Faced with their questions, Hysilens replied with simple directness: "I am Hysilens, Demigod of the Sea, sent here by the Imperator. All Barbarian clans must travel to the Northern Territory's central region to pay homage to the Imperator."
Hysilens gazed at the group before her and asked, "Who is the leader of your clan?"
The fisherman couldn't help but scoff. "Demigod of the Sea? We have no such god in the Northern Territory! And what's this 'Imperator' garbage? Does he think I'll come running just because he orders me to?"
Hysilens turned her gaze to the fisherman. "So, you are the leader of this clan?"
Without hesitation, the fisherman thumped his chest. "Dave Nanmu! Leader of the Nanmu Clan. What's it to you?"
Hysilens nodded calmly. "Then you'll come with me."
"Wait a minute," Dave protested. "Didn't I just say I wouldn't go? What kind of leader would I be if I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Dave felt the ground vanish beneath his feet. With a splash, he plunged into the sea. Hysilens turned to the bewildered Barbarians surrounding her and said, "I'll return your Boss to you shortly."
Then, she stepped forward and dropped into the ice cave she had just emerged from.
The moment she submerged, she saw Dave flailing his limbs frantically, struggling to swim upward. Though Barbarians rarely entered the sea, swimming was a necessary skill for them, and every Barbarian was a decent swimmer.
But this situation was clearly different. Dave could distinctly feel the seawater resisting him, as if the ocean itself were working against him. It wasn't like being in the sea at all—it was more like being trapped in quicksand, each movement requiring immense strength.
Seeing his struggle, Hysilens said, "Stop fighting it. This entire ocean is an extension of my will. You can't escape. Just wait a moment; we'll reach our destination soon."
As she spoke, Hysilens and Dave shot forward simultaneously, like a missile launched underwater. Visible ripples formed around them as they accelerated.
Hysilens glided ahead, her hands pressed against her outer thighs, her body swaying gently like a graceful fish gliding through the water—elegant and beautiful. In stark contrast, Dave, trailing behind her, gritted his teeth, his mouth and eyelids flapping wildly from the sheer speed.
He looked like one of those comical characters in a slapstick cartoon, flying through the air at breakneck speed. To put it mildly, Dave felt like his body was soaring ahead while his soul scrambled to catch up.
Strictly speaking, they weren't swimming; the water was propelling them forward, making them truly "fly" underwater.
In his panic, Dave even forgot to hold his breath and instinctively gasped for air. To his astonishment, he didn't choke. Hysilens had thoughtfully created a pocket of air around his head, ensuring he could breathe.
In mere moments, Hysilens had carried Dave to the heart of the Northern Territory, back to the very spot where she had first entered the water. With a light leap, she propelled herself out of the cave entrance, and Dave followed close behind, squeezed out of the opening as if spat out by the sea.
Tap-tap~
Splash~
The first sound was the light tap-tap of Hysilens' heels landing on the ground, while the second was the muffled thud of Dave's face hitting the ground. After a long moment, Dave slowly climbed to his feet, looking around in a daze. He muttered, "Wait, where are we? Is this still the Northern Territory?"
His immediate second reaction was to strip off his clothes. This wasn't some lewd impulse, but a survival instinct. Having just emerged from the frigid water, he knew that despite the water's minimum temperature being zero degrees Celsius and the air outside sometimes dropping to -30 or -40 degrees Celsius, the water was actually far more dangerous.
Under the surface, clothing offered no insulation; the icy water enveloped his entire body, accelerating heat loss far beyond what he would experience on land. Worse still, in severe underwater conditions, wet clothes became a liability. When the freezing wind struck, they would only intensify the cold.
However, Dave had barely managed to pull off half his clothes when he noticed something odd. He touched his shirt, pants, and then his hair, all of which were completely dry.
Hysilens spoke up, "I've already drained all the cold water from your clothes."
Dave blinked, then stammered, "Uh... thank you?"
"You're welcome," Hysilens replied.
But Dave only realized a moment later, "Wait a minute! Didn't you drag me into the sea against my will? Why should I be thanking you?"
The commotion between them drew curious glances from several North Wind Clan barbarians, who happened to witness Dave half-undressed—a scene that felt almost like public humiliation.
Unfazed, Dave quickly redressed and turned to Hysilens, his expression puzzled. "So, you're really that... God of the Ocean?"
Hysilens nodded. "Of course."
Dave cut to the chase. "Alright then. If you're not in charge, then there's nothing more to discuss. Where's this Imperator you mentioned earlier? I'll meet him and be done with it!"
With that, Dave scanned his surroundings, taking in the sight of the North Wind Clan members building their huts. A wave of novelty washed over him as he scanned the crowd for the figure of Imperator. "Where is he? Where's he hiding?"
Whether it was the fact that this Imperator had a god as a subordinate or the name "Imperator" itself, a formidable and imposing image of a heroic figure had already formed in his mind. Normally, such a figure would be instantly recognizable, someone you could spot at a glance.
As it turned out, Dave saw a real owlbear rolling around on the ground, playing like a cub, but not the formidable Imperator he had imagined.
Then, a sudden series of footsteps materialized "out of thin air" beside him, drawing closer. Dave looked around, utterly bewildered, until Cerydra spoke up, "I'm right here. What are you staring at?"
Startled, Dave lowered his gaze and saw a cute little girl with white-blue hair standing with one hand on her hip and a slight lift of her brow. His mouth dropped open, and he managed to blurt out, "You—"
But as he spoke, he noticed Hysilens standing beside Cerydra. Despite Hysilens's complete lack of movement, Dave instantly changed his question, "You're the Imperator?"
