Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The dragon's name sent a shiver down the blue dragon's spine. He understood something, but still stubbornly insisted, "I'm not afraid of him. I know where the dragon's lair is. I can just beckon him to roll into the earth's crust." Demolishing his own home—Christo seemed to have grasped the essence of the arcane sorcerers.

"It's a pity you can't. The sixth level of the Ascendant Path is the Domain, which is to secure one's territory with one's own power. If the lord's power is strong enough, he can ignore your orders as the 'King'." In name, the World Builder can control every piece of land, but there are always people to be wary of, especially in this age of Holy Light.

“Alright, if I can’t move on land, the water will do, right? This place has oceans covering half the planet. I can sense the enormous magical network buried deep within the ocean, and I can delve into it and control it…”

"No! Don't touch the water!!!" The scholar's shout sent Christo tumbling out of the magic net. He leaned back, clutching his head as he looked at his teacher on the other side. The scholar's reaction to the ocean was quite strange.

"I noticed before that the magic network nodes on land are as bright as starlight, but those in the ocean only flicker with a dim light. Teacher, you haven't incorporated half of the magic network nodes into the magic network system. What's in the sea?"

"The Sleeping God".

Well, that answer was as expected.

"But Triton is sealed away and can't affect us, so leaving half of the magic net open is a waste."

The scholar shook his head, his warning gaze unusually firm. "I used to think the same way you did. I managed the magic web of the ocean, until I was influenced... I was changed."

"The corruption of an evil god?" Christo opened his palms, his left hand overlapping with a destructive hand seal, while his right hand opened a portal back to the dragon's lair. He transformed himself into a magical consciousness, bringing their spiritual worlds closer together—a seemingly disastrous change.

“I remained lucid, Christo, lucid enough to be aware of my own abnormality. I was aware of the effects of the evil god; it was a cognitive bias acting on my subconscious, making me… feel a fondness for the evil god's power.” The scholar rubbed his temples, reflecting on his actions. “A natural fondness for Lyle, an obsession with the evil god's resurrected dragon. When Sheriu, disguised as Ino, replaced my grandson, I mistook that fondness for a deep-seated bloodline. If it weren't for so many facts, I probably would still be in the dark.”

"This is also why I am anxiously searching for a successor to the Magic Network. The world builder should not be an anomaly like me."

Christo squinted.

"This sounds more like an overactive sense of self, a kind of paranoia, teacher."

"Better safe than sorry. Anyway, don't go in the water, kid."

Blue Dragon looked at the map drawn at his feet. On the edge of that blurry world, there was an ocean node, a dazzling pearl in the deep sea, Moshuyi.

"If the deep sea is really as terrible as you think, wouldn't the white dragon Poldris and the mermaids be in great danger?"

"The water has its own rules."

Chapter 781 Mermaid Dragon

They imagined light to be colorful, like fluorescent pearls, like the patterns on luminous fish, like the colors of the scales shimmering on their shoulders as they breathed. With the current, ribbons of light drifted in the darkness—their sisters were cruising. Light brought a sense of closeness and warmth, even though mermaids didn't need much light for their vision. Their fondness for rainbow colors was born with fairy tales; the mermaid race had been told stories of the land since childhood, and they harbored endless fantasies about a world filled with light, stored within their light bubbles.

In their infancy, mermaids cannot balance water pressure and can only dwell in the deep sea, fantasizing about princes draped in rainbow light. Only when they grow older and fulfill the wishes of the Mermaid Queen Priscilla will they rise to the surface, swaying their tail fins, stepping on the azure shallows, gazing from the bottom at the light that slices the seawater into dazzling pieces of glass. Exhaling seawater warmed by the light from their gills, their joyful emotions surge in the waves as they leap out of the water, looking up at the sky as if gazing at another sea.

There was no prince, nor rainbow-colored light. These little regrets did not make the mermaid feel down. The wind blew her damp hair, the sun illuminated her rainbow-colored scales, the waves crashed against the rocks, making the ocean roar, and the cliffs stood like silent giants, their lush trees above them like emeralds.

The land was different from what I expected, but it was so beautiful!

