers away while Ouros grabbed two of them by their tails and slammed them into a stone pillar.

Li Yu raised a hand and stopped his fighters from landing lethal blows since they needed these guards alive to secure a meeting. It was not yet time to fall out with Mire.

"Take me to your leader." Li Yu commanded while hovering over the bruised patrol. "I have information he will want regarding his people’s disappearance."

The defeated eels exchanged nervous glances and realized they had no choice but to listen or else they would die. They could not defeat these intruders and the mention of the missing tribe members struck a nerve. They gestured for the team to follow and led the intruders deeper into the territory.

They passed heavy stone barricades and hundreds of hidden traps as they moved through the locked down realm. The tension in the water was thick as dozens of other eel guards watched them pass from the shadows but no one tried to stop it.

They eventually arrived in a grand central cavern where the water was slightly clearer.

Mire the Deep Eel emerged from a massive crater to meet them. He was a colossal beast with dark green scales and glowing yellow eyes that pierced through the gloom. He assessed the strong group before him and realized they were not a weak team.

"Speak." Mire demanded as his voice vibrated through the water and rattled the coral formations.

Li Yu stepped forward and explained the exchange they had just witnessed. He detailed Gart and the siren taking the captive eels on the barren plateau and described the glowing coral shackles they were bound in.

Mire grew visibly enraged as the information sank in. The heavy water Qi in the cavern spiked as his toxic aura leaked out in a display of sorrow and fury.

"Your information matches what one of my own people witnessed at a recent kidnapping." Mire revealed with a bitter tone. "I have over two hundred children. Over forty of them have been captured within the span of a few months. That gluttonous shark and those treacherous sirens are bleeding my family dry. I finally know what is behind this."

He sighed heavily and the toxic aura receded slightly.

"Thank you for this." Mire said while tossing Li Yu a spatial pouch filled with aquatic resources and refined pearls. "I did not have proof of Gart's direct involvement until now. Take this reward and go."

Li Yu caught the pouch but did not turn away because he decided to fabricate a story to bridge the gap. He needed the ruler to mobilize his forces.

"I am an enemy of Gart as well." Li Yu lied smoothly while meeting the glowing yellow eyes. "He slighted me in the past and I want to see him fall. I want to help you take him down. If we combine our forces, we can breach his territory and make him pay for your children."

Mire scoffed at the offer and shook his massive head. The ruler let out a harsh laugh that lacked any real humor.

"I cannot trust you." Mire rejected him flatly. "You are but another being traveling with powerful beasts and you show up conveniently with a story just when tensions are highest. For all I know you are part of their schemes to lure me out into an ambush."

The colossal eel coiled his body defensively over his crater.

"I am safest here within my territory with my traps, poisons and mazes." Mire declared with absolute finality. "I will not march my remaining forces out into the open waters just to fall into Gart's waiting jaws. I will defend my home and ensure no more of my kin are taken."

Li Yu understood the paranoia driving the ruler. A leader who had just lost forty children was not going to risk the rest on a gamble with a stranger. He agreed with the ruler's logic and realized pushing the issue would only provoke a fight or make Mire suspect him.

"I understand your caution." Li Yu replied with a respectful nod. "We will leave."

He turned away and the eel guards escorted the team out of the maze safely. Mire did not betray them or attempt an ambush as they left, showing that the ruler possessed some honor but Li Yu would not let down his guard in this realm again.

They breached the edge of the toxic kelp forest and floated in the neutral waters once more. Li Yu looked back toward the direction of Gart's territory as he was pondering their next move. The direct approach had failed but the knowledge they gained was still a powerful weapon waiting to be used.