Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Frustrated, Lyle, along with Nia and the mutant she had kidnapped, left the Tower of Bones with the scholar.

The aberration held in Nia's tentacles was very docile, as docile as a doll, except for turning its head. Nia didn't have the same fear of the aberration as Lyle; after all, she had created it herself, and the psychological advantage of being its creator was well preserved.

Is it really just that I have an excessive sense of self?

Lyle stared at the aberrant creature in Nia's hand, and this prolonged gaze elicited a reaction from Nia. She handed the toy over.

"Gulu, do you want a hug? You're such a soft little thing."

Nia's voice and intelligence seem to have improved a bit; she can now speak in a complete sentence.

"No, thank you." Lyle tilted his head, that eerie smile so close, Lyle felt that malice would flow out from the hollow of the white bone surface in the next second.

Lyle noticed something unusual. The aberrant creature had two unusually long tentacles hanging down from its tentacles, like the slender arms of a squid or the bright tail feathers of a bird.

"What is that, Nia?" Lyle pointed to the longer tentacles. The Ominous Giant's body didn't have anything like that. All of its tentacles were arranged in a strangely neat and tight order, and there were never two extra ones.

Nia fiddled with the two extra tentacles. The mutant resisted a little, but to no avail.

"Ariana taught me how to tie a bow, but I failed because the tendrils were too slippery and I couldn't tie it."

Were those two tentacles originally intended for gift wrapping? Lyle looked at the mutated creature struggling in vain and suddenly felt a little sorry for it, as a low-intelligence creature created to be used as a bargaining chip.

……

The gate to Arnoin's underground reservoir had been completely replaced, but instead of the barnacles Mr. Dragon had envisioned, there was a large, soaking wet plank covered in dark green seaweed and several dehydrated, dead fish with their eyes rolled back, trapped in the cracks. It was part of a sunken ship, and as Mr. Scholar dismantled it into a shower of salty wood chips, Lyle finally confirmed its true identity.

"Filthy bedbugs! Despicable, damned skeletons! Arnoin's new door, the new door Arnoin finally managed to salvage, has been ruined again by these big bedbugs!"

Faced with the splattering mud from the enraged dwarf Arnoin's mouth, the scholar simply activated a magical shield.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Arnoin, we’ve resorted to this tactic simply because I couldn’t find your doorbell. We mean no harm; in fact, we’re here to make a deal with you, a deal concerning the mermaid Vena.”

As Nia came into Arnoin's sight, his dim, yellowish eyes narrowed into slits, and an exaggerated smile revealed a mouthful of rotten teeth.

"The beauty of Arnoin is coming back. Of course, I'd be happy to. It's a deal."

Arnoin reached out his hand to Nia.

“Our bargaining chip isn’t this, but another flesh-and-blood mutant in her possession.”

“Another one, no one can change Arnoin’s demands, no one.” Arnoin’s filthy eyes caught sight of the deformed creature, meeting its empty gaze. Surprise, yes, you saw a flash of surprise in those eyes that seemed stained with a thousand layers of filth, then that surprise turned into panic, a shuddering spasm. Arnoin’s dark hands cupped his face, and through his fingers, the gaze in his eyes became eerie. His voice was wailing, his words urgent.

“Baby! Baby! Arnoin wants this treasure! Does Arnoin really want it? Yes! Arnoin is looking for a treasure! Arnoin must get that treasure.”

When he lowered his hands from his face, it was as if he had become a different person. His eyes were sunken in their sockets, with dark circles from not sleeping for a long time. His skin was as rough as dry, old tree bark, and there was nothing in his eyes except for the deformity. His eyeballs twitched irregularly as if they were twitching, and his voice was both a roar and a plea.

"Give me my baby! Give it to me now!"

"Give me the mermaid first."

“Fine! Give me the treasure! Anything is fine.” Arnoin broke his cane in two and threw it into the water. That was the beginning. A riot broke out in the pool behind him, as if ten thousand sea beasts were fighting each other. The supporting stone pillars cracked from the tremors, as if they would collapse at any moment.

A jet of water shot out of the water—it was Vena. She hadn't changed much, except her face was slightly pale. The leech on the back of her neck was gone, after the scholar confirmed there were no problems. Nia handed the mutant to Arnoin, who was kneeling on the ground, while Lyle carried Vena away from the gradually crumbling platform.

Lyle saw Arnoin just before he disappeared from his sight.

