Chapter 178
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 178: Title
Greenlan bent down and slipped his arms under Ge Ke’s shoulders, while Geweir moved to lift the squirming fish tail.
"By goddess Haetis!" Geweir grimaced as his fingers met the slick surface. "This slimy thing’s revolting. Thank the tides I regained my true form."
"Keep mocking," Ge Ke threatened, his tail twitching with restless energy, "and I’ll let this tail teach you manners!"
The appendage lashed out before he finished speaking, striking Geweir’s cheek with a wet slap.
Staggering backward, Geweir touched his stinging face in disbelief. "You actually—"
"It wasn’t me!" Ge Ke blurted, panic whitening his features. "The tail moved on its own! I swear!"
Geweir wiped pearlescent mucus from his jawline, eyes narrowing dangerously. "When you regain legs instead of fins, you’ll pay for this tenfold."
"Surely you’re jesting?" Ge Ke’s voice pitched higher. "You’d pummel a helpless—"
A mirthless chuckle cut through his plea.
"Enough," Greenlan intervened, adjusting his grip on their mercurial companion. "Save your quarrels for after we reach the Eng tribe."
Jaw clenched, Geweir seized the offending tail with renewed vigor. Ge Ke bit back a yelp, forcing an uneasy grin. "A touch gentler, brother? Unless you want another… accident."
The tail quivered beneath his restraining hands as they navigated the forest path, Geweir’s stormy expression discouraging further comment.
At the tribal outskirts, Greenlan exhaled heavily. "Set him down. My arms feel like dragged anchors."
Geweir released his hold abruptly, nearly sending Ge Ke sprawling before Greenlan caught him.
"Where is everyone?" Ge Ke wondered aloud while rubbing his sore tail base.
"Gathered at the sacred grove, no doubt," Greenlan murmured absently. "After the divine upheaval…"
"You sound certain." Geweir studied his companion’s glowing palms. "That light… these strange words…"
Greenlan shook his head, luminosity flickering through his fingers. "Fragments of visions, slipping through my grasp like moonlit minnows."
"Sign of divine inspiration!" Ge Ke declared with characteristic bluntness. "The goddess’s mark shines brighter than—"
Their entrance into the tribe square stole all words.
Before them undulated a sea of iridescent scales—dozens of warriors transformed into mermaid-like beings, their lower halves replaced by shimmering tails longer than a man’s torso. Formerly rugged fighters now resembled mythic sea nymphs, though their booming voices betrayed unchanged spirits.
"By the coral depths!" someone bellowed in a baritone utterly mismatched with glittering fins. "Took you long enough, land-slugs!"
The trio stared, caught between horror and bewildered amusement. For though the Eng tribesmen now possessed tails fit for ocean royalty, their rowdy camaraderie proved some transformations only skin-deep.
The tribal merfolk, struggling to stand up on their own from the ground, saw Greenlan and Geweir entering and chorused:
"Why do you have legs?!"
"Greenlan made me revert!" Geweir immediately betrayed his companion under the collective stare of the crowd.
Suddenly, all eyes burned with fervent hope towards Greenlan.
The longing for their agile legs overwhelmed them – though their limbs had merely transformed rather than disappeared, this didn’t quell their nostalgic yearning.
Greenlan instinctively retreated under their intense gazes, then relieved when realizing their immobility prevented physical approaches.
"Where’s the priest?"
"Unclear."
"Haven’t seen him."
"Perhaps at the temple? He was there this morning."
"Geweir, assist them. I’ll find the priest." Greenlan released his grip and strode forward with swift, powerful steps before Geweir could protest.
As the sole mobile person present, Geweir had little choice. He first helped Ge Ke settle against a wall before attending to others.
Within the ark:
Ye Linlang clutched her popcorn, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Their pathetic state amuses me. System, did all terrestrial beings transform like this?"
