By virtue of their racial talent, merfolk possessed highly captivating voices. Although this merfolk's tone had no particular rise or fall, his words were still vivid enough to paint an incredibly clear picture.
Lying in the merfolk's arms, Yu Deng imagined himself being captured and eaten by terrifying sea creatures as the other described it, and couldn't help shivering.
"If that's the case, then I don't want to come into the sea anymore… C-Can you take me to land?"
Yu Deng raised his head and looked at the handsome merfolk. "You only need to take me to the border of the Kingdom of Sturitt."
As long as he was within the kingdom's territory, he should be able to find an NPC to send him back to the castle palace, right? He was a princess, after all!
Hearing this, the merfolk raised his hand. His sharp claws did not touch Yu Deng's skin; instead, he gently brushed his cool fingertips over Yu Deng's soft lips.
"The border of the Kingdom of Sturitt…?" the merfolk repeated softly.
The pretty and adorable little princess had forgotten that the conflict between merfolk and humans was extremely severe. How could the merfolk possibly send the little princess he had finally lured here back to the human kingdom?
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Your Highness the Princess." The merfolk smiled apologetically at Yu Deng, his blue eyes seemingly sincere at first glance. "I have no way of taking you back to shore."
Yu Deng looked disappointed. "Why?"
The merfolk thought for a few seconds before giving him a reason. "Because I don't know the way."
"Really…?"
Without changing expression, the merfolk said, "Yes. The Kingdom of Sturitt is very far from here, and the waters at night are extremely dangerous."
"Oh, okay…" Yu Deng lowered his head, his eyes filled with confusion, unsure of what to do next.
Yu Deng was simply too slow to realize it for a moment. This merfolk could communicate with the dragon leader, recognize at a glance that he was the princess of the Kingdom of Sturitt, and even use long-distance teleportation magic… How could such a powerful fantasy creature possibly not know where the land was?
While Yu Deng was troubled by this, the merfolk didn't urge him. He simply continued quietly holding the little princess in his arms.
Yu Deng's white clothes were already completely soaked through, revealing the snow-white skin beneath the transparent fabric. As the gentle waves lifted him slightly, the hem of his dress had ridden up to his waist, leaving him with no choice but to press his legs against the merfolk's tail.
The merfolk's gaze lingered over the exposed skin of the little princess, and his breathing suddenly became slightly heavier.
—He had noticed faint red marks scattered across Yu Deng's body. Obviously, these were traces left behind by the leader of the dragon race, carrying an unmistakable air of flaunting and declaring his territory.
"Your Highness the Princess," the merfolk said softly. "It seems some filthy insects have bitten you. Allow me to treat you."
"Hmm?" Yu Deng didn't understand when he had been bitten, but he still nodded. "Okay, thank you."
The merfolk reached out and brushed his hand over him, using magic to erase those eyesore-like marks. Only then did he finally feel better.
After a pause, he looked at the little princess trembling slightly in the cold seawater and cast another spell to dispel the chill.
"Since you temporarily have no way to return to land, would you like to come into the sea with me first? Once it's daylight, I'll find a way to take you back to land." The merfolk's voice was gentle as he coaxed Yu Deng with seemingly effortless tenderness. "Although I don't know why you became stranded out at sea, I can keep you company."
Both the merfolk's words and his movements conveyed the same message—the waters were extremely dangerous, but the little princess could trust him.
This apex predator from the depths of the sea was coaxing the slow-witted, beautiful little princess with unprecedented patience.
If other merfolk saw this scene, they would probably be extremely surprised. After all, according to merfolk instincts and habits, if they took a fancy to prey, they would simply drag it into the sea. The seawater would make the prey struggle amid the sensation of drowning and suffocation, easily breaking through all of its defenses.
But the merfolk couldn't bear to do that to the little princess.
"Oh, right. I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet." The merfolk gazed into Yu Deng's eyes. "My name is Ulysses. Little Princess, may I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Yu Deng hesitated for a moment before telling the merfolk his name as well.
Before he realized it, the merfolk had already carried Yu Deng through the water for quite some distance, at least several dozen meters away from the rock they had been on earlier. Although Yu Deng was still floating at the surface, he had to hold onto the merfolk to keep from falling into the sea.
Yu Deng had already been coaxed into a dazed state, seriously considering whether he should go into the depths of the sea with the merfolk.
