Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"No, you can live on land and sea as you please."

So, that's quite a powerful blessing. Lyle was a little tempted.

“Ms. Principes, the Mermaid Song is quite a precious ability, isn’t it?”

Unexpectedly, the enraged Princess stopped her rage. "Moroki, put me down."

“Relax, Principes, they’re all just kids.”

"I'm calm now, put me down."

Ms. Principes approached Lyle and looked down at him.

She took a deep breath.

"Mermaids are not a powerful species; they are merely a group of survivors in the process of evolution. Vena, what makes you think that we, so weak, are qualified to bestow the sea's blessing upon other races, based solely on the poems of the Little Mermaid in your memory?"

"My silly girl, reality is not the poetry those damn romantic poets talk about."

"Let me tell you why the Little Mermaid didn't end up with the prince."

"Because the mermaid song in your heart is not a blessing, but a curse!"

"If a human falls with you after you sing, his life will be shortened to only ten years."

"This is the price that land dwellers have to pay to enter the seabed!"

"You want someone who once saved you to ruin their life for a moment of affection, leaving the rest of their life filled with regret!"

The rain poured down.

The heavy rain washed over everyone's bodies and also over everyone's hearts.

“Go back, Vena, go back to Moshui, and continue being that innocent girl. Even if you stubbornly insist on singing the Mermaid Song, even if this human agrees to spend the rest of his life with you, I will not allow it to happen!”

Bathed in the rain, in the darkness, Venus's bright yellow eyes gazed at Lyle. Those eyes, not long ago, had been consumed by the pain of shattered illusions, but now they were clear. For the first time, Venus spoke, her voice as clear and melodious as a mountain spring.

“I’m sorry, Mother Principes, I want to sing to the Plague Doctor.”

Princess took a step back and cupped her face in her hands.

"Whatever you want, silly girl."

"Doctor of the epidemic, can you grant me one request?"

What are the conditions?

Please be sure to refuse me.

Vena began her song, and in her melodious voice, Lyle was transported back to the time when they swam together in the deep water. The girl before him was enveloped in beautiful fantasies and radiance, like a princess from a fairy tale. She was indeed like a princess; the raindrops falling on her were like pearls draped over her body, and her scales shimmered with rainbow colors, like dazzling jewels.

The mermaid's song drifted away like the evening breeze, echoing in Lyle's mind.

For some reason, Lyle decided to take off the mask of the plague doctor.

The black eyes and black hair beneath the bird-beak mask were reflected in Venus's eyes.

"I am Lyle, Lyle Bouler. Thank you so much for your singing, Wiener. We...see you later."

Water trickled down the corners of Vina's eyes, and she smiled—a heartbreaking smile.

"Thank you, Lyle."

The Little Mermaid leaped gently, sending shimmering sprays of water flying, and returned to the deep sea.

Lyle looked in the direction where Viner had gone.

In the deep sea, this time, she was all alone.

Lyle put on his mask and walked over to the scholar.

"Teacher, I'm sorry, I'd like to be alone for a while."

"Go, child, I will wait for you here to come back."

As Lyle departed, the scholars watched the direction he moved in, much like Principality watched the sea.

“Prince, you didn’t tell him…”

"Tell that human something."

"Mermaids can only make a sound and sing a song once in their lives, when they are courting. Their vocal cords are enchanted and will tear after being used once, leaving only a howl like a wild beast. From then on, Vena will be alone in Moshui and will never have the right to find a mate again."

“What can I do! I’ve already warned her, it was her decision! Am I just going to watch tragedy repeat itself? You and I both know that boy doesn’t belong in the deep sea.”

"But he has the right to know the truth, to know exactly how much Wiener sacrificed."

"No! He doesn't need to know! The truth isn't what really matters, Morokui, you fool! The encounter between a mermaid and a human was destined to be a mistake! I won't allow such a mistake to happen again, but my children are all fools!"

Mermaids are simply beautiful creatures that are impulsive and love fantasy.

"Humans are complex creatures, both passionate and contradictory. You are like a sweet poison that only leaves scars."

"Is this your conclusion, Principes?"

"Yes, poison, poison that one drinks knowing the outcome. I will always watch over those children who like to fantasize, stopping them from reaching for their fantasies. Such a tragedy only needs one warning."

Princess stroked the wooden boat at her feet, and the restless atmosphere calmed down.

“Thank you, Brother Morokui. I am very grateful that you brought Vina back. I am sorry if my previous rash behavior hurt you.”

“It’s alright, my sister. Your pain is understandable, because you have always been the one who has suffered the most. Priscilla, I hope you can help me go to the Moria Trench to check on the status of the [Seal].

"!!! What happened? Is there a problem with the [Seal]?"

"No, I just have a slight worry, Principes. Although the seal hasn't changed, you still need to be careful."

"I am no longer the impulsive mermaid I once was."

Chapter 143 The Nervous Examinees

Grape, Medusa, and the slightly older Nia sat side by side on the dilapidated wooden table, their heads swaying in sync with the shadows of the people moving under the light.

"Miss Medusa, what is Lord Lyle doing?" Light Bat Grape scratched her nose with her little paws, needing to move around to relieve her fatigue.

“You can think of exam preparation as prey struggling before its death.” Medusa’s tail twitched slightly at the edge of her coiled body, like a rattlesnake. There was no rustling sound; it was a stress-relieving action, much like a human shaking their leg.

"One circle, two circles, three circles... one hundred and thirty-two circles, one hundred and thirty-three circles..." Nia supported her eyeballs with two tentacles, one of which moved with Lyle's movements, as if it were stuck to him. Until her gaze was drawn to Medusa's small tail, Nia reached out a tentacle to fiddle with that small section of pale pink wooden tail.

