Chapter 28 - The Farm in Irttat
Beyond the shimmering glare on the water, a boat rose and fell with the waves.
Lucita swam toward it, dragging Lily along.
Classic three-masted ship, square sail, wooden hull…
Although Lucita didn't understand ships, she'd seen six boats these past two days. The six boats weren't completely identical, but they all had these characteristics, apparently a feature of Irttat's shipbuilding craft.
Could it be Sylvette?
Lucita silently prayed.
She had never believed in gods or Buddhas before, but after coming to this world she had gradually discovered that many kinds of magical power truly existed. History recorded, with great solemnity, how the Creator Goddess Gaia had once saved the world. Perhaps it really was true.
The Creator existed, and all races seemed to devoutly worship her. But probably because Lucita was a foreign soul, she'd never felt anything.
Until now. At a moment when she had no other choice but to leave everything to fate.
She hoped fate would favor them, the divine would show mercy.
Whether the gods heard her prayer or not, after approaching the wrecked vessel Lucita swam around it twice, and found Sylvette floating near the broken hull.
The red-haired youth’s braid hung wet against her back. Her eyes were tightly closed. Her condition looked exactly like Lily's, the only difference was her breathing was much weaker. Her skin had turned pale from being soaked in seawater. Her complexion was as white as paper, with a faint bluish tint.
Judging by the time, the accident must have happened nearly a week ago. The fact that she was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.
What Lucita didn't know was this was because mixed-bloods inherited part of the long-lived races' tenacious vitality. Their physical strength and endurance were far better than humans.
In any case, Lucita now had two burdens.
Fortunately, she still had the pocket watch and wasn’t too afraid of the merfolk watching them covetously nearby. She even openly took out a life potion and fed it to Sylvette.
She supported Sylvette's neck and gently lifted it, sending the life potion into her stomach.
One small mouthful at a time, over and over.
The life potion took effect quickly. After replenishing sufficient energy, Sylvette's breathing gradually stabilized.
Just then, the commotion among the merfolk suddenly grew louder.
Lucita looked up. A larger merfolk emerged from the group. Her hair was longer, and the blue of her scales was deeper. She closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and seemed to be chanting something softly.
Were these mad creatures suddenly becoming lucid and trying to negotiate?
Lucita tightened her grip on the hunting knife, staring at that merfolk, but didn't guard against a water wave suddenly surging skyward from behind!
The roaring sound battered her ears. She'd just turned back when she crashed into that enormous wave dragon connecting water and sky. Like a tornado, it swept everything around into it. In an instant, the giant wave was before her!
That boat was completely destroyed by this wave surge. Scattered wooden pieces and wreckage spun rapidly in the water waves. Being swept into this meant certain death.
Lucita's pupils reflected that wave dragon madly surging over. Her mind went blank.
Before being swept into the water waves, she couldn't help but grip that pocket watch tightly and cry out: "Acquanetta!"
"Acquanetta, open your eyes and look at your people!"
Acquanetta was the name of the former Merfolk King.
That Merfolk King who was stripped of scales, dismembered, and died an unnatural death.
Did your soul reside in this pocket watch?
Five hundred years passed, facing your maddened kin, would you still weep for them?
That cry seemed to shock this group of merfolk. Lucita saw their movements pause for an instant.
Then she was swept into the water waves. Rumbling water sounds were overwhelming.
She lost consciousness.
When Lucita woke up, her head throbbed painfully.
She opened her eyes, felt dazed for a moment, remembered the scene before she passed out, and immediately sat up.
Brilliant blue clam pearls filled the surroundings, reflecting shimmering water waves.
Beneath her was a giant pale pink clam. She lay in the soft sand filling its open shell. When she moved even slightly, her body sank into it.
Next to the pink clam grew a patch of red coral. Strange jagged rocks cast drifting shadows beneath the glowing pearls.
This place was very bright.
A bubble rose up before her eyes. Lucita extended a finger and popped it with a "pop."
"Come quick and see! She's awake, she's awake!"
A small red-haired little merfolk of small size suddenly swam over from behind some rock, delightedly circled around her once, and shouted outside.
Little merfolk?
Lucita was first startled and stared at her warily.
After a long while, seeing she seemed mentally normal and showed no intention of attacking, Lucita relaxed slightly.
Wait!
She touched her ears.
Was that auditory hallucination just now?
In an instant, a group of little merfolk surrounded her.
"It's true!"
"Wow, she can even move!"
"Is this a human?"
"No way. Humans would have drowned in water long ago."
"But she looks different from us!"
"Speaking of which, shouldn't we go tell Her Majesty?"
"You go."
"You go!"
The little merfolk pushed and shoved, arguing in a jumble.
Lucita rubbed her ears, relief slowly loosening the tension in her chest.
She could hear now, that was a good thing.
Hearing them talk about... Her Majesty?
The current king of the merfolk?
Lucita silently pondered.
"Why are you fighting again, my children?" A rough, hoarse female voice suddenly interjected.
The little merfolk immediately fell silent, stood properly, and called out together: "Good afternoon, Your Majesty!"
