OBS Chapter 3659 The Mermaid's Invitation
Chapter 3659 The Mermaid's Invitation
Chapter 3659 The Mermaid's Invitation
The fog was too thick at night, so Shad went to the glass greenhouse to see the flowers that were blooming in winter. Besides the fragrance of the flowers, the greenhouse smelled mostly of fertilizer and soil, but Shad didn't dislike the mixed smell.
He had planned to return to the banquet hall before the event ended, but shortly after arriving at the greenhouse, the greenhouse door was pushed open again. It wasn't the gardener, nor the maid looking for Shad, but a young girl Shad didn't recognize carrying a kerosene lamp.
Of course, the most important characteristic of the other party was that she was not wearing any clothes.
Although she had no clothes, the strange girl was adorned with a full set of jewelry on her head and hands, even in places where she shouldn't have worn jewelry. The red hair ornament in her hair emitted a faint pink glow, protecting her from the winter cold.
Shad knew she wasn't cold, because her skin was flushed, clearly indicating she was a little hot.
"You may not care about fame, but I do."
Shad said this, but neither moved forward nor backward:
"What did your master send you here for?"
The girl looked human, but Shad clearly felt that her essence was no longer human.
She had a remarkably beautiful face and appeared to be around 20 years old. Although at first he didn't recognize her, Shad quickly remembered who she was. Shad had only seen her once before; she was a maid at the Count Dalmanin estate, where "Desire" was hiding, and one of the personal servants of the Countess who had willingly served "Desire."
Shad had entered and left that manor many times and had seen her many times. The last time he saw her, Shad only felt that she was no longer purely human, but now she seemed to have become something akin to a "succubus," but even more terrifying than those alien demons.
She continued to approach Xia De, only stopping when she saw him raise his hand. She smiled, nodded in greeting, and then said:
“I have brought you a message from the ocean—if you encounter trouble at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, you can seek my help.”
"I didn't encounter any trouble."
Shad said with certainty, but the mermaids of Moon Bay had specifically sent such attendants, these true "apostles of desire," to see Shad, certainly not just to say a word to him:
“My master said that you did an excellent job on the debt collection mission in Vistalin. Now my master has a new problem that he wants you to handle. He said that the material world is so vast that only you can solve this problem.”
Speaking of debt collection, Shad recalled the complicated affairs of the Bennet family in the woods.
He shook his head:
"I've been very busy lately. Go back and tell your master that I don't have time."
"But what if the problem your master wants you to solve is the same as the trouble you encountered at the foot of the snow mountain?"
Shad still insists:
"I haven't encountered any trouble."
The inhuman girl laughed and said:
"Master guessed you would say that. Master has said it before, you always act like this, even though you really want it in your heart, but on the surface you act more serious than anyone else."
So your master has given you a good excuse, I mean a reason—to want to know more about the Ring of Fate? To know more secrets about the serpent beneath the snow-capped mountains? Perhaps the prophets can provide you with some information, but those who lived through that bygone era know far more, don't they?"
She did not give Shad another chance to refuse:
"Please summon your master on the beach of Fatummst Island. He will speak with you in detail. The troublesome matter entrusted to you is actually related to the story of fate, and handling it will also benefit you—the letter has been delivered, and your master awaits your call."
She said this, and then asked Shad:
"Here's my personal question: Would you like to taste my body?"
Shad stared at her:
"I'm mysophobic."
"You don't need to worry about that. Not every apostle who serves the master is addicted to sex and lust. I keep my lustful thoughts deep in my heart, yearning for them but not touching them. In this increasingly intense emotion, I experience the pleasure of the soul. Don't you really want to taste it?"
"Do not want to."
The inhuman girl slightly raised the kerosene lamp in her hand, allowing Shad to see more clearly:
“I can smell your scent. You were enjoying yourself not long ago. How could ordinary girls compare to us? You are just as your master said, not honest at all.”
But she did not persist, for moonlight had already shone in Shad's hand. She bowed and took her leave, then was swallowed by the pink light emanating from her, presumably returning to Moon Bay.
Where she had just stood, a pink crystal had appeared on the ground. It was a "Desire Crystal," a semi-materialized desire, and also a material needed to summon the "Mermaid."
Xia De picked up the thing, since he couldn't leave it there. He didn't leave immediately, but instead lit up the moonlight to purify the space and prevent the flowers from being contaminated by the thing's power.
So, would you summon it on the beach of Fatumunst Island?