The waves crashed onto the beach, leaving the mermaid stranded in the shallows. There was no magic to conjure legs here; she could only thrash about near the seashells, casting envious glances at the passing crabs. The crabs, using their six legs, crawled to places the mermaid couldn't reach, digging for food in the mud with their pincers, then tossing the mud pellets they'd made to the dehydrated mermaid before scurrying away.

Seagulls circled in the sky, waiting for the mermaid to dry up. Exhausted and dehydrated, the mermaid finally realized that water was the source of life. She braced herself, flipped over, and tried to dive back into the sea. Embarrassingly, in her initial excitement, she surfed too far, reaching a place the tide couldn't reach. The next high tide wouldn't come for three days, and Mother Ocean would be able to embrace her remains. The panic didn't last long; the exhaustion from dehydration made it impossible for her to concentrate.

[Waaaaah, shouldn't the ending be that they turn into bubbles or dried fish? That would be so ugly!]

As if hearing the mermaid's plea, a sudden, gigantic wave crashed onto the shore, forcefully slamming her into the sand. Overjoyed, she swung her revitalized tail fin and returned to the sea. The tide receded, the beach returned to its original state, and the mermaid surfaced again, looking at the spot where she had just been. A huge shadow appeared behind her, blocking out the sunlight, the waves ceased to surge, and the place was as calm as a mirror.

The mermaid shrank back, slowly turned around, and upon seeing the familiar figure, her whole body went limp, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

【Thank you, Paul.】Even though the white dragon's body was as towering as a mountain, the mermaid was still more afraid of that cold queen.

Poldris spread his wings, and the purifying raindrops soaked into their bodies. The white dragon lowered his head and pressed his finger against the mermaid's head. "Jenny, do you understand how terrible it is to leave the team without permission? The work of collecting seaweed is not finished yet. You should... what are you holding in your hand?"

The mermaid chuckled and gently shook the little creature in her hand. A crab, its back caught, weakly swung its pincers, unable to grasp anything.

[A new pet! I'm going to keep it in a bubble and make it roll over a hundred times a day!]

The white dragon stared at the tiny creature, and the crab froze like a stone sculpture under his gaze. Poldris shook his head, signaling Jenny to give up. "It can't live in the deep sea. The deep sea is not suitable for it. It can't get used to the water pressure of Moshui." Although it has a shell, it is actually more fragile than a mermaid's scales.

Jenny wasn't giving up. She placed the crab on her head, and the little seafood dared not act rashly under the sea dragon's imposing presence. The mermaid's eyes lit up, and she swam over, patting the sea dragon's wall-like belly.

[You can keep it in your "fish school," Paul, your strength is enough to protect it! You can also get the little guy to do a backflip every day!]

The white dragon glared at her. "I'm not a mobile pet shop! You can't force it to leave the waters it needs to survive. My territory is a sanctuary, not a cage. Let go, Jenny. If you really like it, you can come see it later." If it hasn't been eaten yet.

Jenny put the crab back into the water and watched the little creature bob and sway its joints comically in the ripples.

"You clearly possess the magic to change it." Jenny gripped the scales on the white dragon's belly as Paul led her down the slope.

Bubbles billowed from the white dragon's body, making it resemble a submarine with exhaust vents, and its eyes shone even brighter in the sea.

We must respect the crab's personal wishes.

"Hmph, one day I will find my own magic." The mermaid adapted to the white dragon's currents, her scales emitting rainbow-colored light in the darkness.

Poldris thought to himself, "Another dreamy little girl. Maybe I should find some magic to help her. Hmm... Brother Christo might be able to help. If it were me, I could only create a bubble and take Jenny to see the land. I really don't understand why mermaids all want to go ashore; you're clearly a completely marine species."

"[Pol? Pol!]" The call from his mind interrupted the sea dragon's thoughts. He saw a seaweed forest close at hand. After riding the current, the sea dragon was faster than most marine species. The mermaids who were collecting fish were still working diligently, except for the fishermen he had brought back.

The surging current pulled Jenny away from her territory, and Poldris twisted his body to change direction.

[Isn't Bohr going to stay and keep us company? You want to slack off too, don't you!]

The sea dragon greeted the siren squad leader and pushed Jenny forward with its claws.

