Chapter 406

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

He cautiously inquired, “Lord, may I ask what brings you to the Great Luminescent Sea?”

“My domain is in urgent need of rare resources, treasures, and valuable items,” Ji Chen looked at him and said, “Do you happen to know the whereabouts of these things?”

“The Catfish Village does not possess such items… but if you wish to obtain them, you might consider going to the Coral Palace and assisting the Coral Lord in defeating the Dragon King City. That way, you are certain to receive the gratitude of the Coral Lord, especially since… your army is so formidable.

The Great Luminescent Sea has been a battlefield for hundreds of years, and countless sea clans have perished. If only one power were to remain, perhaps this situation could come to an end.”

Ji Chen looked at the Fish Village Chief, who was filled with sighs, feeling somewhat curious.

“Why do you suggest that I help the Coral Palace instead of the Dragon King City?”

The Fish Village Chief’s face appeared somewhat awkward, and there was a hint of resentment in his eyes. “The Dragon King City is ruthless, recruiting civilians everywhere, disguising themselves as bandits to plunder caravans, and extorting villages.

Not long ago, a contingent of Dragon King City soldiers passed through our village and extorted half of our food. If they were to become the sole dominant power, our days would be even harder.”

“I see… the Dragon King City soldiers you mentioned, were there approximately two thousand of them?”

The Fish Village Chief asked in astonishment, “How did you know?”

It was only now that he recalled the direction in which Ji Chen’s army had come from, which seemed to be the same direction from which the Dragon King City soldiers had left the village.

“Do you mean to say that you eliminated them all?”

He nodded without hesitation.

The Fish Village Chief’s face lit up with joy as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you for your assistance, Lord. We’ve long been at odds with them. If it weren’t for the fact that our species of catfish is not adept at combat, we would have joined the Coral Palace to fight against the bandits from the Dragon King City long ago.”

The time for the realm to be open was limited, and Ji Chen did not wish to spend too much time here, so he asked directly, “How do we get to the Coral Palace?”

“Head east from this small basin and you will reach a vast sea basin. After entering the sea basin, pass through the Luminescent Forest, and you will arrive at the territory of the Coral Palace.”

Upon hearing this, he wasted no time and gestured to his army to prepare to leave.

However, at this moment, a catfish suddenly squeezed through the crowd and exclaimed loudly, “Your Excellency, please wait! I have something I’d like to ask for your help with… sob, sob, sob.”

Before this catfish being could finish speaking, it was grabbed by a few other catfish nearby, who covered its mouth.

The surrounding catfish beings began to discuss animatedly.

“Why did this fool suddenly act up again? We mustn’t anger this esteemed Lord.”

“This guy never does anything all day long, and at a time like this, he’s causing trouble for us.”

Ji Chen furrowed his brow and looked at the Fish Village Chief.

“What’s the matter with him?”

The Fish Village Chief appeared fearful, thinking that he had offended Ji Chen, and answered hesitantly, trembling, “This fellow was picked up from outside a few years ago, and he might have suffered some brain injuries, so he always says strange things.

If he has offended Your Lordship, please forgive him.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the strange catfish being struggled even more violently, and with a sudden burst of strength, it broke free from its restraints and rushed over.

This prompted Alice and Anina, who were waiting nearby, to want to take action and kill it, but Ji Chen raised his hand to stop them.

He could sense that this catfish being had combat abilities inferior to even a chicken.

The catfish being rushed up and said excitedly, “My Lord, my name is Andar. I am a bloodline descendant of the previous Water Dragon King of the Dragon King City. Due to persecution, I had to secretly leave the Water Dragon City and live incognito in the Fish Village, waiting for an opportunity to return to the Dragon King City.

If you can help me regain the position of Water Dragon King and take back the throne, I will appoint you as the Grand General of the Water Dragon City and give you a large amount of rare resources and treasures!”

Ji Chen’s expression was somewhat strange.

This sounded a bit like a scam message, similar to that famous Qin Shihuang scam on Earth…

But it did pique his interest.

“You’re saying you are a bloodline descendant of the previous Water Dragon King? Are you implying that you were originally meant to inherit the throne of the Water Dragon King?”

