A person carrying a whale oil lamp slowly walked up behind Hawkins, respectfully saluting, "Master Hawkins, everything in the hatchery is normal. Even the larger species will hatch within this half-month, so it won't delay your plans."

"Nobor, thank you for your hard work!"

Hawkins turned back, looking at the short and stout young man before him, whose face bore an innocent look, and sighed slightly.

His body already showed clear signs of sea creature traits, with branched tentacles under the forearm, slimy gill lines on both cheeks, and a lobster shell stretching from shoulder to chest... This bizarre appearance clearly indicated that he was already on the "Sea Monster Path."

"Sir, I am not tired. As long as I can assist with your endeavor, this is just a minor contribution."

Nobor's round face displayed a sincere and hearty smile, and it was unclear whether the contribution he mentioned referred to his current work tending to the sea monster hatchery or becoming a "monster."

As part of a cooperation that had continued for several years, Hawkins and his elite pirates undertook a significant portion of the land-based tasks for the "Deep Sea Brotherhood," and even helped the Brotherhood, which had been unsuccessful for years, find the location of the Black Sea "Heart of the Ocean."

A monumental contribution!

During this period, a liaison was naturally needed to handle intelligence transmission and task coordination.

This Nobor, who bore some resemblance to Hawkins in appearance, was the envoy sent by the Pirate King's side.

However, staying too long in this sea monster stronghold, radiated by divine power, would inexorably transform the young man's body into a sea monster, even if he was not a believer in Mother of Sea Monsters Echidna.

It might not be long before he completely loses his human form, turning into a thorough monster!

For Octopus Ghost's ultimate plan, the sacrifice made by this young man named Nobor was undeniably significant.

"Nobor, although you haven't taken the 'Exiled Prisoner' path, you are the disciple I value most, bar none. Over these years, I have seen your loyalty.

As long as this plan succeeds, whether you wish to continue down the sea monster path or return to human form, I will ask the Goddess to grant your wish!

Even… as my heir!"

Knowing what Nobor most desires, Hawkins "sincerely" made a promise to him.

"Thank you, sir! Rest assured, I will hold the line for you to the last!"

Though Nobor volunteered as a liaison, it didn't mean he wished to spend his life here, surrounded by all sorts of monsters, living in a stone cave, and only able to eat raw fish and meat.

Once the plan succeeded, he would naturally long to return to the human world, let alone… the Pirate King's… heir?

In the flickering whale oil lamp light, a fire called ambition flashed in the youthful, honest face.

....

On the island, in the towering Divine Hall, accessible only to devout believers.

The holy statue carved from a single giant piece of volcanic seabed rock nearly reached the dome of the hall, with boundless tentacles for its lower half in the surging seawater and a beautiful Goddess adorned with exotic shells above.

It wore a crown and held aloft a long halberd symbolizing Black Sea authority, none other than the holy statue of Mother of Sea Monsters Echidna!

Three figures far taller than ordinary people stood beneath it.

"Humans living on land are not to be trusted, especially before they completely convert to the Goddess and become our brothers.

Though the curse left by the Goddess on Hawkins serves as a restraint, it's only a punitive measure.

Thus, Tien Kute! You will be responsible for receiving him at sea when the operation begins, and must ensure the 'Heart of the Ocean' is safely brought back at the first moment!"

Heimtz said to Tien Kute, the "Shepherd of Tide" in a deep blue robe by his side.

"Is it finally beginning? Sir!"

The tall man with seaweed-like dark green hair showed limitless fanaticism in his eyes, having waited a whole year for this moment!

There is no happier thing than contributing to the Goddess he devoutly believes in when the long-planned strategy finally begins.

At this moment, the gill lines on his cheeks kept opening and closing, much like a loyal dog wagging its tail, expressing his excitement.

If he weren't resisted by the mainland as he went further down the sea monster path, Tien Kute wouldn't even frown if he were to rush into the depths of the continent and sacrifice himself!

Heimtz, the "White Remains," was very pleased with Tien Kute's piety, but it was still necessary to remind him:

"Tien Kute and Petrich, you must always remember who the true enemy of the Goddess is.

As long as the Goddess continues to amass power and expand authority, it will only be a matter of time before all human nations on land are dragged into the sea. But first, do not let the Sea Witch have a sliver of recovery opportunity! Only she can shake the Goddess's rule over the Black Sea!

You must understand the importance of this mission; the 'Heart of the Ocean' cannot afford any slip-up!"

The expressions of the two Brotherhood vice-chairmen instantly grew serious, although they were among the "Sea God's Sons" who gradually rose over the last one or two hundred years without experiencing the era when the Sea Witch ruled the Black Sea.

But that doesn't mean they don't know the terror of the Sea Witch.

The title "Sea Witch" was merely a derogatory term for the title-holder; in reality, her true identity was the former Black Sea Sea God! The ruler of this sea! A great existence of the same Tier 5 as the Mother of Sea Monsters!