In the hands of Arnoin, who was like a puppet, the deformed creature that had been facing away from him rotated its head 180 degrees, and the hollow of the bone mask and Lyle's gaze met for the last time.

It was still that same playful smile.

Chapter 142 The Mermaid's Song

The scholar created a giant, floating water sphere, and Venus entered it. She clearly knew the identity of the man with the strange blue mask, and felt perfectly at home within the scholar's magic. Venus felt the cool water, savoring the long-lost peace of not having to worry about her life. Her purple eyes opened again, looking at Lyle through the water curtain.

On the arm that extended from the water sphere, beautiful, small, oval scales shimmered with iridescent light in the night. Just as when swimming in deep water, Venere's palm cradled Lyle's cheek, and that melodious voice, along with the joy and gratitude that flooded his mind, flowed like water through Lyle's head.

"Thank you, doctor."

"I promised you, and I kept my promise."

Sliding like a snake, Venere's arms wrapped around Lyle's neck. The distance between them instantly closed, and on either side of the water sphere's thin walls, Venere in the water, Lyle in the air, their eyes gazing upon each other's souls. Between their hearts, a river connected them.

“I’ll be going home soon, Plague Doctor, back to Moshui. When that time comes, can you grant me one request?”

"any request?"

"Don't reject me."

"?"

Before Lyle could give any reply or ask any questions, the scholar interrupted the two.

“Vina needs a good rest; her body needs proper conditioning to ensure she can fully integrate into the deep sea. So do you, Plague Doctor. Having completed your advanced transformation, you also need a good rest. Go back soon. We still have a long way to go tomorrow, to reach Moshui.”

"Okay, teacher."

Lyle and Vena said goodbye, and Nia stretched out two tentacles into the water sphere and gently touched Vena's cheek.

Goodbye, sister.

……

The next day, at noon, Lyle communicated with the blue stripe on the ring, as agreed with the scholar. A flash of light appeared, and Lyle's body twisted into a noodle shape in the void before vanishing without a trace.

When Lyle regained his sight, he found himself kneeling in a desolate wasteland, his insides feeling like they'd been thrown into a high-powered blender. Lyle desperately wanted to vomit. But he held it in, knowing that his bird-beak mask would only force the vomit back into his mouth or smear it on his face. Nia was in the same boat, her body sprawled on the ground like a dehydrated jellyfish, one tentacle flailing weakly against her skin.

"Plague Doctor, you've fainted from the portal. That's really bad news." The Scholar stood right beside him, and Vena's water sphere floated in the shade of a tree not far away, her cheek pressed against the sphere, her eyes fixed on the unwell Lyle.

Clearly, the reverse teleportation initiated by the scholar was not a pleasant experience.

Lyle took a few deep breaths, the herbal scent of the air refreshing his waterlogged brain.

"I think so, teacher. Is this symptom very serious?"

"Actually, it's not that serious. It's a normal phenomenon, and the situation varies from person to person. Just like some people are naturally averse to taking transportation, teleportation portals might be a little worse because the distortion of space can interfere with the stability of the soul. Even some dead people experience symptoms of teleportation dizziness. What I mean by unfortunate is that we will likely experience about 1,509 spatial teleportations on our way to Moshur. Yes, for you, the journey ahead will be a torment."

Lyle's body trembled, and Nia lay completely on top of him, the trembling spreading through Lyle's body via her tentacles.

I should have skipped lunch.

"Let's begin, teacher, I'm alright."

"Then I'll try to cast the spell slowly, are you ready?"

Just as Lyle was about to reply, Vena's bubble floated over and enveloped Nia in a water sphere. Vena and Nia hugged each other, their arms wrapped around Lyle's neck.

"Ready."

The three of them vanished in a flash of light.

Within the teleportation tunnel, Lyle was surrounded by numerous points of light, which stretched into lines due to the high speed. Lyle's body was dragged forward by a powerful force, as if he were being squeezed from one end of a straw to the other. The expected nauseating dizziness arrived, but just as Lyle braced himself for it, the usually severe dizziness became extremely mild, like a light drizzle brushing against his skin. A deep-sea tranquility arose in his mind; he felt as if he were sitting underwater, gazing at the shimmering surface. Regardless of the turbulent waves, here, only an unshakeable stillness remained.

“Vina”.

"I can help you share this strange feeling."

