novellhall Chapter 197 The Father of Ten Thousand Stars...is actually a Fishman? Xia Fa's Decision
Chapter 197 The Father of Ten Thousand Stars...is actually a Fishman? Xia Fa's Decision
Chapter 197 The Father of Ten Thousand Stars...is actually a Fishman? Xia Fa's Decision
Hercules' cousin—is he a fish-man?
Moreover, he is the Fishman Emperor, the dominant Fishman among the Fishmen?
Upon hearing Omega's first mate say those words, Xia Fa's initial reaction was disbelief.
But inexplicably, scenes from the past surfaced in his mind.
The tender, succulent fish belly meat, cut from the belly of a fish-man, is considered an extremely precious delicacy by almost all humans and demi-humans at sea, but Cousin Hercules refuses to eat it.
Not only did he not eat it, but while he and his cousin Locke were feasting on the fish belly, his cousin Hercules was also chugging beer.
At the time, Xia Fa thought that her cousin Hercules was troubled by the sudden appearance of the fish-men from the sea, namely the death of her uncle and aunt Titech, and that was why he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
But now it seems possible that Hercules felt an overwhelming sense of nausea and vomiting when he saw his fellow fish-men being eaten, and that's why he drank beer to suppress it.
Most importantly, not only did those hundreds of fishmen appear at a very strange time, but after emerging from the sea, they did not attack them with knives and forks and screams like the other fishmen. Instead, they knelt down!
He knelt down!
At the time, Xia Fa instinctively felt that it was the pressure of his cousin Locke's angelic status that made these fishmen kneel down in fear. But now that he thought about it, could these fishmen be kneeling before their emperor, who is also his cousin Hercules?
These thoughts flashed through Xia Fa's mind in an instant. With almost everyone unaware of the truth, he was already 70-80% certain. However, even so, Xia Fa decided to stand firmly on his cousin Hercules' side.
Whether he is a transcendent monarch of humans or the supreme emperor of fishmen.
After a few seconds of silence in the Hall of Stars, the noise and commotion erupted as if to lift the dome!
"What?!"
"The Omega vice-captain actually said the leader is a fish-man?"
"Are you crazy?!"
"Is the first mate of Omega about to lose control? Is he hallucinating?"
"Quickly, someone go up and shoot him dead!"
"Killing him is an exaggeration. Who said that? Just subdue him."
"I said it! Hehe, anyway, I'm from the Shark Pirates, and I love watching the drama unfold."
"Someone go and try to calm this guy named Omega down. If the Father of All Stars gets angry, we can't handle it."
"That's why Omega invited the Prophet with a Thousand Faces and the Shark Princess. Inviting the Shark Princess is fine, but to invite the Prophet with a Thousand Faces as well means they're going to completely turn against each other—"
"Yes, if Omega's accusations are proven false, he will likely be treated as a traitor and executed!"
The vice-captain of Omega is an angel, a powerful being second only to the ruler in the sea and even in the entire universe. However, he is facing a ruler, and a transcendent monarch among the rulers!
The scene where the Father of Ten Thousand Stars just now raised his hand and destroyed Bloodfang Butcher's angelic status left a deep impression on everyone. Moreover, in terms of strength alone, the vice-captain of Omega might not be able to compare with the fierce and brutal Bloodfang Butcher.
Faced with such criticism, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars remained unmoved, his composure as firm as a mountain.
After glancing at the Thousand-Faced Prophet in the distance, the middle-aged man, half black and half white, wore a leisurely smile, seemingly wanting to see how things would unfold.
Although the Thousand-Faced Prophet is suspended in the air, he gives people the feeling that he is in a different space from everyone else, as if he can escape at any time if he wants to.
The Father of All Stars glanced again at Princess Shark, who was resting her chin on her hand and quietly looking over, and finally sighed, looking at Vice-Captain Omega, one of his most capable right-hand men.
"Omega, where did you hear this rumor? How could I possibly be some kind of fish-man emperor?"
His tone was so calm, yet it carried a hint of helplessness towards the vice-captain Omega, as if the vice-captain Omega wasn't the one who had stepped forward to force him into a corner, but merely a subordinate whose mind had been temporarily clouded.
First mate Omega thought that when he revealed this earth-shattering secret, the Father of All Stars would at least be panicked for a moment.
And even a fleeting moment can be captured by a "reproduction camera" and thus serve as evidence.
After all, if the Father of Ten Thousand Stars had nothing to hide, why would he lose his composure?
Yet, despite revealing such a crucial secret, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars remained completely unresponsive, his expression as calm and composed as ever.
