Early morning, sunlight pierced through the windowsill, illuminating the room filled with spring scenery.
Inside the room, Brian slowly opened his eyes under the stimulation of the sunlight.
His body felt quite "heavy." Looking down, he saw three different paws pressing on him.
One was a small bear paw, soft and bouncy, with a somewhat glutinous texture.
Another was a noticeably larger cow hoof, placed beside the bear paw, creating a stark contrast.
The last one was crystal clear, even glowing faintly under the sunlight, as beautiful as a piece of fine jade.
The identities were revealed: Panda Girl Tuan Rong, Cow Girl Bei, and the unexpected Ice Sprite Girl Coco.
These were the three Beast Girls from last night's intense battle.
Brian gently moved these paws aside, quickly got up alone, and left the room.
After eating and drinking his fill, Brian left the base, returned to the surface, and headed toward the port of the base island.
A specially crafted warship, massive in size, streamlined in shape, and as black as a deep-sea leviathan, lay quietly docked at the pier.
This ship was the result of Brian's years of quietly accumulating materials, combined with the massive gains from the Navy and the Celestial Dragons, barely managing to be built at an extremely high cost.
Modeled after the deep-sea overlord, it could dive into the depths of ten thousand meters, unafraid of Sea Kings and the pressure of the deep sea.
Brian named it the "Devourer," flying the pirate flag of the Rocks Pirates.
Brian stroked the cold hull of the ship, his eyes gleaming with the ambition to conquer. Only such a grand vessel was fit to roam the depths of ten thousand meters.
"Master, shall we begin?"
Beside the large ship, Number One stood with hundreds of members of the Maid Corps, ready and waiting.
"Proceed!"
With the command, a large number of maids filed into the ship, each taking up their respective duties.
Toot toot~
Before long, a series of tooting sounds began to ring out as the maids started up the massive vessel.
Soon after, a small group of maids quickly took their positions and began spraying a thick layer of resin onto the outer hull to prepare for the upcoming deep-sea journey.
This was the necessary coating for entering the deep sea. Without this seemingly fragile yet incredibly sturdy coating, ordinary ships would struggle to reach the depths of ten thousand meters.
In the original story, most ships heading to the deep sea had their coatings applied collectively at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Because of this, the coating industry at the Sabaody Archipelago was highly developed, to the extent that even Rayleigh, after retiring, became a coating worker.
However, this did not mean that one had to go to the Sabaody Archipelago to get a coating.
Located in the New World, Brian ultimately chose to have his maids apply the coating themselves.
The essence remained the same; once mastered, the coating process was not difficult.
As early as a few days ago, the maids had already begun the preliminary preparations for the coating.
As time passed, a massive bubble began to form, gradually enveloping the entire "Devourer."
Below, the Beast Girl Legion divided into several groups, standing on the deck, watching the busy craftsmen and the gradually bubble-encased ship, their eyes filled with excitement.
The coating meant they would temporarily leave the sunlight behind and dive into the mysterious and dangerous deep sea.
Brian approached the Beast Girls: "The deep sea journey is both a trial and an opportunity. You must learn to master the darkness and conquer fear to truly become the 'Beasts' that will make the world tremble."
"Yes, Master!"
Night fell, and the coating was completed.
Everything was ready - ample supplies, sufficient food, and the base beneath the island had been sealed, waiting to be reopened when the next Beast Girls were born.
Standing on the deck, Brian scanned the crowded platform, his heart swelling with ambition.
To the left stood the Beast Girl Legion led by Hellhound Girl, totaling 18 Beast Girls. Though few in number, their presence was overwhelming.
Simply standing there, they seemed like a mighty army.
Beside the Beast Girl Legion was Otohime, a reserve Beast Girl who brought the total to 19.
These 19 alone were equivalent to a medium-sized Pirate Crew in the New World - and a top-tier one at that.
They were just one step away from being a large Pirate Crew, lacking only one top-tier combatant.
Of course, with Brian included, the situation was completely different——
To the right stood over a hundred maids led by Number One, with another hundred-plus maids performing their duties elsewhere on the ship, not present on the deck.
The Maid Corps, created through genetic technology including Lineage Factor, was truly Brian's second greatest invention!
They could handle everything except combat - incredibly useful indeed.
The Beast Girl Legion plus the Maid Corps formed Brian's two greatest assets.
"Set sail!"
"Yes!"
At Brian's command, the "Devourer" started up, its massive engines emitting a low rumble as it slowly departed from the base port, heading toward "Fish-Man Island" beneath the Red Earth Continent.
The "Devourer's" bow gradually submerged as the hull began to withstand the immense pressure from the sea.
As light was swallowed by the seawater, the world outside the portholes shifted from azure to deep blue, then gradually transformed into profound darkness.
"Master, it's really dark here."
As the ship descended deeper into the sea, Sheep Girl grew uncomfortable with the pitch-black environment and pressed anxiously against Brian's side.
She wasn't alone - the more timid Beast Girls like Dog Girl Ling, Bat Girl Fu, and Cow Girl Bei had all huddled together.
Since their birth, this was their first experience of such deep ocean depths, and though they had just entered the deep sea, they already felt deeply unsettled.
In contrast, Otohime stood nearby, enjoying the familiar deep sea scenery and feeling completely at ease.
Mermaids belonged to the ocean depths.
Brian chuckled softly and reached out to pat several Beast Girls, comforting them.
"Darkness is often the best breeding ground for power."
He then pressed a button in the command room, and soft searchlights immediately illuminated from both sides of the hull, their beams piercing through the deep sea to light up the surroundings.
The sight before them drew gasps of amazement from all the Beast Girls.
They were sailing through a massive underwater canyon, where countless bioluminescent deep-sea plants grew on the rocky walls on either side.
These plants resembled underwater fireworks, their deep blue, emerald green, and pale purple lights intertwining to transform the canyon into a dreamlike underwater corridor.
"Look! What's that?"
Suddenly, Ling pointed out the porthole, her pupils reflecting a rapidly moving cluster of light.
It was a school of enormous Deep Sea Lantern Fish, their lanterns glowing like torches in the deep sea, but their bodies were dozens of times larger than ordinary lantern fish. They swam in formation around the vessel.
They curiously observed this "steel giant" that had intruded into their territory.
"These are the Night Wanderers unique to the deep sea," Otohime excitedly explained nearby. "They are guides in the darkness, but also predators."
The Cat Girl nearby waved her fist excitedly: "I really want to go down and race them!"
"Not yet, Mi," Brian laughed. "The real challenge lies deeper below. For now, your primary task is to adapt to the deep sea environment."
Deep sea navigation was monotonous and stressful.
Brian didn't want the legion to become fatigued or anxious before reaching Fish-Man Island.
He frequently gathered the Beast Girls in the command room, explaining the characteristics of deep sea creatures while conducting physical training and mental resistance exercises.
Brian's companionship and guidance helped the Beast Girls find enjoyment in the tedious voyage, while also deepening their dependence and loyalty toward him.
In the silence of the deep sea, the bond between master and servants grew stronger.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "GoddessTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!