Wang Zhong stood by the pond, unfazed by the mermaid's disappearance. There were no hidden currents in this pond, the only flowing water being the fountain in the center, and even that was artificial.
She couldn't possibly escape.
About fifteen minutes later, as Wang Zhong had predicted, the mermaid surfaced.
Her beautiful, sea-blue eyes were filled with anger. "Human, release me! Let me return to the sea!"
"Otherwise, Lord Sea God will punish you!"
"Impossible."
"You were bought for a hundred thousand gold soul coins. How could I possibly let you go!"
Wang Zhong stood with his hands behind his back, staring at her with a peculiar expression. Why was she speaking like a child?
"Ah!"
"How could I be worth so much money!"
Surprised and innocent words tumbled from her lips. She was astounded that she could be worth a hundred thousand gold soul coins, completely failing to notice that she had been treated like chattel in a transaction.
Her naive demeanor caused Wang Zhong to frown deeply. "How old are you?"
"I'm sixty years old." Under Wang Zhong's gaze, the mermaid tilted her head and answered with utter honesty.
With humans' hundred-year lifespan as a benchmark, mermaids lived five times longer. By that ratio, this creature before him was equivalent to about twelve years old in human terms.
Although they were the same age, her thinking was remarkably immature.
"You're truly lucky that those people didn't dare to release you from the crystal tank or speak to you."
"Otherwise, if someone sold you, you'd still be counting their money!"
Rubbing his temples in frustration, Wang Zhong felt that his hundred thousand gold soul coins had gone down the drain.
Her childish and innocent nature was precisely the type of person he feared encountering the most!
If this mermaid possessed normal adult reasoning, Wang Zhong would have employed every method to extract all she knew about Sea God Island.
But alas, with her personality, like a child who never grew up, using trickery or deceit to obtain information about Sea God Island felt no different from tricking a child into revealing where their parents hid their money. Wang Zhong was incapable of such a malicious act.
"Are you calling me stupid!"
The mermaid in the water, her large tail swishing, propped herself up, hands on her hips, and leaned her head close to Wang Zhong's face. Her gem-like eyes held a look of indignation.
She was a renowned genius in Sea Maiden City. Even the Sea Maiden City Lord, Sea Maiden Douluo, and the High Priest Poseidon had praised her as an unparalleled talent. She had reached the Soul Emperor rank at just sixty years old, a precedent never before seen among the mermaid race.
"Yes!"
Wang Zhong pressed his index finger against her forehead, pushing her back into the water, and answered her question with a serious expression.
She swam around in the water, her fan-like tail splashing up clusters of water. Adie cried out, "You're the stupid one!"
"I'm a genius, a famous genius in Sea Maiden City."
"I've been praised by the City Lord, commended by the High Priest, and I've even received the red-level seventh trial bestowed by Lord Sea God. I'm not stupid!"
This foolish mermaid, in her oblivious manner, blurted out information that was almost a secret to outsiders.
Sighing softly, Wang Zhong had to adjust his approach to dealing with this foolish fish.
"Alright, I know you're a genius. You don't need to say anything else to prove it. I believe you."
"Now, can you tell me your name?"
She subtly retreated a step, clearly on guard.
"Why do you need to know my name? What do you want to do?"
Wang Zhong couldn't help but laugh. You blurt out what you shouldn't, yet you're wary and secretive about what you should say.
Could it be that mermaids' thought processes were different from humans'?
"My name is Wang Zhong."
Out of helplessness, Wang Zhong had to introduce himself first. However, Adie perceived his actions as having a unique sincerity.
"My name is Adie."
After cautiously revealing her name, Adie leaned closer, smiling cheerfully. "Now that I know your name, and you know mine, we should be good friends."
"Can you let me go back to the sea?"
"Not for now." Wang Zhong considered it. It truly wasn't possible for the time being; he still had some things to do.
However, this answer caused Adie significant displeasure. She repeatedly slapped the water surface with her tail, exclaiming angrily, "Why!"
"I told you my name, and you still refuse to let me return to the sea!"
"It's not that I don't want to, but the nearest distance to the sea is over a month's journey."
Wang Zhong explained calmly. This answer truly astonished Adie. She gasped, "How is that possible!"
"Where exactly is this place!"
"Gengxin City," Wang Zhong replied.
"Gengxin City? What city is that! I only know Hanhai City and Xilu City. Where is this city?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Adie swam back and forth on the water's surface in distress. The sudden appearance of this unfamiliar city name truly frightened her.
"Gengxin City is east of the two cities you mentioned, closer to the center of the continent."
Upon hearing this explanation, Adie's swimming movements immediately halted. She gently bit her delicate, pearl-like teeth into her pale blue lips, on the verge of tears.
Now she finally understood why she couldn't sense the sea no matter what. It was too far, so incredibly far!
"It's alright."
"After some time, I'll send you back, okay?"
Wang Zhong gently stroked her long, dark blue hair, comforting her softly.
"R-really!"
Adie immediately clutched the hand resting on her head, as if a drowning person had grasped a life-saving straw, asking with excitement.
"Of course."
Wang Zhong replied with a calm and sincere smile.
Although their positions were different, as long as she held no malice or killing intent towards him or the Spirit Hall behind him, Wang Zhong would treat her with kindness.
"Thank you."
Adie propped herself up from the water and gently rubbed her slightly damp cheek against Wang Zhong's face. This was a rare gesture of affection and gratitude among mermaids.
"It's alright."
"By the way, are you hungry now? Do you want something to eat?"
"Yes, yes! I was locked up for so long, and those bad guys didn't even give me anything to eat. I'm starving!"
"Then what do you want to eat? Grubs, fish food, or insects?"
"Ah! Wang Zhong, you're a bad guy too!"
"Who wants to eat those things! I'm a mermaid, not a fish! I want to eat what you eat."
Adie's shriek, filled with intense dissatisfaction, echoed through the courtyard. She expressed her utmost anger at Wang Zhong's remark, which sounded as if he were feeding a fish.