Chapter 207: Chapter 197 Radiance Island
Radiance Island was a very large island, populated by several hundred thousand inhabitants, over ninety-five percent of whom were slaves—Extraordinary powerful experts lived as slave masters, while their descendants and attendants were a rare few who were free.
Besides them, all others were merely different types of slaves, in essence no different from objects.
Around Radiance Island were hundreds of smaller islands, together known as the "Radiance Archipelago," and the entire Radiance Archipelago was under the complete control of the great overlord "Spirit Communicator".
"Spirit Communicator" was one of the eight great overlords of the Aphotic Sea, an Extraordinary powerful expert of low-level Monarch strength, a Spellcaster who mastered very terrifying Necromancy.
Before the mysterious emergence of the Spirit Realm, there was almost no research on souls in the Claud World, and Necromancy was generally very weak, so there were very few Necromancers who could reach the Monarch Level.
"Spirit Communicator" was likely one of the first few Necromancers in the world, his domain-etched Spells could instantly forge an entire formidable undead army!
Theo, holding a green telescope, gazed at an island, then put down his telescope and said aloud,
"We're almost there, the island in front of us is Radiance Island, there's no mistake!"
People should have been shouting with joy as they neared their destination, but in reality, nobody felt like responding.
On the deck, everyone stared at the pitch-black ocean, all feeling an uncomfortable sensation rising deep within them.
The waves sparkled with a pale glow in the darkness, like the smile of a specter; the dim moonlight that filtered through the clouds highlighted the contours of the undulating waves, making the whole sea seem even more mysterious and frightening.
The night seemed to completely devour the lightless sea, leaving only endless depth and the unknown.
The Aphotic Sea, a region of the Nine Seas where the sun never shone.
In the days since they had entered the Aphotic Sea, everyone had ceased to see the sun, and a certain pressure had been gradually building up in their hearts.
Vanessa stood on deck, arms crossed, pondering things.
Then, she turned to the old butler, Theo, and inquired, "So how is Darren doing now?"
Theo had been monitoring Darren's condition all this time. He felt the direction of the sea breeze and upon hearing Vanessa's question, he shook his head and said softly,
"His injuries haven't gotten worse, but he is using up Spiritual Power every day, probably doing something, but I can't know more, I can only keep supplying him with Spiritual Power."
The old man paused for a moment, then slowly said,
"I hope my help can give Darren Young Master some advantage and opportunity, or at the very least, provide hope, for I know that hope is actually what people lack the most in desperate situations."
Relieved upon hearing that Darren was doing alright, Vanessa nodded and said,
"It's good that his injuries haven't worsened; Darren might be trying to find a way to escape from Rhea. In any case, I believe the great Lord of the Lost will bless him."
Finally, the Fischer family fleet arrived at the coastal harbor of Radiance Island.
The pitch-black island seemed to be muttering with the unknown, causing a feeling of dread deep within the crew that made their blood run cold.
Their ship came to a complete stop, and the people of the Fischer family didn't disembark right away because they had not yet received permission from the nobles on the island.
Soon, several torch-bearing nobles from the island were seen, quietly leading the island's lord's guards, gradually approaching.
The nobles were all dressed in black robes, with strange black makeup around their eyes.
Leading them was a bald woman, also in a black robe, exceptionally tall, nearly reaching two meters. With black eyeshadow and lipstick, she looked quite bizarre, silently staring at everyone.
In a peculiar tone, she spoke up, raising her hand and said with rising and falling inflections,
"Foreigners from the Tempest Church, I am the first emissary of the great Spirit Communicator Marcius! This important transaction has long been awaited by the great Spirit Communicator Marcius!"
"Please follow us, to meet the great Spirit Communicator Marcius!" Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr
The Fischer family members were somewhat surprised to hear this, as seldom did anyone prefix themselves with "great," a term usually reserved for deities; even the rulers of the Ouden Continent rarely dared to use the term "the great".
Clearly, the influence of the True Gods Church in the Aphotic Sea was not strong, otherwise they wouldn't have allowed the great overlord "Spirit Communicator Marcius" to so casually use "the great" to refer to himself.
Chris squinted his eyes, silently observing the first emissary, sensing a power not much different from his own.
Theo, on the other hand, turned to Vanessa and nodded very respectfully, saying,
"Madam Vanessa, as per His Excellency Byrne's instructions, you will be responsible for guarding the ship."
