Chapter 187: What Are the Sea Witches?
To be honest, it didn’t surprise Gawain at all to find some bizarre, mutated versions of his own biography while gathering records of his life. Seven centuries of passing time were more than enough for imaginative unofficial historians to spin all sorts of strange tales about any ancient figure. And Gawain Cecil was a household name across the entire continent—a golden brand. The legendary thirty-five years of this pioneering hero’s life remained a favorite topic among people of all social classes. There’s a saying: “Great achievements and fame often lead to an early death.” Such a rich subject matter is hard to come by.
At this moment, Gawain even felt a bit grateful for how backward this world was. He was thankful that the cultural industry, controlled by the upper class, hadn’t exploded into a booming market. If this place were as developed as Earth, he might have seen those founding pioneers from seven hundred years ago turned into character skins in some game’s store—Charles I available as a login bonus, Duke Wilde requiring a seven-day sign-in, and Gawain Cecil himself locked behind a first-purchase pack…
And every month, new skins would drop for these figures. His two granddaughters would probably throw all their money into the game, splurging just to admire their ancestor’s new look—while he, the man who had literally risen from the grave, would be stuck with an awkward two hundred plus “plus” signs on his profile, wishing he could just erase his entire family line…
Gawain smacked his forehead hard, forcing his runaway thoughts back under control. He sighed and looked at the absurdly fabricated “popular reading” book before him. Everyone knew the stories inside were false, yet it was the favorite pastime of ladies and young misses in the central and southern parts of the kingdom. This alone proved the vibrant life of popular literature—and just how dull everyday life was in this era.
But as the man involved, Gawain saw some hidden truths within those wildly invented love stories—not everything in there was false.
Aside from the forcibly inserted romantic interests, the book mentioned several adventure tales connected to Gawain Cecil that never appeared in any official history. Outsiders would probably lump these in with the romantic fabrications as the wild fantasies of some second-rate novelist, but Gawain knew better—at least half of those unknown adventures were true.
Searching ancient tomb ruins in the ruins of Gondor, tracking elemental spirits; leading a small group of soldiers through the “Mana Scorch” to find a safe passage, unexpectedly discovering the Gondor Magisterium turned to crystal; venturing deep into the mountains during the founding of the Cecil domain, communing with elements and receiving blessings…
This was another side of Gawain Cecil as a pioneer. From these experiences, it was clear he truly lived like a hero with a glowing aura… Whether or not he was actually “overpowered” didn’t matter. What mattered was that these little-known stories appeared in a ridiculous chivalric novel, which was intriguing.
The novel had been circulating for a long time. The original author was unknown—probably worried about getting beaten up for writing it—so the only clue left was the pen name “Bard C.” Gawain had no idea how this “Mr. C” knew these stories, but he must have been a patient and resourceful fellow, interviewing countless people who had contact with Gawain or their descendants to compile the material. Among all these adventure tales, one chapter mentioned Gawain Cecil’s challenge of the deep sea.
The story went like this: After assisting the great founding king Charles I in establishing the kingdom, Gawain grew deeply concerned about the monsters wandering out from the Gondor wastelands and the ever-spreading corruption of the magical tide. So he sought help from the elemental spirits of earth, water, fire, and wind. The four princesses of the elemental planes (princesses, really?) were captivated by the young heroic knight and each offered counsel. Ultimately, Gawain accepted the water element’s guidance and set out to the ocean in search of answers.
Though lacking a storm priest to guide him at sea, Gawain received help from the sea elves (though in Mr. C’s telling, the sea elves lost a princess during the journey). The sea elves led the fleet through storms surrounding the continent and pointed them eastward.
After countless days and nights at sea, the sea elves suddenly panicked and urged Gawain to turn back, warning that beyond lay the domain of the “Sea Witches,” and no land-dwelling race could hope to stand against these powerful beings in the ocean. But Gawain was undeterred and insisted on pressing forward. The sea elves had no choice but to leave, and most of the fleet followed them away. Only Gawain and a few loyal guards continued sailing—and soon after, they encountered the Sea Witches.
The clever reader, Gawain immediately guessed—there must be a princess among the Sea Witches too…
But the story ended abruptly. Mr. C only briefly recorded that Gawain earned the Sea Witches’ trust and was led to a “sacred, beautiful” place where they drank fine wine for three days and nights before a storm swept them back to the Loren continent.
Clearly, a tale meant to fool readers.
Gawain’s intuition told him this story was likely the missing record of his own memory about that deep-sea voyage.
But here appeared a strange race: the Sea Witches.
