The villain daughter did all kinds of things

That evening, many people were having dinner together at Amelie's villa.

Besides Amelie, Julia, Marcy, and Viliana, who usually live here, Flora and Surina also came to freeload a meal.

Even in the large fish tank, there was a wooden tray shaped like a boat floating on the water, with 6 dishes on the tray, 3 of which were seafood and the other 3 were land-based delicacies from the Federation.

Miss Mermaid took a bite of each dish, but in the end she seemed to prefer seafood. She kept putting small fish and silver krill into her mouth, and her two fish tails swayed gently as she ate.

At the dinner table, after dinner officially began, Emerald drank a couple of glasses and then began to vividly recount her experience of watching the excitement that day, like a storyteller… She said she was going to tell it to Sulina and Flora, who hadn’t gone to Sphinx, but in reality, she was telling it to the mermaid.

As expected, upon hearing that Machira had already approached the Federation, the mermaid's body stiffened instantly, her fishtail stopped wagging, and the food in her mouth seemed to lose its flavor.

Only after hearing that Machira had been severely beaten for being too arrogant did the mermaid breathe a sigh of relief, and even a hint of schadenfreude appeared in her eyes.

However, upon hearing that the Merfolk and the Federation had not broken ties because of the conflict, but rather that Machira had successfully cooperated with the Federation and issued a high bounty on the Merfolk traitors, the Merfolk suddenly became melancholy again, her brows furrowed, and she even forgot to swallow the food in her mouth.

"Speaking of which..."

After Emery finished telling the story, Julia, who was eating with her mouth full of oil, suddenly looked thoughtfully towards the fish tank:

"The time I picked up Xia Sha seems to be around the same time that Machira said the traitors of the mermaid race escaped? Could it be that you, Xia Sha, are those traitors? Did you really collude with demons? Then could you summon two high-level demons to fight me?"

!

The mermaid's tail immediately stiffened, and her body tensed up.

Only after confirming that the people in the room meant no harm did she shrink into the corner of the fish tank, looking pitiful, helpless, and delicate, and say aggrievedly:

Do I look like someone who has conspired with the devil?

"Hmm... I don't think so either."

Yulia really did scrutinize Shasha carefully, her gaze lingering particularly on Shasha's smooth, flat stomach for a long time before she shook her head.

"An existence that colludes with demons and betrays its race should be very powerful, but Xia Sha, you seem a bit weak to me... If I punch you, you'll cry for a long time."

"That's right, how could a cute girl like Xia Sha possibly collude with a demon?"

Emery smiled and took over the conversation, giving Xia Sha a gentle look to comfort her, which made Xia Sha's heart beat a little fast for a moment.

I... I really didn't collude with demons, nor did I intend to betray my race. I simply chose a new faith. I did nothing wrong!

Xia Sha convinced herself of this as if she were not someone Machira was hunting for, and looked at Amelie with almost nonchalant confidence.

"Xia Sha, you don't need to worry."

Upon seeing this, Emery smiled even more gently and confidently:

“Although your identity is easy to misunderstand, since you have been taken in by my family, you will be under my protection. I have some status in the Allen Federation, and even those bounty hunters who die for money will not dare to misunderstand you.”

"Yes, thank you very much, Miss... I will try to go out less in the future and try not to cause you any trouble."

Miss Mermaid nodded obediently.

During her time living in Locke City, she naturally inquired about her owner, and the result surprised her—the beautiful and gentle pink-haired young lady had a status in the Allen Federation that was almost like that of a princess. Not just a pretty face, but a princess with power, authority, and wealth.

This made the mermaid secretly rejoice, but also made her even more determined to cling to Emerald's coattails and seek new living space for herself and her followers.

Now that Machira has cooperated with the federal government to issue a bounty, going out into the world would only be more dangerous. It would be better for her to continue hiding her identity here as an ordinary mermaid, and wait for a more suitable opportunity to try to awaken the souls of her followers from the darkness.

This was the decision Miss Mermaid made after much deliberation, and it was also the result Emerald wanted.

Emery's plan to win over Shasha was actually quite simple.

The core idea is simple—to make Xia Sha understand that the whole world is hostile towards her and that she is only safe by staying with Amelie.

Providing a sense of security is always one of the most effective ways to win over women.

. . . . .

The following morning, as expected, the bounty offered by Machira was published on the front page of new newspapers sold throughout the Allen Federation.

The bounty was quite generous; Machira offered a number of rare materials found only in the deep sea, enough for an ordinary mage to enjoy a life of luxury for a lifetime. Some of the materials were even tempting to fusion-stage mages.

Therefore, everyone acted very quickly.