If it weren't for the crucial evidence he possessed, the first mate of Omega might have even doubted whether he had misunderstood his former most respected and admired leader.
"Father of Ten Thousand Stars, as you know, my entire family perished in a horde of murlocs more than sixty years ago. From that moment on, I swore to be mortal enemies with any murloc, to kill them all without mercy."
First mate Omega spoke, his tone calming down as if he were ready for a decisive battle.
However, anyone could hear the immense anger hidden beneath that calm tone, like surging waves beneath a vast ocean.
The first mate of Omega stepped forward, showing no fear whatsoever of the Father of All Stars's imposing aura as a transcendent monarch, his tone firm and resolute:
"So, if I hadn't confirmed your identity as the Fishman Emperor, why would I have stepped forward? How would I have dared to step forward? How would I be worthy to step forward?"
He emphasized the words "will" and "match," almost clenching his teeth.
As everyone knows, not only did his entire family of five die at the hands of the fishmen more than sixty years ago, but he himself was also nearly killed by the fishmen.
It was only when the Father of Ten Thousand Stars happened to be passing by that coast that he intervened, saving Omega and guiding him onto the path of the extraordinary, which led to his current development and achievements, enabling him to ascend to the position of an angel and become one of the two vice-captains admired and envied by the members of the Ten Thousand Stars Pirate Crew.
The Father of Ten Thousand Stars sighed deeply again:
"It seems you're determined to keep going until you hit a brick wall. Well then, produce your evidence."
Being accused of being a fish-man is a very serious matter, because humans and fish-men have been mortal enemies since ancient times.
Even if Fang Xing's father is an extraordinary monarch, once he is confirmed to be a fishman spy, the other four pirate emperors in the Baron Ocean, and even the rulers and extraordinary monarchs of the three kingdoms on the Star Coin Continent, will have ample reason and motivation to unite and besiege him.
Even so, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars remained absolutely calm, seemingly trying to guide his errant confidant back to the right path step by step.
Upon seeing this, the first mate of Omega's ship, whose composure had just returned, was replaced by a profound and heavy sorrow.
"Father of Ten Thousand Stars, you should know that although we pirates of the Ten Thousand Stars Pirate Crew are pirates, we never bully civilians or commit arson, murder, or plunder."
"Of course, this is because you have disciplined and educated your children well, and we also agree with your philosophy."
"Therefore, I am standing up to expose you not for my own personal gain, but purely for the future of humanity."
These words were spoken very sincerely, and many people nodded in agreement.
Even though most of the people present did not believe that the Father of Ten Thousand Stars would be some kind of fish-man emperor, they could understand Omega's intentions.
After all, if there really were a fish-man emperor lurking among humans, and given time, he suddenly summoned tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of fish-men from the Baron Ocean to come ashore and launch the largest fish-man frenzy in history, it would be an absolute disaster for humanity!
Fish-men, as supernatural beings, are not as rare as other supernatural beings. On the other hand, because the Baron Ocean is so vast, its area is almost equivalent to a small star spread out on its own, it is quite normal that fish-men can reproduce in such large numbers.
Of course, most of these tens or hundreds of millions of fishmen are fungus-level fishmen, which are not very valuable, and they like to hide in the seabed, so not many superhumans are willing to go to the trouble of capturing them.
However, even a murloc of the fungus level would be utterly overwhelming against a commoner.
"I have kept your life-saving grace in my heart for more than sixty years."
First mate Omega continued, a resolute look appearing on his sorrowful face:
"So, after revealing your identity, I will not live on. I will repay your kindness with my death, but I will not die in vain. I will find a merman's lair, rush in, and perish together with them."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of many pirates present finally changed.
Because they all realized that if the vice-captain of Omega had not had certain, 100% proof that the Father of Ten Thousand Stars was the Fishman Emperor, he would never have made this decision, nor would he have said this!
But the key point is—the Father of Ten Thousand Stars could never be some kind of fishman emperor!
This was something that everyone, from the ragtag pirates standing on the outermost edge of the hall to the powerful pirates who were demigods or even angels, was well aware of.
Because neither humanoid supernatural beings nor non-humanoid supernatural beings can form secret contracts!
That's right, humans, demi-humans, monsters, spirits, and even the legendary, incredibly powerful and mysterious entities—all of these can sign secret contracts, but supernatural beings are the only ones who cannot.
No one knows why, but some have speculated that supernatural beings, whether human or non-human, are born with the ability to absorb the most primal power of the universe to grow, thereby gaining extraordinary talents similar to secret abilities.
