The voice of the Lord of the Sea was filled with passion:
"For the past dozen centuries, we have been regarded by the humans on land as cursed monsters; they mistakenly believed that our singing brought storms, or that we enchanted sailors, deliberately leading ships into dangerous waters full of deadly currents and reefs.
"When ships sailed over our kingdom, if sailors saw us, they would shoot poisoned arrows at us. Because in their minds, we were non-human monsters symbolizing disaster.
"I know that you are all my chosen subjects, those who love humans the most and yearn to understand the upper world the most. Just like my daughter, Princess Ariel, who has already bravely ventured onto land. You are more curious and longing for the world above than anyone else.
"Today, we will have the honor of using our own strength to wash away all prejudices!
"That sorcerer promised that he could make merfolk in the sea grow legs to go to land, and also make humans on land grow fishtails to come to the sea.
"Any common pearl here is worth a fortune to them. And the world on land also has many things that we cannot produce, such as clothes woven from silk and delicious food cooked from cattle and sheep.
"As long as we succeed, there will be no more barriers between the sea and the land!"
The Sea King still remembered that a few days ago, Rhine had returned to the deep-sea palace and made a prophecy about the future.
The scene from that day reappeared in the mind of the Lord of the Sea:
"Oh, King of the Sea, I foresee that in the near future, the King of the Summer Kingdom will set sail. At sea, they will encounter an unprecedented great storm; the raging giant waves will destroy their ship and engulf them."
"I cannot see the exact time this fate will happen, but I know it will not be too distant."
"And this will be your opportunity."
"Once, the mermaid princess saved a Prince from land and won his heart. And now, the Lord of the Sea will be able to use the same method to let the Monarchs on land know the true appearance of the deep-sea merfolk."
"…"
The Sea King floated to the blue surface of the water, looking up at the increasingly gloomy and dark sky, and the increasingly heavy dark clouds. Silver electric serpents weaved through the clouds.
And that dark cloud was quietly approaching the direction of the King's great ship.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Bursts of muffled thunder came, like a thousand cannons firing in the clouds.
…
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
In the imperial city of Ender, salutes rang out in many parts of the city, and golden and purple flags fluttered high in the air, celebrating this sacred and romantic moment.
Inside the temple, on the altar, fragrant oil burned in expensive oil lamps.
Joyful music began to play, the aroma of the oil diffused, and bridesmaids, dressed in precious garments woven from light gauze, held up the veil of the Princess of Ender from behind.
The bride and groom walked hand in hand, receiving the blessings of the priest.
Just then, a desolate, sorrowful yet high-pitched and intense song rang out from afar, carried by the wind into the ears of Prince Eric.
The song of the mermaid princess!
When this heavenly sound drifted into his ears, Prince Eric, who had not yet recovered from his drunken state, trembled all over.
Prince Eric was speechless.
The handsome young man held his head, his delicate features distorted by pain, his head feeling as if it would split open.
"My head hurts so much, my head hurts so much."
He felt as if he had forgotten something; the song evoked some forbidden memory, awakening something that had been erased deep within his memory.
What he didn't know was that the song was precisely the one Ariel had sung to him in the palace hall a few days ago—a song about love.
The Prince felt sadness, his eyes slightly stinging, and the scene before his eyes was covered with a thin mist.
But he didn't understand why he should be sad.
"Isn't today a joyful and festive day? Didn't I happily meet the woman I had thought of day and night, who saved me? Why am I sad? And for whom am I crying?"
Under the combined effects of alcohol, the enchanting fragrance, and the potion of forgetfulness, Prince Eric only felt his brain muddled and couldn't figure anything out.
But his ears could no longer hear the joyful music of the temple, and his eyes could no longer see this sacred wedding ceremony. He only wanted to listen a little longer to the song drifting in from outside the window with the wind, this poignant, bitter, yet beautiful song.
So he directly abandoned the bride in her wedding dress, and like a madman, ran straight to the window, gazing at the magnificent ship belonging to the Summer Kingdom in the distant harbor.
The priests of the temple were stunned, and the Princess of Ender, in her beautiful wedding dress, was also bewildered:
They watched as the groom of the night abandoned the bride and rushed to the window alone, weeping ceaselessly as he looked out.
"Why are you crying, my Prince?" the little Princess of Ender asked in alarm.
She increasingly felt that everything today was wrong.
"This is bad," the Old Witch thought, "My Warriors I sent have restrained Ariel on the ship, but Ariel can still sing. She has a voice that can be called perfect even for merfolk. Prince Eric cannot be allowed to listen any longer; his memory will be awakened!"
"No matter what, I must stall until dawn of the next day, until that mermaid melts into white foam!"
The Old Witch was not entirely unprepared for the current situation.
She cast her gaze towards a magnificent full-length mirror in the corner of the temple, which she had specifically ordered the Soldiers to bring in.
That mirror had already been enchanted by her with an ancient ritual; it was another one of her contingencies!
Amidst the confusion of the guests and priests, who were puzzled and surprised, not understanding what had happened to the Prince, the Old Witch alone stood up, walked quickly to the full-length mirror, and softly chanted a spell.
"Last time, I went to the Summer Kingdom and was killed once due to a moment of carelessness, making it impossible for me to revive for a period of time."
"But this time is different. This is the imperial city of Ender, my home turf!"
"In this city, I have countless trump cards and contingencies, Ender Warriors who obey my commands, a library containing countless secrets of the world, a potion warehouse with thousands of medicinal ingredients, and many items, venues, and buildings enchanted with spells and rituals."
"Besides that, His Majesty the Emperor of Ender is here—he is a rare Super Warrior in the world, a Monarch of one of the most powerful countries on the Western Continent. If I encounter any trouble, he will definitely support me with all his might!"
"Unless it's a legendary sorcerer of the caliber of Black Witch Maleficent, no one can contend with me here alone!"
Countless thoughts drifted, and as the whispered spell was completed, a faint glow emanated from the surface of the full-length mirror.