Cerydra's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. It had to be said, Dave was the first person she'd met who hadn't immediately commented on her height. While she didn't particularly care about her height, hearing it mentioned constantly would undoubtedly grow tiresome.
-
Meanwhile, Aria and her group, who had ventured out to search for other Barbarian clans, also found success. Let's start with Aria's group. She was accompanied by an older Barbarian in his forties. Though his physical condition was declining with age, his experience had only grown more seasoned.
Before long, the Old Barbarian discovered warning signs left by another clan. He led Aria along the trail, quickly locating a Barbarian clan.
Even before they drew close, the clan members spotted them. Over thirty heavily armed warriors surged out, glaring menacingly at the pair.
Seeing them continue to advance despite the warning signs, the clan members immediately considered two possibilities: war or seeking refuge.
Noticing only Aria and the Old Barbarian, an elderly and young pair, they naturally assumed the latter. One of them shouted, "We're sorry, but our food supplies are already stretched thin. Try your luck with another clan. We don't accept refugees here!"
The Old Barbarian stepped forward and declared, "No, we haven't come to seek refuge. Boss Imperator has ordered us to find and rally other Barbarian Clans. Come with me! Join her forces!"
Naturally, the Barbarian's persuasion skills left much to be desired. The Old Barbarian made no mention of their abundant food or endless supply of clothing. Instead, he immediately demanded they follow him, making it absurd to expect them to agree.
However, Aria was equally absurd. After the Old Barbarian finished speaking, she nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm, that's right! So, who's your boss? Could you come with us sometime?"
Hearing this exchange, the other Barbarians were both furious and amused. One, who seemed to be their leader, snapped, "Get these lunatics out of here!"
Several Barbarians immediately began brandishing their weapons and advancing toward Aria. She blinked innocently. "Eh? Wait, hold on! Let's talk this over!"
But these barbarians had no intention of listening to her. One of them had already reached Aria's side, raising his axe to chop down on her shoulder.
Before the axe could fall, Aria moved with lightning speed. In the instant he attacked, she preemptively drew the longsword from her back and struck him in the abdomen with the hilt, sending him flying two meters away.
"P-please... stop fighting!" Aria pleaded, kicking another barbarian airborne as she spoke.
"We really just want to invite you over for a chat!" Ducking under a barbarian's swing, she countered with a swift elbow strike.
"Boss Imperator is really nice—beautiful and cute! You'll definitely like her~" Blocking an incoming axe with her sword, Aria executed a practiced flourish, disarming her opponent with a deft maneuver before landing a decisive punch.
The scene was utterly surreal. The Old Barbarians beside Aria stared in dumbfounded awe. Aria wore a pitiful, puppy-eyed expression as she spoke in a soft, cutesy voice, yet each strike she landed decisively felled another barbarian.
Even more astonishingly, the Old Barbarian witnessed a Barbarian across the battlefield erupt into a frenzy, roaring as he swung his axe at Aria. Yet she effortlessly stopped the blow with a gentle pinch between her thumb and forefinger.
How could Aria's physical abilities surpass even those of Barbarians in a frenzy of Rage?!
This was due to the Paladin Divine Artifact she wielded, which drastically enhanced the user's physical capabilities. Paladins were already numerical powerhouses, and this artifact amplified their stats to an even more absurd degree.
Beyond immunity to negative statuses and enhanced physical stats, the Divine Artifact also granted numerous buffs: accelerated wound healing, accelerated stamina recovery, and a Protection from Evil Barrier.
The accelerated wound healing effect was akin to having a Priest constantly casting Cure Wounds on Aria. As long as she wasn't instantly killed by a fatal blow—a decapitation or heart puncture—she could regenerate at an astonishing rate.
The accelerated stamina recovery effectively granted her infinite stamina. Since Paladin skills consume stamina, this infinite stamina meant she could spam Divine Smite as if it were a basic attack.
The Protection from Evil Barrier was even more absurd—essentially a permanent Shield Spell. Any devil, demon, undead creature, or similar entity that attacked Aria would automatically trigger this barrier.
The battle raged on. Seeing Aria's outrageous abilities, some enemies couldn't help but shift their gaze toward the Old Barbarian standing behind her.
Because Aria was deliberately holding back, the enemy forces had managed to stall her, preventing her from breaking through the encirclement. However, she took a deep breath, and a golden wave of light erupted from her, spreading outward in all directions!
As the golden wave washed over the Old Barbarian, a faint golden glow enveloped him as well. All the passive effects of the Divine Artifacts mentioned earlier were indeed passive, but this particular Divine Artifact possessed an active ability: a Super Aura that projected all passive effects outward in a radiant aura, granting all allied units the same buffs!
This aura could affect an area spanning several kilometers—an absurdly vast range.
While this Divine Artifact might lack the raw destructive power of others, its wide-area buffs were truly outrageous. It could instantly transform a group of ordinary, combat-inexperienced civilians into warriors with the combat prowess of the Empire's elite Imperial Guard.
Clenching his fists, the Old Barbarian felt the surging power coursing through his veins. A blissful expression spread across his face as he charged forward, eagerly engaging the enemy in combat.
His combat experience was unparalleled, honed over decades of survival in the harsh Northern Territory. He had likely fought more battles than many younger warriors had eaten fish. Yet, age and accumulated injuries had steadily eroded his combat effectiveness.
But the moment Aria's buff took effect, his old wounds healed instantly, and his physical condition surpassed even his prime. The Old Barbarian roared with laughter, "It's been ages since I've experienced such exhilarating combat! Ha ha ha! What a thrill!"