Gawain was unfamiliar with the name. His inherited memories held only vague impressions—wild, fantastical myths that were hardly reliable evidence.
Just then, a knock came at the study door. When it opened, Druid Pittman stepped in. “My lord, I heard from Amber you wanted to see me?”
Gawain nodded and got straight to the point. “Have you heard of the Sea Witches?”
“The Sea Witches?” Pittman stroked his chin. “I’ve heard a few legends about them.”
Gawain’s eyes lit up. Druids were the most knowledgeable about the world’s races. Even if Pittman only knew legends, they would surely be more detailed than common knowledge.
“Tell me.”
Pittman twirled his beard and spoke deliberately: “Most Sea Witch legends come from the eastern and southern continents. Around Ansu, they’re rarely mentioned, and when they are, it’s only in horror stories or strange tales. They’re said to be among the oldest intelligent beings in this world, possibly as ancient as dragons. Long before humans rose, they ruled the seas for thousands of years.
“The Sea Witches are an all-female race living deep in the distant eastern oceans. They almost never communicate with land-dwelling intelligent races. They’re all beautiful, but only their upper bodies are human; below the waist, they have various sea-monster forms…
“Besides that, legends say they can actually communicate with humans because they can shapeshift into human forms. When they come ashore, they blend seamlessly into human crowds… Yes, shapeshifting. Many tales say the Sea Witches can take countless forms, flowing and shifting like water. Most deep-sea monster legends are their handiwork.
“Also, they’re said to visit the land on purpose. Because of their long lifespans, they find it amusing to observe the rise and fall of short-lived human civilizations. Whenever human history takes a turn, they come to watch out of curiosity. Some believe they visit to seek something. Certain Silver Elf texts record encounters with Sea Witches, claiming they peacefully communicate with land dwellers. Sometimes they ask for help, and if the land dwellers fulfill their wishes, they reward them richly—sometimes with rare deep-sea jewels, sometimes with strange, wondrous magical devices. For example, the Sea Elf royal family owns a trident that can summon thunder and lightning, a gift from the Sea Witches a thousand years ago.
“However, some legends say the Sea Witches don’t really understand the value of their gifts. They just give things according to their whims. Sometimes if you show them a path, they’ll give you a chest of pearls; other times, if you do them a huge favor, they might only give you a piece of fish—with teeth marks on it. These records also come from the Silver Elves.”
Gawain interrupted, “If someone sailing the open ocean encounters the Sea Witches, how do they treat these ‘intruders’?”
Pittman raised an eyebrow. “That’s where my knowledge gets fuzzy. But according to most legends, meeting Sea Witches in the open ocean is extremely dangerous.”
“Extremely dangerous?” Gawain frowned. “But many stories say they peacefully interact with humans on land, even giving gifts…”
“That’s on land,” Pittman said seriously. “In the ocean, they’re very aggressive. Especially when lost sailors enter forbidden waters, the Sea Witches transform into terrifying sea monsters to drive them off or even hunt them. They’re the ocean’s chosen, wielding unimaginable power. Even the thunder and lightning summoned by the strongest mages can’t compare to their storms. Those many terrifying tales of deep-sea voyages aren’t baseless.”
Gawain frowned. “Is that so…”
Meanwhile, far from the Loren continent, in the deep eastern sea, elegant, graceful figures swiftly glided over the dark ocean floor. Their serpentine or fish-like tails swayed through the water, making these beautiful, intelligent beings seem like elusive phantoms of the deep, moving with speed and mystery.
They had no idea they were the subject of discussion by two humans on a distant continent. For these deep-sea saltwater creatures, important work still awaited.
One Sea Witch crossed a “ridge” on the seabed and gazed ahead at the winding landscape unfolding along the ocean floor. Her special “deep-sea vision” allowed her to see far in the darkness.
A massive tentacle stretched across the seabed, covered in layers of coral and deep-sea plants. Scattered around were torn chunks of flesh, lifeless but showing no signs of decay.
Farther away, at the end of the tentacle that resembled a small mountain range, a larger shadow loomed—the main mass of flesh, the direction of the “First Excavation Site.”
The excavation team leader’s long serpentine tail slapped the sandy seabed, then raised its tip high, waving like a flag in the water. She shouted orders to her team: “We dig here today! Everyone, keep it up!”
The Sea Witches responded in unison: “Let’s go!”
“Don’t play too rough with the ‘squid’—don’t waste time!”
“Don’t waste time!”
“No stealing engine fuel!”
“No stealing engine fuel!”
“Start digging!”
“Start digging!”
(End of chapter)