Chapter 96 | Jormungandr in the Labyrinth River

While the others were still hesitating, Li Yue had already begun clearing out the remaining survivors. To her, not a single one of these people who had abetted the villain deserved to live.

With a slight flick of her finger, a guard on a distant watchtower was split down the middle. Blood sprayed out, transforming into dancing blood crystals that scattered in every direction. The crew stood frozen as every enemy—whether they had spotted them or not—was turned into a pile of cold, fragmented corpses.

Not a single body remained intact.

Li Yue flicked her hand, a habitual gesture to shake off blood. She quietly sensed the remaining life on the island. Aside from a few who were hiding well, there were also several much weaker heartbeats, likely ordinary people imprisoned here.

“I! We surren—” The head of a pirate who had just run out went flying. The bodies of the men behind him were sliced open in a clean, uniform line.

“They surrender only to go be pirates somewhere else. These people have no intention of reforming,” Li Yue said, clapping her hands as the lives that disgusted her finally vanished. “How could someone who treats others like cattle ever look at a human being with respect again?”

She murmured to herself and, with a flicker of movement, returned to the ship, standing beside Sharon.

“There are some ordinary people left. Whether you keep them or call for rescue is up to you.” Li Yue stretched and began walking slowly toward her cabin. On the shore, the sailors looked at each other, then at the blood soaked surroundings, barely suppressing the urge to vomit.

“A living hell... this truly is,” Blan said slowly. “I no longer think this young lady is a Royal Court magic user. Her methods are more like those of a dark mage...”

“Decisive and ruthless.” Mende retracted his dagger. “There shouldn't be any enemies left. Let’s find the maps and then get those poor souls off the island.”

About two or three hours later, Blan and Mende returned with a group of people. They handed several maps to Sharon. Some of the rescued were dressed in rags, while others wore flashy clothes but were likely those forced into the unpaid service industry.

Their ship did not linger for a moment longer than necessary. Once the people were settled, they set sail, steering toward a route that deviated from their original course. A rescue fleet from the Academy would soon arrive here to pick them up.

About half a day later, a snow white ship appeared on the horizon. It bore a red symbol, seemingly a cross. Li Yue guessed this was the rescue vessel. The items on such ships had little value, usually consisting only of medical supplies.

Pirates would only trade with rescue ships when they were desperately low on medical supplies. As for robbing them, it wasn't worth the effort; the risk was high and the returns were almost nonexistent.

The captain who met them was a white haired old man. Although he appeared to be an ordinary person, his vitality felt incredibly robust. Li Yue surmised he was no ordinary magic user. While he hadn't reached the level of a Great Mage, he wasn't far off. It only depended on whether he was willing to take the risk or absorb God's remains.

Li Yue showed no signs of impatience, which surprised Sharon. This young lady was extremely decisive toward villains yet displayed immense patience at a time like this.

Li Yue didn't offer much of a response. She simply countered Sharon’s use of the word “villain.”

“That burly man also had his own soft spots, whether for a lover or family,” Li Yue said flatly, recalling the warm sensation she had sensed through the Death Abyss earlier.

“He was very gentle toward those he cared about, loving them with everything he had.” Li Yue’s face remained expressionless. “Yet he was extremely brutal toward the people we rescued, though he would occasionally show mercy to the women he took a liking to.”

Li Yue recalled that faint hint of pink she had sensed.

“He must have secretly let some people go—likely little girls, their mothers, or those who had families just like him,” Li Yue shrugged. “Maybe it was pity, or maybe he saw reflections of himself and his family in them.”

“In the eyes of those people, he probably wasn't a bad person. People are inherently neither good nor evil.” Li Yue smiled. “But if there is no other way, I would still rather be the villain.”

“How do you know all this...?” Sharon was profoundly shocked.

“Just assume... I can perceive some of the memories of the people I kill.” Li Yue didn't feel like explaining the principles or functions of the Death Abyss. She let out a yawn and headed toward her room.

After this battle, she could clearly feel Blan’s fear of her and Mende’s awe, even though she had only displayed magic at a standard magic user level.

The Bridal was soon back on its designated route. Although they had obtained the maps drawn by Cook, they only covered the surrounding area. Many regions were marked with warnings of potential sea monsters at the Great Mage level. Looking at Cook’s drawings, they seemed to be some kind of octopus like creatures.

There shouldn't be any Calamity class sea monsters. Monsters of that level generally wouldn't attack a single fleet. If one did appear, even she wasn't certain she could protect everyone.

The last recorded appearance of a Calamity class sea monster was hundreds of years ago, and even then, it had been intentionally summoned by humans. It was said that the Royal Court magic user who summoned it had struck some kind of deal with the creature.

Li Yue leaned against the side of her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep. She would leave the trivial matters of sailing to Sharon and the others. As for the major problems, they wouldn't appear for a while, and Li Yue didn't want them to discover she was a Great Mage so soon.

It saved her from questions and other troubles. It would be bad if a rift formed between them. Rather than having everyone keep their distance out of reverence, Li Yue still wanted to interact with them normally. As for what happened on the island, it was an accident; Li Yue hadn't expected their tolerance for such things to be so low.

She had thought all magic users fought their way up just like she did... Surely people didn't just reach a certain strength, take an exam, receive a bit of guidance, and then advance?

Though Li Yue herself had never felt that sense of “advancement.” Those so called barriers that required long periods of accumulating magic to break through had never appeared for her.

Absorb some God's remains, learn some magic, and her level simply rose...

Li Yue tucked herself in. Although she wouldn't catch a cold, she enjoyed the act of sleeping. She didn't need to sleep every day; it was just a habit. Doing so made her feel more comfortable on a psychological level.

As Li Yue’s thoughts began to drift, she suddenly sensed something. Behind their ship, a much larger vessel was approaching at extreme speed, seemingly protected by a very effective concealment magic.