【Affirmative. Post-rainfall transformation completed for all Atlanteans. Lake of Life’s genetic modifications enable perfect shape-shifting between human and merfolk forms.】
【Marine merfolk underwent identical changes.】
The artificial rain had been Ye Linlang’s creation – Fantasy Points converted into primordial life essence from Lake of Life, showering across Planet Atlantis. This essence catalyzed evolution, awakening latent potential while she carefully channeled its energy distribution.
The absorbed energy determined genetic modifications: partial power enhanced fish tail transformations. Unlike crude technological edits requiring generations to stabilize, her method eradicated genetic flaws fundamentally. She’d engineered perfect dual-form genes through systemic simulation, seamlessly integrating them into Atlanteans’ DNA via Fantasy Points.
Residual diluted essence now triggered unique abilities in each individual. Even its creator couldn’t predict what bizarre powers might emerge from this randomized combination beyond her designed power systems. Life’s evolutionary paths being infinite, she’d imposed no restrictions.
"They’ve reached the tribe. Amusing how their priest remains incapacitated."
"Curious what Greenlan will attempt." Ye Linlang sipped juice while observing the screen, casually prodding: "Accelerate planetary screening. My interstellar wanderlust grows impatient."
【Compliance, Your Excellency, the Major Deity.】
Machines neither tire nor resent – the system simply redoubled efforts at its deity’s command.
Eng Tribe Temple:
Upon entering the temple, Greenlan found the great priest sprawled across the floor. The Fish tail that remained manageable for the youth appeared burdensome for the elder. "Great priest, you’ve transformed too…" he exclaimed, hurriedly moving to assist him to his feet. Mid-motion, Greenlan froze. "Great priest… you look younger?" He stared at features now resembling those of tribal youths, disbelief coloring his voice.
The great priest raised weathered hands to touch rejuvenated cheeks. "Younger? I hadn’t noticed, though vitality does course through me anew." His newly webbed fingers gestured at altered limbs. "Strange changes indeed – these transformed extremities and unwieldy appendage."
Greenlan’s eyes brightened at the priest’s composure. "You understand this phenomenon! What’s happening to us?"
"’Tis divine grace," the priest answered, bracing against Greenlan’s forearm to rise. "Our discomfort stems from long separation, not the gift itself. With acceptance comes adaptation." He sighed contentedly. "Ah, far preferable to wallowing like beached whales."
"But the entire tribe…" Greenlan gestured toward temple doors where villagers lay strewn about, iridescent tails glinting in sunlight. "They can’t even stand! What if this persists?"
The great priest chuckled. "Persistence? Observe your own restored legs. When we embrace our true nature as sea-dwellers, equilibrium returns." His gaze grew distant. "Our ocean-bound kin adapted better – tails never made them forget the water’s embrace."
Greenlan’s tension eased like retreating tides. "Then our visions… those weren’t mere dreams?"
"Dreams?" The priest’s voice turned solemn. "Sacred visions, which I foolishly dismissed. Through them, the gods revealed our submerged world and waning planetary health – warnings to reclaim our Atlantean heritage."
"But divine voices grow faint across cosmic expanses, and ancestral wisdom lies buried. Thus comes divine inspiration – selective revelation to bridge vast gulfs."
As the priest spoke, forgotten knowledge surfaced in Greenlan’s consciousness. "What form does this inspiration take?"
The great priest closed his eyes, recalling the prophecy. "It manifests as luminous energy – the primal force our civilization once commanded." His words hung suspended until Greenlan raised his palm, kindling a radiant sphere.
Though silent, the priest’s trembling hands and tear-filled eyes spoke volumes. The glowing orb pulsed with ancient power – not mere light, but the essence of creation itself.
"Our birthright returns," the priest whispered reverently. "You’ll surpass Eng’s legendary feats, Greenlan. Through you, we’ll restore Atlantis’ glory and fulfill our cosmic purpose." His fervent gaze held both adoration for the divine and hope kindled after millennia of darkness.
