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Chapter 23: Sparks Flying

Reflecting on some doubts discovered since arriving on the island a couple of days ago, Miss Vilyric pondered for a moment.

“Regardless of the true situation, one thing can almost be confirmed: the disappearance of King Willipol a few years ago and today’s events are definitely closely related…”

“Even if it was all part of some long-planned scheme by certain individuals, our arrival and yesterday’s investigation findings must have pushed this incident to form to some extent.”

To be honest, the Priestess had already sensed that something was a bit off in this place. The complexity of the situation was far more than it appeared on the surface; she just didn’t expect the variables to come so quickly.

Ming Lan didn’t seem overly concerned about what would happen on the island and cautiously asked in a low voice.

“So, miss, what should we do next?”

The girl smiled softly.

“Of course we wait. We wait for the insiders within the Merman Tribe to make their move. Rest assured, compared to us outsiders, they are the direct stakeholders and absolutely cannot sit idle. They should provide us with a key point that truly cuts to the heart of the matter…”

“Excuse me, is Miss Vilyric here?”

Before the words faded, a somewhat familiar female voice suddenly echoed from the entrance of the inn, and a few figures stepped into the hall, flanked by rows of Merman soldiers.

Vilyric and Ming Lan turned their gazes at the same time. The former discreetly shot a glance at the fox-eared youth and chuckled lightly.

“You see? Didn’t I say this would happen?”

She took the head butler with her and approached the other party, greeting them in a manner that was neither too distant nor too familiar, feigning casualness.

“Miss Silisa, why did you suddenly bring so many soldiers over? What happened?”

Leading this group of visitors was none other than the Sea Priestess, Silisa Hailing, who seemed to manage one of the six outer islands, Parut Island, and had been encountered by Vilyric on the first day of her arrival.

Additionally, according to intel from Nitira during a casual chat, Miss Silisa appeared to be good friends with the princess and was quite powerful, being one of the few tier 5 Great Mages in the East Sea Pearl.

That’s a legend class, so to speak.

The one who had led the Merman warriors to intercept Noah’s Ark outside the island, even though he had yet to reach tier 5, Alec Mingjiao, was also beside her, looking rather furious.

“How dare you ask this knowing full well! Quickly, tell me where you have taken the princess!?”

Before the Priestess could respond, Silisa frowned, stepped forward slightly, subtly blocking Alec’s path to Vilyric and the others, and quietly advised.

“Lord Alec, please do not unjustly accuse our guests. You are being a bit rash.”

“How am I slandering! Don’t you think the same? The princess was so friendly to them, and these outsiders are using her innocence…”

“Enough!”

The Sea Priestess raised her voice with a bit more authority, her water-blue hair flowing like waves, and a powerful aura suddenly spilled forth, silencing the words still forming in the young Merman’s throat.

“What did I tell you when I came? This matter is not as simple as it seems. The Merman is a civilized race; should you merely base your judgment on your subjective opinion and unjustly accuse guests who have provided us tremendous help?”

“…Hmph.”

Seemingly realizing his impulsiveness, the young Merman turned his head away reluctantly. Though he didn’t speak further, it appeared his thoughts hadn’t changed.

This was quite normal. Just as Vilyric had speculated earlier, this situation was too abrupt. Even without direct evidence, they, as bizarre outsiders who had suddenly appeared and had closely interacted with Nitira, would naturally become primary suspects.

Those soldiers running back and forth within the building weren’t just visiting; they were on a search for the princess, though such small matters could surely be handled by Ming Lan, and the Priestess had no intention of intervening much.

“My apologies, Miss Vilyric, Mr. Ming Lan. Lord Alec has a close relationship with the princess; he has practically watched her grow up—his worry has made him a bit chaotic. I apologize on his behalf…”

Saying so, Silisa straightened her expression slightly.

“I believe you have also heard that this morning, Princess Nitira suddenly went missing. The royal court has now mobilized the forces of all six outer islands to search, but so far there has been no trace found, nor any clues.”

“Princess Nitira is extremely important to our entire Merman tribe. She is not only the daughter of the current Your Majesty and the former King Willipol, but her bloodline purity and affinity with the sea far surpass that of her siblings, making her the first heir to the next Merman tribe leader.”

“The previous incident of her being abducted by villains shocked the whole tribe. The queen was furious, and after she was found, Her Majesty brought her back to the East Sea Pearl’s royal court for guaranteed safety, but who would have thought such a thing would happen again…”

After a brief pause, seeing that the black-haired girl seemed to be quietly listening without much to say, the Priestess knew she had to get to the point.

“Miss Vilyric, Her Majesty wishes to see you. I’m not sure if it’s convenient now?”

Glancing at Alec, who was fully armed behind the other party, the Priestess finally adjusted a strand of hair that had fallen at her temples, smiling lightly.

“See me? This is an interrogation, isn’t it? Considering Lord Alec’s earlier attitude, if I were to refuse, would you have to press me along with a harpoon?”

“Hmph, that leaves no room for…”

Silisa shot a glare at the certain young Merman who seemed to want to say something and quickly explained.

“Um… that’s not our intention at all. It’s just that Princess Nitira is far too important. This is the direct order of Her Majesty… We hope you can cooperate for now and not make it difficult for us.”

“Wow, such great authority you have ~”

Just as the atmosphere was about to grow awkward, and the Merman soldiers instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons, Silisa seemed to grow a little nervous, lost in thought. Suddenly, the black-haired girl nudged her head slightly, dispelling the ambiguous smile from her face.

“Alright then, shall we head out now?”

“Ah? Oh! Yes, yes… Her Majesty has personally come to this island and is awaiting your arrival. Please.”

Seeing the Priestess easing her attitude, the priestess finally sighed in relief, quickly pulling Alec along and turning to lead the way.

Vilyric exchanged a glance with Ming Lan, who understood and voluntarily stayed behind, watching the black-haired girl and the group of Mermen gradually move away.

“Sigh, the young miss is stirring up trouble again…”

…

Although the East Sea Pearl consisted of many islands, the distances between each wasn’t too significant, connected by coastal waters and underground lakes, making it one vast whole. Therefore, it was not unusual for Queen Anies herself to come to Parut Island.

At the audience hall built by the lakeside of the island’s center, Vilyric encountered Hong Yan and Miss Le Qiao Qiao, who had already been waiting under the “guard” of the Merman soldiers for quite a while. Clearly, Her Majesty had a very clear target and was quite well-informed about every movement of her daughter.

However, even Vilyric didn’t expect that Nitira would go missing during her short, back-and-forth interval—Queen Anies surely couldn’t have predicted it.

Let’s see… what kind of role this very famous queen plays in this entire drama.

 

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