The most pressing issue right now was figuring out exactly where these pirates had come from.
"Mina, have you ever heard of gray-haired elves?" Lucas turned to the cat-eared girl, needing to confirm his suspicions to better analyze the situation.
"I've never heard of them," Mina said, shaking her head as she glanced at the green hair of the elves standing by the door.
Lucas fell into deep thought as a possibility occurred to him.
"Florence, do you know what's on the other side of the ocean?" Lucas asked in a low voice. He had a feeling these gray-haired might be from across the sea.
"I'm not sure. We've never explored that far," Florence replied, a look of lingering fear crossing her face. "There are massive sea monsters in the deep ocean—creatures that can swallow a dozen mermaid warriors in a single gulp. I've seen them myself. The smallest are seven or eight meters long, the biggest are seventy or eighty meters, and there are others even larger that I didn't dare look at. After that encounter, I was too terrified to even leave my home. They even ate my favorite dolphin."
Hundreds of these sea beasts patrolled the waters between the mermaid territories and the deep ocean. When they fed as a group, they churned the water into a violent froth. No one dared to go near them.
"How many pirates are in this group?" Lucas asked. He realized that for a mermaid, trying to cross the ocean on foot—or by fin—was essentially a suicide mission.
In any world, the ocean remained the most mysterious and dangerous place. Trying to swim across it was far more perilous than simply taking a ship.
"The total number of pirates? If you count all the ones harassing the coastal kingdoms, there are probably tens of thousands," Florence said after a moment of calculation. "There are at least several thousand targeting our Mermaid Bay alone."
"That many?" Lucas was stunned. Based on the military power of this era, a single kingdom couldn't possibly muster that kind of armed force. That meant they had to be coming from somewhere else—and across the ocean was the most likely candidate.
Florence suddenly frowned. A sharp urge to urinate hit her, and she instinctively crossed her legs, squeezing them tight as she squirmed. She glanced at Lucas and the others; she was far too embarrassed to tell a man she needed to pee.
Hoo... hah... She took deep breaths, trying to force the sensation back.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Lucas reached out to feel the mermaid's forehead. He didn't find a fever, but wound infections often led to a drop in immunity, usually manifesting as a high temperature.
"No, I... I just ate too much," Florence stammered, her cheeks flushing as she desperately tried to change the subject. "You all like pearls, right? Once my injuries are healed and I go back, I'll bring some for you."
"Pearls?" Mina gave the mermaid a strange look and shook her head. "No need. Pearls are too valuable."
"Yeah, don't worry about being so polite," Elisa added. They weren't exactly hurting for pearls. Lord Lucas had already given them plenty—entire strings of pearl necklaces and bracelets.
"It's settled. Don't worry about the cost; the mermaid tribe has plenty of pearls," Florence insisted, acting as though they shouldn't be modest.
Giving pearls was the only way she could think of to repay their kindness. The mermaid tribe truly didn't lack them; they farmed a massive amount of pearl oysters. It was their main source of income. Since the island they lived on wasn't suitable for farming, they traded pearls with mainland merchants and nobles for supplies like wheat, meat, and alcohol. If they didn't, they'd be stuck eating nothing but seaweed and fish until they were sick of it.
"I appreciate the thought," Lucas said, waving her off. "But when you're out and about, never reveal that you have so many pearls. It'll save you a lot of trouble."
Pearls didn't hold much allure for him or the beast-girls anymore. Pearl oyster farming had already begun in Sedona City; they wouldn't be lacking pearls in the future. He figured it was better to let the mermaid tribe owe him a favor instead.
"I understand," Florence said, looking at Lucas and the others with genuine surprise. She couldn't believe they could resist the temptation of such wealth.
She was naive, but not stupid. Her father had taught her never to show off her wealth while traveling—unless she had at least fifty mermaid warriors backing her up. Then she could show off all she wanted.
This had been a small test to see if these people were worth befriending and trusting. Mermaids were even rarer than elves, mostly because they lived in the ocean and were physically powerful, making them nearly impossible to capture.
Florence had been testing to see if they would try to kidnap her and sell her. A single mermaid could fetch over five hundred gold coins at auction—scarcity drives price, and she was exceptionally beautiful.
"Get some rest," Lucas said plainly before turning to head out.
He needed to accelerate his development. These pirates weren't simple. He also wondered how the improvements on the steam engine were coming along; it had been a while since he'd left Sedona City.
"If you need anything, just knock on the wall. I'm sleeping right next door," Mina said with a light smile, picking up the empty bowl and spoon as she followed him out.
"Alright, I'm going to start the patrol," Elisa said, leading the elven sniper squad away.
Elves had superior night vision, so they handled the night watch to ensure the ship didn't hit the shore and to prevent river pirates from sneaking aboard. Every year, many merchant caravans were lost to pirates on the Whispering River. Lucas had experienced it once before; a dozen pirates had tried to board in the middle of the night, only to be caught by Mina and the War Wolf squad. They were currently still working in the mines.
"Let me help you lie down," Ayesha said cheerfully. She moved the wooden support board, preparing to help the mermaid settle in.
"Um, I..." Florence's face turned bright red as she began to stammer.
"What is it? Are you hurting somewhere? I'll go get the Master!" Seeing Florence's face flushed scarlet, Ayesha turned to run for help.
"No, it's not that!" Florence reached out and grabbed the corner of the cow-girl's clothes. If Lucas came back now, she'd die of embarrassment. She blurted out, "I... I have to... I have to pee..."
"Huh?" Ayesha blinked, looking at Florence, whose face was so red it looked like it might bleed. She pursed her lips, trying to stifle a laugh. "Pfft... cough, cough! Don't worry, I already prepared something for you."
The cow-girl crouched down and pulled a urinal from under the bed—the kind with a curved, contoured opening.
"Th-this?" Florence was stunned. She thought Ayesha would help her get outside to take care of it; she hadn't expected her to pull out a contraption like that.
"It's very easy to use," Ayesha said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She found the whole situation quite amusing.
"No, I'm not using that! Just help me... help me get outside..." Florence's face was burning. She couldn't bring herself to use something so humiliating.
"No can do. Your stitches just went in. If you move around too much, the wound will rip open," Ayesha refused immediately. She firmly but gently pressed Florence back down, smiling sweetly. "Just let me help you."
"What?!"
"Come on, how do I get this fabric off?"
"No! Stop! I don't want to use that thing!"
"Oh, don't be shy. It'll be over before you know it."
"I... I'll do it myself..."
"Alright, just line it up. You can start now."
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.