Chapter 25: Viscosity

As soon as those words were spoken, the two women behind the Priestess, especially Miss Le Qiao Qiao, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, this was quite a clear official statement from Your Majesty, indicating that the blame would likely not fall on them anymore.

Indeed, she was a relatively clever leader; no wonder she was able to guide her people out of such crises and chaos…

While silently evaluating the other party, Priestess calmly settled into her chair and politely nodded.

“We are extremely grateful for Your Majesty’s willingness to trust us. I wonder how you want to deepen our cooperation?”

Queen Anies pondered for a moment.

“Before we discuss this matter, there’s one point that needs to be confirmed. Miss Vilyric, can you fully, or at least to some extent, represent the Lingyin Merchant Association’s stance?”

Oh, seems there’s something significant at play…

The black-haired girl spread her small hands.

“Well… to be honest, I’m not really a formal member of the Lingyin Merchant Association; I only have a bit of influence and voice in that organization. If it’s a super important cooperation, I might not be able to make a definitive decision, but if it’s just selling some inconsequential materials like before, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

What she said was practically non-informative, but it cleverly redirected the topic back to the other party, essentially implying, “I need you to state your attitude first.”

“That’s true…”

Sure enough, seeing the Priestess’s tight-lipped demeanor, Your Majesty no longer tested the waters and nodded, gesturing around.

“Everyone except Valda and Silisa may leave.”

With the Queen giving the command, the guards and servants on either side dared not say a word. They promptly and respectfully withdrew from the audience chamber, leaving only the three girls Vilyric and three figures obviously part of the Merman elite.

With the irrelevant people dismissed, the Queen’s dignified attitude remained unchanged. After a brief pause, she continued to explain to the seated girls.

“Having been on the island for some time, I believe Miss Vilyric has gained some understanding of the situation in my East Sea Pearl Islands… The Emerald Sea Region is a relatively closed, self-sufficient independent kingdom.”

“The presence of the Ghost Sea and the Great Whirlpool acts as a natural barrier for this sea area. Apart from those pesky pirates that occasionally cause trouble, we hardly need to worry about any external threats or invaders. It’s an advantage, but… it’s also our greatest disadvantage.”

“When Princess Nitira was taken by poachers, we couldn’t dispatch enough forces to rescue her due to the marine environment and wartime restrictions, and we had no information about her whereabouts. It was then that I first felt powerless and realized an important fact — the Ghost Sea protects us but has also become a massive cage limiting the Emerald Sea Region.”

“As the Merman tribe, we have members scattered across the world, yet we are utterly disorganized and cannot form the cohesion of the Winged People, Beastkin, or Humans. Fundamentally, it’s because we as the royal family have been too isolated.”

“Now with the return of the Ghost Ship leading those deep-sea spirits, we can only continue to fight alone. I have come to deeply realize the necessity and importance of interacting with the outside world.”

“The Lingyin Merchant Association is one of the world’s top wealth and resource organizations. Not only are its branches widespread, boasting strong cohesion and execution power, but it also possesses a vast intelligence network capable of acquiring treasures from around the world. What you have is precisely what our Mingjiao tribe needs the most right now.”

“If possible, I hope to establish an alliance with the Lingyin Merchant Association on behalf of the Merman tribe to assist us in a… large-scale operation, or from a merchant’s perspective, you can view this as a business deal.”

“Of course, our tribe will provide a corresponding reward and become your steadfast ally, providing full support for your activities in various aspects… This may sound a bit vague, but Miss Vilyric, you must have heard some reputation about us.”

“The Mermen are certainly not a race that only writes empty checks; while we may not compare to the great clans of the Winged People or Humans, our influence in the world, especially at sea, should not be underestimated. Working with us should benefit the development of the Lingyin Merchant Association, right?”

Having conveyed her stance and intentions in one breath, Queen Anies finally paused, directing her beautifully inquisitive eyes towards the black-haired girl representing the three. Noticing she didn’t immediately respond or ask what that so-called “large-scale operation” was, she nodded again.

“This is a significant matter, so of course, a decision cannot be made immediately. That’s fine; Miss Vilyric, you can consider it slowly or discuss it with your companions upon returning, but please do not take too long. After all, our time is limited…”

“Furthermore, to demonstrate our sincerity in cooperating and to track down Princess Nitira’s whereabouts, I have prepared something for you all to view together.”

Queen Anies turned her head to look at the Priestess beside her.

“Silisa, are we ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They are waiting in the inner room, but do you really want to…”

The Queen waved her hand; although her presence seemed less powerful than Silisa’s, such a simple motion made the latter quickly fall silent, unwilling to advise further.

“Given the circumstances, do you think I can continue to just watch? Nitira is not only my daughter but also the hope for the entire Mingjiao tribe’s future. I trust her judgment as well as my own. No need to elaborate further; lead the way.”

“Yes… Miss Vilyric, please follow me.”

The Sea Priestess stepped down from the main stage, accompanied by Queen Anies and the six-tear-marked girl, heading towards the back of the audience chamber. Naturally, the Priestess and her group followed behind.

In reality, Miss Vilyric had already roughly guessed what Queen Anies wanted to show them.

The backroom of the audience hall was an expansive space akin to a stadium, where fully armed Merman soldiers guarded the perimeter, and inside the hall, many Mermen wearing conical hats that obscured their faces hurried back and forth, transporting and tending to a dozen patients lying on algae mats.

As soon as they entered the room, Miss Le Qiao Qiao wrinkled her nose and curiously whispered her observation.

“Boss, boss… this air here feels really strange to me, it’s… viscous?”

Before Vilyric could respond to her curiosity, Queen Anies had already turned around and stopped, with attendants stepping forward to present similar sealed hats. The Queen casually accepted one and put it on along with Silisa and Valda, the Mingjiao girl.

“What you are seeing are those of our tribesmen who have just been pulled back from the front lines and have been driven mad due to prolonged contact with the Deep Sea Ghosts. This dozen of people is the most severely affected batch.”

“Due to the severe pollution they have suffered, they have become a new source of infection, and they emit some kind of strange substance that cannot be visually or physically identified but subtly invades the spirits of living beings, which is the source of what Miss Le Qiao Qiao described as ‘viscosity’. It seems your perception is rather keen.”

“Ah? Haha… Your Majesty praises me too much; my master used to call me a dog nose…”

Anies smiled, handing a matching hat to the nearby Miss Vilyric.

“In fact, this hat isn’t meant to block the air but to help maintain brain alertness and reduce the effects of spiritual pollution. I recommend you three wear one too; this stuff is hard to guard against.”

“This is my first time seeing such a protective device~”

After briefly examining the structure of the custom long hat in her hand, especially noticing the thin sheets that fit against the brain inside, Vilyric had largely understood its principle. No wonder Nitira was eager to buy those materials from the Ancient Spirit Realm; it was used this way.

Essentially, this was just a small and simple protective device, probably similar to wearing masks in the face of a plague, with some protective effect, but if the power of that pollution was too strong, it would only be a drop in the bucket.

But… the power that “pollutes the spirit”… could it be the same thing she was thinking of?

   

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