Mad Black Mage’s Tower Strategy
Chapter 117
Step- step-.
Seo-jin hastily escaped from the audience chamber after his negotiation with Lunaria.
‘I don’t know when Lunaria’s mind might change again.’
She could order a pursuit at any moment, so he had to move quickly before she had a change of heart.
Seo-jin walked almost at a run as he commanded Nam-gung Cheon.
“You bring the hostages. I’ll prepare the submarine.”
If they could just board the high-speed submarine he had come with along with Francesca, they could escape safely.
Nam-gung Cheon nodded, then opened his mouth as if remembering something.
“Ah, come to think of it, in the underground prison where I was held…”
He recalled the Sea Dragon Folk who had been imprisoned across from his cell. Since they were escaping anyway, it would be perfect to take them along too.
But Seo-jin dismissed his words.
“There’s no time to go to the underground prison. I asked Francesca to handle that side, so don’t worry about it.”
“Hey, do you even know what I’m talking about? And what do you mean you left it to Francesca?”
“I’ll explain that later, so shut up and just bring the hostages.”
“…”
A short while later.
Nam-gung Cheon safely brought twenty hostages and loaded them onto the submarine.
Originally a high-speed submarine for five people, the interior was packed without room to step.
“Then we’re departing.”
Seo-jin injected magic power and launched the submarine.
Whirrr-.
The submarine shot out of the dock with engine noise and was fired into the water.
But as soon as the submarine left the Sea Dragon Folk’s stronghold.
Whooom-.
With tremendous engine sounds, multiple Sea Dragon Folk submarines began chasing after them.
“Hey, shit, they’re chasing us from behind!”
Nam-gung Cheon shouted, looking at the Sea Dragon Folk pursuit team following behind.
The pursuit team was closing the distance at torpedo-like speed.
Seeing this, Seo-jin narrowed his eyes.
‘As expected, they’re trying to eliminate us.’
He hadn’t thought they’d let him go easily, but to attack as soon as he left the stronghold.
Morally it wasn’t right, but practically it was the correct judgment.
If combat broke out inside the stronghold, variables could arise, but if they sank the submarine while it was submerged, they could eliminate them with certainty.
However, what they overlooked was…
‘The person piloting this submarine is me.’
Francesca’s high-speed submarine gained speed according to the amount of magic power input.
It would be somewhat difficult with four or five times the capacity aboard, but they just had to endure until reaching Atlantis.
Seo-jin connected the energy core’s pass to the submarine and steadily input magic power.
Whoooosh-.
With the magic power input, acceleration was instantly attached, and the submarine shot forward in a flash.
“Whoaaa!”
From the shock of the sudden acceleration, not only Nam-gung Cheon but also the Sea Folk tumbled backward.
The submarine was advancing rapidly and the Sea Dragon Folk pursuit team growing distant behind.
Seo-jin grinned and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“Come and try to follow if you can.”
***
Whoosh-.
The Black Coral Wharf on the outskirts of Atlantis.
Having shaken off the Sea Dragon Folk pursuit team, Seo-jin’s group safely arrived at Atlantis.
Right after Seo-jin’s group disembarked, Francesca’s speedboat began emitting thick smoke and soon exploded.
Having pushed the engine so hard, it was natural for it to burst.
“You crazy bastard, we almost died!”
Nam-gung Cheon grabbed Seo-jin’s collar and shook him vigorously.
Tap-.
Seo-jin removed Nam-gung Cheon’s hand gripping his collar and straightened his clothes.
“You lived, didn’t you? If it wasn’t for me, you’d all have died in an explosion at the bottom of the sea. Be grateful.”
At first, Seo-jin’s submarine took a great lead thanks to the energy core’s overwhelming magic power.
But the Sea Dragon Folk pursuit team was no pushover either.
What they were riding was a military submarine.
Not only was it fast and powerful, but it was equipped with magic cannons, so if they got grazed wrong, they’d all die together.
On the other hand, what was mounted on the submarine Seo-jin’s group rode was just a simple magic cannon that could at most chase away schools of fish along the route.
However, even a simple magic cannon had different output depending on the amount of magic power input.