Their thoughts converged, as did their emotions and feelings. In the silent, lonely world, they could only feel each other's heartbeats.

It's like boarding a train heading to a distant land; the light is the beautiful scenery outside the glass. But none of that belongs to you. Only your travel companions, the person sitting opposite you, are a part of your true self, and the destination in the distance.

The feeling of stepping onto solid ground was so comforting; Lyle almost cried with joy when his boots landed on the soft earth. Although Venere had helped alleviate his dizziness, the combined effects of the long-distance teleportation still nearly made Lyle vomit.

Taking a deep breath, Lyle smelled something different.

The waves crashing against the embankment, the salty sea breeze blowing with the spray, and the seabirds soaring and calling in the wind.

Before him stretched a vast ocean. Thunderclouds churned the water's surface, creating a storm, and waves crashed against the cliffs, sculpting the rocks even smoother. The sea's color wasn't the turquoise Lyle had imagined; upon closer inspection, it resembled an inky black, though this could be due to the overhead clouds. It seemed raining was imminent in this area.

Following the scholar's footsteps, Lyle embarked on a mountain path leading to the summit of a steep cliff overlooking the ocean. This cliff was unusual, Lyle noticed from his very first step. The soil here was not as soft as on flat ground; it was like solid ice.

“Prince did not study environmental protection well. When she was angry, she would freeze the surrounding plants, and the gradually thinning vegetation led to soil erosion, which in turn affected the place where she lived. As a last resort, she froze all the land here.”

So, are we about to face that hysterical dragon priestess? Hopefully, our rescue speed will satisfy her.

The entire mountain is shaped like a pointed cone. The soil and rocks on both sides gradually decrease until a house appears at the top of the mountain.

The main structure was supported by a few broken wooden pillars, and the thatched roof was frozen solid by ice and snow. Outside the small wooden house, there was a fishing net hanging, two rough handmade fishing rods, and a small, damaged wooden boat. The owner of the house sensed the arrival of guests and came out of the house.

Principality was like a moving ice sculpture; her tall figure and cold expression sent chills down one's spine even upon approaching her. She and the little wooden house were clearly mismatched; to be precise, the noble and aloof Principality was not suited to this humble abode.

“Vina!” Principes cried out, her voice like an avalanche erupting, “I warned you not to come ashore! Not to leave my sight!”

Priscilla beckoned, and Venus's water sphere floated in front of her. Priscilla continued to berate Venus, and you could feel the concern she was trying to express amidst the howling wind. But scolding and nagging didn't get the desired response; just like now, Venus curled up, hiding her face behind her fishtail.

Sensing Venere's resistance, Principes deflated like a punctured balloon and could only sigh helplessly, "Go back, Venere, go back to Moshuy, while it's not too late, while you're not injured yet."

Principes maneuvered the water sphere to move it beyond the cliff, attempting to release Venus back into the sea.

The mermaid tensed up immediately. She swam around in the water sphere and finally struggled to squeeze out. Her body fell onto the frozen ground, and the water on her body quickly froze into ice flowers.

"What are you doing now, Venus?"

The mermaid gestured with her arms towards Priscilla, pointing to Lyle and then to herself.

Principes gradually understood what she meant, but this completely ignited her anger.

Dark clouds swirled down from the sky, and a fierce wind and blizzard raged around Priscilla. Spiky ice began to form around her, like dangerous flowers in full bloom. Her roar, a terrifying and sinister divine howl, echoed through the snow and ice, striking the trembling mermaid girl.

"You idiot! I will never allow you to sing a mermaid song to a human!"

"Absolutely not! Now, before I punish you, go back to the seabed!"

The ice tornado, mixed with weapons, whistled through the air.

The trembling mermaid did not answer again; her motionless figure lying on the solid ice was the best answer.

The spinning blades kept approaching Vena's body, and even the fragile mermaid body had already cut wounds in the air.

"Moroko, let me go! Now!"

The scholar managed to control the mad Princess, and all the snow and frost elements were repelled.

Lyle approached Vina, and Nia extended her tentacles to begin cleaning Vina's wounds.

"Are you OK?"

"Fortunately."

"Why is Princess so angry, and what is the Mermaid Song?"

"That is a blessing ritual of us mermaids. Those who listen to our songs will receive the blessing of the sea, and they will be able to live in the deep sea just as naturally as you live on land."

"Aren't there any side effects? For example, being stuck in the sea forever and unable to return to land."