Hydross unhappily put down the trident of the tides; he had personally defeated this loa, yet it still feared his father's name more than him.
He had no intention of disrespecting Gale; he simply wanted to achieve something significant.
All of his older brothers and sisters in the family were capable in their own right. Tydasshid had already become a qualified king, managing all the empire's affairs exceptionally well. Nordrassil had displayed powerful military talent; he had completely occupied Ai Er Wen Forest, driving the Trolls to the Sunshine Forest across the river. Axi controlled Sky City, and Axi was wreaking havoc in Northrend, but he was still alone.
His father had already placed the sea under his management, but in these past few years, he didn't even have a single subordinate. How was he supposed to manage the sea?
Seeing Hydross's expression, Toga's heart stirred. If he could find a breakthrough with this Prince, perhaps the Zandalar Troll could find a way to break the deadlock.
So, he softly asked, "Elf... Prince, I was wrong earlier. Um... may I ask what brings you to Zandalar?"
Hydross glanced at him. "Father told me to govern the deep sea, and I am currently familiarizing myself with the waters. I suddenly saw you and thought you were the demigod Tortolla, but it turned out you were an enemy."
Toga gave an awkward laugh. "Not an enemy, not an enemy. Your Royal Highness, although I am not the demigod Tortolla, I can still help you."
"You can help me?" Hydross raised an eyebrow. Offering unsolicited help usually meant ulterior motives, and he became wary of Toga.
"Of course!" Toga said. "Your Highness manages the sea, and you will always need people to assist you. My kin can live in the water. The deep sea might be out of reach, but the nearshore is definitely not a problem."
"Oh?" Hydross became interested. "Your kin?"
Seeing Hydross take the bait, Toga immediately said, "Your Highness, please wait. I will summon them over now."
With that, Toga let out a long howl to the sky, and invisible ripples spread in all directions.
Soon, a group of turtle-men appeared on the shore. These turtle-men were a bit short, not as tall as the Kaldorei. But their bodies were strong, with sturdy muscles similar to those of Dwarves.
Of course, in terms of strength, they were definitely no match for Dwarves. Dwarves, after all, were Titan constructs, and their rock-like physique alone was something flesh and blood could not compare to. Although they couldn't compare to Dwarves, these turtle-men were much stronger than Murlocs.
That's right! Hydross suddenly thought, Murlocs could also be taken as subordinates. Although most Murlocs were not strong, there were still some powerful ones.
Moreover, he could emulate Gale's transformation of Nodradis and Smaug, modify the Murlocs' bodies, and create a powerful Murloc tribe.
Although it would be a lot of trouble, it would be more reliable than these turtle-men in front of him.
Toga didn't know what Hydross was thinking. Seeing his kin arrive, he immediately introduced them: "Your Highness, these are my kin, the Primal Turtle. They possess great strength and superb defensive capabilities, making them excellent warriors. They are also very wise and have considerable talent in the shamanistic arts."
Hydross nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad!"
Toga struck while the iron was hot. "As long as Your Highness is satisfied, I will tell them to obey your commands. You can instruct them to do anything you need in the future."
Hydross nodded. "With them here, I will feel much more at ease with the Zandalar waters."
"Zandalar waters?" Toga was stunned for a moment. Only the Zandalar waters?
Hydross saw through Toga's thoughts and said with a smile, "Since you are a loa of Zandalar, then these Primal Turtles are natural allies of the Zandalar Troll. According to the armistice agreement between the Zandalar Troll and the Empire, the Zandalar Troll are not allowed to leave Zandalar easily, and the same applies to the Primal Turtle."
Toga felt like he had been tricked...
Hydross didn't care about Toga's thoughts. In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy or trickery was useless. The Kaldorei Empire possessed absolute strength, so it naturally wouldn't care what the Zandalar Troll thought.
Gale's strategy was to confine all races to fixed areas. Allied races could move freely, but their influence was not allowed to expand. Hostile races had their personnel restricted, let alone their influence.
According to the armistice agreement, Zandalar and its surrounding waters were the activity areas for the Zandalar Troll and their allies. That's why Hydross would let the Primal Turtle assist him in managing Zandalar's nearshore, and only the nearshore.
Toga's heart was filled with unvented rage. He dared not attack Hydross, and even if he did, he couldn't beat Hydross.
Hydross tilted his head. "Can I announce it now?"
Toga calmed himself down, took a deep breath, and constantly admonished himself: Don't be angry, don't be angry. Although they haven't left Zandalar, it's not without gain. Zandalar and Pandaria are connected, so the Primal Turtle can completely enter Pandaria's waters, and the Zandalar Troll might also be able to enter Pandaria—yes! Go to Pandaria. The Thunder King is still in Pandaria. As long as he can be resurrected, there will be a chance to break the deadlock.
At this moment, he had clearly forgotten his own assessment that Gale could kill the Thunder King.
Toga came to the shore and said to the Primal Turtles, "Children, this is the Prince of the Kaldorei Empire. He is responsible for managing the seas of Azeroth. From now on, you shall obey his commands and assist him in managing the sea."
Hydross glanced at Toga. This Turtle God was still not being honest!
However, he didn't care.
He walked in front of Toga and loudly declared, "I am Hydross, Prince of the Sea, son of Gale. From today onwards, you shall obey my command and be responsible for managing the nearshore of Zandalar. If any crisis occurs here, you shall deal with it. If you cannot handle it, report it to me, and I will come immediately."
With that, he plunged the trident of the tides into the ground, and a large amount of energy surged from the trident, pouring into the bodies of the Primal Turtles.
The Primal Turtles' bodies grew larger, becoming about as tall as Hydross.
"This is the essence of the sea. It can enhance your control over Water Elementals and also allow you to cast spells and contact me. Everyone, remember my warning, your scope of management is only the nearshore of Zandalar."
The Primal Turtles looked at each other, still not reacting. Clearly, they knew nothing about this suddenly appearing Prince of the Sea from the Kaldorei Empire, not to mention having a huge new task. The information was too much, and they couldn't sort it out for a while.
Hydross didn't care if the Primal Turtles had sorted it out or not. He pulled out the trident of the tides, controlled the water to fly back into the sea, and disappeared.
These Primal Turtles were just his test subjects. The ones he was going to find next would be his true subordinates.
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