Seo-jin used Future Sight to dodge the magic cannons the enemy fired, and used the Eye of Insight to find water veins in the surroundings and fired magic cannons to detonate them.
Boom-!
The magic power and bubble baptism surging from the water veins played a role similar to flares, swallowing up the Sea Dragon Folk submarines that were in pursuit.
The wharf they barely reached after a nail-biting chase.
Nam-gung Cheon, who had watched the entire situation from the side, let out a deep sigh and nodded.
“That’s… right.”
Had he ever piloted something similar?
His godlike submarine piloting was unbelievable even seeing it with his own eyes.
Having cooled his head, Nam-gung Cheon bowed and expressed his gratitude to Seo-jin.
“Thanks to you, we lived. Both me and the Sea Folk.”
“At least you have some shame.”
“…”
He was grateful, but that mouth of his had to add one more word to invite a beating.
Nam-gung Cheon suppressed his anger and asked.
“That aside, what happened?”
The situation was urgent so he couldn’t ask, but under what circumstances did Seo-jin end up coming to the Sea Dragon Folk’s stronghold with Francesca?
Seo-jin said while rummaging through the wreckage of the destroyed submarine to gather useful things.
“It’s not that great a story. Since you weren’t coming no matter what, I went to meet with the Sea Dragon Folk’s head as well. I met Francesca on the way.”
“How on earth did you persuade that person?”
She was so proud that she only dealt with corporations, and even if you somehow managed to negotiate well and try to commission her, she’d demand an enormous sum.
To that question, Seo-jin held up two fingers.
“I used the carrot and stick.”
Literally carrot and stick. He used beatings and money.
Adding one more thing to that, he used a pact similar to what he had made with Nam-gung Cheon, restricting her so she couldn’t betray him.
“I beat her up and gave her money, and she listened well. That’s when I also heard about you being captured in the underground prison and about the Sea Dragon Folk’s prince. That’s what you were trying to tell me, right?”
“Y-yes.”
But he beat up that thief cat?
Even Nam-gung Cheon couldn’t be confident about being able to catch Francesca in a speed battle, so how exactly?
However, Seo-jin didn’t even elaborate on that process, as if it was nothing special.
“I asked Francesca to handle it, so she’ll bring out the Sea Dragon Folk’s prince at an appropriate time. Probably.”
If the moderate prince was safe, even after the situation ended, they could minimize the conflict between the races to some degree.
As they chatted briefly, a group of Sea Folk approached from a distance.
Step step-.
The temple knights wearing white armor.
At their head were Nam-gung Rin and Baduki.
Nam-gung Rin had come out with them to meet the group.
***
The temple of Atlantis, reached again with the escort of the knights.
This time, not only High Priestess Leila but also Atlantis’s major leadership had gathered at the round table.
Those attending this meeting were seven of the twelve clans of the sea.
The Fish Folk (魚人) to which most general fish like the flounder priest belonged, the Deep Drum (深鼓) where whales gathered, the Soft Sea (柔海) of jellyfish, the Sword Scale (劍鱗) to which combat-type Sea Folk like marlins and sharks belonged, the Fish Flower (漁花) of corals, the Spiny Skin (棘皮) where starfish and sea cucumbers gathered, and the Cloud Sea (雲海) clan of flying fish had assembled in one place.
However, the Sea Dragon (海龍), the Soft Scale (柔鱗) which included water snake Sea Folk, the Cephalopod (頭足) to which octopi and other mollusks belonged, the Deep Eye (深眼) made up of deep-sea fish like anglerfish, and the Crustacean (甲殼) clan that was despised for going between freshwater and land did not participate.
Those five were anti-Atlantis forces, each having their own strongholds outside the city and maintaining hostile relationships with Atlantis.
The Sea Folk who were royalty and of priestly bloodline didn’t belong to the twelve clans of the sea from the beginning.
They were originally human but became a newly incorporated race with the appearance of Pontos.
“…This is all the information I’ve gathered. I’ll take questions.”
Under Leila’s chairmanship, a meeting with the seven clan chiefs was established.
Seo-jin explained the events that had occurred so far and future plans in front of them.
