Chapter 177: Lunarian-Style Parenting
Although not personally involved in the fight, as a spectator, Nereus could observe quite a bit.
The force of the punch Vander Decken VIII threw seemed to rebound entirely back onto himself.
It wasn't merely the reactionary force of punching solid stone; rather, it was an unscientific power that reflected the exact force of the blow right back.
The body formed from the Poneglyphs already made it virtually indestructible. Combined with this damage reflection ability, it could be called an infinite-HP Thornmail.
"Alright, you can stop with your half-baked martial arts. Switch to weapons and try other methods of attack," Nereus instructed.
Firearms were not considered mainstream weapons on Fish-man Island, primarily due to the deep-sea environment. When fighting underwater, environmental factors meant bullets couldn't travel very far.
Even the unscientific rapid-fire flintlocks mainstream in this world were no exception. These firearms were affected even more severely in the deep sea; often, they couldn't even be fired.
Therefore, the standard underwater equipment for the Neptune Army was a type of repeating speargun resembling a rapid-fire crossbow.
But this didn't mean firearms were non-existent in the Ryugu Kingdom. During terrestrial combat, firearms were still utilized, and their armory was well-stocked with various weapons.
However, whether it was flying bullets or fired arrows, they were all reflected by the Genbu's tortoise shell. They weren't simply deflected; they were reflected back with their original force intact.
After a continuous barrage of attacks, the Genbu remained completely unscathed, while Vander Decken VIII became utterly bedraggled from dodging the reflected attacks.
Aside from that, perhaps due to the sea's inherent hatred for Devil Fruits, the Genbu itself only possessed the power to manipulate the earth element. For anything else, it could only rely on its massive body to charge and crash into things.
This was exactly why Nereus needed to figure out its abilities. The Mythical Zoan powers on this sea differed somewhat from his own understanding.
The Phoenix's flames dealt no damage to living beings, and the Kirin's ability involved transmuting dreams and reality—these were direct examples.
If it had a flaw, it was its slow movement speed and lack of agility. Moreover, its temperament seemed somewhat lazy.
Since the test battle began, it hadn't moved a single inch from its spot.
But that was enough.
As a specialized weapon, Nereus naturally had ways to help it enter the battlefield. It was a meteor hammer, after all—just throwing it directly into a crowd of people would suffice.
Although Nereus had given orders and the Genbu held back its strikes, Vander Decken VIII still left the area looking completely disheveled and covered in dirt.
But to him, this was harmless. Before even leaving the room, he had already concocted a new lie—something along the lines of Nereus not having had a worthy opponent in a long time and thus eagerly seeking to spar with him.
Whether others would believe it or not was uncertain, but he managed to fool Vander Decken IX for the time being.
Perhaps because its true form was a Poneglyph—accustomed to staying in one place for hundreds of years—even after being granted a Devil Fruit, it still retained its original characteristics.
The Genbu simply didn't want to move. Once the orders ceased, it transformed back into its original stone appearance, continuing to sit in the open space and watch time slip away.
If Nereus didn't issue any commands, it remained just that pair of ordinary Poneglyphs.
It was just that its location had shifted from the bottom of the Sea Forest to the entrance of the Ryugu Palace, placed outside the main gate like stone guardian lions.
Vander Decken VIII needed to find an excuse to fool his child, but things on Nereus's end weren't nearly as complicated.
When Nereus returned to his living quarters, Nanamo had already gone back to her own room, and Chloe was being cradled in Amphelite's arms.
"Give her to me. You should get a good night's rest. You know my abilities; even if I don't sleep at night, I can still recover my energy."
"It's fine, it's still early. In a year at most, once she can control the flames on her back, we won't have to do this anymore."
Amphelite gently rocked her arms. For Lunarians, children a few months old were the hardest to take care of.
Right after they were born, their back flames hadn't awakened yet, so cradles or cribs could still be used for them to rest.
The same applied when they grew older. But right after their flames awakened—and before they learned how to extinguish them—ordinary fabrics were completely useless. It wouldn't take long for them to catch fire.
During this stage, parents usually took turns holding them. If they truly ran out of energy, they would make an alternative bed out of stone, metal, or other non-flammable materials.
Given the adaptability of Lunarians, this wasn't an issue either. They never had to worry about their infants getting sick; their bodies had long evolved perfect antibodies.
If a problem truly arose, it was highly likely someone had poisoned them, and it wouldn't be ordinary poison either.
As for why Amphelite chose to take care of her personally...
There are many ways to raise a child. When conditions are poor, people might even feed a child rice gruel. But if conditions are excellent and one still insists on doing things the hard way, that's just purely bringing trouble upon oneself.
No matter how strong a talent is, nutrition must keep up. Otherwise, even a monstrous talent like Charlotte Linlin could develop Eating Pangs from starvation.
Puru... Puru puru...
While Nereus was busy tending to his second daughter, the long-distance Transponder Snail installed in the royal palace began to ring.
As Nereus picked up the receiver, the Transponder Snail's eyes turned into a pair of dot-eyes, and its lips grew significantly thicker.
Even before the voice came through, just by looking at the Transponder Snail's transformation, Nereus knew the person on the other end was Fisher Tiger.
"What is it, Tiger? Is something the matter?"
"Your Majesty Nereus, I apologize for disturbing you at this hour. But you instructed me previously to notify you if there was any relevant news. I've found the descendants of Mont Blanc Noland."
While night had just fallen on Fish-man Island, dawn had already broken in the North Blue where Tiger was stationed.
After leaving Tiger in the Doel Kingdom, Tiger had stayed there to assist in the kingdom's development.
If one were to use an official title for Tiger now, he would be called the Ryugu Kingdom's Governor-General of the North Blue. He was responsible for managing the Ryugu Kingdom's personnel in the North Blue, handling diplomatic affairs on behalf of Fish-man Island, and ensuring the security of their station.
But this was merely an internal title within Fish-man Island. To the outside world, Tiger was simply the captain of a civilian volunteer group assisting other countries in their development.
Within the Doel Kingdom, there was even a small "concession" belonging to the Ryugu Kingdom. Because the current Doel Kingdom was largely developing by relying on equipment and technology supplied by the Ryugu Kingdom, even with a relatively independent government, they still heavily relied on the Ryugu Kingdom's advice on many matters.
After all, these former slaves didn't have a strong army or a powerful King; they still had to rely on outsiders for many things.
Years ago, when the Tontattas helped cultivate the new Sunlight Tree Eve, their only wish was to meet the descendants of Noland. Therefore, once his sphere of influence slightly penetrated the North Blue, Nereus had been actively working on this. And now, it finally yielded results.