Chapter 96 Mermaid Tears or Heart of the Ocean

Xiu's pale purple eyes held a hint of inquiry, and he remained noncommittal about Maggie's answer.

"Mermaids whose lives are precarious should refrain from meddling in other people's business."

Maggie could feel his gaze. She hadn't hidden her identity, so it was normal for Xiu to recognize her as the Holy Maiden of Light. She simply lowered her eyes slightly and warned him softly.

"you're right."

Xiu nodded thoughtfully, which was considered as agreement with Maggie's statement.

"However, now I've figured out your weakness, haven't I?"

His next words immediately made Maggie clench her fists and frown as she looked at Xiu.

She really wanted to comfort herself that this was just a minor incident, but it seemed like the mermaid was trying to cling to her.

"Trying to threaten me?"

Maggie's voice turned cold. She wasn't someone who could be easily manipulated, not even by the Sea God.

"Hmm... I guess so, but I'm just trying to survive."

Xiu readily agreed, feeling no shame whatsoever; on the contrary, he was quite at ease.

"Presumably, the Holy Maiden of Light will arrange a plausible identity for me, making it easy to evade capture, right?"

Maggie refused without even thinking.

"No, your identity is dangerous, and protecting you is too risky."

Mermaids are absolute kings in the water. Although they become weaker than humans when they come to land, it's only slightly. Their strong physique still allows them to thrive in many situations.

Except for the extremely dry and hot kingdoms, the mermaids have no place to go that they cannot adapt to.

Even without her help, Xiu could live well in human society and perfectly hide his identity.

However, even if the risk of Xiu being exposed is very low, she will not take the risk.

What's more, this mermaid almost killed her just now.

There's even less reason for me to help him.

Mermaids are indeed rarely seen on the continent of Coral now. This is not only because the sea god is in a deep sleep, but also because their offspring are difficult to conceive. Female mermaids lay many eggs, but the survival rate is very low. Oviparous birth is much more delicate than viviparous birth.

Like the dragons, they are plagued by the curse of having few offspring.

but!

Maggie plans to go to the ocean in the future, but if she offends an entire group of mermaids because of Xiu, her plans will be full of obstacles.

He stole the legendary mermaid treasure – the Heart of the Ocean, which is said to be the most treasured possession of the sea god. He refused to trade it with the other six gods.

Rumor has it that the 'Heart of the Ocean' is even higher than the Universal level, and as for its effects, no one can know unless the Sea God himself says so.

Later, when the sea god fell asleep, the Heart of the Ocean somehow flowed back into the ocean and was found by a group that called themselves Ice Mermaids. They revered it as a divine object and protected it closely.

As for why Xiu stole the 'Heart of the Ocean', it's not explained at all in the manga.

Maggie analyzed that it was his DNA as a sea god that was activated; seeing his favorite thing in someone else's hands, he couldn't resist taking it.

As for his true thoughts, no one knows.

"What you call a weakness is nothing but gossip to me. You can try reporting it and see if the people in the temple will believe you or their saintess."

Maggie, with a hint of sarcasm on her cold face, crossed her arms and spoke to Xiu.

Xiu looked helpless and sighed, his thin lips slightly parted as he revealed his final trump card.

"Perhaps Your Highness would be interested in a Radiant Sun-class Mermaid's Tear?"

After saying this, Xiu took out a crystal-clear teardrop from who-knows-where. The teardrop inside faintly reflected a light that was almost like seven-colored glass, so dazzling that it illuminated almost half of the riverbank.

"???"

Maggie's expression went blank for a moment, and she looked inexplicably dazed.

But when she saw Xiu's ambiguous smile, Maggie managed to control her own impending outburst and cleared her throat to ease the awkwardness.

"It's not impossible."

She turned her face away and said something completely opposite to what she had just said.

Sure enough, when profits reach 10%, some people start to get restless; when they reach 50%, some people dare to take risks; and when profits reach 100%, people dare to trample on all laws.

Now, the value of a single mermaid tear far exceeds the protection of Xiu himself, and Maggie shamefully falls for it.

The staff imbued with mermaid tears was far more powerful than Maggie could imagine. It was from a completely different era than the staff in her hand, with a spellcasting effect that was more than five times worse.

The staff made from mermaid tears has a particularly buggy feature: it can cast spells remotely. A Radiant-grade mermaid tear can even allow the staff to cast magic independently from thousands of meters away.

With teleportation magic and remote casting, she can ambush enemies even when she's not physically present—it sounds like a dream.

Moreover, mermaid tears are extremely rare and highly sought after, rarely even appearing at auctions. If you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another chance.

Anyway, Xiu doesn't know her situation in the temple. If she gets into big trouble and is targeted, he might just leave on his own.

But once the deal is finalized, the mermaid tears will definitely still be given to her.

"Then... Your Highness, we will definitely get along well in the days to come."

Xiu's expression revealed a faint pleasure, seemingly unsurprised by Maggie's compromise. If Maggie were to focus her attention on him now, she would see his tail swaying leisurely in the water, looking...in a very good mood.

After he finished speaking, he didn't move and just sat quietly under the tree. Time passed by, but he showed no sign of moving. Maggie could only give this sage an awkward but polite smile.

"...At least take human form."

Xiu seemed to realize something at first, and showed a look of sudden understanding, but still didn't move.

"Mermaids feel uncomfortable out of water, and their fishtails become weak when they turn into legs. Your Highness will find a way to solve this, right?"

His expression held a faint innocence; he was saying 'right?' but it sounded like he was saying 'must.'

Maggie's temple throbbed; as expected, a sugar daddy is a sugar daddy, this treasure isn't so easy to obtain...

She almost forgot that Xiu was an extremely difficult person to please.

Picky, arrogant, and unable to endure any hardship.

Clearly... this guy's physical condition is much more resilient than hers.

"..."

Maggie and he stared at each other in silence. With her current strength, it was impossible for her to take Xiu away. Since he was unwilling to leave, she could only wait for the paladins to arrive and then think of a solution.

"Your Highness!"

After an unknown amount of time, anxious shouts finally came from the riverbank, and Maggie slowly turned around.

"here."

She composed herself, reverting to her saintly demeanor, and gently raised her voice slightly in the direction of the sound, just loud enough for them to hear without sounding irritable.

There was a brief silence, followed by a flurry of footsteps approaching her.