The Mermaids, who had been full of laughter and joy, now frantically urged their two lovely human friends not to go see the Sea Hag.
Aurora was quite surprised by the Mermaids' reaction and asked,
"Why are you suddenly so scared? Is there something special about that Sea Hag?"
The Mermaids started talking over each other:
"The Sea Hag is an ugly and terrifying witch who specializes in black magic."
"She lives beyond a whirlpool, in a Sea Forest made entirely of coral. Everything there is terrifying; even a glance will give you nightmares for days!"
"No matter what you ask the Sea Hag for, even a small question, you must pay a price. And it will definitely be a huge price, one you cannot afford!"
"I heard that very few of those who receive her help end up well—because all the magic she knows is dark. She is better at bringing disaster than happiness, and better at demanding a price and sacrifice than fulfilling wishes."
"Yes, only the most desperate Mermaids and other intelligent sea creatures, when they are completely at their wit's end, might even consider seeking her help!"
"Sounds alright," Rhine thought. "At most, she's a cunning merchant who drives a hard bargain, not a villain without principles."
He remembered the transaction between the heroine, Mermaid, and the Sea Hag in the original story.
After saving the Prince, Mermaid fell in love with this handsome human. To be with the Prince forever and gain an immortal soul, Mermaid begged the Sea Hag to transform her fishtail into human legs.
The Sea Hag demanded Mermaid's voice as payment—that was the most beautiful singing in this vast ocean, and thus absolutely considered expensive.
Indeed, it was a terrible transaction.
But throughout the entire transaction, the Sea Hag informed her of the risks beforehand; there was no concealment or deception.
After listening to the Mermaids' dissuasion, he firmly said,
"It's fine. We just want to ask her a question, a very simple one at that. We'll see what price the Sea Hag demands from us.
"Even if the Sea Hag truly proposes an exorbitant price that we cannot bear, we will weigh the pros and cons and refuse the transaction. No one will lose anything.
"In our world, in the human world, some unscrupulous merchants always boast about the benefits of their goods without telling people the price they have to pay."
Seeing that they could not convince the two humans, the Mermaids stopped trying to dissuade them.
Just then, Aurora noticed that one of the Mermaids—who seemed to be the most beautiful and elaborately dressed among the Mermaids, almost like a Princess—suddenly fell silent and turned her head away after the Sea Hag was mentioned.
Aurora was very puzzled: This Mermaid was clearly the most curious, having asked Rhine several questions just now. Why did she fall silent as soon as the Sea Hag was mentioned?
"What's wrong with you? Did mentioning the Sea Hag touch a nerve?"
Aurora asked the most elaborately dressed Mermaid—she looked not much older than Aurora, and had been polite when questioning Rhine earlier, which gave Aurora a sense of familiarity.
"I…" The Mermaid stammered, but finally gave an answer, "I… I've also been considering going to see the Sea Hag recently."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the surrounding Mermaids all exploded:
"Why? Your Royal Highness, the noble Sixth Princess! How could you have such a thought?"
"Princess Ariel, you are the Princess of this Sea Kingdom, the Sea King's most beloved youngest daughter, and you possess the most beautiful singing in this sea! Is there anything in this Mermaid kingdom that Your Royal Highness desires but cannot obtain?"
The Mermaids were all terrified and frantically urged their Princess not to go to the coral forest where the Sea Hag resided!
Their efforts to dissuade her were much stronger than when they had tried to dissuade the two humans earlier.
Humans might not know how terrifying the Sea Hag is, but how could a mermaid princess, a daughter of the sea, not know? Moreover, if a noble Princess wanted to fulfill a wish, why would she need to seek out witches and magic?
"Sixth Princess? The Sea King's youngest daughter?"
"It's her?"
Rhine's heart stirred, feeling slightly surprised.
"I actually met the mermaid princess here? The protagonist of the little mermaid."
From the timeline, it should be shortly after the mermaid princess saved the Prince, when she had just learned the secret of immortal souls from her Great-grandmother, and was about to seek the Sea Hag's help!