Moreover, this growth is lifelong, meaning that the more powerful the supernatural being, the more extraordinary talents similar to the Secret Realm ability it acquires.
That is why they cannot enter into secret agreements.
Furthermore, if one kills supernatural creatures, there is a chance to obtain the secret code generated from them, which also indirectly confirms this speculation.
This is different from obtaining a secret contract after killing superhumans or monsters. After all, superhumans can only become superhumans by signing a secret contract. As for monsters, many of them are caused by superhumans losing control. It is precisely because supernatural beings can never sign secret contracts that the pirates in the Hall of Stars have this deep doubt rising from the bottom of their hearts as they see Omega's vice-captain becoming more and more certain.
That is, if Fang Xing's father is really the Fishman Emperor, then as a supernatural being, how could he possibly have signed the overlord-level secret contract of the Gate of Stars?
Conversely, since Fang Xing's father signed the Star Gate in the Overlord-level secret agreement, he absolutely could not be the Fishman Emperor!
"I said."
A suppressed anger, almost emanating from clenched teeth, suddenly rang out in the hall.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw it was Captain Locke, standing tall and imposing in a white suit and black gloves, next to the Father of All Stars' throne.
At this moment, First Mate Locke was almost beyond furious, his face was ashen, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.
"Omega, to call you a beast is an insult to beasts. Even if the leader didn't save your dog's life more than sixty years ago, haven't you seen what the leader has done in the past sixty years? If he were some kind of bullshit fishman, would he have acted like this?"
What Vice-Captain Locke was referring to was the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, who led the pirates under the demons, and from hundreds of years ago to the present day, they have always maintained a policy of not harming the common people.
Furthermore, every quarter of the year, they dedicated themselves to resolving conflicts among pirates and guiding them toward good.
If the Father of Ten Thousand Stars was truly a spy sent by the fish-men to infiltrate humanity, why would he do such a thing? He would have already disrupted the maritime order, causing humans and demi-humans to fight each other, instead of wholeheartedly hoping for peace in the Baron Ocean.
First mate Locke joined the Wanxing Pirate Crew five years ago. He was already an angel when he joined, and soon became a confidant of the Father of Wanxing and successfully took on the position of first mate.
Although he only joined five years ago, as the first mate, he naturally knows the history of the Wanxing Pirate Crew, which is why he stood up to question them.
The first mate of Omega sighed, his tone filled with deep helplessness:
"Locke, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it at first either."
Seeing his unwavering confidence, everyone became even more curious.
Could it be that the first mate of Omega has some decisive evidence in his possession?
Was the image captured by a "photographed newspaper" or a "reproduction camera"?
Or perhaps some other secret treasure or sealed artifact that could expose the true form of the Fishman Father?
Xia Fa's eyes flickered as he stared at the back of the Omega vice-captain.
He was different from the others. Although he didn't understand how the fish-men, as supernatural beings, could sign the overlord-level secret contract of the Gate of Stars.
However, based on Hercules's strange behavior in the past, Shafa is almost certain that Hercules, the father of all stars, is indeed a fishman, and the ruler of the fishmen!
On the other hand, Xia Fa had an almost instinctive belief that her cousin Hercules must have encountered something to become a fish-man, meaning that her cousin Hercules was not born a fish-man.
In this situation, Cousin Hercules wouldn't actually do anything like leading the fishmen to destroy humanity, because in essence, in his soul, and even in terms of identity, Cousin Hercules is still human.
So all I need to do is help my cousin Hercules keep this secret!
As for how to be conservative...
With a flick of his sleeve, Xia Fa drew his tiger-tooth folding knife, his gaze fixed intently on the back of the Omega vice-captain.
If necessary, I can seize the opportunity to stop Captain Omega and then immediately escape.
Suddenly, the first mate of Omega stepped forward again, a resolute look on his face. He pulled out a telescope-shaped sealed object from his pocket.
The moment they saw the sealed object, many pirates' expressions changed drastically.
"My God, is this a time-peeping telescope?"
"Wasn't this sealed artifact destroyed hundreds of years ago? How did it end up in the hands of the Omega vice-captain?"
"Lord, could the Father of All Stars really be the Fishman Emperor? Then how exactly did he sign the Gate of Stars?"
The moment the Thousand-Faced Prophet saw the sealed artifact, a mocking look finally appeared on his face.
It seems that he wasn't entirely sure before, and only now is he truly ready to watch the show of the Father of Ten Thousand Stars.
The next moment, the Omega vice-captain held the telescope-shaped sealing object in both hands, raised his arms, and was about to shine it on the dome of the Hall of Stars.
Just then, Xia Fa made a move.