Vanessa stayed silent for a long moment but eventually nodded, finally saying,
"Alright, I understand, Chris, remember to be careful."
Byrne had never been to the Aphotic Sea, but he knew about the local customs and culture from books long ago.
He had ordered Vanessa in advance to stay in charge of the ship, not wanting her to follow the rest and enter the interior of Radiance Island for trading, fearing that Vanessa's soft heart for the slaves on the island would cause trouble for everyone.
Chris nodded slightly, not replying, but for once showed a rare smile towards his wife.
That rare smile of his was very charming, as if the coldness of the world suddenly became warm, the contrast making people's hearts ripple.
Afterward, Chris and Theo, along with several Extraordinary powerful experts and dozens of crew members, disembarked, and he also carried with him a precious sample of sunlight preserved in a can.
Upon reaching the island, they soon saw many slaves busily working.
The slaves were extremely exhausted and numb, wearing tattered clothes, their eyes nearly devoid of any trace of life.
The slaves all bowed their heads, not daring to look up at them, and would immediately kneel on the ground, prostrating themselves with their faces pressed against the earth, whenever approached.
The attendant soldiers and the nobles of Radiance Island, on the other hand, each walked with their heads held high, never lowering their heads carelessly.
Theo and the others felt it strange yet novel; it wasn't that they couldn't understand the situation, but they felt that they, a group of "civilized people," quite simply didn't fit in.
It was as if they had returned to the history recorded in books, to the Ouden Continent of a thousand years ago, a time when Extraordinary Exponents also existed as slave masters.
It was an era of complete domination of mortals by Extraordinary Exponents.
Because firearms had not yet been invented during that period, and collective spells and alchemy had not developed to the current level, even the city-states on the continent didn't have armies, only Extraordinary combat groups were responsible for all military affairs.
"What are you looking at!"
Suddenly, a soldier shouted!
Everyone was stunned for a moment, quickly realizing what was happening. A young slave, out of curiosity, had raised his head and glanced at Chris, who looked like an angel.
Chris also silently looked at him.
Then his action was noticed by the guards, who immediately rushed over to pin the young slave to the ground, swung the axes in their hands, and the next moment, beheaded him.
Everyone was stunned by the cruel scene.
Residents overseas are always known to be cruel and evil, but the severity of beheading for just one glance was something they had never seen before.
Blood flowed all over the place, and the head rolled at Chris's feet, its eyes filled with terror, staring at the beautiful man who looked like an angel.
Chris remained silent.
"Hmph!"
The bald First Messenger in a black robe let out a cold snort.
"I have always found you outsiders strange. Your nobles are simply too ignorant of etiquette, not knowing how to distance themselves from their servants, always being too kind to the slaves!"
Chris couldn't be bothered to speak, just quietly pondered in his heart.
The Aphotic Sea, although he did not like it here, this place was indeed very suitable for advancing on the Path of Authority.
The rigid hierarchy here should be very important for the advancement of the Path of Authority.
Theo exhaled in relief, glad that he had not brought Vanessa along; otherwise, a conflict might have arisen.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Every place has its differences, but regardless, the mutual interest between us can remain consistent."
The First Messenger nodded slightly, no longer dwelling on those matters, and deep down knew better than to say much to the outsiders.
Although it was nighttime, the inhabitants of the Aphotic Sea were very active.
Because the Aphotic Sea had been without sunlight for countless years, they relied on moonlight and artificial lighting at night for illumination, engaging in various activities, while in daylight, when not a hint of natural light was present, they would choose to sleep.
The group passed through the poor dwellings of the slaves and after walking a little longer, finally saw a large black palace located at the foot of a high mountain in the center of the island.
That palace stood conspicuously at that location, utterly out of place compared to the many dilapidated dwellings of slaves below, and despite being not very far apart, there was a sense of separation from a different world!
The First Messenger raised both hands, still with a cadence of voice, and continued to speak:
"Let's continue on, outsiders from the Tempest Church! Our great Spirit Communicators are there, waiting for you. They have been looking forward to this trade!"
Chris squinted his eyes, already feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from a Monarch powerful expert inside the palace.
If that guy bore any ill intent, the Fischer family's fleet here might not have a single survivor.
However, they came under the banner of the Tempest Church for trade, so even if that great overlord truly wanted to betray them, desiring to directly seize this batch of goods, he must weigh the influence of the Tempest Church on the seas.