He had discovered some very important clues in the dragon territory. Would he find something useful in the merfolk's territory as well? But… he was a little afraid of the sea.
People naturally feared things that were unknown and beyond their control. Yu Deng couldn't swim and had no idea what was lurking beneath the water. To him, the ocean was far more dangerous than the dragon race's cloud territory.
Yu Deng looked at the merfolk hesitantly and didn't immediately accept his invitation.
"Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't. I can't breathe underwater at all…"
The merfolk said, "You can. A merfolk's blessing can allow you to breathe in the sea."
"A merfolk's blessing?"
A smile glimmered in the merfolk's eyes as he coaxed Yu Deng step by step.
"Yes. How about I give you my blessing?"
Yu Deng innocently nodded.
The next moment, the merfolk pulled him even closer. His cool lips covered Yu Deng's.
Unlike the gentle patience he had displayed on the surface, the merfolk's kiss was filled with urgency. His movements were extremely inexperienced, yet so intense, greedily wanting to claim every part of Yu Deng.
His fish tail gradually wrapped itself around Yu Deng's legs.
"Mm…"
Yu Deng was kissed until he could barely breathe, but he was in the middle of the sea and didn't dare push the merfolk away. He could only wrap his arms around the merfolk's neck and let him continue kissing him.
The sky had completely darkened. Dim moonlight spilled across the shimmering surface of the sea. In the distance, a school of small fish swam over, but upon spotting the merfolk who ruled these waters, they wisely took a detour and swam away.By virtue of their racial talent, merfolk possessed highly captivating voices. Although this merfolk's tone had no particular rise or fall, his words were still vivid enough to paint an incredibly clear picture.
Lying in the merfolk's arms, Yu Deng imagined himself being captured and eaten by terrifying sea creatures as the other described it, and couldn't help shivering.
"If that's the case, then I don't want to come into the sea anymore… C-Can you take me to land?"
Yu Deng raised his head and looked at the handsome merfolk. "You only need to take me to the border of the Kingdom of Sturitt."
As long as he was within the kingdom's territory, he should be able to find an NPC to send him back to the castle palace, right? He was a princess, after all!
Hearing this, the merfolk raised his hand. His sharp claws did not touch Yu Deng's skin; instead, he gently brushed his cool fingertips over Yu Deng's soft lips.
"The border of the Kingdom of Sturitt…?" the merfolk repeated softly.
The pretty and adorable little princess had forgotten that the conflict between merfolk and humans was extremely severe. How could the merfolk possibly send the little princess he had finally lured here back to the human kingdom?
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Your Highness the Princess." The merfolk smiled apologetically at Yu Deng, his blue eyes seemingly sincere at first glance. "I have no way of taking you back to shore."
Yu Deng looked disappointed. "Why?"
The merfolk thought for a few seconds before giving him a reason. "Because I don't know the way."
"Really…?"
Without changing expression, the merfolk said, "Yes. The Kingdom of Sturitt is very far from here, and the waters at night are extremely dangerous."
"Oh, okay…" Yu Deng lowered his head, his eyes filled with confusion, unsure of what to do next.
Yu Deng was simply too slow to realize it for a moment. This merfolk could communicate with the dragon leader, recognize at a glance that he was the princess of the Kingdom of Sturitt, and even use long-distance teleportation magic… How could such a powerful fantasy creature possibly not know where the land was?
While Yu Deng was troubled by this, the merfolk didn't urge him. He simply continued quietly holding the little princess in his arms.
Yu Deng's white clothes were already completely soaked through, revealing the snow-white skin beneath the transparent fabric. As the gentle waves lifted him slightly, the hem of his dress had ridden up to his waist, leaving him with no choice but to press his legs against the merfolk's tail.
The merfolk's gaze lingered over the exposed skin of the little princess, and his breathing suddenly became slightly heavier.
—He had noticed faint red marks scattered across Yu Deng's body. Obviously, these were traces left behind by the leader of the dragon race, carrying an unmistakable air of flaunting and declaring his territory.
"Your Highness the Princess," the merfolk said softly. "It seems some filthy insects have bitten you. Allow me to treat you."
"Hmm?" Yu Deng didn't understand when he had been bitten, but he still nodded. "Okay, thank you."
The merfolk reached out and brushed his hand over him, using magic to erase those eyesore-like marks. Only then did he finally feel better.
After a pause, he looked at the little princess trembling slightly in the cold seawater and cast another spell to dispel the chill.
