Just as Lin Hui was immersed in the joy of his breakthrough.
Outside Black Cloud, in the Jade Sea.
In the vast expanse of sea where he and Tuyue had previously fought.
At this moment, a fleet of slaver ships advanced in single file, like a school of black fish, slowly making their way across the heaving surface of the sea.
Aboard one of the merchant ships, the captain, a man with a bushy beard named Xia Xingtao, rubbed his chin in confusion as he peered out the crystal window of his cabin.
"This is my third time passing through this stretch of sea recently. I don't know why, but I feel like the waves are much rougher than before. Have you noticed, Aina?"
He turned his head toward his first mate, Aina.
"I feel the same." Aina's skin was dark and she had short black hair. She wore a simple purple short-sleeved top and skirt, with glittering ruby chains adorning her neck, wrists, and ankles.
