The three boarded the yacht and followed Diana's scent. They pursued until they were about a kilometer offshore, where Diana and the dolphins finally stopped and swam back. I had Chu Qi halt the boat. The dolphins began to circle our yacht.
I emerged from the cabin and stood on the deck, waving at the white waves in the sea. The Whale God leaped from the water, its massive body soaring over the yacht. At its peak, it transformed back and landed on the deck. With a splash, a torrential downpour of water was displaced by its whale form, drenching me. Fortunately, I reacted quickly, pulling up the hood of my down jacket and ducking slightly. The down jacket was waterproof, so it didn't get too wet.
Wiping the spray from my forehead, I asked Diana, "How did the talks go? Where are they from?"
"From the East Sea, a clan near the Zhoushan Islands," Diana replied.
I knew that place – outside the mouth of the Yangtze River, with over a thousand islands. The fishing resources were abundant. Dolphins are shallow-water creatures and dislike deep seas, so they accustomed themselves to living in the bays near the islands. This archipelago, with its numerous islands, naturally offered more bays and food, making it easier for them to become demons.
I walked to the bow of the boat and looked down, my left hand gripping the railing. My right hand reached into the sea. Before long, a dolphin suddenly leaped from the water and gently nudged my hand with its nose. Was that a handshake?
After she fell back into the sea and swam a short distance, I saw her turn back and accelerate, presumably to board the ship. I quickly moved aside. Indeed, the dolphin launched herself at high speed, flying above the yacht just like Diana, then transforming mid-air before landing. I now possessed a demon core, granting me night vision, so I could see clearly. Do all aquatic demons have such good skin?
Their skin was flawless, smooth and glistening, and even their hair was dark and shiny. Their figures were, of course, impeccable from constant swimming, and their looks were truly not bad. They appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, though their eyes seemed quite steady, more like those of a wise, middle-aged successful woman.
Upon landing on the deck, the dolphin gracefully knelt on one knee, "Your subordinate's nickname is 'Zhou Shan Hai Huang' (Island Mountain Sea Emperor), greetings to the Venerable Lord!"
Wow, such a grand title. It felt as significant as the North Sea Whale God.
After paying her respects to me, she nodded to the Whale God beside me. She then glanced sideways at Yao Yao and Chu Qi in the pilot house, also turning halfway to clasp her fists. My first impression was that she was different from other demons; she was courteous and considerate.
"Rise. You have traveled far… swum arduously. You have worked hard," I said.
"Thank you, Venerable Lord." The Sea Emperor rose and met my gaze, her eyes betraying no ripple of emotion. I felt her true age must be over a thousand years, though her aura wasn't particularly high – advanced cyan, not yet blue.
Of course, a demon's strength and aura are not always proportional.
"So... where are the others?" I gestured towards the water.
"This small boat may not accommodate them all," the Sea Emperor chuckled.
"Alright, have them follow behind the boat, and I'll take you to our base," I said. Yao Yao hadn't objected, which meant they were indeed from the Bai Ze demon clan. Zhoushan has been part of Yanxia since ancient times, and with the North Sea Whale God attesting to their identity, they could certainly be considered allies, worthy of being brought back to the base.
"Very well, Venerable Lord." The Sea Emperor dove back into the water, transforming into a dolphin. She then organized the other dolphins in the sea into two formations, following the yacht.
They were too fast, and they took turns leading as they advanced. In motion, I couldn't possibly count how many dolphins there were. Now that they were in formation, I could finally see: a total of thirty-two.
Should I use "heads" as the measure word?
We took a route farther from shore, returning to the hidden harbor. The dolphins came ashore, transforming one by one. I had already called Chen Ke to prepare clothes, but it still wasn't enough. We pulled out all the clothes from the bottom of the chests, and still, a few dolphins had nothing to wear. The fox demon and Meng Meng then went into the city overnight to purchase clothing, shoes, and socks.
Leading the dolphins into the castle, the Sea Emperor introduced them to me one by one. They didn't have formal names; they all used nicknames, like "White Strip in the Waves," "Sardine Little Whirlwind," "Line Superman," and other names that were both bizarre and somewhat chuunibyou.