Andar nodded frantically, excitement filling his intelligent eyes. “Exactly, when my father, the king, was gravely ill, he said he wanted to pass the throne to me. However, my older brother, Diago, took matters into his own hands. He not only killed our father but also publicly declared that our father had chosen him as the heir, all the while planning to assassinate me behind the scenes.

Thankfully, a loyal general who served my father helped me escape from Dragon King City in secret before he passed away. He advised me to quietly build up my power, getting ready for the time when 1 could take back the throne. Otherwise, that highly aggressive fellow, Diago, would surely lead the Dragon King Palace to ruin!

I’ve been pretending to be a fool and hiding in the Fish Village for years, but I haven’t found any opportunities until I saw you today!”

Andar’s large eyes were filled with excitement. “As long as you’re willing to help me regain the throne, I’m willing to give you anything, including the secret treasury of rare treasures my father, the Water Dragon King, told me about!”

Oh, it sounds like a plot from a period drama where a fallen prince reclaims the throne.

Quite cliche.

But Ji Chen couldn’t help but admit that he was somewhat interested.

“Lord, please don’t listen to this fool’s nonsense. There’s no evidence at all, and the Water Dragon lineage may have some resemblance to catfish, but it’s not like him at all. They have a pair of dragon horns on their heads.

You see, does this guy have them?”

Ji Chen looked and indeed, he did not.

“My horns were concealed by a treasure given to me by that general to prevent Diago from finding me!” Andar countered.

“I believe you, my foot! If you’re a bloodline descendant of the previous Water Dragon King, my name would be spelled backward!”

Ji Chen didn’t say anything, instead giving a strange look at the confident Fish Village Chief.

Through the panel information provided by the system, he saw Andar’s information.

[Andar]

[Race]: Dragon Horn Catfish

[Level]: 3

[Bloodline descendant of the previous Water Dragon King, physical features concealed by a treasure]

[Bloodline power has not been awakened]

[You may receive substantial rewards if you help him regain the throne]

Well, it seemed to be true.

But what kind of race was that?

Dragon Horn Catfish?

So, the so-called Water Dragon King was just a catfish with horns!?

Ji Chen was greatly disappointed; he thought the Water Dragon King was a real dragon or at least a sea dragon.

Just this?

“Stop arguing.”

Andar and the Fish Village Chief, who were constantly arguing, immediately closed their mouths.

Ji Chen looked at the “incredibly wise” Andar and said, “I can help you, but you have to follow my arrangements.”

“Of course!” Andar replied immediately.

He said to the Fish Village Chief, “Don’t talk about what happened just now, or you should know that you’ll regret it.”

“Of course, we’ll keep it a secret!” the Fish Village Chief saw the serious expression on Ji Chen’s face and hurriedly replied.

Ji Chen nodded, knowing that these catfish beings wouldn’t dare to do otherwise.

After thinking for a moment, he took out several thousand units of food and handed them over to the catfish spirits.

“These are rewards for you.”

The catfish beings were overjoyed. “Thank you for your generosity, Lord!”

Under the grateful gaze of the Fish Village residents who happily sent off their troops, Ji Chen, along with the army and Andar, who sought to reclaim the throne, left the village and headed towards the edge of the basin.

Half an hour later.

They reached the topmost part of the basin’s eastern side and saw a wider canyon road. After passing through it, they arrived at a massive sea basin that seemed endless at first glance.

Originally, Ji Chen had planned to visit the Coral Palace first, to see what this Coral Lord was all about. If they got along well and seemed friendly, he would help them take down Water Dragon City and earn rewards and wealth from it.

But now it seemed that this plan needed some adjustments.

The new plan was named the “Fallen Prince’s Return to the Throne Strategy.”

However, he couldn’t just march straight into Water Dragon City with his army like a fool. He needed to visit the Coral Palace first to gather more information and plan the next steps.

With this in mind, Ji Chen didn’t waste any more time. He waved his hand and headed in the direction of the so-called Luminescent Forest mentioned by the Fish Village Chief..