"Since you temporarily have no way to return to land, would you like to come into the sea with me first? Once it's daylight, I'll find a way to take you back to land." The merfolk's voice was gentle as he coaxed Yu Deng with seemingly effortless tenderness. "Although I don't know why you became stranded out at sea, I can keep you company."
Both the merfolk's words and his movements conveyed the same message—the waters were extremely dangerous, but the little princess could trust him.
This apex predator from the depths of the sea was coaxing the slow-witted, beautiful little princess with unprecedented patience.
If other merfolk saw this scene, they would probably be extremely surprised. After all, according to merfolk instincts and habits, if they took a fancy to prey, they would simply drag it into the sea. The seawater would make the prey struggle amid the sensation of drowning and suffocation, easily breaking through all of its defenses.
But the merfolk couldn't bear to do that to the little princess.
"Oh, right. I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet." The merfolk gazed into Yu Deng's eyes. "My name is Ulysses. Little Princess, may I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Yu Deng hesitated for a moment before telling the merfolk his name as well.
Before he realized it, the merfolk had already carried Yu Deng through the water for quite some distance, at least several dozen meters away from the rock they had been on earlier. Although Yu Deng was still floating at the surface, he had to hold onto the merfolk to keep from falling into the sea.
Yu Deng had already been coaxed into a dazed state, seriously considering whether he should go into the depths of the sea with the merfolk.
He had discovered some very important clues in the dragon territory. Would he find something useful in the merfolk's territory as well? But… he was a little afraid of the sea.
People naturally feared things that were unknown and beyond their control. Yu Deng couldn't swim and had no idea what was lurking beneath the water. To him, the ocean was far more dangerous than the dragon race's cloud territory.
Yu Deng looked at the merfolk hesitantly and didn't immediately accept his invitation.
"Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't. I can't breathe underwater at all…"
The merfolk said, "You can. A merfolk's blessing can allow you to breathe in the sea."
"A merfolk's blessing?"
A smile glimmered in the merfolk's eyes as he coaxed Yu Deng step by step.
"Yes. How about I give you my blessing?"
Yu Deng innocently nodded.
The next moment, the merfolk pulled him even closer. His cool lips covered Yu Deng's.
Unlike the gentle patience he had displayed on the surface, the merfolk's kiss was filled with urgency. His movements were extremely inexperienced, yet so intense, greedily wanting to claim every part of Yu Deng.
His fish tail gradually wrapped itself around Yu Deng's legs.
"Mm…"
Yu Deng was kissed until he could barely breathe, but he was in the middle of the sea and didn't dare push the merfolk away. He could only wrap his arms around the merfolk's neck and let him continue kissing him.
The sky had completely darkened. Dim moonlight spilled across the shimmering surface of the sea. In the distance, a school of small fish swam over, but upon spotting the merfolk who ruled these waters, they wisely took a detour and swam away.
Only after a long while did the merfolk finally end the kiss, sighing softly. "Little Princess, your lips are so soft and sweet."
Yu Deng's eyes were misty. Hearing the merfolk's murmur, he gave a little hum before suddenly realizing something was wrong.
Wait, when he was surrounded by that ring of light in the dragon territory, didn't he hear Ulysses's voice too? It was the merfolk's voice, right…?
How strange. Why couldn't he remember the details very clearly…?
Yu Deng stared blankly at the merfolk. After a long while, he finally managed to say, "Y-You're a bad fish, aren't you… You ate my mouth, and you even lied to me!"
Ulysses looked surprised. "Isn't this our first time meeting? When did I ever deceive you?"
Yu Deng stammered, "No, that's not right. You clearly said that you were the one who teleported me here…"
This fish was still pretending that he knew nothing, as though they had merely happened to encounter each other.
"Hmm? So you heard me."
The merfolk looked somewhat surprised. However, the little princess's ability to resist the merfolk's enchantment only made him even more excited.
Yu Deng didn't quite understand why the merfolk had assumed he hadn't heard him. He pursed his lips and discovered that his mouth hurt a little. His voice unconsciously took on a slightly aggrieved tone.
"Why did you bring me here?"
The merfolk gazed at Yu Deng's face and repeated the question to himself.
Yes. Why?
The merfolk race's appearance could be considered among the finest on the continent of Eralzea, and he had seen countless rare treasures. So why had merely seeing the little princess through magical communication made him want to go to such lengths to lure the little princess into the sea, even taking such pleasure in coaxing and teasing him?
