In the main hall of the Mermaids Castle, Nea is shocked by the story that Eve and the Sins tell her.
They agreed that making everything clear would be the best way to prove they have no hostile intentions toward the Mermaids and know nothing about that mysterious woman's manipulations.
They obviously didn't mention anything about the Phoenix core being the main component in making the peculiar pentagram pact work with seven people and save the life of Lucien and his sisters.
So they focused on the parts that make them look like victims involved in some kind of conspiracy and also emphasized the fact that Lucien is with the Ghost Lady, the sword made from Kaisa's soul.
Eve doesn't believe it's a coincidence that both Maya's and Nea's daughters lead them, two of Blue Star's most powerful women, towards Lucien.
'It seems that all that woman's plans involve taking powerful women to Luci...' She comments to Pride to get a second opinion.
'I was going to say the same thing.' Pride also notes that. 'Perhaps this is her real plan, to make Lucien and l.u.s.t create the most powerful and loyal army ever seen... and made entirely of women.'
'And what are we going to do now?' Eve asks.
'Following this plan seems like the best way forward.' She answers. 'We need the help of these women to stand a chance against the Leviathan. Yet...'
Eve notes that Pride is concerned about something, but she definitely doesn't want to admit that feeling. 'Which? Just tell me what's on your mind.'
Pride really likes Eve and sees her as her partner, so she doesn't even think about hiding anything. 'It's just that both Nea and Maya are incredible women who are about to help us... and it makes me wonder if your brother will accept killing the Phoenix when the right moment comes.'
The fact that they need to take Maya's magic core, the only way to actually kill a Phoenix, clearly excludes the possibility of her becoming Lucien's wife.
And Nea, as such a gentle creature and friend to Maya, would be revolted by such betrayal and would likely even attack them, also excluding the possibility of her being Lucien's wife.
'Don't worry about it.' Eve declares in a determined tone. 'No matter how many wives Luci has, he will always be more loyal to his sisters.'
She continues. 'If there is a bond stronger than blood, it is love, and it has never missed between us even under our father's whip... maybe we are broken individuals, but we are like that together, and we love each other above all. So Luci, like any of us, will do anything for our siblings.'
'I hope so.' Pride comments.
Meanwhile, Nea still looks thoughtful. She doesn't want to put her people in danger to recover Kaisa's soul and knows that her daughter wouldn't agree with that either.
But her last wish is that Kaisa's soul can rest in her home. And since Saria has already started an offensive against the Nagas, going all the way, killing Tyrion and recovering Kaisa's soul seems like the right thing to do. Also, she would be helping Maya, Eve, and the seven deadly sins by saving Lucien.
Then she makes a determined expression. "We are going to the Naga Kingdom."
Sophia and the other girls are happy to obtain the help of the Mermaid Queen, which will undoubtedly be very helpful in rescuing Lucien.
"We don't have time to waste, Nea." Maya comments. "My daughter and their brother are at risk of death every second they stay in that place."
"I know." She responds. "I just need a few minutes to leave orders for the troops to follow us before we head to the western border to meet Saria and her army and then attack the Naga Kingdom with everything we have."
"Okay, we'll wait for you here." Eve comments.
Nea nods and then quickly exits the main hall. She sends some guards to call the princ.i.p.al Mermaid generals as she makes her way through several submerged corridors towards the bottom of the sea.
After pa.s.sing through several high-level barriers, she finally arrives in a vast submerged room. The place looks like a great magic garden, and in the center, there is a big blue tree with bright blue leaves.
That one is the sacred tree of the Mermaids, but unlike the Nagas' protection tree, that one is called the Tree of Power and Its fruits, when ripe help any creature to improve their powers and talents in unbelievable ways.
Saria only ate two of those fruits in her entire life and can already use her water domain, something that usually only Cosmic Realm people can.
But just as eating the fruits of the tree of power before they have ripened is not good, eating such very old fruits is also bad. In fact, after many thousand years, the ripe fruits start to rot, becoming something too dangerous.
Nea runs her hand over some fruits that appear to be almost ripe as she walks closer to the tree trunk. Then she looks in specific directions where there are three black and completely rotten fruits.
Those fruits are almost as old as the tree of power itself and have been there for many generations, becoming more powerful and more unstable.
There were only six rotten fruits as those ones in the whole story of the tree of power. The first one was eaten by a Mermaid Queen who wanted to test Its properties, and as a result, she became one of the most powerful Mermaids in the entire story... for a few hours before her body exploded in one of the most horrific deaths.
With that tragic accident, the Mermaids learned that such fruits should not be eaten after getting rotten. But also, they could not ignore the effects of such powerful fruits.
So the Mermaids Queens let five of those fruits go rotten to use in times of despair. That's how Kaisa and Fox Princess managed to save the Blue Star a thousand years ago.
But as just a few hours boost wouldn't be enough to stop an army of angels led by a powerful high G.o.dness, Kaisa and her best friend performed a ritual to transform themselves into cursed weapons right after eating a rotten fruit from the tree of power.
