Chapter 57 Sacrificial Rituals (1)

Lynn noticed the anomaly with the statue but refrained from touching it recklessly.

Instead, he maintained a safe distance and simultaneously stowed away valuable items from the laboratory into his spatial ring.

The statue emitted a low murmuring sound, causing Lynn to squint and furrow his brows.

In the next moment, the statue produced a piercing, sharp sound.

Lynn covered his ears, quickly exerting the last bit of strength to store the statue in the spatial ring. Only after the statue disappeared from sight did Lynn breathe a sigh of relief.

If it weren’t for the spatial ring, he might have met his demise.

Externally, numerous whirlpools appeared on the sea surface, affecting the ship’s speed significantly.

“This is a wizard’s ship! How dare you obstruct a wizard’s ship! You damned foolish sirens, do you want to experience another massacre?” On the ship, a transparent, blue-glowing Captain Ghost stood on the deck, angrily shouting at the sea.

With his voice, a green lantern lit up on the ship’s mast, illuminating the surrounding sea.

The wizard apprentices who had been drawn to the commotion on the deck observed the scene clearly.

On the dark and profound sea, numerous humanoid creatures floated on the surface. 

These humanoid creatures possessed fish-like gills on their heads, their eyes reflecting a bright glow in the lamplight. Their upper bodies were bare, covered in tough scales. With hair resembling seaweed, these humanoid beings bore a striking resemblance to humans in terms of facial features, except for the fish-like gills and humanoid scales. Their other features, including the five senses, closely resembled those of humans.

Some of them held long tridents in their hands, while others wielded curved blades. In the distant sea, there were even some humanoid creatures mounted on sea beasts, akin to knights of the sea, circling the ship in groups.

At this moment, these humanoid creatures surrounded the ship, hesitating to attack yet unwilling to disperse.

“These are sirens, intelligent beings that live in the sea,” remarked a knowledgeable wizard apprentice.

“Why are they intercepting our ship? Have these sirens gone mad?” exclaimed a frightened wizard apprentice.

On the nearby deck lay the lifeless body of a wizard apprentice.

The young wizard apprentice hailed from a distant kingdom, his chestnut curls now drenched and lifeless, framing a face with delicate features. However, the liveliness had drained away, leaving behind a gaping hole in his chest.

Pierced by some sharp object, there was no visible weapon, only his clothes soaked by the relentless sea.

“Nureth is dead. These cursed sirens killed Nureth,” one apprentice exclaimed with shock and anger.

“These sirens dared to attack wizards. They must be out of their minds. I heard that wizards once massacred and captured these sirens. They only dared to hide in the ocean trenches. Now, they dare to come out and attack wizards.”

“They need to be taught a lesson.”

“Go inform Lord Harin. If an apprentice dies, Lord Harin will surely punish these sirens.”

The apprentices engaged in heated discussions, voices echoing on the deck.

“Quiet,” commanded the Captain Ghost on the deck.

From the very first moment of the incident, he had sent ghost sailors to notify the accompanying Lord Wizard. However, for some unknown reason, Lord Harin had yet to make an appearance.

“Cough, cough, cough.” A faint cough emanated from the direction of the ship’s cabin.

“How did someone die?” a gloomy voice from behind inquired. Someone whispered that Lord Harin had arrived, and the cacophony on the deck instantly ceased.

A middle-aged wizard, with lavender hair, thick beard, a hawkish nose, and slender eyebrows, emerged from the cabin nonchalantly.

Walking at a measured pace, he reached the deceased apprentice’s body on the deck. “The ice melted into water, pierced through the heart by an ice crystal spear. Impressive accuracy. This was the work of a skilled marksman,” Harin observed the sea with a detached tone.

“No one’s answering?” Harin’s lips curled, but the smile bore an icy coldness.

“Daring to attack the enrollment ship of the Wizard Academy but not daring to show yourselves? It seems the Siren Clan in the Black Turbid Sea needs to experience a massacre,” he added.

“I was the one who did it, esteemed wizard.” The sirens scattered across the water, as a leading female siren—mounted on a sea beast—emerged from the ranks.

“We didn’t know in advance that this was a ship recruiting students for the Wizard Academy. We sincerely apologize, Lord Wizard. We are willing to offer compensation,” said the alluring and well-proportioned female siren.

“The treasures worshipped within our clan have been stolen, and the thief used illusions to escape in this direction. We thought the thief was on this ship,” the female siren humbly explained.

The female siren felt helpless. Had she known this was a ship recruiting students for the Wizard Academy, she would never have attacked it. The vast expanse of the ocean stretched endlessly, and for them sirens, as sea beings, there were almost no powers within the sea that they could not afford to offend—except for wizards.

She never expected to collide directly with a ship recruiting students for the Wizard Academy. Such luck was truly unfortunate.

Harin remained expressionless, aware that these sirens had become increasingly arrogant in recent years, taking advantage of their ability to live in water and their intelligence. Many sirens communities had been taken in by wizards as affiliated clans.

Because they became affiliated with wizards, their status rose significantly, and over time, these sirens became more audacious.

However, this was a ship transporting new students for the Wizard Academy, not just anyone.

“Take a hundred corpses and leave them here—my experiment lacks a bit of materials,” Harin said indifferently.

Upon hearing Harin’s request, the sirens erupted in chaos.

On the sea, waves rolled, and sea beasts lurking beneath the surface exposed their backs, patrolling in groups.

A multitude of sirens appeared densely around the surrounding sea. In the distance, the sirens’ sparkling eyes resembled the stars in the night sky, creating an illusion of being surrounded by a legion of sirens.

At this moment, the wizard apprentices even had the illusion of being surrounded by a legion in the sea.

The atmosphere became tense, and the wizard apprentices on the deck nervously watched the scene unfold.

This was the open sea—if the ship sank, they would be like lambs to the slaughter.

“Very well, Lord,” the leading female siren promptly agreed to the request without hesitation.

The female siren leader raised her right hand, and in the next moment, a large number of robust sirens personally took action.

Within an instant, hundreds of sirens were slaughtered, and the sea surface was stained with blue blood. Soon, strong siren warriors brought the corpses onto the deck.

Following that, the female siren leader, accompanied by numerous sirens, retreated into the sea.

The sirens, densely scattered across the vast expanse of the surrounding sea, vanished beneath the waves, sinking into the depths where one could no longer discern their multitude.

The vortex that had ensnared the ship silently dissipated, allowing the vessel to continue its course forward.

With a subtle silver glow emanating from his right hand, Harin extended his arm, causing all the siren corpses on the deck to disappear in the next moment.

“Leader, why should we yield even if there are wizards on that ship? This is our home turf, and we have so many warriors around. Even if there are real wizards…”

In the depths of the sea, a robust siren warrior questioned with incomprehension.

The female siren leader cast a deep gaze upon him. “How does our Siren Clan compare to its peak power?”

“Not even close,” the siren warrior shook his head.

During their peak, the Siren Clan had established a formidable empire on the ocean floor, boasting advanced professions, taming numerous deep-sea behemoths, and possessing multiple elite legions.

However, the Siren Clan in the Black Turbid Sea now was a far cry from their peak.

“Having just one apprentice die who hadn’t even joined the academy allows room for reconciliation. But if we dare to attack a ship recruiting academy students, the price will be our clan’s corpses scattered across the field,” the female siren leader stated.

Even though she knew the escapee likely had taken refuge on the ship, it was evident that the wizard was prepared to shield that person. She had no choice unless she desired to plunge the Siren Clan into a full-fledged war with the wizards.

——