chapter 10
Eric’s head, buried in the pile of dead fish, suddenly jerked up. His eyes, so black that the whites were barely visible, glared coldly in Tu Nan’s direction.
Where did that empty wine bottle come from?
Tu Nan broke out in a cold sweat. She had clearly checked her surroundings just moments ago and hadn’t seen that empty bottle.
A flash of insight struck her-she suddenly remembered.
-Mr. Crow’s Curse!
How could she have forgotten? She was still carrying that unlucky debuff.
Tu Nan bit her lip, ignoring the bottle she’d knocked over. She had a strong intuition that if Eric discovered her in this state, it would be nothing good for her.
But Eric was extremely alert. He had already straightened up and was approaching her, step by step.
“Who’s there?” Eric asked again. “Is it… Ariel?”
His voice carried no hint of panic at being watched. On the contrary, it was as calm as a Cat stalking a Mouse, deliberately lowered but unable to conceal the malice bubbling beneath.
“Ariel, is that you?” His tone grew triumphant.
He hadn’t seen Tu Nan, yet it was as if he was certain the voyeur was her.
Eric strode unhurriedly toward the corner where Tu Nan was hiding, as if already picturing the girl trembling in terror once caught.
Though he couldn’t enjoy his prize just yet, in a few days, he would be able to savor this delicious dessert openly.
Until then, he just needed to lock her up, let fear soak into her body, and ferment the sweetest fruit.
Eric grinned, bits of fishy meat still stuck between his teeth.
“Sweetheart, it’s you, isn’t it? Don’t be afraid-”
Suddenly, a wine bottle was hurled out, smashing against the side of the ship with a loud bang.
Eric stared at the shattered bottle, stunned for a moment. Then he caught sight of a white skirt hem peeking out from the corner, and his grin widened.
A prey in its death throes-even its resistance seemed adorable.
He could no longer restrain himself and rushed forward. But when he saw clearly, his smile froze.
Where was she?
Everything was clearly visible in the cold, pale moonlight. A hook nailed to the floor held a torn piece of white skirt, but aside from that, there was nothing.
How could there be no one?
Eric looked around suspiciously, his nostrils flaring as he tried to catch the scent of the voyeur. But this was a ship, and the sea breeze mixed with the thick stench of fish had long blown away any trace of her scent.
He quickly noticed the huge wooden barrel-large enough to hide a person.
His smile returned.
“Sweetheart, are you playing hide-and-seek with me?”
Eric deliberately left the spot to search elsewhere, wanting the prey to think she’d escaped danger, only to plunge her back into despair when hope was at its peak. What a delightful game.
He strolled leisurely around the deck, finally unable to wait any longer and returned to the original spot.
“Sweetheart, let me guess, are you-” He stretched his lips into a grin, his expression twisted with excitement.
Eric reached out and lifted the lid off the wooden barrel. “You’re in here, aren’t you-”
The smile at the corner of his mouth froze once again.
-The barrel was completely empty. There was no one inside.
How could this be? After missing twice in a row, Eric inevitably grew irritable.
“How could you not be here? Where, where…” He searched all over the deck, but Tu Nan seemed to have vanished into thin air.
“Not here, not here, where on earth are you!”
Unwilling to give up, he circled the deck again and again, but still found nothing.
“Consider yourself lucky!” Eric grunted resentfully, his dark eyes turning as he smiled again.
So what if she escaped? In a few days, she would still be in the palm of his hand.
Having filled his stomach tonight, Eric yawned, sleepiness washing over him, and simply left.
Meanwhile, Tu Nan, who should have been hiding behind the barrel but had mysteriously disappeared, was now clutching a rope tightly, the surging Sea beneath her roaring as if trying to swallow her whole.
Just now, she had thrown out the empty wine bottle, not for any other reason, but simply to divert Eric’s attention.
She didn’t need much-just a few seconds, enough for her to climb over the ship’s side and slide down the rope while Eric was distracted.
It was dangerous, but clearly, Eric in that state was even more dangerous.
The waves churned below, her lower body soaked by the Sea, and the wound on Tu Nan’s leg had yet to heal. She braced herself for intense pain, but the agony she expected never came. Instead, the Sea washing over her felt incredibly soothing and relaxing.
The wound on her leg gradually healed, and the persistent itch that had plagued her slowly faded away.
If she had to describe it, it was like parched, cracked earth finally receiving a rainstorm, the land nourished and brought back to life.
It seemed that this so-called “hydration” was just as she had guessed-it required Sea water.
[Current Pollution Value: 50%]
Along with it came a Pollution Value warning.
Fifty was already an extremely dangerous number.
Her legs had returned to normal, and Eric should have left by now. She tugged at the rope, preparing to climb back up, when suddenly she heard someone call her name.
“Ariel.”
Tu Nan looked down and saw Ariel’s sisters floating on the Sea’s surface, their heads tilted back, gazing up at her with concern.
“Are you all right?” one of the Mermaids asked.
Tu Nan nodded. Unable to speak, she could only use her eyes to ask about what had happened during the day.
“We found the Sea Witch and asked her if there was a way to turn you back into a Mermaid.” One Mermaid swam closer, and Tu Nan finally noticed that the sisters’ thick, long hair from earlier in the day was all gone.
But aside from their hair, their appearances were unchanged from before.
Tu Nan was a bit puzzled, but she had no way to ask right now.
“We traded our hair with her.” The Mermaid raised the Dagger in her hand, its blade glinting coldly in the moonlight. “With this Dagger, kill the Prince, smear his blood on your legs, and your legs will turn back into a Fish Tail, granting you a long life once more.”