"I'm going to float away… Ulysses!" Yu Deng hugged his fish tail as he watched himself drift farther and farther away, pitifully calling out to the merfolk leader. "Hurry and help me!"
Of course, Yu Deng didn't actually float away. The merfolk leader instantly swam over to him, reached out, wrapped an arm around his supple, slender waist, and held him securely against his chest.
"Sorry. I was too captivated watching you just now and forgot to catch you immediately." Ulysses looked at the little princess curled up in his arms, feeling as though his heart was about to melt from sheer cuteness. "Your Highness the Princess, you really are adorable."
Yu Deng lowered his head, looking a little dejected. "Really? But I don't even know how to control my tail…"
Not knowing how to swim was one thing, but he had almost been swept away by the waves.
Ugh, this was so embarrassing.
Thinking about it, Yu Deng drooped his head dejectedly, and his eyes unconsciously grew a little red, making him look both pitiful and adorable.
"That's perfectly normal. After all, this is your first time using a merfolk's tail. It's only natural that you're not accustomed to it."
Ulysses held the little princess in his arms and coaxed him without even blinking.
"Besides, your tail is very powerful. It could easily smash a shark to pieces."
"Really?"
Yu Deng was skeptical. After all, his tail felt soft and fluffy, and didn't seem particularly threatening.
Ulysses carried Yu Deng back to the shell bed and let him sit in his arms. Once he had adjusted their positions, Ulysses gently lifted the little princess's fish tail and carefully smoothed it out.
His slightly rough palm pressed against the delicate fish tail, making Yu Deng shiver involuntarily, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.
"Ulysses, don't touch me like that… It tickles." Yu Deng curled up the tip of his tail. "You're making me feel a little warm…"
The merfolk coaxed him, "Since your fish tail has only just appeared, I need to examine it for you."
"Oh…"
The merfolk's hand gently stroked the little princess's fish tail. This newly formed tail was incredibly soft, its pale-blue scales resembling the most precious deep-sea gemstones, shimmering brilliantly beneath the light of the luminous pearls.
Yu Deng occasionally let out soft little sounds as Ulysses touched him, his cheeks and earlobes flushed red, his eyes watery.
The little princess's fish tail was even softer than that of a newborn hatchling, incredibly sensitive and delicate, and needed to be carefully tended to.
"Your tail is extremely beautiful. It has the rarest color and texture, and is filled with strength." The merfolk leader praised him solemnly, using respectful language while hiding a hint of teasing. "You are the most beautiful treasure in this ocean. Anyone would be captivated by you."
The merfolk leader was cold and aloof in front of everyone else, but whenever he faced the little princess, his enthusiastic praise seemed endless. He practically wanted to offer every flattering word in existence to the little princess.
Yu Deng's earlobes turned slightly red from all the praise. "Ulysses, y-you don't have to address me so formally… After all, you're the merfolk leader. You don't have to call me like that."
The merfolk leader's praise was making him a little embarrassed. He was more accustomed to his knight addressing him that way.
The merfolk leader paused for a few seconds, indulgent amusement appearing in his eyes. He leaned close to Yu Deng's ear and called softly,
"Deng Deng."
His little princess, his Deng Deng baby, was the cutest person in the world.
...
The merfolk leader spent more than ten minutes examining the little princess's fish tail. At that moment, the voice of a merfolk guard came from outside the bedchamber.
"Leader, is the Princess with you?" the guard asked respectfully. "The few merfolk who lost control have already regained consciousness. Everyone would really like to speak with the Princess."
Hearing this, Ulysses more or less guessed their intentions—they wanted to thank the little princess.
Although Ulysses really wanted to hide such a cute and beautiful princess away, this was the respect and gratitude the little princess deserved. He wouldn't interfere. In fact, he was more than happy to lift the little princess high above everyone else.
The little princess was the most precious treasure and naturally deserved to be surrounded like the moon surrounded by stars, receiving everyone's respect and affection.
However, after the princess had grown a fish tail, this long dress had become rather inconvenient.
The merfolk leader lowered his head and looked at it for a few seconds before asking Yu Deng's opinion.
"Little princess, would you like to change this dress? It's making it a little difficult for your tail to move."
"Hm?" Yu Deng looked down at the long dress that had bunched up around his lower abdomen and felt that the merfolk leader had a point.
Yu Deng glanced at the merfolk leader's sturdy chest. "Then do you have a shirt or a short skirt? I want something… I don't want to have my upper body uncovered."
Although the male merfolk seemed to have no habit of wearing clothes, Yu Deng wasn't really comfortable being shirtless in front of so many people.
"I do."
Ulysses quickly found an elegant, lightweight little skirt, helped Yu Deng change into it, and took him swimming out of the palace.
Outside the crystal palace, quite a few merfolk had already gathered. They were all craning their necks, eagerly waiting for the leader and the princess to come out. The few mutated and injured merfolk were among them as well.
Yu Deng followed Ulysses out, first poking his upper body out through the doorway to peek at the merfolk gathered outside.
The merfolk looked at Yu Deng with great enthusiasm, showing none of the disgust they normally had toward other humans. When they saw Yu Deng poke his head out, they all smiled and awkwardly tried to show their friendliness.
This scene shocked the fish-headed player.
After all, everyone knew that merfolk were the most cold-hearted of the fantasy races. He had gone through quite a lot of trouble just to earn the right to temporarily stay beneath the sea.
So, thinking about it, a beautiful and beloved NPC like the little princess might very well be a central character in the core storyline.
"..."
Yu Deng had no idea that he had already caused another player a small amount of shock and misunderstanding.
He and the merfolk stared at each other for several seconds. Somewhat nervously, Yu Deng swam out from behind Ulysses.
His lower body immediately came into view.
That beautiful pale-blue tail had its tip slightly raised, as though it were a little shy. The blue scales shimmered brilliantly, looking extraordinarily gorgeous and dreamlike.
The merfolk: "!!!"
The little princess had a tail!
The merfolk's expressions immediately changed, their already enthusiastic gazes becoming even more intense. They stared fixedly at Yu Deng. If the merfolk leader hadn't been standing beside him, they probably would have swarmed over and fought to take him away.
[I have the exact same look in my eyes as these merfolk right now!!]
[A baby with a fish tail, ahhhh! I'm going to die from cuteness!!]
[The way Baby slowly wriggles his way forward while swimming is seriously way too cute… frantically screenshots.jpg]
[Putting everything else aside, can Deng Deng really not be my wife?!]
Yu Deng was led by the merfolk leader into the center of the crowd. The normally cold and aloof merfolk all became gentle and affectionate, lowering their voices as they greeted Yu Deng.
Come on, who could stay cold and aloof in front of such a beautiful and adorable little merfolk princess?
An older merfolk spoke on behalf of the others.
"But, Your Highness the Princess isn't human?"
As he asked, he rubbed his hands together, looking extremely eager for Yu Deng to become a member of the merfolk race.
Yu Deng recalled the term Ulysses had explained to him and answered, "I am human. This is just a pseudo-merfolk form."
After answering, Yu Deng clumsily paddled his tail and swam forward. Although the merfolk were a little disappointed that it was only a pseudo-merfolk form, that didn't stop them from being completely overwhelmed by the little princess's cuteness.
After surrounding the little princess and admiring him for quite a while, the merfolk finally remembered why they had gathered. A red-tailed merfolk bowed to Yu Deng.
"Your Highness the Princess, please allow me to express our most sincere gratitude on behalf of everyone. Without you, we would have fallen into a terrifying state of mutation, and we would not have recovered so easily."
Yu Deng waved his hand. "You're welcome. I just didn't want to see everyone suffering like that."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the instance system announce:
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has triggered a side quest: Resolve the Merfolk Race's Predicament. Would you like to accept this quest?]
[Notice: Upon completion of this side quest, your favorability and trust with the merfolk race will increase.]
This time, Yu Deng didn't hesitate for long. After all, he had already accepted the dragon race's quest. Surely accepting another side quest from the merfolk wouldn't be a problem.
Yu Deng chose to accept the quest.
As soon as he accepted it, the system continued:
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has resolved the merfolk race's troubles and possesses a merfolk form. Favorability and trust have increased.]
"We have prepared a banquet to welcome Your Highness the Princess and express our gratitude for your help." The red-tailed merfolk respectfully gestured for him to follow. "May we have the honor of inviting Your Highness the Princess to attend?"
Yu Deng tilted his head and turned to look at the merfolk leader.
"Ulysses?"
The merfolk leader glanced at his subordinates, who were eagerly trying to win the little princess's favor. He said nothing, silently permitting their actions.
"Would you like to try the merfolk's food, little princess? You have gone almost a whole day without eating." Ulysses joined his people in extending the invitation. "I understand your confusion. Why don't we eat something first, and then I'll explain everything to you in detail. Would that be all right?"
Yu Deng thought for a few seconds before nodding.
He then followed the red-tailed merfolk to the central district.
The streets of the underwater merfolk kingdom were laid out very similarly to those of the human kingdom, except that the decorations along the streets consisted of coral reefs and other marine life.
There was an area resembling a plaza in the central district. Many merfolk were swimming around it, having efficiently prepared all kinds of food.
As soon as Yu Deng arrived, the little mermaid girl he had saved earlier darted over and eagerly held out a plate of sliced raw fish.
"Your Highness the Princess, this is for you," the little girl said sweetly.
Yu Deng hesitated.
"Mm… So you eat fish?"
The little girl froze and cautiously asked, "Your Highness the Princess, you don't eat fish?"
"It's not that I don't eat it. Thank you." Yu Deng shook his head. He just found it a little strange for merfolk to eat fish.
He accepted the plate of sashimi and fell silent for a moment. In the end, he plucked a strand of seaweed.
"Maybe I should just eat vegetarian food…"
The merfolk leader beside him lowered his eyes and watched him for a few seconds, roughly guessing what the little princess was hesitating over. He chuckled.
"Why not give it a try? The fish they selected is the freshest and most tender."
Ulysses held a slice of fish to Yu Deng's lips and coaxed him.
"The merfolk diet consists of ordinary fish, similar to the fish humans eat."
Yu Deng slowly realized that creatures in the ocean naturally followed the rule of big fish eating little fish.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Yu Deng opened his mouth and bit down on the piece of fish. He tentatively chewed once, paused for two seconds, then chewed a few more times.
His eyes gradually lit up.
It was fresh and sweet, and actually quite delicious.
The little princess puffing out his cheeks as he seriously chewed and chewed was simply too cute. The merfolk surrounding him nearly had hearts popping out of their eyes, wishing they could immediately wage war against the human kingdom and snatch the little princess back to the seabed.
Yu Deng's hands were soon piled high with food given to him by the merfolk.
Looking at the merfolk around him, Yu Deng suddenly felt a little emotional.
If this weren't a high-level instance in the infinite world, and there weren't those unknown and terrifying forces of mutation, then this leisurely underwater banquet would have been such a wonderful and relaxing experience.
The same went for the dragons living among the clouds, and even the human kingdom on land. Without the threat of these mutations, this continent would be the most fantastical and beautiful world imaginable.
...
After the simple banquet, Yu Deng had filled his stomach and gradually learned how to use his fish tail.
Surrounded by the merfolk leader and several other merfolk, he arrived at a room resembling a conference chamber. The fish-headed player was also accompanying them.
Yu Deng looked at the merfolk and asked, "So, what exactly is the situation with the merfolk right now?"
"The leader should have already told you that something has gone wrong with these waters. Both ordinary fish and merfolk are experiencing uncontrollable mutations," the oldest black-tailed merfolk explained. "Recently, almost every merfolk has experienced some form of mutation, and we also have to constantly guard against mutated schools of fish. But we depend on the ocean for survival and cannot leave it, so we have no choice but to endure this danger while searching for a solution."
Yu Deng said quietly, "Maybe leaving the ocean wouldn't make a difference either."
At least, that was the situation with the human kingdom and the dragon race.
The merfolk understood what Yu Deng meant, and their expressions grew even more solemn.
"Then… what exactly happened to these waters?"
The merfolk didn't answer immediately.
One of them looked toward the fish-headed player and introduced him to the little princess.
"We can't be certain either, but this friend has given us some ideas. Perhaps Your Highness the Princess could listen to what he has to say."
Yu Deng: "Hm?"
[Wait, that fish-headed guy is a player too, right?]
[Yep. He's a pretty capable laid-back player. He's really good at talking nonsense and clears every instance by bluffing the NPCs.]
[But he's a relatively neutral player, so he probably won't hurt Baby.]
The fish-headed player looked at the surrounding NPCs, then at the serious little princess, and wiped away his cold sweat.
"In my humble opinion, the mutations in the ocean are caused by an excessive intake of negative energy. The quantum particles collide with one another, causing changes in the magnetic field…"
Yu Deng froze.
"...?"
Yu Deng listened seriously for a few sentences. When he saw the fish-headed player start talking about the origin of the universe, he finally realized that this fish-headed person seemed to be making everything up…
"Ulysses." Yu Deng quietly tugged at the merfolk leader's finger. "Is what he said about the cause… actually reasonable?"
The merfolk leader caught the little princess's finger and folded it into his palm, gently rubbing it a few times before answering.
"I don't think so."
After all, the merfolk leader hadn't been fooled. It was merely that some of the other merfolk had fallen for the bluff.
Yu Deng looked at the merfolk leader in confusion. He didn't directly expose the player, merely expressing his bewilderment with his eyes, as if he couldn't understand how this guy had managed to survive here.
"He once saved several merfolk and has behaved himself, so we have temporarily accepted him. Although merfolk are cold by nature, we do not repay kindness with ingratitude."
After explaining, the merfolk leader waved his hand and had the fish-headed player and several of the merfolk leave the conference room, leaving only the oldest merfolk behind.
The fish-headed player was perfectly content with his lot. He only wanted to complete the basic objectives and clear the instance, so he very decisively swam out of the conference room using a breaststroke motion.
Once the conference room was empty, Ulysses finally spoke.
"Actually, we suspect that the mutations in these waters are related to the disappearance of the Heart of Eralzea—also known as the legendary Dreamheart."
Huh?
The merfolk knew about the Dreamheart too.
Yu Deng blinked. "How did you know that the Dreamheart disappeared?"
"It is difficult to describe this feeling. Perhaps because I am the leader of my race, I am able to sense it. Some merfolk with particularly strong innate abilities can sense it as well."
The black-tailed merfolk looked at the little princess from the human kingdom and hesitated before saying, "Our merfolk inheritance tells us that as long as the Heart of Eralzea exists, the merfolk's problems can be resolved. So we have all been searching for it. But the other races are probably searching for it too. That is one of the reasons for the conflicts between us."
"Eh?"
Ulysses said, "According to the prophecy, the Heart of Eralzea can most likely restore only one race. We have no choice but to compete for it."
So this was… the reason why the different races hated one another?
But the old king of Sturitt had hated the other races so intensely. Could there be some other hidden reason as well?
Never mind.
Although the clues were still scattered and abstract, he had gained an even better understanding of the core storyline!
Yu Deng struggled to organize his thoughts when the merfolk elder spoke, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation.
"Your Highness the Princess, you can suppress our condition. So, would you be able to… help the merfolk race escape from our current predicament?"
Yu Deng pressed his lips together and didn't give a definite answer.
"I can't be certain, but I'll do my best to try."
He had already accepted the side quest, so of course he would do his best to resolve the merfolk's predicament!
Even if—even if there hadn't been a side quest, he still wanted to help these fantasy races who were suffering from the mutations.
The black-tailed merfolk bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Princess. If Your Highness wishes to learn more about the ocean, perhaps you could have the leader take you to the Abyss of the Deep Sea."
"The Abyss of the Deep Sea?" Yu Deng turned around in confusion and looked at the merfolk leader. "What kind of place is that?"
Ulysses answered, "It is the core area of the ocean. Only the merfolk leaders of each generation can open the entrance and enter. Little Princess, would you like to take a look?"
The core area… Wasn't that about the same status as the Dragon Mound in the dragon race?
Yu Deng thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I want to go see it."
Ulysses ruffled Yu Deng's hair and stared at him for a few seconds. "No problem. I'll take you there."
The merfolk were remarkably efficient.
A few minutes later, they had already left the territory of the merfolk kingdom and were swimming toward deeper waters. Once they left the kingdom's territory, the seawater became dark again, with only the occasional glowing jellyfish illuminating the surroundings.
"Ulysses, what's inside the Abyss of the Deep Sea?" Yu Deng moved a little closer to the merfolk leader and asked.
"It is the core of the ocean and the source of the merfolk leader's authority. There are treasures of the ocean inside, as well as certain inheritances."
It sounded like a place with lots of clues.
After gaining a merfolk tail, Yu Deng became much more comfortable underwater. He followed the merfolk leader through the darkness for about half an hour before they arrived at a place that emitted a faint red glow.
There were no fish to be seen anywhere around this area, nor could they hear any sounds. There was a kind of lonely stillness to the place. Around the stones emitting the red light were numerous small whirlpools, seemingly there to stop anyone who approached.
"Deng Deng, be careful. These whirlpools will tear apart anyone who gets too close."
Yu Deng nodded nervously. "I understand."
They slowly approached the area.
The seawater tightly surrounded them. Yu Deng could feel the water here flowing around them, as though it were examining their identities.
The flowing seawater lingered between the two of them, seemingly hesitant and unable to determine which of them was the leader of the merfolk race.
A few seconds later, the entrance to the Abyss of the Deep Sea began to rumble. The rocks shifted aside.
The seawater swept up the whirlpools and mercilessly pushed the current merfolk leader, Ulysses, away, while carefully wrapping itself around Yu Deng and carrying him toward the entrance of the Abyss of the Deep Sea.
—The Abyss of the Deep Sea welcomes your arrival, Your Highness the Princess.
Yu Deng was utterly confused.
"???" Did it get the wrong person?!
The seawater swirled and opened up a passage, welcoming the little princess's arrival. Some streams of water even passed over Yu Deng's fish tail and secretly rubbed against it.
As for the other merfolk…
Who cared?
The Abyss of the Deep Sea only recognized the little princess now!