Something in the ritual changed that chaotic energy, and so the power of the two rotten fruits only appeared when the two cursed swords were together, also pa.s.sing that power to the sword wielder in a less harmful way.
Nea hoped that no Mermaids would ever have to eat one of those cursed fruits again, but now she finds herself in front of the Tree of Power, ready to pick one of them for herself to eat.
She regrets not having sacrificed herself before Kaisa a thousand years ago, so she doesn't hesitate to make such a sacrifice to stop Tyrion before he destroys her people out of greed.
She takes a beautiful ornate box from her storage bracelet and puts a rotten fruit inside it. But then she makes a thoughtful expression. [Maybe just one isn't enough.]
To ensure that Tyrion is killed and they can also face the Leviathan, Nea takes a second rotten fruit and puts it inside the magic box. Anyone can use that fruit; they just need to be aware that they will die a few hours later.
Then she picks up some ripe fruits and bows respectfully to the sacred tree before leaving the garden to find the princ.i.p.al Mermaids generals waiting for her.
She gives a ripe fruit to each of them. "We are going to war, my sisters."
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Near the western border between the Naga and Mermaids Kingdoms, Saria and Claire enjoy the view of Lucien's body as he enters the magic pool on top of the giant mystic turtle.
Despite trying to deny that, they can't help but wonder what it would be like to see him completely naked. Well, just seeing his bare chest is enough to get them h.o.r.n.y.
Claire shakes her head and looks away from Lucien as she sips a gla.s.s of wine. Saria, on the other hand, doesn't think it's wrong to admire his body and keeps her eyes fixed on the most exciting person he's ever met.
Lucien walks further into the pool until the water reaches his waist. That sparkling water feels warm and cool at the same time, making him feel very relaxed.
He also feels good energies enter his body, even making him feel slightly stronger. "This water is amazing!"
"Yeah, it's amazing..." Saria responds as she gazes at the tattoo on his low belly area.
*Splash*
Water is thrown in Saria's face, and she quickly looks to the side and notices Kamala looking at her with a jealous expression. "He's talking about the water, stupid Mermaid!"
Mira is also already very jealous of the women around Lucien, but she tries to look as serene and majestic as ever. "That's no way to say thanks for the good hospitality, my daughter."
"..." Kamala makes a sorry expression, but she doesn't like to see other women drooling over her man's body.
The atmosphere gets a little tense, so Saria tries to change the subject. She looks at Helena and Oya. "Don't you want to come in too? This water is really nice."
Helena smiles but shakes her head. "Thanks, but I'm going to enjoy being out of the water for a while."
Oya also seems to enjoy having her fur dry for a while and shows no reaction. But when she sees a Mermaid carrying a tray of delicious seafood, she roars and jumps toward that poor girl.
"Hahahaha..." The Mermaids start laughing as Oya eats the seafood and even pats her head. "Such a big cute cat!"
Lucien also laughs before diving into the pool and reappearing between Mira and Kamala. He kisses and hugs them, making both charming ladies smile lovingly.
Claire shakes her head and continues to drink wine while making a disapproving expression. Meanwhile, Saria tries to be as friendly as possible. "Lucien… may I ask you a few more questions about how you found this… my sister's soul?"
"Sure." He smiles at her as he takes a sip of wine from Mira's gla.s.s. That action seems natural to them, but it makes Saria's lips salivate, not because of the wine, of course.
She makes a thoughtful expression. "It's about the Fox Princess who took my sister into that world... Adeline; is her de..."
He makes a sorry expression. "I don't know, but I believe so. I mean, I think she was an ancestor of some of my wives and died many years ago."
"How many wives do you have after all?!?!" Claire grumbles.
Lucien is about to answer, but Claire regrets the question and turns her face away. "I don't care anyway!"
The mood starts to get strange, so Saria speaks again. "I'm sorry she died... well, I think she was too young when it all happened, and she went to that inferior world when she was in the Mortal Realm. So without the resources of a medium world, she probably couldn't reach the Sky Realm to live for over a thousand years."
Lucien also makes a sad expression. "I have her diary, where she talks about her desire to see the Great Brown Oak and her home again..."
"I bet she did; the foxes love the Brow Star and that oak." She comments.
He makes a thoughtful expression. "I could talk to my wives about it and eventually take Adeline's bones and her diary back to her home."
"That would be nice!" Saria smiles. "It would be even better if we could find the other cursed sword and free my sister and the other fox princess from such a curse so their souls could rest in peace in their homes."
Lucien nods. "Yep, I'm sure they deserve that."
Saria's eyes sparkle as she looks into Lucien's eyes. "So, are you going to help me do that, Lucien?"
"You have my word." He answers.
Anyone would be tempted by the devastating power those cursed swords have together. But Lucien doesn't have such greedy thoughts as his power comes from the living, especially his wives. And he also believes those poor souls deserve a peaceful rest.
Even the Ghost Lady seems to notice his good intentions as her blade brightly glows as it vibrates in Saria's hand. Yet, she's already connected to Lucien's soul, so maybe a peaceful rest isn't quite what she wants.