Chapter 903: Julian Is Trying To Make Money For A Date
Twenty years ago, the late queen of Verona, King Xander"s first wife, and their firstborn son died during childbirth. That was what everyone knew from the terrible incident that befell the royal family.
However, the truth was far more sinister than anyone would ever know.
The reality was that both the queen and the son were killed by the royal doctor under the orders of none other than the queen"s younger sister, Serena, and it was all thanks to the bountiful gifts of the sea.
A poison that was so immaculate and well-made that even the most expert of doctors and poison makers would be hard-pressed to detect it when checked.
It was something that was supposed to usher in a far more military might to the kingdom, but it was used for ill. The kingdom of Verona was nestled close to the waters, a kingdom filled with successful economic trade. However, the blessings of the sea also had their price.
Doctor Gerald of the Verona Castle was intrigued by the mystery of the so-called "Wis.h.i.+ng Mermaid Lagoon" and actually wished to know if it was truly as deep as stories said.
When some individuals were hired to dive into the lagoon... they did not resurface. And when the others did, it was when they harvested gifts from the sea that brought the kingdom to its low.
Most of the general public did not know of that. Not even the king was made aware of the existence of such a thing, only that most were asked to not enter Wis.h.i.+ng Mermaid Lagoon as it was a "heritage" and something that belonged to the royal family.
Whatever the case, Julian was unaware of all of this as he sauntered into one of the business places in the city of Verona.
"If you look hard enough, there"s a place where you can get very nice jobs," Julian muttered to himself as he eyed the normal-looking establishment.
It seemed plain from the get-go. However, there were a couple of scratches on the door post that indicated something in thieves" cant.
If Rowena was aware of this type of profession, which Julian hadn"t actually told her about since things might get dangerous and ugly fast... he was pretty sure that she"d be well versed in the secret language.
Julian entered the establishment and there was a great number of men and women gathered around. Some were older, far older than him with injuries, patches all over their bodies, and looks that rendered the most fainthearted into collapse.
There was one guy without an entire hand but looked meaner than the rest. Others were younger, around Rowena"s age when they first met, but there was a mischievous look in their eyes as they eyed the other individuals.
Sc.r.a.ppy young people who were determined to make their way in the world.
"You"re not from around here are ye?" one of the people eyed Julian.
"Nope. Just pa.s.sing by," Julian said. Maybe they wanted to see if he was a target, someone weak and only meant to be eaten alive. However, he only strolled up to the counter and asked. "Do you have any quick gigs?"
The young woman at the counter looked up and suddenly blushed at the sight of Julian. Compared to others, he had a pretty face. He was akin to the charming rogues, and yet had a look that reminded her of a prince.
She was actually about to gesture him to the mission board to find a task that patrons posted, but then she leaned towards him. "Hey, handsome... Do you know how to swim? How good can you hold your breath?"
"Um, fairly well enough?" Julian said. While he hadn"t been to sea, he did know what it was like to dive into rivers and even used to collect rocks with his friends from the village.
"Alright, if you know how to follow instructions well, then perhaps you can earn quite a good amount of money in less than a few hours
." The young woman reached out and trailed her fingers down Julian"s arms. "Maybe you can afford to get a girl a nice meal—"
"Really?" Julian drew his arm back and looked seriously at the woman. "It"s not going to be dangerous right?"
The woman frowned at the blatant rejection but chose to waive it and explain the gig to Julian. "If you know how to follow instructions, you"ll live. If you don"t, you"ll be sleeping with the fishes."
"Aye... that sounds incredibly dangerous."
"Hey, you don"t come here for safe work." The woman eyed him up. "If this is your first time, I"ll give it to someone else."
"I"ll take it. I know how to follow the rules," Julian said.
The woman looked at him one more time and then spoke in a low voice. "Then you"ll go to the Dark Shallows and get us some of that poison coral and seaweed."
"Poison?" Julian"s eyes widened.
"The coral is purple, midnight, and if you get yourself scratched... you"re a goner. The seaweed appears green, but it also has a faint yellow golden s.h.i.+mmer in between it. That"s also poisonous. So you need to swim well and get the proper gear."
"Uh... where"s the Dark Shallows? I"m not from here."
"Ahh. Well, all you need to do is ask for the Wis.h.i.+ng Mermaid Lagoon. Common folks see it like that, and the royal family forbids entering but doesn"t mind tossing a few rocks or coins to wish—but for folks like us? Well, far more people have experienced a watery grave there."
"If people died there... then why don"t any bodies show up?" Julian asked.
"It might be called Shallows but it"s the deepest place you"ll ever find. n.o.body has found the bottom," the woman said.
"Really?"
She gave him a firm look. "Don"t try anything crazy. Some n.o.bles like to drop fat stacks of golden coins... but I a.s.sure you if you try to find them, you"ll be a goner."
"I see…"
"Just focus on getting the items that grow on the sides of the lagoon and then come back here in one piece. That"s all you have to do."
Julian nodded. "The proper gear is included in this task right?"
"Yeah, you don"t have to worry about that. We"ll provide it, or rather the one who"s looking for it has always provided the proper wear for diving," the woman explained. "Once you get it, you"ll deliver it yourself to the man who wants it. He"ll pay you himself."
"Understood."
.
.
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From Missrealitybites:
To be honest, I am very excited lately because I am reading several great stories. Reading them always makes my day. I think I already told you I am mentoring three young writers.
The first one, Gigi, has published her story on ReadNovelFull. If you haven"t read it, you should go and read now. It"s called "Loving The Cursed Werewolf King".
It"s soooooo fluffy. I swooned reading the chemistry between the lead characters. Gigi is soo talented. She wrote her first snusnu ever and it was so fun it lasted 6 chapters... lol.
Ogi"s story will be published soon and it was actually my favorite until my third mentee sent me her draft and now I"m conflicted... ahahaha. My third mentee, Rosita, is writing such a beautiful werewolf story that makes me obsessed. Crazy! I"ve never been this obsessed with a story before.
The male lead is HOT AS F*CK. I am writing this while wiping drool from the corners of my lips.
He is an ALPHA, MATURE, SUPER STRONG, DOTING, and GREAT IN BED. The story actually begins with their consummation night. Snusnu st
arts from Chapter 2 (TWO) and it"s amazing. I found myself fangirling over the story and I keep pestering Rosita to write more chapters. XD.
Anyway, I will share with you the synopsis once I could create one that can do it justice (we haven"t even had the t.i.tle). Hopefully, she can start publis.h.i.+ng the story in May so we all can fangirl together. I need a company in this craziness.
PS: By the way, I already have an idea for my own new book, after I end Harlow"s story. It will be different from my current stories because the male lead is very annoying and prolly will make you want to kick him in the head often (he"s a bit like Loriel and Gewen), but once he meets the right woman... BAM!