The villain daughter did all kinds of things

"I'll go and tell Edith and the others to make the most of this time to practice their treasure hunting and mechanism disarming techniques."

"Ah."

Emery nodded first, showing satisfaction with Viliana's self-awareness, and then asked:

"How's your investigation on the other matter going? Has Debbie Slater shown any suspicious signs? Has she targeted other magic-repelling villages recently?"

“Debbie Slater has been keeping a low profile lately, and I haven’t found any valuable clues.”

Viliana initially gave a somewhat regretful reply, then quickly added:

"However, she hasn't targeted any other magic-repelling villages recently, and I've made some unexpected discoveries in other areas."

"An unexpected discovery?"

Amélie raised an eyebrow, broke a scallion and clam roll in two, ate one piece herself and fed the other to Julia:

Tell me about it.

"This was discovered during an investigation into the wealth of the Ise Retsu Group."

Viliana said with a hint of self-satisfaction:

"The Slat family also has a lot of financial cooperation with the Ise Rei Group, and the flow of funds in one of them caught my attention."

"The flow of those funds was quite secretive. If it weren't for Lady Starling and her financial team's help, it would be impossible for ordinary people to detect it... And the final destination of those funds was to purchase supplies for magic rejecters, including living supplies and medical supplies."

“If that’s all there is to it, it’s not surprising. After all, the Slat family captured more than 8000 magic rejecters a few months ago. They can’t possibly kill them all at once. They must have to pay for these magic rejecters themselves.”

"Strangely, several months have passed, and the money used to buy supplies for magic-repelling people has not decreased, but increased instead. Moreover, the money used to buy supplies is all basic living necessities, and there is no material needed for the research of forbidden creatures."

"If it's not the procurement manager of this research project embezzling funds, then there's only one possibility, Master..."

Viliana didn't finish her sentence, but she was sure Ameliete understood.

Indeed, Amelie frowned slightly halfway through the conversation.

Although she had never conducted human experiments herself, she had seen that old man Langdon had done far too many.

When Langdon was doing his research, he really didn't treat people like human beings. He often consumed dozens, or even hundreds, of materials a day.

Debbie Slater's research might be a bit milder than Langdon's, but human trials will definitely take a toll on human health.

Now, several months have passed, and those magic rejecters who were captured should have been used as experimental subjects by now. However, the reality is that their need for living supplies has not decreased but increased.

Were they not consumed as experimental subjects? Or did Debbie Slater's experiments not harm the subjects' lives?

But if that's the case, why would Debbie Slater secretly conduct these experiments by kidnapping people? She could just openly recruit volunteers.

Amelie became even more curious about Debbie Slater's true motives.

Fortunately, Emery now has a trump card. Debbie Slater may not even know it herself, but she definitely has a crush on old man Langdon. When the time comes, let old man Langdon handle her.

So Amelie simply instructed Viliana to continue monitoring this lead, and then asked the third question:

"Ark and Kerry...are they still the same?"

"Ah."

Viliana nodded:

"Lord Ark and Lady Carey still appear to be very loving, but Lady Carey goes to the Drunken Red Mansion at least once every three days to spend the night. And every time that happens, Lord Ark will first hide away and secretly drink a lot of wine, and then desperately cultivate and train himself."

"...Brother Yak really has a lot of bad luck."

All Amelie could say was this.

In the original game, Ark would most likely die from the Shadow Dragon's breath. In this world, he didn't die, but his wife was taken advantage of... and the person who took advantage of him is very likely related to the Dao Ancestor. How unlucky!

Thankfully, I'm here.

"Let them take some time to come to Locke City again soon."

Emery shrugged and said:

"I gained quite a lot from this trip to the Eastern Continent—although I couldn't find out Lian's background there, I did find a way to free Sister Kerry from her control."

"Yes, Master."

Viliana respectfully accepted the order.

She still works part-time as an elven magic instructor at Lohid Magic Academy, teaching several large classes at the academy every month. Of course, she has the contact information of Ark, the head of the teaching department.

. . . . .

After a day of flying across the sea and a little work done in the office, it was already completely dark.

Amelie didn't work overtime; she took Julia, Marcy, and Viriana home.

Sulina is still not living in Emerald's house and is still living with her girlfriends, but she has no complaints.