Medusa quickly stopped him from doing this.

"Nia!"

“Nia wants to play with Medusa’s tail.” Nia pressed her body completely against the edge of the table, her tentacles lying obediently on the edge, the lower half of her large eyes hidden under the table, looking up at Medusa like a shy child.

"No."

"Hmm." A tentacle slid to the corner of the table, drawing circles on it with its slime. Medusa's large eyes became watery, looking as if they would burst with water if she exerted any force.

“…I really don’t know where you learned this bad habit of acting cute,” she sighed, her petite body sliding across the wooden table before finally resting her head on Nia’s jelly-like black tentacles. “This is the last time.”

Whether Nia listened or not, no one knew; only Medusa's tail swayed back and forth with the weathervane on the distant rooftop.

Lyle was muttering incantations, and the pages of the book in his hand were his notes from when he was learning about curses.

His words were filled with an unvented malice, which eventually dissipated into the air, raising the gloom of the room to several levels.

As if possessed, Medusa, who considered herself a reliable older sister, decided to see if her foolish younger brother needed to see a psychiatrist.

Medusa climbed onto his body, peeking out from his collar in a way that Lyle would never miss, and casually smeared the cool, sticky fluid that Nia had left on his scales onto his neck.

She hung herself on Lyle's ear, and the tiny dragon claws rested on her earlobes.

“It’s no use, Lyle. Even if you chant these spells a thousand times, your magic won’t change at all,” Medusa delivered the final blow, trying to stop the boy who hadn’t slept for a day and a night. He hadn’t allowed himself a moment’s rest since he sent the mermaid girl away. “But your Emor language has indeed become much more fluent. If you want to improve your spoken language or learn a noble accent, I can teach you one-on-one.”

“You’re right, Medusa.” Lyle’s answer gave her a moment of relief. Lyle turned to look outside, where his haggard face, flushed with a sickly pallor, was revealed in the sunlight. “My curse magic cannot be improved if I continue to chant alone. I need some objects to cast my spells on.”

"You're going to cast a curse on someone?" This was the first time Medusa had heard Lyle intend to curse someone, and she felt a sense of absurdity. The upcoming test seemed to have frightened him quite a bit. "Then who are you going to curse? Those innocent passersby?"

"How's Dalinxi doing? A week ago when I bought potatoes from him, he shortchanged me by half a jules, or maybe from my neighbor Dafeng. He still hasn't given up on raising pigs in his garden, and I've been enduring that stench for over two months..."

“Curse magic isn’t the whole story of necromancy. You can’t pass the exam by simply strengthening your curses,” Medusa tried to dissuade Lyle from his idea.

“You’re right, Medusa.” Lyle’s answer brought her another second of relief. He stuffed the crumpled piece of paper covered in that damned incantation into his pocket, then turned and pulled out a pseudo-spiritology textbook with the cover titled “One Hundred Insights on Breeding Turkeys.” “The resurrection of the dead and the modification of the deceased are the mainstream of spiritism. I need to find some corpses to modify, but where can I get them?”

Medusa suppressed the urge to whip him with her tail. She understood that it was better to guide than to suppress. She advised Lyle to go along with him, "How about the Bone Forest? Aren't there plenty of bones there that you can use? With your luck, you can use the aberrant materials to get familiar with advanced modification."

“The Bone Forest has been sealed off as the next exam site, and no necromancy students are allowed to approach it.” Lyle subconsciously bit his index finger, and before the teeth marks remained on his finger, he came up with what he thought was a good idea. “How about Cassandra Cemetery? I know that place well.”

Medusa's tail lashed across his face, nearly ripping Lyle's soul out of him. Lyle touched his burning cheek as he listened to her assessment.

"Not so good. The security in Cassandra has improved a lot recently, and it is indeed much quieter at night. But that doesn't mean the cemetery is unattended. I don't think the gravekeepers would be in the mood to sleep in the cemetery anyway."

"I wasn't caught when I sneaked into Andrei's mausoleum..."

"Furthermore, those who are able to be buried in a cemetery will always have their families invite a priest to conduct a funeral service before burial. If your resurrection spell disturbs those clergy, Lyle, how well-done would you like your roast meat on the stake?"

“And Mr. Ralph!” Grape joined in. “When I’m wandering around Cassandale, I often run into Mr. Ralph on patrol at night.”

"Uncle Ralph? Are you sure, Grape?"

"Tall man, black gloves, pale skin, deadpan face, impeccably dressed in a police uniform, his furrowed brows could hold an egg, exuding a chilling aura, dragging a half-dead human into the alley." Grape spoke as if reciting poetry, her words rhythmic.

Lyle wasn't sure if Grape's words had been embellished, but he knew that if Ralf caught him in the cemetery, he was definitely dead. Dragged into an alley like a dead fish by Ralf, he was given a lesson in love. Lyle felt instantly more awake.

"It doesn't seem like the exam is that urgent."

"You're right. You should rest now and then take some time to relax in the City of Wanderings. A good mindset will always make things twice as effective in exams."

“You’re right, Medusa.” Lyle’s face showed struggle, his expression uncertain as if he were questioning his teacher. “Could I cast a spell before I go to sleep to make that idiot Dafeng fall into his pig manure pit, just for a moment?”

Chapter 144 The Story of Irene

A tall, slender gentleman strolled along the cobblestone path, his steps light, the sound of his cane tapping the stones like the playing of a lute. Wearing a silk-lined coat over a velvet jacket, he took out a white handbag and stuffed his meter-long cane into the palm-sized pocket.

He has arrived at his destination.

He nodded toward the air beneath the square stone bricks and knocked on the nanmu wood gate.

Footsteps and the clanging of chainmail came from behind the door; a tin man opened the door for himself.