Chapter 267: Illusion
Chapter 267: Illusion
Just like before, the seawater in the air receded, and the old hall looked brand new. The ice-cold braziers that had been soaked in the water also reignited balls of flames.
The burning flames lit up the interior of the hall.
In the spacious palace, there were a few large wooden chests, which were the treasure chests that had just been taken away by Heath. Around the chests were a few naked warriors who were holding tridents. They were Sirens.
In addition, there were a few people standing in front of them. Some were normal humans, and some were sea creatures with gills or scales on their bodies.
The most eye-catching one was a beautiful woman. It was Selena, who had been presiding over the ceremony outside the palace.
The group seemed to be discussing something.
Selena took out a conch from the chest and looked at it. She asked, “Are the taxes sent this year all here? Why are there so few?”
An elder of the Siren tribe stood up and said, “The harvest of the six tribes this year is not very good. Because of the war on the West Coast, many people are not in the mood to work. Everyone is worried that the war will spread to us.”
“There are also some people who are not willing to pay taxes…”
Selena asked, “Why?”
The old man hesitated for a moment, and then said as gently as possible, “They insist that taxes are the right of the King, and Your Highness is only the administrator of the city…”
At this point, the old man’s voice gradually became softer and even completely disappeared.
This was because the old man clearly saw a flash of anger on Selena’s face, and even the space around her was faintly distorted.
She said coldly, “Which tribe refused to pay taxes? Write a list for me later.”
The people standing in the hall looked at each other.
The old man quickly said, “Your Highness, although these people have offended Your Highness, they are after all in the name of the King. If you treat them without permission…”
“The one who has the Sea God Bracelet in their hand is the king of the ocean!” Selena interrupted without any doubt.
She raised her wrist and showed the bracelet.
She said calmly, “Since Mother handed the bracelet to me before she went into seclusion, it means that she has accepted me as the master of the sea. At least before Mother comes out of seclusion, everything in the sea is under my control!”
At this point… She knocked on the treasure chests with her hand. “Let’s put this batch of taxes here first. When the rest of the taxes are paid, they will be put into the warehouse together. One day, if they don’t pay the taxes, let these things be piled here and let those guys have a good look. This is the annual tax for the eight seas, three seas, and six tribes!”
The old man frowned, and could only nod. “Yes…”
“Alright, let’s call it a day.” Selena waved her hand.
“Yes!”
Everyone in the hall retreated.
The old man who spoke to Selena first walked at the back, slowing down his pace. After everyone left, he turned back without batting an eyelid.
When Selena saw this, she could not help but ask, “Teacher Wayne, is there anything else?”
Wayne nodded, but did not say anything. Instead, he looked at the guards on the left and right.
Selena waved her hand, and the guards all retreated, leaving only two people in the spacious hall.
Only then did the old man speak, “Your Highness, forgive me for being blunt, but you shouldn’t have done that just now.”
Selena asked, “What do you mean?”
The old man said, “If it was just the six tribes, they definitely wouldn’t have the guts to go against your wishes. We all know that those who can make them arbitrarily withhold tax money are the people behind them.”
Selena went straight to the point. “Just say that they are my brothers and sisters.”
Wayne was silent.
Selena said, “I know that they are not convinced. They think that I used despicable means to win the trust of Mother. They don’t even think about what kind of people they are… Who can trust the ocean in their hands?”
Wayne frowned. “But they have inherited the powerful strength of the Lord of the Sea, especially the two princes, Celis and Raton. Their strength is rumored to be no less than that of the Lord of the Sea… And now, it is rumored that they have colluded with those who like to hide in their cloaks. This is not a good sign, Your Highness.”
Selena said disdainfully, “With just my two simple-minded brothers? As for those so-called Wizards, they are just a bunch of clowns hiding in the shadows.”
Wayne shook his head noncommittally and said, “I’m afraid things won’t be that simple. Your two brothers may admire power more, but Wizards are not clowns. I still suggest that Your Highness pay attention to this new force. As far as I know, the current mess on the West Coast is related to them. The Flame God has even been troubled by them.”
Selena said, “The reason why Everett is where he is today is because he is too cruel. Even the gods don’t like him. He deserves to be in such a situation.”
“But even if they don’t like him, they are all gods after all. They won’t just sit idly by. I have already sent the Sea God Guards over. The turmoil on the West Coast will be over soon, including those clowns that you mentioned.”
Selena said casually, “They will disappear soon.”
Wayne sighed. “I hope so.”
Selena said, “As for the rest of my brothers, I will tell them very soon who is the real king of this ocean. Teacher, you don’t have to worry.”
Wayne hesitated for a moment until he saw the bracelet on Selena’s hand.
He said, “Yes…”
After a pause, Selena suddenly said, “Let’s leave the matter of my brothers for now. Also, I have a question to ask you.”
Wayne said, “Please go ahead.”
Selena said, “Recently, when I use the bracelet, I always feel that my power is not smooth. What’s going on?”
Wayne was puzzled. “There’s such a thing? Take off the bracelet and let me see…”
At this moment, Nina, who was standing next to Heath, seemed to have thought of something. Suddenly, she looked at Wayne, the old man next to Selena, and said, “Ah, I remember now. This old man is Wayne Selassis, the number one alchemist of the Seafolk Race in the Age of the Gods. The Sea God Bracelet was forged by his hand!”
Heath raised his eyebrows. “Wayne Selassis?”
He couldn’t help but look at the old man twice.
Because he often did experiments, Heath had a lot of knowledge about alchemy. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the name Wayne Selassis. He had seen his name many times in books.
He was one of the founders of modern alchemy…
He had forged many Wizard tools in his life. They were basically rare and exquisite items. Even in this era, many powerful items were fought for by everyone.
However, Heath did not know that the Sea God Bracelet Nina mentioned was also made by Wayne?