Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil - Chapter 1940

Eren had proposed a win-win deal to his brother.

Although the sea monster no longer needed Eren’s help to destroy the Raashim Temple now that he was free, he could still allow Eren to take charge of his enemies’ territory once he was done with them.

After all, Eren was not only his brother but also his benefactor. Thanks to the Immortal Artifact’s influence, the sea monster naively felt that he owed Eren a thing or two.

Furthermore, the sea monster had no desire to rule the seven seas. The only reason he had attacked the Raashim Temple at the time was that he had not been in complete control of his actions.

In the past before his arrest, the sea monster’s mind had been consumed by thoughts of survival as the Immortal Artifact had tried to destroy him from within for its own amusement. Even if he had won against the Raashim Temple back then, he wouldn’t have ruled over the seas.

As such, the sea monster found Eren’s reasoning logical. However, he still needed to confirm something. He looked into Eren’s eyes before asking.

"Bro– brother, what are you going to do with Shir and the Raashim Temple? Did you really come here to help me?"

Eren knew exactly what the sea monster was trying to ask. If he said he was going back to where he came from without claiming the Raashim Temple’s territory, it would mean he had truly come to help the sea monster out of brotherly bond.

If he said he would take control of Baga Island, it would mean that targeting the Raashim Temple had been for his own reasons, with the sea monster’s well-being being only a secondary priority.

Eren could have chosen to lie to gain the sea monster’s trust. However, he decided to tell the truth because he wanted both Baga Island and the sea monster under his control.

The sea monster could become a significant asset for him, serving as both a deterrent against his enemies and a protector of the Elder Ichor followers Eren had gathered over the years.

With the sea monster as the figurehead and deterrent, the twin dragons as managers, and the rest of the dragonkind and his capable demonic beasts overseeing on-field operations, a large portion of Labh Salem’s seas would fall under Eren’s control. Without the sea monster’s involvement, his hold over the seas wouldn’t be as stable as he wanted it to be.

Eren could already foresee probing attacks from various divine and demonic factions in the future if the sea monster didn’t join his cause.

After all, if Shir and the Raashim Temple truly fell, the news wouldn’t remain hidden from the masses of Labh Salem for long. Various factions would come out of their woodwork and start to have their own designs on an unclaimed pie.

Thus, Eren needed a powerful being like the sea monster for his upcoming plans regarding the Witches’ Sabbath. Although he had a few S-Rank companions, their numbers weren’t enough for him to participate in the Sabbath and secure benefits for himself.

Not to mention, he didn’t have a single SS-Rank entity allied with him. If he participated in the Sabbath with his current strength, he wouldn’t just fail to gain any benefits—he would also invite significant trouble for himself and his followers.

Thus, Eren needed to ensure he handled the sea monster’s situation delicately. He didn’t want Baga Island to be relentlessly attacked by his enemies right after taking control.

Even though he could fend off such probing attacks with the twin sea dragons, the battles themselves wouldn’t be worth the trouble. They would create unnecessary unrest on Baga Island, which could eventually drag all of Labh Salem into conflict.

With the Sabbath approaching, this was a scenario Eren wanted to avoid if possible.

Initially, Eren had planned to stabilize the situation in the seas after taking over Raashim Temple’s territory without relying on the sea monster. Using the connections of his pseudo avatars, he had devised a complex plan that required all of them to contribute their efforts and resources.

However, after hearing from Reen that he and the sea monster shared a brotherly connection, Eren quickly modified his plans. He decided to bring the sea monster under his banner so his pseudo avatars could focus on other tasks.

And since he had resolved to ally with the sea monster by subtly taking control of him, Eren put in his best efforts to gain his trust. It was ironic—he hadn’t even paid this much attention to wooing his female companions in a long time, yet here he was, doing everything he could to make his "brother" believe in him.

After pondering the sea monster’s question for a while, Eren finally responded in a serious voice.

"Big brother, I will establish a new order in Labh Salem’s seas after the Raashim Temple falls. Don’t get me wrong—I do have my own stakes in their downfall, and I won’t pretend to be a selfless saint in front of you. But I’m not doing this solely for myself.

Think about it—don’t you believe that the divine and demonic factions will target you once they find out you possess an Immortal Artifact?

Even if your overwhelming vitality keeps you from dying, dealing with constant threats will be nothing but a headache if not a pain-inducing daily activity. Every weakling will try to take advantage of you, and worse, they might even send Saints after you.

I have a plan to eliminate that possibility and make you invincible as long as you remain in the sea. No divine faction or the opposing demonic faction will dare to bother us. In fact, they would cooperate with us.

Of course, I will not pretend that strengthening you won’t benefit me. But what I can say with confidence is that you would certainly not incur any loss.

If things go our way, you will get to enjoy your freedom, I’ll get to take over Raashim Temple and our enemies will get nothing.

But for that to happen, you need to put your trust in me. So you tell me. Are you willing?"

Eren asked, fixing the sea monster with a questioning gaze.