"Charge!"
"Rescue the princess!!!"
"Kill!"
The sounds of battle raged outside the cave encampment. Countless merman warriors, their eyes bloodshot, charged forward. Behind them, merman mages chanted, their scepters tracing circles as they hurled fireballs, each possessing power comparable to cannon fire, towards the energy shield.
"Not broken yet?"
A cold, arrogant whisper drifted over.
The hunched old turtle, upon seeing the newcomer, immediately bowed his head respectfully.
"Second Miss, you have come in person."
"Could I not come? Elder Sister is frantic knowing her younger sister was captured. If not for Elder Sister's pregnancy, she would have been here herself." The second princess of the merfolk, Irina, murmured with a serious tone. "It's just a dilapidated mountain fort, why is it taking so long to conquer?"
"This fort possesses a treasure, and considering the third princess is also within the stronghold, we dare not use excessive firepower."
"Ah, my little sister, truly knows how to cause trouble."
Irina couldn't help but press her forehead. Her slender eyes gazed at the energy shield, now riddled with cracks and appearing extremely precarious. It couldn't hold on much longer.
About fifteen minutes later—
Boom!!!
The defensive energy shield could no longer withstand the assault and shattered into countless fragments of light and shadow. The warriors who had been charging ahead earlier, roaring, kicked down the gate of the encampment and stormed in.
Irina and the old turtle followed behind the main army.
Thieves are still thieves!
Facing the well-equipped and disciplined merman warriors, the bandits within the encampment were subdued in less than a hundred breaths. By the time Irina entered the fort, the stronghold was filled with surrendered outlaws.
"Come here!"
Just then, the merman commander, clad in obsidian battle armor, approached holding a captive beastman.
"Second Princess, this beastman should be the leader of this encampment."
"Is it you?" Irina walked forward with a smile. The beastman, not daring to breathe, lowered his head. "It's not me, it's not me."
"You have quite the nerve."
Irina, leaning down to look at the beastman, had a smile playing on her lips.
"Where is my sister?"
"Wh-what sister? I haven't seen your sister at all." The beastman craned his neck, bewildered. The merman commander grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "Do you think we of the North Sea would come to the wrong place? How dare you capture the Third Princess of the North Sea!?"
The beastman's heart instantly sank.
The Third Princess of the North Sea?
"My lord, you must be mistaken. Even if I had the courage of a bear, I wouldn't dare capture the Third Princess of the North Sea. This is just a small mountain stronghold, surviving by foraging in the caves!" The beastman's face was full of sorrow. "Besides, I don't have the capability. Is it possible you've made a mistake?"
"Go to hell!"
Irina flicked her hand, delivering a swift slap that knocked out two of the beastman's teeth.
"I'll ask you one more time, where is my sister!"
"Second Sister!"
Suddenly, a joyful laugh echoed from a distance. Ilya, smiling, waved her hand and trotted into Irina's embrace.
"Sister, I missed you so much."
"Little Sister." Seeing Ilya safe and sound, Irina finally breathed a sigh of relief and gently stroked her head. "You silly girl, if you want to go out and play, just go. You even trampled your communicator. Do you know how much trouble Elder Sister went through to find you?"
"I didn't do it on purpose."
Ilya bit her lip, her face innocently rubbing against Irina's shoulder.
"Sister, don't be angry anymore."
"Am I angry? I'm just scared!" Irina said with great seriousness. "Elder Sister and I had just found news of you, that you were captured by this stronghold. Do you know how worried Elder Sister was when she heard about this? She's carrying your nephew in her belly."
Ilya guiltily retracted her neck, pouted, and tilted her head.
After about half a minute...
"Alright, luckily you're alright." Irina sighed with relief. "If anything had happened to you, I can't even imagine."
"It won't happen."
Ilya said playfully, grinning.
"This is just the outer region of the caves, who can harm me here? I just found it fun, so I deliberately let myself be captured. You don't have to worry."
"What's wrong with the outer regions? The planar world is so chaotic now, who can guarantee there are no dangerous areas in the outer regions?"
"Okay, okay, it was my fault."
Ilya shook Irina's arm, acting spoiled. Then, her eyes darted mischievously, and she pointed at Hei Dou and the others, grinning.
"Second Sister, let me introduce you. These are friends I met outside."
Irina's eyes shifted, following Ilya's finger, and she saw a delicate young man with a dazed expression, his eyes turning into hearts, his mouth dripping with saliva.
Irina raised her hand, conjuring a water pillar. Hei Dou, splashed full in the face, was startled.
When he recovered,
Hei Dou saw Irina's eyes filled with killing intent. He smiled awkwardly at her.
"Hi~"
"Why are you hanging out with people like this? Didn't you go to find that outsider?" Irina frowned. Ilya smiled and nodded, "Yes, I went to find Brother Chen Yu. Second Sister, you should remember him, he's the black cat who used to follow Brother Chen Yu."
"Oh?"
Irina raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Hehe~"
Hei Dou grinned and waved.
"It seems this outsider is doing well, his spirit pets have even taken human form," Irina said softly. "It's just his character that's too poor, and his spirit pets are not of good stock either."
"I..."
Hei Dou's lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter the words of retort. He frowned, put his hand down, and shouted towards Kuka and the others.
"Let's go, loot the place!"
The vast beastman army dispersed. Irina paid them no mind.
She had no interest in the resources of this camp. Even if Hei Dou and his group didn't loot it, she wouldn't keep this dilapidated stronghold later. Since they wanted to tear it down, she let them.
"Sister, actually, Chen Yu and Hei Dou are both very good."
"Before, when Brother Chen Yu caught me, he didn't try to snatch my treasures when he took them out. Chen Yu has been taking care of me since I left the kingdom, preparing delicious food for me every day. He..."
As Ilya spoke favorably, her expression suddenly changed.
The innocent and carefree look on her face vanished, replaced by a maturity that created a stark contrast.
"An interesting person, indeed."
"Since you say so, what else can I say?" Irina spread her hands. "So, what do you plan to do, continue playing with him for a few more months?"
"Mhm!"
Ilya smiled noncommittally, her expression returning to its usual carefree state.
"It's the most fun time right now. Second Sister, do you know? Chen Yu just conquered a city a few days ago, and now he's a city lord."
"What?!"
Suddenly, Irina's expression turned serious.
"A city?"
"Yes, a city." Ilya winked with a smile. Irina's brows furrowed tightly. "Is it that necropolis, the one with the Palace of the Dead?"
"How do you know?"
Ilya's small face was filled with surprise. Irina sighed slightly, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
"Little Sister, if it's that city."
"Then it seems your outdoor entertainment time is about to come to an end!"