That morning, many large mercenary companies and small bounty hunter teams accepted Machira's bounty and began searching for the traitor among the mermaids who colluded with the demons within the Federation. Even the Melson Security Company dispatched several M-class mercenary squads.

Many of the fusion-stage mages and archmages were also tempted by the bounty, but because they considered themselves powerful, they did not easily participate in person. However, many of them sent elite teams that were connected to them.

Even in Locke City, a city known as the "Garden of the Young Lady," many elite teams have once again secretly infiltrated to search for the merman traitor for whom a bounty has been placed.

Emerald remained ruthless towards these people.

Under the comprehensive and seamless surveillance system she created, any cultivator with the strength of a master mage or above who enters Locke City will be immediately locked and monitored.

No matter how stealthy the elite squads that came for the bounty were, they would always be found by Idris's elven mages.

They usually warn and drive away these bounty hunter teams first.

If the bounty hunters are clever, or if their backers don't want to offend Emerald, they will leave Locke City immediately.

But there are always some people who are greedy for money or think they are clever. They will pretend to leave and then sneak back. Some elite teams even think that lone elven mages are not a threat and want to kill the elven girl who warned them.

These people all suffered a great misfortune.

Ameliete would no longer be polite to them and ordered the elven girls to beat them to death.

Those killed were turned into undead using necromancy and sent to mine; those not killed were healed, put on slave collars, and sold to the wealthy elven woman across the southern strait.

Some of the stronger bounty hunter squads are indeed beyond the capabilities of a single elf girl, but this is the city of Emerald.

When a single elf girl is not strong enough, celestial wings will immediately descend from the sky, using fusion-level magic to instantly kill the entire bounty squad.

In just two days, hundreds of bounty hunters were enslaved and sold to wealthy elven women across the Emerald Strait, demonstrating once again to those who still harbored illusions and always wanted to get rich what it meant for a young lady's garden to be utterly untouchable by pests.

"Hmm, look closely, the merman traitor on the bounty really looks like Xia Sha."

That evening, as Yulia ate dinner and read the newspaper, she became increasingly convinced that the legendary traitor of the mermaid clan was the fish in her own fish tank.

Newspapers in the Allen Federation have long been printed in full color, and some high-end newspapers can even play projected clips. Naturally, Machira's bounty also includes photos of the mission targets.

The mermaid in the photo, like Shasha, has blue hair and blue eyes, but her lower body is a fish tail, and she wears the kind of high priest's uniform with many jewels.

It wasn't that Machira didn't want to release Shasha's latest photos, but rather that she only had these photos of Shasha before she converted to Christianity.

Fortunately, Xia Sha hasn't been recognized these past two days. After all, the difference between a human leg and a fish tail below the waist is too great. Even if the face and body are exactly the same, it can't be said to be the same person.

After her initial fear and anxiety, Xia Sha is now much calmer, and can even explain in a joking tone when faced with Yulia's questioning gaze:

“Because we are ultimately different races, Miss Yulia… In the eyes of outsiders, the figures and appearances of us merfolk are very similar, and we can usually only be distinguished by our hairstyle and hair color. This is the same for me. For example, if you dyed your hair blonde and got a twin ponytail like yours, then in my eyes you would look exactly like twin sisters. If you were both wearing clothes, I would hardly be able to tell you apart.”

"I see... Hmm, that makes some sense."

Yulia scratched her head:

"Just like when I look at kittens, I can basically only distinguish them by their fur color and markings. If they have the same color and markings, I have no idea which one I can tell... That's right, how could a timid and delicate little mermaid like you, Shasha, be the kind of dangerous person the bounty says? *slurp*"

As Yulia spoke, she casually tossed the newspaper aside and began a fierce battle with the large bowl of chicken soup and fish line in front of her.

Emerald simply smiled and gently comforted the mermaid once again:

"Don't worry too much, Xia Sha... I've already dealt with those bounty hunters who sneaked into this city, so no one will find you... But to avoid any misunderstandings, Xia Sha, it's best if you change into human-style clothes when you go out recently, and use magic or a magical device to change your hair and eye color, and you'll be basically safe."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Miss. I will be careful."

Xia Sha obediently blew a bubble at Amelie in the water, with a sweet smile.

She increasingly felt that she was really lucky. After being seriously injured and on the verge of death, she was taken in by someone like Emery. Was this also the protection of the Abyss?

. . . . .

The search for the traitorous merfolk has continued for days, with multiple bounty teams having searched almost the entire Allen Federation, but without finding any suspicious fish.

Most people realized that the traitorous mermaid was most likely under the protection of a powerful force they absolutely couldn't afford to offend. Money was good, but life was more important, so many chose to give up the bounty and continue earning and living their lives in their daily routines.

However, a few greedy individuals remained undeterred. They knew that the bounty target was likely already under the protection of a powerful force, but they still decided to give it another try, for fortune favors the bold.