The merfolk chose the simplest answer.
"Because you are the most beautiful princess."
Yu Deng stared into his eyes for a few seconds, remembering the Queen's warning.
Merfolk had strange, unpredictable temperaments and were very good at deceiving people. That certain cold, inhuman quality of theirs was even more pronounced than that of dragons.
Yu Deng inexplicably felt a little wronged and accused him, "Just because of that, you had to lie to me…? And you teleported me here without even telling me first. I thought I was going to die…"
As Yu Deng spoke, his already misty eyes from the kiss blinked, and warm tears immediately rolled down his cheeks, falling into the seawater.
"How could you do that…? You're a bad fish."
The merfolk stiffened slightly. Seeing the little princess crying, it felt as though someone had squeezed his heart.
Unlike all the emotions he had experienced before, this feeling was extremely unfamiliar. It was an emotion called regret and heartache.
After a moment of silence, the merfolk wiped away Yu Deng's tears and awkwardly apologized.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault. If I ever do something like this again, I'll ask for Your Highness the Princess's permission first."
Yu Deng raised his eyes and looked at him with lingering disbelief, his tears still not stopping.
"I swear upon this ocean that I will never let the little princess experience that kind of fear again."
The merfolk looked at Yu Deng sincerely, and at least managed to coax the angry little princess into calming down.
"So… would you like to come see the bottom of the sea with me? With me here, no sea creature will bully you."
Yu Deng turned his face away. "Fine."
He had already received the merfolk's blessing. It would be such a waste not to go into the sea.
At that moment, Yu Deng heard his system's voice.
[Beep… beep. Data analysis complete.] System 01 said, [Host, this merfolk is also one of your special quest targets. You need to form a contract with him during this instance.]
Ah, this merfolk was a quest target too. Then he definitely had to go take a look at the bottom of the sea.
But counting them up, he now had four special quest targets in this instance.
Yu Deng felt a familiar sense of being completely overwhelmed.
As he thought about it, the merfolk had already carried him down into the seawater.
The merfolk's blessing hadn't lied to him. He really could breathe underwater, and he could even open his eyes.
Only after completely descending into the deep sea did Yu Deng finally get a clear look at the merfolk's entire form.
The merfolk's upper body was bare, his muscular lines firm and smooth, while his waist and abdomen looked lean and powerful. His lower body was a long fish tail covered in dark-blue scales. The tail fin was thin and sharp, radiating a dangerous strength.
Like the dragon, he too was such a wondrous creature.
Yu Deng couldn't swim. Now, he cautiously swam through the seawater, needing to hold onto the merfolk so that the waves wouldn't carry him away.
The farther down they went, the darker the light in the sea became. Yu Deng's eyesight wasn't as good as the merfolk's, and at this depth he couldn't see clearly at all. He could only cling tightly to the merfolk's arm.
Yu Deng couldn't tell how long they had been swimming. He could only feel that the merfolk was moving very quickly.
He wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a string of bubbling sounds.
Yu Deng blankly blew bubbles for several seconds.
"..."
Waaah, he really wasn't used to talking underwater.
"Relax. Just breathe the way you would on land." Ulysses found the little princess adorable and guided him. "With the blessing, you won't choke."
Yu Deng clumsily experimented for a while and finally learned how to speak underwater.
"How much longer until we get there?"
"Don't worry. We're almost there."
This time, Ulysses didn't lie to Yu Deng. After swimming for about another five minutes, a light appeared before Yu Deng's eyes.
Yu Deng narrowed his eyes and spent more than ten seconds adjusting to the brightness before finally seeing the merfolk kingdom located deep beneath the sea.
The merfolk kingdom was filled with glowing stones and pearls, so it wasn't nearly as dark as the other parts of the deep sea. Coral and enormous seashells were scattered throughout the outermost areas, where a few merfolk lived. All kinds of colorful fish swam through the coral, while in the central area stood a massive palace.
Ulysses carried Yu Deng through the water above the underwater kingdom and headed straight toward the palace. As they drew closer, Yu Deng discovered that the palace's outer walls were made of a crystal-like material, giving it a cold, luxurious beauty.
It was already nighttime, so there weren't many merfolk on the streets. Occasionally, a few merfolk would spot Ulysses and the human little princess in his arms, and they would be so shocked that they forgot to breathe.
The merfolk: "!?"
Their leader had actually brought back a human?