Because secretly getting intimate with Emerald at her own place without her girlfriends' knowledge is one of the great pleasures in Sulina's life now.

Back in the villa where she had lived for two years, Emerald took off her coat and kicked off her shoes, intending to take a bath first, but suddenly realized that something was not quite right.

There was now another person in the large ornamental fish tank in the living room, curiously watching Amelie blow bubbles at her.

To be precise, they were not human, but mermaids from the sea, and they were quite different from ordinary mermaids.

Ordinary mermaids have a body structure above the waist that is basically the same as humans, and their figures and appearances are generally of a beautiful standard, so mermaids are also called beautiful mermaids.

However, from the waist down, the mermaids' bodies are entirely fish-like. No matter how much their upper bodies resemble humans, they are ultimately not human and are reproductively isolated from humans... Even if they love each other to the point of life and death, it can only be a spiritual love.

On the contrary, the fish-headed, human-bodied merfolk have no reproductive barriers with humans and can give birth to hybrid offspring who are adapted to both land and sea life. That's why the merfolk princess almost kidnapped Milion to be her husband.

The mermaid currently in Emerald's household might be able to break this barrier and have children with humans, just like the fish-men.

Because she not only has long, light blue hair and a curvaceous upper body like humans, but also fair and slender legs that extend all the way to her ankles, there are two fishtail-like parts that replace her feet, symbolizing her mermaid identity.

That's right, this mermaid, except for her feet which have been replaced by a fish tail, is a hot blue-haired, blue-eyed beauty, wearing a dress that looks like a seashell.

...You've finally arrived, Miss Mermaid.

Amelie sighed with a mixture of excitement and amusement, but on the surface she suddenly adopted a resentful and aggrieved expression, pointing in confusion at the fish tank and looking at Julia:

"So it was because I was away at work for too long that you were lonely, darling? You actually picked up girls behind my back and secretly kept them in a fish tank..."

"Gulp! It's not what you think! Let me explain... I've always been very loyal in relationships, okay?"

Yulia immediately panicked, her words becoming incoherent, and the more she explained, the less clear her words became.

In the end, it was Viliana who came to her rescue, briefly telling Amelie about the mermaid in the fish tank.

It was actually just a few days ago.

After Yulia confessed her feelings to Emerald, she moved into Emerald's house permanently and stopped denying the various rumors about the two of them. When she was in a good mood, she would even show affection to her fans.

But Yulia didn't forget the magic workshop that Uri left her, and she would go there to clean it every few days.

While Uri's magic workshop can be accessed via the river in Locke City, its true location is on an island deep in the White Sea, hidden and protected by a powerful barrier, and has never been discovered by anyone.

A few days ago, when Yulia went to clean the magic workshop again, she found the mermaid girl who had fainted on the beach by the island. At that time, the mermaid girl was seriously injured and looked like she could die at any moment.

Yulia had no medical skills and couldn't bear to watch a beautiful mermaid die before her eyes, so she could only take the mermaid back to Locke City for treatment.

Although neither Marcy nor Emery were in Locke City at that time, the elven girls had all learned healing magic, and Locke City also had a hospital, whose medical skills were superb because a certain heroine often paralyzed people.

After a series of rescue efforts, the mermaid was successfully treated, but she did not wake up. The doctor's advice was to soak her in seawater and let her recover naturally.

Chapter 275 Returning to Daily Life

"Really, Emerald, you have to believe me, there's really nothing between her and me..."

After Viliana finished recounting the story of the mermaid, Yulia breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to speak coherently:

"When I left this morning, she was still fast asleep in the fish tank. Who knew she would wake up at this time... Although I am indeed very lonely when you are not here, Emery, I would not do *that* with a fish, would I?"

"Mmm."

Emery pretended to ponder without saying anything, but inwardly she found it amusing.

Not interested in fish? The you in the original game used the excuse that the mermaid's lower body was legs instead of a fish tail to be obsessed with her... and you always wanted to lift up the mermaid's shell-like skirt, saying you wanted to find the pearl inside the shell.

Wow!

Before Emery could even speak, the mermaid in the fish tank made a move.

She leaned half her body out of the fish tank, deliberately getting water droplets on Yulia's clothes, and glared at her with displeasure:

"Who are you calling a fish? If I'm a fish, are you a monkey? A hairless monkey!"

