Chapter 488: Mermaid Territory
The journey to the Lorelei Clan"s territory in the northern region of the white coral reef was calm or relatively quiet.
Oceanid stroked his ear, which felt quite sore. Some time ago, he really did not expect that one of his saviors gave him a gift in the form of a painful ear-twisting, right in front of everyone"s gaze.
Even Rhea and Nell also felt dissatisfied. They also ignored him. The reason? All of that just because he decided everything himself without asking for advice or opinion from the other G.o.ddesses.
Just for the sake of his own good, he simply apologized without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the mermaids looked at each other as if they had a similar sense of shock. They never thought in their wildest imagination that the Sea G.o.d would bow before the golden-eyed girl.
"Psst, father, is that golden-eyed and golden-haired human girl a G.o.d too? The Sea G.o.d instantly became docile in front of her." Dorienne whispered near her father"s ear.
"Most likely. But, I can"t say that for sure. Let"s see what happens next. For now, we will only entertain the Sea G.o.d"s group respectfully." Osharus replied with another whisper.
"But, we were already planning to camp on the white coral reef." Dorienne made a small protest.
"We can postpone that for another time. The opportunity to host Sea G.o.d and his group might not happen again next time." Osharus then pushed his daughter"s face away from him. It would be rude if they continued exchanging words in secret whispers.
"..." Dorienne only heaved a subtle sigh. If things turned out like this, like it or not, their plans could only be postponed as the only option.
It was an underwater settlement the size of a village. In the depths of the sea, between eight hundred meters to one kilometer, dozens of mermaids and other aquatic creatures were busy with their activities.
Most of the original inhabitants of the Lorelei Clan"s territory were Spirit-level beings or above.
"Woah... Is that an underwater settlement? It looks more like a village. I think, it"s a bit like a huge palace, Osharus." Sylvia squinted her eyes to look at a village-like settlement in front of her.
"Please have some courtesy by using honorifics on me, little girl. After all, I am an elder." Osharus sighed for the umpteenth time. This red-eyed girl seemed to have no respect for an elder like her.
"You are indeed an elder, but you are not stronger than me. So, accept your fate because I always keep my manners polite." Sylvia quipped subtly with a slight arrogant smirk.
"Hmph! What can a little girl like you do? That is nonsense. My eyes and sonar tell me that you are not stronger than an ordinary little girl." Osharus snorted with slight irritation. Of all the Sea G.o.d"s group, only this unruly girl seemed relaxed and had no respect for him.
"Sir Osharus, if you don"t mind, can you tolerate Sylvi? What she said is true. She is only hiding her Saint-level strength and is actually stronger than you." Elysia tried to reconcile the tension between the stubborn devil girl and the disgruntled mermaid.
"Right, right! If you really want to earn my respect, then you need to impress me." Sylvia smiled while nodding in satisfaction. She was glad when Elysia was around because she would often be defended.
Osharus went silent, but he stared at the purplish-blue-eyed girl with a hint of doubt on his face.
"Please don"t doubt what Elysia said. She is my savior. If she wants to, you can be defeated in less than three seconds by her. Don"t apply common sense and norms to my group. All you need to do is be polite to everyone and you will be okay." Oceanid opened his mouth to clarify and suggest for the common good. He offended the master, so he needed to curry favor to the disciple.
Hearing that, Osharus just scratched his head. Common sense and norms screamed ridiculous to confront this group.
An ordinary little girl, but stronger than him? Then, an Apprentice-level little girl, but the Sea G.o.d said this girl could defeat him in less than three seconds?
Osharus just put his hand on his forehead as if he had a sudden headache. He might need to prepare himself if those little beasts were actually the disguised divine beasts.
Even so, he put everything aside when his territory"s gate was in sight. "We have arrived at the Lorelei Clan"s territory. Allow me to come out to order them to open the gate."
"Sure, you can get out by crossing this barrier. We"ll follow you from behind and out of invisibility once you"ve entered your residence." Nell gave her approval while pointing her palm toward the gate.
"All right." Osharus nodded in understanding even though he didn"t quite understand why it was the little fairy, not the Sea G.o.d, who gave the confirmation.
