chapter 9

Of course she couldn’t compare, but she had no choice.

The Mermaids before her moved freely through the waves, their golden long hair reflecting a dazzling brilliance under the sunlight.

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel once had a chance to survive. Her sisters made a deal with the Witch and brought her a Dagger. As long as she killed the Prince and smeared his blood on her legs, she could turn back into a Mermaid and return to the sea.

She didn’t know if the same was possible in this Strange Tales.

Tu Nan would not give up any possibility. She quickly lowered her head and wrote in her notebook-

Sorry, sisters, I was too willful.

I deeply regret it now. Please help me ask the Witch if there is a way to turn back into a Mermaid?

The leading Mermaid saw what she had written, and an excited expression appeared on her face.

“Ariel, I’m glad you’re not beyond saving. You should have known long ago that love is nothing but a fleeting cloud in the sky.”

Another Mermaid chimed in, “We’ll go to the Witch right away to find a way for you to become a Mermaid again. But Ariel, how should we notify you?”

There were too many people around during the day, and Tu Nan was afraid of being discovered, so she lowered her head and wrote:

I’ll wait for you here at midnight tonight.

The Mermaids reluctantly bid her farewell, their beautiful, dazzling Fish Tails flashing through the waves before quickly disappearing.

“Ariel, what are you doing alone on the deck?”

Eric’s voice sounded from behind her.

Tu Nan was slightly startled, tightened her grip on the notebook, and turned around.

During the day, Eric was elegant and charming, his smile bright. “It’s windy here, be careful not to catch a cold.”

His gaze swept past her to where the Mermaids had already vanished, leaving only the rolling white waves.

“Strange, I thought I just saw a Fish Tail,” Eric turned back to look at Tu Nan. “Ariel, did you see anything unusual?”

Tu Nan shook her head and wrote: I saw nothing but the waves.

A meaningful smile appeared on Eric’s face. “Have you ever heard of Mermaids?”

Tu Nan’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained blank.

“They are the most marvelous creatures in the ocean-or so I think. No creature can surpass their beauty.”

A trace of barely suppressed fanaticism flashed in Eric’s eyes, making Tu Nan even more uneasy.

“If I could obtain a Mermaid in my lifetime-”

Tu Nan’s heart leapt.

His voice abruptly stopped.

Tu Nan wrote: Mermaids are just mythical creatures.

The fanaticism in Eric’s eyes faded bit by bit. After reading what she wrote, he looked at Tu Nan with clear dissatisfaction, his gaze darkening for a moment, but he quickly replaced it with a flawless smile.

“Of course, I was just speaking casually.”

But Tu Nan did not believe him.

Eric’s expression told her: he was clearly determined to get a Mermaid.

How could someone with such twisted tastes possibly resist the allure of a legendary creature?

“All right, Ariel, it’s windy here. Let’s go back to the cabin,” Eric said, extending his hand to her with gentlemanly grace.

Tu Nan lowered her head and gave a “shy” smile, placing her hand in his.

—-

Midnight.

The party had lasted all day and only just ended.

From day to night, her Pollution Value had risen by another five percent.

Although the increase wasn’t fast, the Pollution Value had already reached forty-five percent, making Tu Nan extremely anxious.

This was only the second day. She had to speed up and find a way to lower her Pollution Value, or she wouldn’t be able to stay sane until the fifth day.
The people on the ship had played all day. At this moment, they must be utterly exhausted and long since asleep-this was the perfect opportunity for her to act.

Tu Nan stood up, about to leave, when her legs suddenly itched unbearably. She couldn’t help but reach down and scratch them hard.

As the itch subsided, she distinctly felt a warm liquid slowly trickling down her legs as she finished scratching.

The white hem of her skirt was soon stained with a mixture of yellow and red fluid.

Her skin now felt like a sheet of soaked rice paper-so fragile that the slightest touch would tear it apart.

But her legs kept itching.

This itch seemed to come from deep within her bones, compelling her to scratch harder and harder, desperate for relief.

She was probably severely dehydrated by now.

All day, Eric had been by her side, making it impossible for her to slip away and fetch seawater out of his sight.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to endure the pain and stepped outside.

This was her last chance.

With every step, the friction between her legs and the lining of her skirt aggravated her wounds, and soon the entire lining was damp and sticky, clinging to her skin.

Fortunately, after spending the past two days walking on a knife’s edge, Tu Nan’s tolerance for pain far exceeded that of ordinary people.

She bit her lip and walked out of the bedroom.

The resting area was on the second floor of the cabin, outside was a long corridor with Candles placed on either side for illumination.

The corridor was empty and silent.

By the time Tu Nan reached the deck, she was drenched in cold sweat.

The moon over the sea was bright, illuminating everything on the deck with crystal clarity. Thanks to this, she immediately noticed something was wrong.

During the day, the deck was clean and tidy, but now, not far from her feet, lay a fish whose time of death was unknown. Its dead eyes stared blankly, and its scales reflected a cold silver light in the moonlight.

Where she stood, a large wooden barrel happened to block her from view, with lifebuoys and ropes hanging on the ship’s wall nearby.

Tu Nan held her breath and cautiously peeked out, her eyes widening in shock at the scene before her.

Eric, so elegant during the day-she recognized him only because they wore the same clothes-had parted from her with a smile not long ago, but now he was completely transformed.

Eric was sprawled on all fours on the deck, breathing heavily. In front of him lay heaps of dead fish, and he buried his head among them, eating like a Beast.

The fish had clearly been dead for some time, their flesh nearly rotten and with a texture like modeling clay. With a gentle squeeze, Eric’s hand sank into the body of a fish.

He kept shoving dead fish into his mouth with both hands, sticky blood trickling down the corners of his lips, and she could faintly see silvery fish scales stuck between his teeth.

He made constant slurping noises, saliva dripping onto the deck.

The pungent stench of fish mixed with the salty sea breeze assaulted her senses.

Tu Nan suddenly recalled the smell she’d noticed on Eric last night. She covered her mouth and nose, nearly retching.

She began to resent how bright the moon was tonight, forcing her to see everything so clearly.

With Eric here, how could she make contact with the Mermaid?

Tu Nan waited a while longer, but Eric showed no sign of being satisfied, still hunched over and eating relentlessly.

Anxiety welled up inside her.

Tu Nan’s legs couldn’t support her for long. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and couldn’t help but shift her weight.

Clang!

“Who’s there!”