It is said that in ages long past.

The beautiful young girl, Hipponeo, was just a mortal maiden living by the shores of the Black Sea. Although she did not understand witchcraft and possessed no great power, she was a remarkable doctor skilled in using herbs to treat people.

During her time, she helped many who were tormented by illness and received their gratitude.

Of course, there was also something different about her compared to other mortals, which was—"immortality"!

She would not age, would heal immediately after getting injured, and could resurrect immediately even after suffering fatal wounds. Even if she were burned to ashes, she could be reborn from a pile of ash.

Such absolute immortality was something countless powerful extraordinaries dreamt of!

Unfortunately, she did not possess the power to protect herself.

One day, a large group of Church priests stormed into her house, dragging her out roughly.

The development of the event was so logical...

The girl named Hipponeo was declared by the Church to be a dreadful witch from hell (or so it was said), and the place where she was located would continuously absorb the life force of other mortals to nourish her "eternal life"!

No one listened to her pale and weak defense.

Hipponeo was tied to stones and thrown into the sea by the primitive fishermen from that ancient era, the common folk she once helped, and the priests. This... was their devised method to suppress Hipponeo's absolute immortality.

She drowned the instant she was revived, revived the instant she drowned, repeatedly going through this process.

Selfish, cruel, barbaric, and vicious!

Thus, the innocent girl lacking the ability to protect herself lingered in the interstice of life and death deep in the sea for a full eight hundred years!

During that period, she completely disappeared from human history.

No one knows how many cycles of life and death she experienced in those eight hundred years, or how many times she transitioned from reason to madness, from madness back to reason.

No one knows whether she ever resented the ignorant mortals who persecuted her or if she ever prayed for the gods' salvation.

All of it remains unknown, with not a hint recorded even in the oldest scrolls.

Until one day.

"Hi...ppo...neo..."

"Hi...ppo...neo..."

Gradually, humans along the coast could faintly hear "Her" call in the waves and see Her incarnation in dreams!

It was a beautiful goddess with a wave crown on her head, holding a long staff like flowing water, draped in a black linen robe and baring her feet. However, that exquisite yet extremely cold face appeared as infinite dread in the eyes of others, making their hearts confront the unfathomable, deep sea.

Sure enough, when mortals who felt Her call did nothing in response.

Calamities descended.

She unleashed tsunamis that overwhelmed villages and towns, capsized every boat daring to fish at sea, and conjured months-long storms, wantonly showcasing Her boundless power!

Later generations speculated.

In the endless darkness, stillness, and solitude, Hipponeo might have coincidentally aligned with an extremely stringent ritual. After ages, she suddenly gained immense dark magic power, thereby acquiring partial authority over the Black Sea as well.

Thus, in the deep and dark sea, the once weak maiden whom ordinary mortals couldn't even withstand, was crowned the sole—divine being of the Black Sea!

However, the tragic experiences during her life, the long passage of eight hundred years, and the transformation from mortal to god caused an essential change in the once kind-hearted mortal girl, Hipponeo, from her life essence to soul and spirit.

Undoubtedly, She became a tyrannical god!

Despite not demanding her believers to conduct various bloody sacrifices like an evil god, her capriciousness remained Her eternal hallmark, much like the Black Sea, whose depths even the most experienced captains could not predict.

Out of fear of "Her" formidable power, many coastal residents began to worship this goddess, spreading Her name along the entire Black Sea coast.

She was the earliest known Black Sea Goddess recorded in the Church's scrolls, and the Black Sea's rage and rapids were her incarnation.

As for who wielded authority over the Black Sea before Her, or if there was a Sea God, perhaps except for the seven True Gods ruling the civilized world, no one knew.

Because of Her existence, the already complex and harsh maritime conditions of the Black Sea, particularly the far-sea region, became almost a forbidden zone for human activity. Though restricted by various elements, the severe sea conditions were clearly one of the major obstacles to humans' world exploration.

Until a hundred years before the Age of Navigation dawned, roughly three hundred years ago, this capricious Black Sea Goddess was "dramatically" resealed into the waves of the Black Sea by a group of "mortals."

Only then did the rise of Mother of Sea Monsters Echet occur, followed by the birth of the "Deep Sea Brotherhood."

Coincidentally, around the same era, Queen Goddess Hekater's power subtly shifted, quietly becoming the Goddess of Royal Authority and Navigation.

However, gods are immortal, and even the sealed Black Sea Goddess remains the greatest obstacle to the Mother of Sea Monsters dominating the Black Sea.

As the sharpest claw in the Mother of Sea Monsters' hand, the leaders of the Deep Sea Brotherhood, they will never allow such a situation to occur:

"As you command, my lord, obtain the Heart of the Ocean and forever prevent the Sea Witch's revival!"