The one who stole the Tears of the Sea God was a phantom thief who received a commission from Lunaria and a corporation, and currently they were manufacturing Dragon-Human Soldiers using drugs.
The content was that they had plans to attack and occupy Atlantis soon and revive Leviathan.
Then.
Bang-.
Candra, the chief of the Sword Scale clan who was a shark-type Sea Folk, bared his teeth at Seo-jin.
“How can we believe those words? How will you prove that you’re different from those villains and the outsider corporation they’re in cahoots with? Huh?”
It was typical of the Sword Scale clan, who were extremely wary of outsiders and belligerent.
But Seo-jin had no intention of persuading him.
He just leaned back comfortably in his chair and crossed his legs.
“Don’t believe it if you don’t want to. I’m not the one who’ll be sorry.”
Having this meeting was only out of moral responsibility as an outsider like the corporation that caused this incident, and as a sign of respect for Leila.
He didn’t attend thinking these people would provide great help.
“What?”
“Just as I said. I can just leave this city, but you and your subordinate people will bear all the damage. Who’s the one who should be sorry?”
“Shut up! The very fact that you came back safely from the enemy’s stronghold is suspicious. You, aren’t you a spy they sent?”
Seo-jin snorted.
“Hmph. The spy is you, who stupidly just watched the enemies’ gathering and external corporations’ monopolization of distribution networks with your eyes wide open. If you’re not a spy, then you’re even more incompetent than that.”
“This land rat with a loose mouth!”
Candra rose from his seat and shouted as if he’d pounce at any moment.
Leila intervened to mediate the worsening atmosphere.
“Please calm down, Lord Candra. I will vouch for this person’s identity. He has been of great help to our Atlantis.”
“Grr. If the High Priestess says so.”
“Lord Seo-jin, please understand generously as well. We Sea Folk are not very knowledgeable about outside affairs.”
“Fine.”
What great insight could he expect from Sea Folk who had lived trapped under the sea?
It would be no different from the situation of colonized people who faced imperial powers one day. Of course they’d be confused.
“So, what should we do?”
A mushy jellyfish Sea Folk spoke to Seo-jin.
Was it Cantalone of the Soft Sea clan?
Seo-jin said to her.
“You need to prepare for war with the Sea Dragons. Bring the people inside the walls and close the gates. Give weapons to those who can fight. That’s the first thing you need to do.”
The atmosphere of the meeting hall grew heavy at Seo-jin’s words.
Leila parted her lips with a gloomy expression.
“Is it… a recreation of the racial war?”
Long ago, the marine races had also split into two camps and pointed swords at each other.
Would that painful history be recreated again today?
“Maybe. But what’s different from before is that this war will be a proxy war.”
“A proxy war… do you mean we’ll participate in the outsiders’ fight in their place?”
“In some sense that’s correct, but it also means you can avoid bloody combat with the opponents.”
The enemy’s main force was the Dragon-Human Soldiers. Unfortunately, Atlantis’s current military strength couldn’t handle them.
As long as they were connected by contracts, the Sea Folk with flesh and blood couldn’t win against infinitely regenerating combat machines.
To that extent.
‘We’ll have to respond to infinite regeneration with infinite regeneration.’
Fortunately, this underwater city had very many bones that had sunk to the bottom.
It was terrain suitable for commanding large-scale skeletons.
The skeletons would advance to the front, and the Sea Folk would just provide support from within the walls and barriers.
Combat would break out between the two camps, but it wouldn’t lead to a chain of hatred repaying blood with blood.
Of course, if the Sea Dragon Folk’s elite crossed the walls and charged inside, the Sea Folk would have to respond to that degree.
This was combat preparation for that purpose.
At Seo-jin’s explanation, Leila nodded as if she understood.
“I understand. I’ll work closely with each clan chief to quickly establish a combat stance. Then what will you do, Lord Seo-jin…”
Leila had decided to lend the Tears of Pontos through her conversation with Nam-gung Rin.
How would Seo-jin use the Tears of Pontos?
To this, Seo-jin answered with a smile.
“I need to evolve my pet.”
Seo-jin petted the head of Baduki, who was sitting obediently beside him.
Bigger and stronger.
Enough to recreate a legendary monster battle.
