Chapter 158: The Inquisitor of the Sun God and the Mage from the Mage Tower (5)
Ketal remembered something he had once read in the Barcan Estate’s grand library—a thick volume cataloguing every known Demon Realm scattered across the continent.
One entry in particular had stood out: a place called Deep Sea where a race of primates was said to live and breathe in its crushing depths.
“Hold on... You’re saying those creatures now have their eyes on the City of Merfolk?” Ketal asked Aquaz.
Aquaz nodded gravely. “We can’t confirm every detail, but the evidence is almost conclusive.”
“Hm... What sort of beings are they?” Ketal muttered.
Primates conjured images of land-dwelling monkeys; picturing them thriving beneath the sea felt absurd. When he voiced the thought, Aquaz shook her head.
“We know very little beyond rumors,” she explained.
Until now, every Demon Realm had been sealed within its own borders, and no one—aside from a few suicidally curious souls—dared venture inside. Therefore, reliable information on the Demon Realms was scarce.
Aquaz’s expression tightened as she continued, “The only reason we even learned they might be involved is because one missing sailor drifted back on a plank from his wrecked ship. He was half-frozen, trembling, and utterly terrified.”
“Terrified of primates?” Ketal asked her.
“Yes. Between chattering teeth, he swore those apes had attacked them from the ocean floor. We tried to question him further, but panic had shattered his mind. That’s all we have right now,” Aquaz replied.
“I see,” Ketal said, exhaling softly. “Sounds dangerously complicated.”