Lucita looked at her.
This Majesty's hair might never have been trimmed since birth—a mass of dark red wavy curls hung to her ankles. Her scales were the same as the merfolk encountered before—deep blue shimmering with dark light. The same scales appeared fierce and terrifying on the maddened merfolk, but on her looked very gorgeous.
Probably because she looked respectable.
Was this the legendary "beautiful and romantic mermaid"?
"You're awake, friend from afar." Her tone was very calm, faintly carrying a sense of vicissitudes.
Even sitting up, Lucita couldn't match the height of Amala with a fish tail, so she simply sat on the clam bed, looked up to reply: "Did you save me?"
"Yes, I'm Amala, King of the Merfolk." She also didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point: "I have some questions. I wonder if I could ask you?"
"I happen to also have many doubts. Perhaps we'll have a good exchange, but not now." Lucita said: "Before that, I must ask you, have you seen my friends?"
Amala raised an eyebrow: "Are you referring to the two mixed-blood girls who were bewitched?"
Lily, a middle-aged person, being called a little girl by her—Lucita couldn’t help wondering just how long this merfolk king had lived.
Some speculations flashed through Lucita's mind, but she kept her expression unchanged and nodded.
"They're still sleeping." Amala said: "They were dragged into dreams created by the fallen ones. This kind of mental attack can't be easily awakened from. They must be brought out through mental healing. I thought you were the same. I didn't expect you to wake up on your own."
"Mental healing?"
Last time when she created spaces for the rescue team, Javena had also mentioned this method. It seemed to be an advanced skill only pureblooded merfolk could master, difficult for mixed-bloods with weak mental talents to touch.
If only she could get the merfolk to perform mental healing on them, but unfortunately...
Lucita asked with hopeful eyes: "The reason you maintain rationality is because you never use mental talents, right?"
"Smart child." Amala was completely clear about her thoughts and nodded knowingly.
If merfolk used mental talents to awaken Lily and Sylvette, the merfolk themselves would be infected by madness, ultimately becoming one of those mad creatures on the sea surface.
They were neither relatives nor old friends, who would make such a sacrifice for them?
Even Lucita herself wouldn't.
Therefore, Lucita wasn't surprised but asked the next question: "Then can I learn the method of mental healing?"
Amala was shocked and scrutinized her: "Your mixed-blood mental talents are very weak. It's simply impossible to learn mental healing. What, you didn't know?"
"I know. I just want to try. After all, there's no other way, right?" Lucita showed a helpless smile, looking somewhat sad.
Of course the truth wasn't as Lucita said.
In fact, Lucita had higher confidence in her heart.
At first, wasn't her spatial talent also very weak? But as time passed, it almost doubled in growth, and the growth speed got faster and faster.
She vaguely felt this was related to her soul and body's fusion process.
If her spatial talent could grow, why not her mental ability?
She really wanted to test what level her mental talent had reached now.
Even though Amala believed Lucita had no chance of learning mental healing, she had still expressed the desire to learn. That meant Lucita had a request.
The other party having a request was easier to cooperate with than oneself demanding repayment for favors. After all, interest motivated people far more than conscience.
Amala had lived long enough to understand this principle long ago.
She smiled, sat beside Lucita, and showed a posture wanting to have a long talk: "Of course."
"However, I've already answered some of your questions. Now I have some questions I want to understand. Can we chat?"
Lucita didn't know how she arrived here after losing consciousness—she didn't even know where this was, didn't know why there was still a group of normal merfolk in the sea.
Her information was limited, but at this time to show sincerity, she had to answer Amala's questions.
What among Amala's doubts could she answer? Could it be…
Amala took out a hollowed silver-cased pocket watch: "I want to ask about the origin of this pocket watch."
As expected!
The pocket watch in her hand had disappeared. Sure enough, it was taken by Amala.
Among all her belongings, if there was anything related to the merfolk race, it was only this.
Had they sensed the presence of the ancient Merfolk King?
Honestly speaking, she did sympathize with the merfolk's fate, but that didn’t mean she cared deeply about the pocket watch itself. From the beginning, her goal had only been to rescue Sylvette. Now Lily had been added to that goal. If there was any other purpose, it was to explore the inexplicable song in the pocket watch.
Now if she could learn the method of mental healing to treat Sylvette and Lily, the pocket watch's secret wouldn’t matter much.
Moreover... Perhaps because these merfolk children were too lively, she felt no ill will toward this Merfolk King.
Therefore, Lucita answered very readily: "Sure."
"This pocket watch is an old item from the last Merfolk King Acquanetta in prehistoric times..."
Lucita narrated the pocket watch's origin.
Of course, the two were still in a stage of mutual distrust and testing. Regarding things Amala didn't ask about, she wouldn't speak of them either.
Like the pocket watch's song and such.
Speaking of it would expose her own specialness. Who knows, it might even bring disaster, like being detained here to research the pocket watch.
Hearing it, Amala nodded with a smile and asked her second question: "Your two friends were both dragged into dreams. Why were you fine?"
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