After all, mastering the Nine Breath Qi to fill the final gap allowed him not to fear the Ocean Goddess, but that didn’t mean he was guaranteed a win against her. Additionally, time was on his side; his strength was improving daily, while the Ocean Goddess had little room for advancement. Delaying was to his advantage.
"Blame the latrine for not being able to shit."
"May your faith dwindle increasingly."
Leon just made some remarks about the Ocean Goddess and left it at that, unaware that Sabrina hurriedly left the Volcanic Island, went to the Ocean Goddess Temple in Watchtower Port, and immediately knelt before the statue of the Ocean Goddess to reveal everything she discussed with the Red Dragon.
About an hour later, Sabrina left the Ocean Goddess Temple and took a ship away from Watchtower Port.
Leon lay on the viewing platform at the Volcano Top, watching Sabrina’s ship sail farther away from Watchtower Port until it vanished on the horizon. He looked up to the sky, which was bright blue with only a few thin clouds, without sudden storms brewing, dark clouds gathering, or preparing to unleash havoc on Watchtower Port...
Leon kept vigilant, waiting for three full days. There was no hurricane, nor was there a tsunami. He felt the Ocean Goddess’s archbishop’s bluster was all for show; after all, dogs that bark don’t bite, the silent ones are the real threat.
Thus, a week slipped by in silence, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Leon, having extraordinary essence, didn’t need food but still enjoyed eating. No matter how things changed, great food was never to be refused.
"Why does it feel like something’s missing?"
"Steak, lamb chops, sausage, omelets... right, where’s the fish?"
Leon suddenly realized that his recent meals involved very little seafood. Normally, whether it was fish, lobsters, crabs, or scallops, sea urchins, seafood easily caught in the Flash Sea frequently appeared on his menu.
Leon was certain something was wrong. He summoned the Tiefling Maid who brought the food and asked, "Why haven’t there been any seafood dishes lately?"
"Master wants seafood?" The Tiefling Maid asked without suspicion, "I’ll have the chef prepare it right away."
"It’s not that I suddenly want seafood... you know I’m not picky." Leon paused, "I’m just curious. I remember having seafood every day before, in considerable amounts. Why has it become so sparse lately? What happened?"
"I don’t know. I only serve the dishes." The Tiefling Maid proved to be clever, "Master, please wait. I’ll inquire immediately."
"Go ahead." Leon waved her off.
The Tiefling Maid jogged off and, before Leon finished his steak, returned running, breathless as she said, "The procurement department told me that recently fishing boats have had difficulty catching fish and often return empty-handed with poor quality, hence a slight reduction in seafood supplies."
"Got it." Leon nodded thoughtfully, taking out the Communication Stone to contact Cecilia.
"What does Master need from me?" Cecilia quickly appeared in the dining room.
"Do you know how the fishing boats have been faring recently?" Leon asked.
"I don’t know." Cecilia, as Leon’s Princess, wasn’t too restrained before him. She casually found a seat, furrowing her eyebrows slightly, "With the many governmental affairs, I haven’t had time to concern myself with such minor matters."
Leon nodded slightly, understanding that a Prime Minister couldn’t bother with the decline of fishing boat catches.
"I heard from the Tiefling Maid that lately, fishing boats have had a hard time catching fish and often return empty-handed..." Leon said, "Send someone to investigate whether the decline in catches is widespread or isolated, and from when it started, down to the exact day."
"Is that all?" Cecilia asked, which seemed trivial for Leon to use the Communication Stone to contact her.
"That’s all... wait." Leon stopped Cecilia, who was about to leave, "Contact the various chambers of commerce and inquire if their ships experienced any anomalies in the Flash Sea, like sudden fog or whirlpools."
Leon’s mood failed to settle, so he called Fiora in after some thought and said, "Help me investigate the Flash Sea, check if fish schools have decreased, monsters increased, and observe changes in water temperature, waves, tides, currents... no, don’t go yourself. Stay in Watchtower Port; I’ll send the druids."
If the Ocean Goddess was causing trouble, Fiora’s trip to the Flash Sea as his Princess could be dangerous. It was better to let the druids investigate; even if something unfortunate happened, a martyr’s reward and compensation would be enough.
Within half a day, information poured in like a tide.
Leon looked at the reports covering the table, his pupils narrowing into dangerous slits.
The day after Ocean Goddess Archbishop Sabrina left, the harvest of Watchtower Port’s fishermen significantly decreased to less than a tenth, with some boats not even bringing back the smell of fish.
The Gold Shore Chamber of Commerce, closely associated with the Zhen Dan Kingdom, recently had two ships in the Flash Sea that inexplicably lost their way, collided with reefs, and caused accidents.
The druids’ reports finally showed that the Flash Sea’s conditions had become complicated and unnatural, with previously gentle currents now surging.
Leon was now certain that the Ocean Goddess decided to take action. He summoned the Ocean Goddess Bishop who remained in Watchtower Port to question her about whether she knew what was happening on the Flash Sea.
The Ocean Goddess Bishop was clueless, only stating that if Leon was willing to lean closer to the Ocean Goddess Church, she was certainly willing to help solve the Flash Sea’s problems.
"Don’t try to fool me with that rhetoric!"
With Leon’s current power, unless the Ocean Goddess descended, no chosen one could threaten him. However, regarding his industry, for a moment, he really had no solution.
Leon knew that if he were willing to concede and mildly support the Ocean Goddess Church, the matter could be solved easily. But he didn’t want to, at least not without taking any action.
"If it’s mutual destruction, so be it."
Leon believed that if he compromised with the Ocean Goddess just like that, other deities would certainly follow suit. He had to make the Ocean Goddess experience pain.
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