Chapter 107: Balance
The tears of a mermaid transform into pearls, a phenomenon that has earned them the name "Mermaid’s Tears."
Legends abound regarding the Mermaid’s Tears, yet no one anticipated that they would come across one so easily today.
【 Mermaid’s Tear 】
Rarity: Rare
Category: Special
Attribute: The tears of a mermaid can speak. When held in the mouth, it grants the ability to breathe underwater, making the ocean no longer reject you. Consuming it will cause a special transformation in your body, permanently increasing the favorability with oceanic monsters to 5.
The mermaid watched with pride as the human ceased their attack, knowing that no one could resist.
Athena had no reason to refuse; after all, why pass up a free opportunity? She set her bow and arrows by her side. “Throw it over.”
The mermaid flicked her tail and shook her head. “No, rabbit. You must give it to me.”
Contrary to what she had imagined, an arrow streaked through the air towards her, which she hastily blocked with a wave. She turned to Athena with disbelief, unable to understand why the human would attack her.
"To go back on your word!" The mermaid was incensed. She had given her tears to this human, and now they were attacking her in return!
With a full draw of her bow, Athena looked at the mermaid's angry eyes, feeling utterly perplexed.
“It's a gift. Throw it over.” Confirming that the mermaid could not attack her and that her shelter was safe from being sunk, Athena assessed that the only remaining danger was the potential discomfort of swaying left and right, like seasickness.
She didn’t understand why the mermaid wanted the grassball, but it was probably the idea of that musical dolphin. Regardless of whether it was the Mermaid’s Tears or even if the dolphin offered her meat, she would not agree.
The mermaid’s strength was not as formidable as Athena had imagined. In fact, the mermaid seemed somewhat foolish. If it weren’t for the undeniable aura surrounding her, Athena might have thought of her as nothing more than a silly fish.
In the vast ocean, the shelter stood in defiance against the mermaid. Enormous waves repeatedly attempted to submerge the shelter but were completely ineffective.
Ilinaya was a member of the mermaid royal family, though she was of little importance. Despite the vastness of the mermaid race and their large population, with nearly a thousand royal members, her standing was not high.
However, due to her innate abilities in the ocean, even though she was a minor royal, she held considerable sway beneath the waves.
The musical dolphin, due to her presence, was highly respected in the ocean. Those who offended it would face her retribution.
Unfortunately, due to her low status, she was not permitted to come ashore, especially given the current state of conflict between darkness and daylight.
The opportunity to come from the Black Lands to the battlefield was something she had fought for, and she even sent her most beloved musical dolphin to make an early arrival through the special summoning of the Silver Lake Dolphin.
Now, reduced to being at the mercy of this small human, the mermaid harbored no desire to attack Athena’s shelter.
As one of the rare intelligent species in the Black Lands, they did not blindly follow the darkness's directives. Without substantial benefits, their attitude toward newcomers from the Third World, like Athena, was often indifferent and contingent on the situation.
Her initial aggressive approach was merely to intimidate Athena and to observe what the other mermen had described about the people from the Third World.
To her surprise, she ended up in a predicament. After all, it was just a rabbit; what harm could it do to her?
“Stop, cease the attack, I’ll give you the Mermaid’s Tears!” In the end, it was Ilinaya who conceded first, as her time in this place was limited.
Once the time was up and the portal closed, she would have to return, and who knew when the next opportunity to come out would be.
She remained curious about Athena and her companions, observing their legs, their manner of walking on land, and the small animals behind them—things she had only seen in books before.
Keeping a safe distance from the shelter, Ilinaya used the waves to send the Mermaid’s Tears over. Although the waves were blocked, the tears easily passed through the shelter’s barrier, gently landing at Athena’s feet.
Athena bent down to pick it up. The cool, soothing sensation of the tear felt surprisingly comfortable. Despite its appearance as just a rather beautiful pearl, it seemed utterly ordinary.
Yet, it was hard to believe that it had transformed from a tear.
She stowed it away in her system backpack, now observing the mermaid more clearly. Ilinaya appeared to be a curious, naive deep-sea mermaid, likely pampered in her upbringing. The thought that this might be an act crossed Athena’s mind; if so, the mermaid’s performance was indeed impressive.
Regardless, Athena maintained her vigilance, showing no signs of relaxing her guard.
Even if the mermaid acted friendly, it did not change her fundamental nature as a monster. Her apparent amiability was simply because she knew she could not best Athena. Should Athena reveal any vulnerability, there was no doubt that her sharp teeth would sever Athena’s artery, spilling blood, and she would then seek out her next interesting target.
The musical dolphin, having failed in its negotiations, continued to hum and fuss. It wanted that white rabbit with red eyes!
“My name is Ilinaya. What’s yours? I heard that humans usually introduce themselves to each other.” She tilted her head, trying to appear harmless, keeping her hands behind her back and avoiding showing her teeth while speaking.
“Big Dream.”
Ilinaya was momentarily stunned. She found the name unusual but did not delve deeper.
“Why are you here? Why do those from the Third World aid the daylight rather than the darkness?”
She expressed a hint of regret. “Daylight is so weak. If you helped the darkness, daylight might have been repelled long ago.”
“Don’t you think eternal darkness is the most beautiful?”
Athena, not feeling tired, instructed the three small creatures watching the spectacle to move the sofa out. Once she was comfortably seated again, she answered Ilinaya’s question.
Since there was nothing else to do, chatting with her might reveal more valuable information.
“Given that you asked this question, I believe you are indeed a wise mermaid, but you probably know more than I do about the answer, don’t you?”
“I’m sure you have something to say to me.” Athena revealed the first genuine smile since their meeting, though her eyes remained devoid of warmth.
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