Chapter 411: Mermaid

Chapter 411: Mermaid

Sein was perplexed by the concept of “youth” among the giant tortoises.

He found it difficult to call a nearly five-thousand-year-old tortoise, with a shell spanning nearly a kilometer wide, a “baby tortoise”.

In the Magus World, dragons matured within about a thousand years, evolving into beings of Rank Two or higher.

It seemed like tortoises had a longer growth cycle compared to dragons...

If they were already so formidable in their youth, Sein could hardly imagine how terrifying they would become upon reaching adulthood.

Sein was unsure how much longer it would take for the tortoise to reach maturity, but he was deeply curious about its “father”, “eldest brother”, and “second brother”.

They seemed to be a formidable and thriving giant tortoise family.

Considering the pure draconic aura emanating from Tourmaline, it might be more apt to refer to them as the “dragon turtle family”[1].

Sein pondered whether the title “Sea God” was self-assigned by powerful beings within the Magus World or merely a label given to the giant tortoise family by ignorant aquatic races.

He was inclined to believe the latter.

In the Magus World and even across the vast Astral Realm, only the mages of the Magus Civilization dismissed the notion of gods, viewing them merely as higher forms of life.

Only the foolish and ignorant low-level creatures would refer to phenomena beyond their understanding as “divine miracles”, or label exceptionally powerful beings as “gods”.

Therefore, Sein, a true mage, felt deep contempt when he heard even the superior aquatic races of the Magus World, like mermaids, casually using the word “god”.

Both Tourmaline and Sein showed little interest in the little mermaid.

Sein briefly glanced at the milky-white shells covering the pink-tailed mermaid’s chest before turning his attention back to sorting through his other spoils.

The Rank Two black mage had quite some good stuff among his possessions. Sein discovered several pieces of spatial equipment, each brimming with contents.

“Yes, of course I am!” Sein responded quickly, realizing he had overlooked this possibility.

After clearing the battlefield of all spoils, including the corpse of the Rank Two black mage, Sein heaved a sigh.

The mermaid’s remarks had shifted his perception of her somewhat.

Noticing her gaze, Sein asked, “Is there anything else you need?”

The mermaid bit her lip and asked, “Are you knowledgeable in soul magic? Could you help me remove the soul bond placed on me by that despicable black mage?”

Just like Yuri, the mermaid had a similar soul seal on her forehead.

It was a clear sign her soul was still under the influence of the black mage’s control, even though he was already dead.

Considering the Rank Two black mage’s strength, it was likely that the soul magic he used on her was quite advanced.

“While I do have some knowledge of soul magic, I’m not sure I can assist you. The type used by that black mage isn’t familiar to me,” Sein replied.

“Aren’t mages like you keen on research? Can’t you study his methods?” the mermaid asked, swishing her pink tail desperately.

Sein frowned and reflexively asked, “Why should I help you?”

His question immediately caused the mermaid’s face to turn pale, but she quickly recovered thanks to her quick thinking.

She sneered coldly and said, “I remember you from that underground black market. You bought a few magic initiates and squires, didn’t you? Did you kill them to silence them?”

Her cold sneer caused Sein’s expression to darken. Before he could respond, the mermaid swiftly shifted her approach.

“I’ll keep your secret safe and even tell you how that black mage managed to track you down. All I ask in return is your help in freeing my soul. Fair?”

“Isn’t that how your kind prefer to operate—on the principle of equivalent exchange?” she added, skimming the water’s surface with her hand.

1. Translator's Note: Tourmaline is a dragon turtle, but it bears a close resemblance to tortoise rather than turtle since Chinese dragon turtles have claws rather than flippers ☜