What was so good about those cunning humans…?
Wait, that human was so beautiful.
However, the merfolk didn't get a chance to greet them. At the silent signal from the King of the Merfolk, they swam away.
Suddenly, most of the light above Yu Deng's head was blocked, and his surroundings darkened.
He looked up in confusion and saw a gigantic creature that looked somewhat like a squid swimming over from the distance.
The reason it only looked like a squid was because this thing not only had a squid's tentacles and head, but also a body resembling a shark's. It even had two fish heads, with bulging eyeballs, making it look like a bizarre creature cobbled together from completely unrelated parts.
This was… way too abstract and deformed, wasn't it? The tiger-leopard beast from the Evil God instance last time could at least be described as ugly-cute, but this fish was just plain terrifying. Looking at the strange creature, Yu Deng instinctively felt afraid and even felt like it was hurting his eyes to look at it.
The strange fish quickly noticed the only human in the depths of the sea. It dove down, charging straight toward Yu Deng with a mouthful of sharp fangs bared.
Yu Deng nervously grabbed the merfolk's arm. "Mmm."
How were they supposed to fight underwater? He… could barely even swim.
"Don't be afraid. It's just a mutated fish." Ulysses swam in front of Yu Deng and blocked the monster fish's attack, his face completely expressionless. After reassuring Yu Deng, he temporarily placed him on a seashell and confronted the monster fish head-on.
The merfolk dealt with problems in an extremely cold and brutal manner. His claws, fish tail, sound waves, and even all the seawater in the ocean could be used as weapons.
Although this crazed monster fish was much larger than the merfolk, Ulysses easily tore its body apart. Foul-smelling blood and ink immediately scattered through the water, quickly dirtying the surrounding seawater.
The smell made Yu Deng feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he soon sensed a force separating him from the contaminated water.
Ulysses dealt with the frenzied fish within two minutes, leaving the aftermath to the subordinates who had rushed over before picking Yu Deng up again.
"Eh? Aren't you going to take care of it?" Yu Deng glanced back.
"Mm. Other merfolk will handle it."
After dealing with this little interruption, they arrived in a large room inside the crystal palace.
Yu Deng finally recovered from what had just happened and looked at the merfolk.
"Th-Then, you weren't hurt, were you?"
The little princess's concern immediately put the merfolk in a good mood, while also stirring up a subtle, surging emotion within him.
"Thank you for Your Highness the Princess's concern. I wasn't injured, but there's a problem with my tail."
The merfolk placed Yu Deng on a seashell bed and gestured for him to look at his tail.
"The seawater can't wash the ink off. Could you help me wipe my scales, Little Princess?"
Perhaps because of his battle with the mutated fish, Ulysses looked somewhat weak.
"I'm a little tired after the battle."
Yu Deng tilted his head, looking at the merfolk's seemingly fragile state, then at his stained fish tail.
It really was dirty. A large patch of ink had stained his tail, and the originally jewel-like dark-blue scales were almost impossible to see beneath it.
Thinking of how the merfolk had just protected him from the monster fish's attack, Yu Deng ultimately agreed.
It was only wiping his scales, so it should be easy and simple, right?
With that thought, Yu Deng took the towel brought over by a merfolk maid and began wiping the merfolk's tail.
His soft hand landed on the scales. Even through the layer of towel, the touch was intensely stimulating. The merfolk's muscles instantly tensed, and his breathing grew heavy.
Ulysses didn't tell Yu Deng that a merfolk's tail was actually an extremely private part of their body, and they would never allow anyone other than their partner to touch it.
According to merfolk customs, actively touching someone's tail, or inviting someone to touch their tail, could be considered a form of sexual invitation.
Yu Deng knew nothing about this. He was wiping the front of the fish tail when he suddenly stopped.
Huh? This scale seems a little strange.
Compared with the other scales on the fish tail, this one was darker in color and larger as well. The jewel-like scale wasn't cold to the touch but somewhat hot. It also appeared loose, as though a slight touch could make it fall off—or perhaps… open.
How strange. Was Ulysses sick, or had he been injured during the battle just now?
Yu Deng didn't notice the merfolk's gaze suddenly becoming obscure. He leaned a little closer in confusion and gently touched the scale with his fingertip, somewhat wanting to lift it and see what was wrong.
Driven by his spirit of curiosity, Yu Deng asked, "Ulysses, your scale is really hot. Are you sick?"