Sea People (2)

"My name is Mateo, the young prince, Mateo Del Mar, and I am the sole King of the Mermaids and Mermen. We truly need your help."

"My help?" Luke asked, the look of surprise on his face visible.

"We are hungry, very hungry. Our race has been drawn into a war, and we are the ones who must retreat from the southern, western, and northern seas. The northern seas have been taken by the Half-Human Whales, the western seas by the Half-Human Sharks, and the southern seas by the Half-Human Octopuses. The eastern seas have been invaded by the Sea Serpents. There is no other place we can live."

Luke didn't know what to say in response to these words. The merman standing before him, bowing his head as if waiting for him, was likely many times older than him, yet he was just like him. Each of them was like Luke. They were people who had been driven from their homes.

To be honest, Luke was heartbroken, but this lake was important to them. The lake was enormous, especially with its side connected to the sea and its incredible depth, making it extremely valuable.

Still, Luke could see the children of the mermaids and mermen—it was impossible to say where they would go if they were expelled from here.

"On one condition," Luke said in a calm tone.

"I'm willing to do anything—our scales, our gills, our blood are worth money. If necessary, I'm willing to give my life, my body. Please, just let the others stay here." Mateo said.

These words seemed to strike Luke deep in his soul. He knew that humans and other races were very different. He had thought about whether his father could do such a thing in such a situation and had come to the firm conclusion that his father did not possess such honour or dignity.

"If danger approaches from where the sea and the lake meet, you will inform the elf you see behind me. You will allow the fish in the lake to reproduce and never, ever harm the ecosystem. Also, if possible, come and tell me how deep the lake is," Luke had said.

With these words, Mateo and the mermaids and mermen around him were filled with hope.

"Will you really accept us just like that?" Mateo asked in great surprise.

"Of course... I accepted all the elves just like that. It's no problem for me, and this place belongs entirely to me. The mountains behind you, this region, hundreds, thousands of kilometres—it all belongs to me. So there's no need to worry; live to your heart's content." Luke replied.

Then he yawned, stood up from where he was crouching, and asked, "Oh! By the way, is there anything you folks do not eat?"

When Mateo shook his head from side to side, meaning no, Luke reached directly into his inventory and began pulling out kilograms of meat and vegetables.

The elves and humans gathered around him began to smile. Luke was truly helpful…more than a typical nobleman could be.

Luke turned to one of the elves next to him immediately after removing hundreds of pounds of meat from the inventory and said, "Go and fetch the cooking stones, knives, and other tools we use in the middle of the village, and be careful not to drop them."

After that, he yawned deeply and then pushed the snow on the ground to the right and left with his foot, creating a small space.

Immediately afterwards, he created a pure white flame, though not as powerful as Kevin's, and then set the logs he had placed on the wet ground ablaze.

There were many elements in the world, and advanced uses for these elements. For example, earth element users could transform magma or metals into different shapes, or lightning element users could adjust the damage of the lightning to change its power levels. 

Fire element users could also control flames of different colours, though like other elements, this was a skill that was nearly impossible to master.

Saying it was one in a hundred million would not be an exaggeration.

There were only three people in the entire empire who could do this. One was Luke Ibn Alphonsine Hiera, the second was Kevin Typhoon, and the third was Kassadin Wirgo, the current duke of the Wirgo Duchy.

Kassadin could use the flame of nature and poison; the green flame symbolising innovation. Kevin could use the blue flame representing the upper layers of hell, and Luke could use the cold white flame that could turn everything into ice, the black flame that burned whatever it touched forever, and the yellow flame of healing.

He could assist the empire in any way, but had fallen into this position due to his father's stinginess.

The user of white fire could possess the immense burning power of black fire instead of freezing everything at will, and unlike black fire, it could burn quickly.

This alone explained why Luke had chosen it.

"White fire?" asked Mateo, the sea king, watching from the edge of the lake.

Luke turned to him and slowly shook his head up and down, saying, "Yes. Rare, I know." Without even bothering to show the other fires, he began throwing more wood onto the blazing white flames.

Shortly afterwards, the six-person elf group returned with cooking utensils and various other items, and Luke began cooking the meat and vegetables.

Almost every piece of cooked food went to the mermaids and mermen, while the rest went to the people and elves around them.

After almost two hours, when everyone had eaten their fill, there was no need to do anything else, and Luke said, "These will stay here."

He then turned to the elf responsible for the area by the lake and said, "This task will be yours. If you find it difficult—and I'm sure you will in the future—come to me for help. It's not hard to send someone else to assist you."

He then greeted Mateo once more and left the area with a yawn.

He left Mateo behind, who muttered, "What an interesting person..."