"I'm not your foreman. I only came to help you after hearing your call. I have my own things to do. The cursed pirates recently recruited new members, and they gave me a pirate ship—no, a pirate shipwreck. I need to cleanse it of its curse and put it in my collection. I promised to build a shipwreck playground for the little girls in my family."

Poldris's dragon's lair is located at the very bottom of Moshuy, at the very bottom of Coral Castle. There is enough space there for the sea dragon to manipulate its body at will, and also to store its collection.

Jenny's eyes widened as she gripped Bai Long's fingers tightly, ignoring the captain's cold stare.

[Put it at my doorstep! Then I'll forgive you for letting my pet go!]

"You wish." Paul pried the octopus-like Jenny off his hands. "Prince won't allow the shipwreck to be placed in Coral Castle; it's too close to the temple. Go back to work. Just because Prince isn't here now doesn't mean she'll never be. If she catches you…"

Jenny fled into the seaweed forest. [The Queen's gaze will freeze me to death!]

Poldris was amused by her disheveled appearance and swam away into the distance, caught in the current. He didn't tell Jenny Principes that he had left with Vina in a hurry and wouldn't be back until the next tide.

Be careful, Poldris.

The white dragon warned itself.

Princess dislikes shipwrecks; she says the stagnant water inside smells foul, and you should be careful not to spill it.

Chapter 782 The Little Mermaid

He is not a prince.

He was a fisherman's son, a man who rarely smiled. I had seen him many times by the sea; he often squatted on the raised embankment, doing nothing, silently gazing at the ocean. I had spied on many people on the shallow shore—fishermen, shell gatherers, many who depended on the sea for their livelihood. They were busy, focused on their nets and baskets, striving for their survival. He stood out in this environment; something in the sea seemed to be drawing him in. I wondered what he saw.

I often patrol the shallows and reefs, looking for shipwrecks and drowning victims, because that's how it's written in the story: the first encounter between the mermaid princess and the human prince, the beginning of land and sea.

My name is Priscilla, and I am a princess. My father is the King of Mermaids, hence my name, which means "princess." A princess, of course, reads fairy tales and dreams the dreams of a princess. Driven by these beautiful dreams, I approach the land, and in my spare time after searching for the prince, I observe that special human on the sea.

I thought he was special, just like me. I was a mermaid who longed for land, while he was a human who longed for the ocean. One day, two days… one month, two months. I couldn't resist hiding behind the rocks and getting closer to him. Mermaids have powerful telepathy, and I, Priscilla, can easily see into other people's hearts.

He wasn't a prince; his dream was to be a poet.

I was somewhat disappointed. He was observing the view where the ocean met the sky, and brewing his own literary thoughts. A fisherman's son wanted to be a poet, yet he barely knew any characters. The best he could manage was to stumble through his thoughts, repeating some uninspired verses, like a wail. He faced the sea, because the sea wouldn't blame him for being idle and aimless. I found his naiveté amusing, his silent recitations like a baby learning to speak. Little did he know, from that moment on, he secretly gained an audience in the sea.

It must have been my fondness for the land that kept me going. I didn't get tired of his repetitive, dry sentences. I still waited by the sea for the storm to capsize the prince's sails, and if my search failed, I would rush to listen to his silent performance before dusk. I didn't try to approach him because he wasn't a prince. He wore the simplest clothes, was unkempt, and the only thing that was beautiful about him was his eyes, which shone when he gazed at the sea.

I won't go again; I'm fed up with it. Thinking about the downsides of wasting time, my silhouette always remains on the sea illuminated by the setting sun.

As we grow up, it's time for me to wake up from this fairytale.

The prince won't wait for me, and I won't wait for him. My father has recently been emphasizing the responsibilities of a mermaid princess to me; I, Priscilla, should grow up. My father is very lenient with me; I should repay his doting.

The land dwellers have changed drastically; they've built towns on the other side of the coast, and the people in this corner are constantly migrating, their numbers dwindling, just like my own heart, which is constantly settling. But he remains, year after year, squatting on the same rock, silently reciting short phrases I can recite from memory. Tonight will be the last time I'm a listener, I think, my back pressed quietly against the rock, the sunset painting my scales into a magnificent rainbow.