"She" asked softly as Shad left the greenhouse:
"It seems certain that I'm going to be in trouble. Does it refer to the demon, that charismatic woman who can drain spirit energy, or something else?"
He stood at the entrance of the greenhouse, looking up at the moon behind the mist and clouds:
“I don’t trust it at all. Before the Love Lake incident in Vistalin, I admit that my vigilance towards it was decreasing, but after that incident, I became very clear about the true nature of ‘desire.’ Its methods of subtly influencing people’s hearts without using supernatural powers are truly terrifying.”
Upon arriving on the island on Monday, I'll first ask the witches if there's a way to bypass the Great Witch of Chaos and directly grant me the Blessing of Chaos. I helped her in Vistalinn because I had already agreed to a debt collection quest; after all, she was a great help in the battle against the Dragon Eater. But this time, I won't go to her unprepared.
She smiled gently, but this time she didn't offer any advice to Xia De.
When the banquet ended that day, Shad still hadn't seen Galina, but she did send a carriage to take him home. When Shad got home, Lacia heard about this and complained to Dorothy at home about Galina's neglect of Shad.
The Duchess was clearly apologetic, as she had invited Shad to the banquet but hadn't spent much time with him in the end.
So on Monday morning, Galina, who had stayed at Yodl Palace the night before, rushed over.
"I'm so sorry, I was just too busy yesterday. I brought breakfast, Dorothy, you don't need to prepare breakfast."
She hugged Shad to express her apology. Shad wasn't angry; instead, he was worried that she wasn't getting enough rest.
"You probably didn't go to bed early last night, right? Why are you here so early?"
"Because I'm really sorry."
She said this, and then tried to press Shad's head to her chest, but was stopped by a cough from either Dorothy or Lacey.
In short, she came early in the morning specifically to apologize, and the breakfast brought by the maids in food boxes was packed from the Yodel Palace.
She also asked Shad if he had gone to see Lacey at the party last night, and only felt relieved after confirming that Shad hadn't actually been standing there all night with a wine glass in his hand.
"I'd rather Lacey have a taste of the good things than have you really waste your time because of me."
"Aunt, what do you mean by this?"
Although Shad's memories of last night were mostly of the girls' bodies, a lot really did happen at St. James's Palace last night. Galina was quite generous in sharing the kingdom's diplomatic secrets with Shad and Dorothy.
Secret alliances with various duchies, recruitment plans for settlements in the New World, Zionist incitement targeting the eastern region of Carsenrick, and even specific plans for launching a military uprising.
"It will probably be next month. Both countries are currently deploying troops to the border. It's still uncertain where the first shot will be fired, but my nephew is even prepared to personally go to the front lines to oversee the battle."
Schard was quite surprised when Galina said this:
Is this really necessary?
"After all, this is a crucial war that will affect the fate of the entire kingdom for the next few hundred years, and no one wants to become a sinner in history. But you don't need to worry about this. As long as you don't wander around any area on the front lines of the war, this great war will not affect you."
At breakfast, Shad mentioned that Bella's cousin had asked him to deliver a letter the night before.
Galina knew about this, and even knew the contents of the letter:
“Bella has decided to maintain nominal neutrality in the upcoming war while doing business with both sides. This will not be easy, but it might actually be able to help Moon Bay gain independence. So now she not only needs her own political skills, but she also needs the support of De La Rion.”
She told Shad and Dorothy about the current plans:
"The Delareon Navy will break through the Moon Bay Navy's defenses shortly after the start of the war, and send its warships to the northern part of Moon Bay. This will create a standoff between Moon Bay and the Carsonrick Navy in the south, allowing Moon Bay to maintain a relatively stable situation."
I had no idea Bella was so ambitious, and that she dared to leave Moon Bay at a time like this. Did she know through divination that she would definitely succeed? If she does succeed, perhaps there will be another duke in the council.”
“Miss Bellendall probably didn’t see fate, but rather believed in Shad. Moon Bay belongs to Shad, but he entrusted it to the Bellendall family for management. As long as Shad is still alive, Moon Bay will never decline.”
Dorothy, sitting opposite Shad, said something that Galina thought about and agreed with:
"The prosperity of the City of Wealth has never relied on wealth itself, but on the shadows behind it. The future world will become more complex and dangerous, and the stories of the chosen ones will affect more and more people. The start of the all-out war in the Old World will reignite a world that has been at peace for hundreds of years."
No one can escape it; the world will ultimately descend into chaos.