He then just jumped out to get back into the water. He looked back, but there was nothing but water and fish.
"Invisibility, huh... Has magic gotten that great out there?" Osharus muttered under his breath and approached the gate. "Open the gate!"
"Huh? Lord Osharu? You"ve returned? Didn"t you just leave with Young Master Clyde and Young Lady Dorienne?" A guard mermaid peeked over the top of the gate and wondered in surprise.
"Don"t ask too many questions. There"s something I need to do. We"re all back because we have a group of distinguished guests coming to visit." Osharus thumped his trident to the ground then folded his arms.
"Well then." The guard decided not to ask much and just opened the gate as requested.
When Osharus pa.s.sed through the gate, the guard felt a little confused because he didn"t see Clyde and Dorienne anywhere. Nevertheless, he just shrugged his shoulders and closed the gate again.
"Uhm, why did you create such a high gate like that to protect your village territory? Underwater creatures can swim through that gate from above easily, right?" Yuuki felt a little confused as she stared at the white coral gate.
"Mm, even if that"s true, that gate is the sole entry for anyone who wants to enter the Lorelei Clan"s territory. If you looked closely, there was a hemispherical barrier that enveloped this place. Please be careful, you can get hurt if you touch our onsite security system." Clyde gave a loud explanation as if he was feeling proud.
"Ooo, I see. No wonder. Hm? Oh, there was one innocent fish that accidentally hit something and it went limp. It seems, the fish was electrocuted by something?" Yuuki felt enlightened to see the fish fall to the ground helplessly.
"Ah, yes, if you get such short close contact, an electric shock will be received by the intruder." Clyde replied with a nod of confirmation.
"Ah, we"ve arrived. My father has already entered. Allow us to host you to a dinner. If possible, can we get out of invisibility and go inside? Please let our clan members know that distinguished guests have come to visit. ." Dorienne put her hand on her upper chest and conveyed her request.
"Very well, that"s what we"re going to do. You can come out and be our escorts then." Nell just waved her hand, and her entire group was instantly no longer under cover of invisibility.
A few mermaids who happened to pa.s.s by felt quite astonished to see a group of unknown creatures suddenly appear out of nowhere right in front of their lord"s mansion.
However, they were a little relieved that their young master and young lady were also there. It seems those unknown creatures were a group of guests?
"Please come in." Dorienne invited with a friendly smile. She then jumped off the carpet with her brother.
"Oh! You have arrived, dear guests. Welcome to my humble abode. I, Osharus Lorelei, allow us to entertain you with great respect, and a feast." Osharus had been waiting near the entrance that had purposely remained open.
He spread his arms wide with an equally broad smile to greet the distinguished guests. His voice was even loud enough for anyone within a hundred meters to hear.
"You speak too loudly. My ears still hurt a little. Please pay attention to your voice." Oceanid voiced his complaint and stepped out of Nell"s barrier. He wanted some water"s comfort because his ears still hurt.
Nell still didn"t understand, no matter how many times she tried to think about it. Oceanid was an embodiment of water, a divine water spirit. However, could Elena inflict continuous pain on that Sea G.o.d with just magic? Could it be a divine ear twist?
Even so, no one could answer her, and she couldn"t ask Elena either. Therefore, Nell just put that aside and patted her magic carpet to enter the luxurious mansion.
Ella and Evelyn looked at each other, then they looked at Elysia. They found it strange to visit the residence of a respected person using the medium of transportation. If in the n.o.bility rules, it was clearly too rude.
As if knowing her friends" worries, Elysia responded with a rea.s.suring smile. "It"s okay. We"re not on land, and we"d be in trouble to be underwater without oxygen. Plus, we"re only equipped with lungs to breathe, unlike those mermaids. Just enjoy the ride~"
The word "we"re not on land" made Ella and Evelyn heave a sigh of relief. They only set aside their n.o.bility norms on this occasion because they were not on land but one kilometer under the sea.
The three mermaids guided Sea G.o.d and Nell"s entire group into a colorful hall.
Corals, anemones, and various kinds of underwater ornamental vegetation adorn the hall. It was a unique sight in itself.