Kou Tao merman emperor Helix might have styled himself "Lord of the Endless Ocean," commanding seven Legendary-rank sea generals, but the Endless Ocean's explored area alone was twice the size of the continent—not to mention the deep waters permanently shrouded beneath what seemed like an eternal "fog." Could such a vast domain truly be governed by just eight Legends?
Of course, without external enemies, a single peak-Legend could have brought the entire Endless Ocean under control. But the sea elves backed by the Elven Court, the Arcane Council which controlled numerous archipelagos, the Southern Church that had cultivated several proxy forces in the southern reaches of the Endless Ocean, the Moonlit Sea powers with deep ties to the Dark Council, and the Gyps merfolk—tenacious as bedrock—who held the icy, frozen seas, all demanded cautious treatment from Helix. The Elven Court, with whom he had clashed directly, forced him to concentrate the bulk of his forces in particular.
Under these circumstances, at least a third of the Endless Ocean existed in a state of chaotic lawlessness with no ruler. Mages couldn't hope to explore every corner of such a vast expanse of sea, so even the Legendary mages of the Arcane Council couldn't be certain how many Legendary sea-dwellers actually lurked within the Endless Ocean. After all, some sea races differed fundamentally from other intelligent beings—they dwelled on the ocean floor at depths of ten thousand meters for centuries or even millennia without ever surfacing, making it perfectly natural for them to remain unknown to outsiders.
Therefore, upon hearing that siren song capable of luring both mind and soul astray, Lucian and Natasha's first reaction was to wonder whether the singer was a "mermaid princess" serving under the Lord of the Endless Ocean, or simply another Legendary-rank mermaid entirely.
"No matter who she is, since we've encountered her, we should go ask for directions. Who knows—she may know of the Azure Gate if she lives in the deep waters of the Endless Ocean." Lucian set aside his doubts and let a warm smile return to his face.
Natasha nodded, then let out a sudden sigh of admiration. "Everyone says a mermaid's song is the most beautiful music in the world—a transcendent, ethereal beauty that most intelligent beings can't fully appreciate. Once you hear it, your soul becomes lost in the melody, unable to focus on anything else until you die. I always had my doubts about that claim. Now that I've actually heard it, I realize the reality far exceeds the legend. If we hadn't already entered the Legendary realm, we would have completely lost our souls just now."
Under the protection of the "Mental Barrier" and the "Staff of Time and Space," that ethereal, soul-piercing melody could no longer reach her ears—allowing her to vividly recall the shock it had delivered.
Lucian cupped a hand to his ear as if listening, and chuckled through their mental link. "After all, she is a Legendary mermaid. I tried to reconstruct her song using my knowledge of music, but without magical augmentation or spiritual force resonance, you could never replicate that effect. It's the same reason a piano can't directly produce a melody with magical properties. And without understanding her unique characteristics, even spiritual-force techniques and magical augmentation wouldn't allow you to imitate it properly."
With his Third-tier Legendary soul, Lucian faced this mermaid—likely newly entered the Legendary realm—without needing any additional spells to resist her song. So he was able to continue "enjoying" it.
Every mage who had encountered a mermaid and avoided having their soul ensnared had attempted to imitate her song in the construction of illusion-magic spells. Yet due to various factors, none of the resulting spells could replicate that feeling of transcendent beauty that shook one to the very core of their soul. As a result, none had presumed to name their illusion "Mermaid's Song."
"If anyone in this world could imitate a mermaid's song, it would be you—the union of Grand Archanist and Grand Musician. I recall that the reason the imitation spells other mages constructed fell so far short was that they didn't understand music, or their understanding was superficial at best." Natasha spoke in a half-joking tone. "When the time comes, you can compose a piece based on the spell—music without magical effects, so everyone can get a rough sense of the mermaid song's beauty. Hmm, I've already thought of a name for it: *Twelve Requiems*."
As the two conversed with laughter, Lucian's detection spells had already returned their results. There was a cluster of reefs, and a mermaid with waist-length azure hair was floating on the surface, pressed against the rocks, singing at the top of her lungs. Surrounding her were streams of converging mermaids and various sea creatures whose minds and souls had been lured astray—giant octopi, strange sharks tens of meters long, monsters with human heads and crab bodies…
"Besides that mermaid, there's no other danger. We can approach directly." Although Lucian was confident that his strength was more than sufficient to crush the Legendary mermaid, he followed mage convention and deployed Scrying Eye and other detection spells first, lest they walk into a trap.
"Good. I've heard that mermaids are extraordinarily beautiful—as if sculpted from the purest water, possessing an unimaginably breathtaking allure…" Natasha's silver-violet eyes brightened, a look of equal parts curiosity and anticipation on her face.
Lucian shook his head with a smile. In theory, it should have been him who was more curious about the "mermaid princess."
They flew at tremendous speed, like two streaks of light slicing across the sky, and soon descended to the airspace above that cluster of reefs. There they saw the Legendary mermaid—human from the waist up, with a fish's tail below.
Her scales differed from those of ordinary mermaids: a brilliant, lustrous gold that nonetheless carried a translucent, amber-like quality, shimmering with dreamlike splendor under the sunlight.
This Legendary mermaid's upper body was bare, her skin as white as milk, and her long azure hair draped down in a way that just barely concealed the captivating scenery of her chest. Her features were exquisitely refined, carrying an air of pure innocence yet brimming with seductive charm. Her large, glistening azure eyes were no less captivating than her song—equally capable of luring one's soul away.
"Hmm, even more beautiful than the legends say." Natasha grinned in a gentlemanly fashion, but the Sword of Truth gripped in both hands didn't waver in the slightest—ready to strike at any moment. Behind those silver-violet eyes, there was only the spark of satisfied curiosity and a gaze sharp with focused caution.
The mermaid had sensed their approach the moment they drew near. Her golden tail whipped against the surface, poised to summon a tsunami powerful enough to annihilate an entire nation. But then she saw the environment around Lucian shift—the azure sky abruptly turned pitch black, as though night had descended ahead of schedule. Boundless darkness began to engulf the ocean, and within that darkness, stars ignited one by one: gold, silver, white, silver-gray, a kaleidoscope of colors like a starry sky from a dream. And among those stars burned sun-like "fireballs" radiating unimaginable heat—terrifying beyond measure.
Her bewitching azure pupils contracted sharply. She halted both the swaying of her tail and the beautiful song, and spoke in a voice that was soft yet crystalline: "Are you two looking for me?"
She first spoke in the rare mermaid tongue, but quickly switched to the Sea Race Common Language. For the learned and well-read Lucian, both were languages he excelled in—there was no difference to him. And while Natasha had never pursued deep study of Arcane theory, languages were a required part of a noble's education; combined with Lucian's frequent "tutoring," she could understand it as well.
"Might I ask whether you are one of the seven sea generals serving the Lord of the Endless Ocean?" Lucian nodded with satisfaction. Though his combat experience was extensive, he still preferred to avoid needless battles and killing. That was why he had displayed his power directly—letting this Legendary mermaid weigh her options and make a wise choice. Deterrence was often more effective than action.
The mermaid spoke in a lovely voice: "Yes. I am Doris. What do you need?"
Doris—the name of that "mermaid princess."
Seeing the mermaid's wariness and yet her obvious reluctance to strike, Lucian smiled. "Miss Doris, I'd like to ask you about the Azure Gate."
"How did you—" Doris was visibly startled, the question slipping out before she could stop herself. She immediately bit it off, as though a closely guarded secret had just been exposed.
Natasha and Lucian exchanged a glance. Could it really be such a coincidence?