Emerald didn't care. In her plan, Shasha was bound to be exposed. If no bounty team could find Shasha, she would personally send someone to report her. But the time wasn't right yet.

On this day, Emery, who was sitting in the Sulina chair, processing documents and gently rubbing her face with her black-stockinged feet, suddenly froze, stopped what she was doing, and not only stood up from Sulina but also put on her shoes.

"...Um, what's wrong, my young lady?"

Su Lina blinked her watery eyes and looked up, looking somewhat unsatisfied.

"I'll leave these documents to you, senior. I trust your abilities; you're the only one around me who's good at this kind of thing."

Emery simply pinched Sulina lightly, then handed her the entire stack of documents she had been reading:

"I have something to do. When Xixi comes back from making tea, please tell her that I might not be coming home tonight or even tomorrow night."

"Yes, Miss."

Sulina first obediently indicated that she would accept the order, then tilted her head with some curiosity:

"So sudden... Did the young lady remember that there's a concubine in your harem you've forgotten to favor, and you're planning to make it up to her in the next couple of days?"

"It's not that bad... There isn't a woman who could make me drop my job over something so trivial."

Emery smiled and shook her head, then patted Sulina's soft waist lightly before walking straight out the door.

“It’s because an old friend of mine is coming back, and I have to personally welcome him.”

. . . . .

Inside the secret underground facility at the headquarters of Blue Star Film and Television.

On a rectangular alloy table sits a wooden box resembling an urn. Standing in front of the lid is Emerald, flanked by two identical beautiful girl dolls, all controlled by Suzuran.

"...Let us welcome his return together, Lily of the Valley."

Taking a deep breath, Amelie chuckled and opened the wooden box. One of the two recesses inside was already empty.

The sacred fruit bestowed by the divine tree was absorbed as the purest life energy, and the originally dull purple soul crystal now shimmered with light.

"Wow... What a vibrant soul! The Red-Clad Aunt's skill combined with the Divine Tree's sacred fruit is truly amazing."

Emerald observed the Soul Crystal for a few seconds, then covered her mouth and chuckled. At the same time, she used an invisible ribbon to connect the Soul Crystal to the body of a doll girl from Lily of the Valley.

"Welcome back, Doctor."

The doll-like girl first spoke in a completely emotionless voice, then her eyes suddenly emitted a magical light, creating a projection directly above the alloy table. The figure in the projection, wearing a white coat, was none other than the old man Langdon, who had been dead for several months.

"How's it going, old Langdon?"

Ameliete smiled and waved at the projection:

"How does it feel to be brought back to life? Your intelligence and memory are still intact, right?"

"Intelligence... well, I think my intelligence is fine, it's even improved a bit because of this rare experience. As for memory..."

The projection of old man Langdon rubbed his chin:

"It shouldn't be a big problem. I was ambushed and shot by that investigator, but I survived thanks to your contingency plan, Miss. However, my soul was damaged by the intense magical explosion, so I've been sleeping in the seal ever since, is that right?"

"Oh? You even have the memories of your slumber after your soul was damaged? It seems you've recovered even better than I expected, old Langdon... Congratulations."

As Amelie spoke, she clapped her hands in congratulations, her smile growing even brighter.

But old man Langdon seemed displeased, his face darkening as he looked at Emerald:

"So... what's my situation now? I can clearly feel that I'm completely unable to disobey your will. You, the witch, can now control souls?"

"Nonsense... How am I a witch? Everyone outside calls me a saint."

Emery's radiant smile remained unchanged, even becoming sweeter:

"As for the fact that you're now under my control, old Langdon... well, there's nothing I can do about it. After all, you died a rather tragic death, and resurrecting you would come at a great cost. Besides, I'm a businessman... you understand?"

"I understand, how could I not understand?"

Old man Langdon rolled his eyes in annoyance:

"You definitely wouldn't be interested in an old man like me, even though I'm actually quite handsome... You'd go to great lengths to revive me, isn't it because you're after my talent and want me to be your servant? Anyway, I can't disobey you, so bring it on."

“It’s so easy to talk to a smart guy like you, Langdon. I don’t have to explain anything and you understand everything.”

Emery nodded in satisfaction and continued to smile:

"But don't be sad, old Langdon. Considering our past cooperation, as long as you can complete the research and development tasks I assign you, I can give you resources and time to research projects you like."

"Ha...it's that empty promise again."

Old Langdon was clearly not so easily fooled, but he was also very confident in his abilities, so he immediately added:

"Then I hope you'll keep your word, Miss, and don't assign me extra tasks just because my abilities exceed your expectations!"

"Don't worry... Although I've told a lot of lies, I haven't broken any promises I've made so far."