"Hey?"

Yulia was stunned for a moment, then became angry, wiped the water droplets off her face, and punched the mermaid back into the fish tank.

"You fish... I kindly saved you, and not only did you cause me to be misunderstood by Emery, you even dared to curse me? As expected of a fish, it only has a 7-second memory and doesn't even know how to repay kindness. I might as well steam it with butter and cheese and eat it."

Miss Mermaid was already recovering from serious injuries, and now that Yulia had punched her like that, she immediately fainted again, still lying on the water's surface like a fish upside down.

Of course, Emery knew that the mermaid was probably faking it, since Julia hadn't used much force, otherwise the house would have collapsed, let alone the fish tank.

This mermaid may not seem very bright, but she is actually quite cunning. She also bears a great responsibility, as she must protect herself in an unfamiliar environment. Using her beautiful appearance to play the victim is a very good strategy.

Not wanting to frighten the mermaid, Amelie played along, grabbing Julia's ear and beginning her lecture:

"What nonsense are you spouting? You should know, right? I would never eat any humanoid creature, and you're not allowed to either! And you idiot, don't you know how strong you are? With your reckless manner, what if you kill the mermaid? If she were just an ordinary mermaid, that would be fine; you could just dispose of the body secretly... But what if she's some kind of mermaid princess? Your punch could start a war!"

"Tch, with her rude manners, she calls herself a princess?"

Julia first curled her lip in disdain, then clung to Amelie's arm and acted coquettishly:

"Besides, Emerald, your holy magic is so powerful... With you here, it wouldn't matter if I really killed her, right? And there's also Marcy."

"...Is this why the thieves in Locke City always get beaten up with multiple fractures all over their bodies?"

Amélie gave Julia a half-smile, until Julia herself felt a little embarrassed, then she beckoned with her finger and used her magic to lift the mermaid out of the fish tank.

Marcy and Viriana, who were standing nearby, were very perceptive and had already cleared the oval dining table and moved it over, so that Miss Mermaid could be placed on it like an operating table.

"Huh? Dinner's ready?"

Upon seeing the dining table, Yulia instantly felt a surge of appetite, as if by reflex, startling the mermaid who was pretending to be unconscious.

"Okay, dinner's ready~~ Sweetie, you go eat over there first."

Emerald just smiled indulgently, then took out a box of steaming hot takoyaki from her storage space and handed it to Julia.

"Mmm, it smells so good."

Yulia sniffed twice, then happily took the takoyaki, opened the box, and started eating it with a fork.

A smile appeared on Emerald's lips as she gathered holy light in her palm and pressed it directly against the mermaid:

"What a beautiful mermaid... Let me take a good look at how serious your injuries are."

"Hmm... Other mermaids have fish tails from the waist down, so why do you have human legs? It's necessary to examine you carefully... Come, let me take a good look."

"Hmm... Judging from your vital signs, you should have recovered. So why haven't you woken up yet? Is it because you were punched by Yulia and are having trouble breathing? It seems I need to give you CPR..."

Sensing that Emery's treatment of her was becoming increasingly excessive, the mermaid knew that she had no choice but to wake up.

Although the power of that divine magic was warm and comforting, if the treatment continued like this, she would be completely consumed in another sense.

That won't do... at least not now.

So just as Emerald was about to begin artificial respiration, the mermaid quickly and shyly opened her eyes, revealing a hint of fear:

"What...what are you going to do?"

"Oh? Miss Mermaid, you're awake already?"

Emerald also showed a regretful expression at the opportune moment, which quickly turned into a gentle smile, and she even showed off the holy light in her hand:

"Don't worry... As you can see, I am a human healer. I was just examining and treating you. Are you feeling much better now?"

"Yes, thank you, therapist. I do feel much better now."

Miss Mermaid quickly sat up from the dining table and then jumped down again.

Her fishtails, which were positioned at her feet, did not allow her to stand upright. Instead, she levitated herself a few centimeters in the air using two orbs of deep blue magic. Then, she swam around Emerald in the air once, following the etiquette of the mermaids, before bowing slightly.

"Thank you so much, Miss, for saving my life."

"Hey, so you fish really don't have a memory, do you?"

Yulia, who had just finished eating all the takoyaki, immediately glared at him with displeasure: