Swish, swish, swish…
Florence swam rapidly underwater, her fishtail swaying powerfully. After parting ways with Dahlia and the others at Pentos City, she had boarded a different merchant fleet and entered the water in the eastern region of the Siacan Kingdom to leave.
Seven or eight days had passed since then, and she wasn't far from Mermaid Bay now. She was deeply worried about the current state of Mermaid Bay and how her father was doing.
It's salty... Florence's tongue tasted a hint of salty bitterness, indicating that she had left the Whispering River and entered the ocean.
This also meant that Mermaid Bay was less than half a day's journey away. She closed her mouth, and the gills behind her ears also closed significantly, leaving only tiny slits to filter the air. Swimming cautiously for several hours, Florence didn't dare lower her guard in the slightest. She had no idea whether the pirates and the traitors had been driven away.
Hmm? A ship? Florence could sense the shadow of a ship overhead. She carefully sank deeper and swam towards the bottom of the hull; she needed to gather some intelligence.
Based on her years of experience, she knew the bottom of the ship was curved. As long as she hid directly beneath the bow, she didn't have to worry about being seen.
Phew...
Florence slowly poked her head above the seawater, switching from gill breathing to breathing through her nose and mouth. She looked up to observe her surroundings, listening closely to the activity on the deck. Then, she slowly moved away from the bow to inspect the entire ship.
It's a pirate ship. Florence frowned, her expression turning somewhat ugly.
She was currently in coastal waters, not far from the mainland. For pirates to dare appear here meant that the human kingdoms had likely lost control over their coastlines.
Just how many pirates are there? And where did these pirates come from? Florence pondered. These pirates had appeared far too abruptly, as if out of thin air.
"Say, aren't the knights around here way too weak? They're not even enough for us to kill."
"Yeah, they're too weak. Killing them is boring."
"Just a bunch of comfortable parasites. Perfect for providing us with some wealth."
"..."
Hearing the wanton laughter coming from the ship, Florence couldn't help but submerge her head a bit deeper, leaving only her ears above the surface.
"Why do you think the boss doesn't cooperate with those great captains?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's because we have too few men."
"If we could work with the great captains, we wouldn't have to stay on the ship; we could just go straight to the mainland to rest."
"We've been out for half a year this time. I wonder when we'll be able to go back."
"Hahahaha... are you homesick? Then just plunder more wealth to take back; then you won't have to set sail next time."
"It's better to earn more merits. Maybe we'll be knighted as nobles when we get back."
"..."
Set sail? Merits? Nobles? Analyzing the conversation she had just overheard, Florence muttered to herself, Could these pirates be from another kingdom?
It was highly likely. Otherwise, why would so many pirates suddenly appear, and with such formidable combat prowess to boot?
But which kingdom were they from? A kingdom on an even more distant continent?
Florence guessed in puzzlement. With too little information, she ultimately couldn't deduce anything concrete.
"The boss has been in there for a long time. The woman we caught this time is very cooperative, huh."
"Hehehe... then does that mean we can..."
"..."
Florence stopped listening at this point and dove back underwater to leave. She had to hurry back to Mermaid Bay.
Swish, swish...
After swimming for three or four hours, Florence entered the perimeter of Mermaid Bay. She floated to the surface to observe her surroundings; only after confirming there were no ships on the water did she feel relieved enough to swim toward the bay.
Swish, swish...
Just as she neared the bay, she was immediately surrounded by several mermaid warriors pointing their spears right at her.
"You? Are you Miss Florence?" The mermaid patrol captain cried out in pleasant surprise. He immediately waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to lower their spears.
"Is Mermaid Bay alright?" Florence hurriedly asked. "How is my father?"
"The General is fine." The mermaid captain's face dimmed slightly, but he still forced a smile in response. "The General has sent people everywhere to look for you, Miss Florence. Please hurry back."
"Alright." Hearing that her father was fine, Florence felt much more at ease.
Swish, swish...
Florence bid farewell to the patrol squad and swam rapidly toward Mermaid Bay. Along the way, she encountered several more patrol squads, which made her expression turn heavy. This level of security had never happened before.
Within the half-moon-shaped Mermaid Bay, there were countless coral reefs. Some of the corals were no less impressive than the trees on land, having grown for at least a thousand years.
However, what Florence saw now was sheer ruin. Many coral trees had toppled into the silt, and numerous mermaids were currently busy cleaning up and trying to restore them.
Dammit!!! Florence clenched her fists tightly, harboring intense hidden resentment. She knew that only those traitors could have caused such destruction.
"Miss Florence has returned!!!" A mermaid quickly spotted Florence and excitedly passed the word along.
Florence forced a wave and immediately swam toward the inner bay. As she approached the beach, her fishtail split and rolled up, revealing a pair of long, slender legs as she stepped onto the sandy shore.
Inside the bay were rows upon rows of houses built from stone, sea mud, and seashells. Deepest inside lay the Mermaid Royal Palace, followed by the houses of the mermaid nobles, while the outermost layer consisted of the homes of the mermaid commoners.
Mermaids had two homes. Their primary home was the one on the bay's beach, and the other was an underwater city in the ocean, which they generally only lived in during the winter and summer.
Step, step, step...
Upon reaching the shore, Florence began to run quickly, heading deep into the bay. Seeing many mermaids repairing their houses along the way, she knew that the pirates must have come in and plundered the place.
"Miss Florence has returned!!!"
Along the way, many people greeted Florence, showing just how popular she was in Mermaid Bay.
Her father was the General of Mermaid Bay, a rank equivalent to a Grand Knight in human kingdoms. He was a great noble beneath only one person and above ten thousand others. Aside from the royalty, he held the most authority and was the most popular candidate to be the next King.
The aristocratic system of Mermaid Bay was different from that of human kingdoms. The position of General was exclusively reserved for the kingdom's chosen successor, usually assumed by a son of the King.
Florence's current status was equivalent to a princess. Her father was the next in line to be King. Barring any accidents, she was set to inherit the position of General, simply because she was his only daughter.
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