I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

"Elven ships rarely encounter sea monster attacks. I have been sailing in these waters for nearly two hundred years and have never seen a sea monster. This is also recorded in elven history."

"How could this happen?"

"The reason is unknown. But our human counterparts haven't been so lucky; almost all the human captains I know have encountered sea monsters."

Some were dragged along the anchor chain at the stern, some had their hulls breached, and one captain even encountered a giant octopus that could spew out black slime, destroying half the ship in one go.

Lilith swallowed hard, unconsciously putting the bread down in her hand.

"So... what do humans encounter most often?"

"The most common one is the 'long-whiskered monster fish,' a fish-shaped creature that can grow to nearly a hundred feet long. They generally do not attack ships unless provoked, but if angered, they can smash a small boat to pieces with a single tail."

Isn't that a long-finned whale?

The captain took another sip of soup and, amidst Lilith's exclamation, continued, "There's also something called a 'shadow eel,' which is active only at night and can swim silently under the ship. It's said to devour the light beneath the ship."

Lilith's gaze unconsciously drifted to the water below the ship's side, where it was also pitch black and nothing could be seen.

The captain smiled. "Don't worry, they won't dare approach the elven ships."

Why?

"I don't know. Maybe they are born recognizing the aura of elves. Or maybe a long time ago, something made them remember that 'you can't touch an elf's ship.'"

Ji Tian listened quietly, his mind filled with images of the Goddess of Life fighting her way from land to sea, and then from sea to the deep ocean...

He suddenly realized that the captain's words, "There's something that made them remember," might have inadvertently revealed the truth.

If the ancestors of those sea monsters had witnessed the Goddess of Life taking action, and seen her pin beings countless times more powerful than themselves to the seabed, transforming them into islands and mountains, then they must have remembered the aura of the Goddess of Life and passed it down in some way.

Lilith, still holding the soup bowl, was intrigued by the captain's words and couldn't help but ask again:

"Then the Elven race must have a very impressive maritime history, right? Since sea monsters don't dare approach your ship, doesn't that mean you can just roam freely?"

Captain Evelyn stuffed the last bite of bread into her mouth, chewed it slowly, took a sip of soup, and then said:

"They can indeed run around freely, but the problem is that most elves don't want to."

Why?

"Elves have such long lifespans that our definition of 'adventure' is quite different from that of humans. Humans see seafaring as adventure, conquest, and seeing places they've never seen before. But for elves, a tree growing from a seed to a towering tree might be more meaningful than a voyage across the sea."

Lilith tilted her head and asked, "And you? You seem to really like the sea."

Evelyn chuckled and said:

"I am an exception. My mother is from a branch of the Wind Whisper family. She has loved standing by the sea watching ships come and go since she was a child. I, on the other hand, love to go out to sea and sail far away... Every elven clan has a few oddballs who like to go out."

Elena, who had just finished eating, interjected, "Is it true that you elves are born navigators?"

“That’s true,” Evelyn nodded. “Elves never get seasick. We are born with the ability to sense the direction of ocean currents, just as naturally as we sense the direction of the wind in the forest.”

Humans might turn pale and lose their appetite after three days at sea, but elves can maintain a normal appetite from beginning to end, eating and sleeping as usual.

Lilith glanced down at the unfinished bowl of fish soup in front of her and wisely kept quiet.

"We will not tire of long voyages either. A thousand years ago, the Elven sailing record was held by an explorer named Edwin—who sailed at sea for eleven years straight."

"Eleven years?!" Lilith looked up abruptly.

"Yes, he traveled eastward along the southern coast of the continent, reaching as far as a place in this sea area that no one had ever been before."

He returned noticeably thinner, but in excellent spirits. He could still recount his experiences at sea, and even said that if he hadn't gotten tired of eating fish, he could have continued sailing.

"That's amazing!"

The captain, seeing Lilith's wide eyes, smiled and continued:

"However, elves like Edwin are a minority. Most elves' attitude towards the sea is 'I can take a look, but I don't want to live there.' The forest is our root, and no matter how vast the ocean is, it is just another 'outside world' for elves."

The captain walked to the railing, took a small wooden box off the railing, placed it on the table, and casually opened the lid.

Inside, there was a layer of dry moss, on which several greenish-yellow fruits were neatly arranged. Their skin was rough, their shape was somewhat like a pear, and they emitted a refreshing fruity fragrance.

"These are 'sea puffins' that I grow on the boat—they adapt to salty winds, are drought-resistant, and bear fruit in three months. We bring a few seedlings with us on the boat before we go out to sea, and transplant them into wooden boxes when we dock, so we can eat fresh fruit on the return trip."

She picked one up, wiped it on her sleeve, and tossed it to Lilith: "Try it."

Lilith took it, carefully took a bite, chewed a few times, and her eyes lit up slightly: "Sweet!"

Evelyn then distributed some more to everyone.

"This fruit is also related to a certain disease in your human history."

"What illness?"

"It is said that long ago, humans, dwarves, and other races of sailors often suffered from a disease that caused bleeding gums, weakness, and strange spots on the skin, and in severe cases, even death."

The first hero later suggested that storing enough fruit on the ship could prevent the disease, and the crew later found that it was indeed effective.

At the time, human sailors spread the word that this was a "hero's blessing." Later, in port cities, some people would pray for a safe voyage before setting sail to the image of the hero, and even today, some captains still have the custom of hanging a hero's badge on the bow of their ships.

Lilith tilted her head and thought for a moment: "What about the Four Kings and the Seven Sea Lords?"

In the common language of this world, there is no concept of emperor or empress; the title "king" is used instead.

The captain looked at her in surprise: "Four kings aside, you even know about the Seven Sea Lords? This is information that the human kingdoms have been deliberately covering up."

"Ah... I, I saw it in a book before!" Lilith added a little sheepishly, "I read a little bit of everything in my spare time."

Actually, I was reading the manga series "The Bizarre Adventure of Pirate King," which is only popular in the demon world.

Evelyn nodded: "The title of the Four Kings is indeed related to the first generation of heroes - at that time, pirates were rampant, and four human pirates were regarded by those pirates as 'capable of being kings' because their respective sea areas were vast enough, their fleets were large enough, and their influence on this sea area was far-reaching enough."

The first hero later came into contact with some of them during a voyage, and learned from them about the existence of these four powerful pirate leaders, whom he called the "Four Kings".

As for the Seven Sea Lords… they were pirate leaders who were later recruited into the kingdom. The kingdom granted them "pardons" on the condition that they eliminate other pirates for the kingdom or legally plunder illegal ships using pirate licenses issued by the kingdom. Upon reaching old age or retiring, they could receive corresponding titles in the kingdom based on their merits. This title was also proposed by the first hero.”

"Another First Hero? Why does it feel like he's the one who defines everything?"