He didn't come. Did he leave before me? A feeling of being abandoned suddenly welled up inside me. My strong personality got the better of me, and I started to obsessively search for his whereabouts. I vowed that once I saw him, I would appear before him, splash him with water in front of him, and then dive back into the sea.

Humans left the seaside, as if they would never return. The original village became desolate, and plants, like a giant fish, swallowed up all traces of the village. I became utterly despondent, but before I could turn back, I saw him.

He sat on an old fishing boat, going out to sea like a fisherman.

He no longer wanted to be a poet; he became a fisherman. He returned, but I would never hear his optimistic verses again. His father had passed away, without ensuring he became a proper fisherman. I sat below his boat, drifting slowly alongside it. His heart was filled with sorrow, a melancholy that could melt the soul into the sea.

I no longer crave a prince, but I consider him my friend, a one-sided friend.

He wasn't a prince, but a fisherman, and a rather unskilled one at that. He went out to sea on his first day filled with sorrow; on his second, he was hungry and cold; and on his third, he lay on the shore, gripped by the fear of drowning. I felt worried. If I didn't do something, this young man wouldn't live because of the sea, but he would die because of it. I secretly hooked a fish on his line and listened to his joyful catch. Happiness bloomed like a flower amidst his cold sorrow.

I found something interesting: to feed a human being in place of the merciful ocean. I listened to his heart and felt his joy. He wasn't stupid, or rather, he was self-aware; he realized that these gains weren't due to his lame fisherman skills, he realized something was helping him, he realized there was a goddess who favored him.

I chuckled to myself in the shadows of the fishing boat, my heart brimming with the pride of being praised.

He began writing poetry again, praising the sea goddess he had created. This time, he sang it aloud, the simple words dancing on the waves, carried by the sea breeze. The grateful verses, as monotonous as before, were quite amusing.

I feel the time has come, and I deserve the gratitude I am due, for my labor and compassion, and I receive it in person.

I placed my hand on the edge of the small boat and leaned out of the water, my upper body exposed. Years of telepathy told me that this man was timid and cowardly; he probably couldn't accept a mermaid. But he could probably accept a young and beautiful ocean lady entwined with seawater.

I was happy to be beautiful, and it was only after reading his heartfelt words that I gained a new understanding of my appearance.

[Be grateful to me, humankind, for it is I who have brought you this bountiful harvest!]

My voice snapped him out of his daze, and he immediately knelt down in the boat, his forehead hitting the oar with a sound, his heart filled with awe for me.

"Thank you, my goddess."

Call me Goddess Principality!

"Yes, Goddess Principality!"

We spent more time together, and I quickly grew tired of his condescending attitude. As a mermaid princess, the worship of my subjects was enough for me. He was my friend, and he could treat me more normally. I told him this, and he didn't object, which suggested he hadn't met many important figures before.

Hey, does your prince ever come to the beach?

"I've never seen it before, perhaps not. Why would a noble prince come to such a poor, desolate seaside?" he said, completely unaware that he was also regarding my mermaid kingdom as a remote, impoverished neighbor. In my anger, I also sensed a strange emotion within him. Jealousy—this odd feeling subtly affected me as well.

He wasn't a prince, but he loved the Little Mermaid.

Chapter 783 The Most Beautiful Fairy Tale

I discovered the drawbacks of telepathy. Before this, I thought this ability was incredibly convenient as a communication tool for mermaids. Telepathy allowed me to discern people's hearts, enabling me to detect inner darkness and ugliness in advance. I was proud that my mermaid race possessed such a powerful ability.

But now, I've discovered the drawbacks. Because we've been in contact with people for so long, we've become dependent on them. Being good at discerning good from evil, when I encounter a pure heart, I'm deeply attracted by that warm light of the soul, melting away like a moth to a flame.

He was a man of few words, almost pathologically so, but a telepathic connection allowed me to see into his heart. That warm and sincere heart, with its emotions heating up like a hearth, surpassed any sweet words. My telepathic connection made him the most glib-tongued poet, and I gradually succumbed to its direct and intense heat.