Chapter 297: Jennifer the Merling
In any case, the variety of sea fish here was indeed far more abundant than in other places. Faye Yardley’s interest was piqued. "I’ll go down and take a look."
Cole Kensington said, "Miss Yardley, I want to go down, too."
Faye Yardley tossed him a Water-Repelling Pearl. "Fine. It only works for two hours, then you have to come up and recharge it. You can only use it again after a few hours have passed."
"Thank you, Miss Yardley." With that, Cole Kensington flipped off his mount and jumped straight into the sea.
The two descended deeper and deeper, the splendid colors of the seafloor unfolding right before their eyes.
From time to time, they encountered Lanternfish, electric eels, and glowing jellyfish, so it wasn’t pitch-black below.
Faye Yardley didn’t wander about, instead swimming steadfastly straight down through the water beneath her raft.
Many beautiful fish she had never seen before swam leisurely past her. ’What does it feel like to touch bottom in the depths of the ocean?’
Faye Yardley felt the sandy layer beneath her feet, her mind reeling with questions.
’At first, I thought you could only touch bottom in the shallows near islands and reefs.’
’How have we reached the bottom here?’
"Miss Yardley, hurry, over here!"
Not far away, Cole Kensington was waving at her. His voice sounded distorted and unreal underwater.
She bent down and picked up a large seashell from the sand. Prying it open wasn’t easy, but it turned out to be much simpler to just crush the outer shell.
And so, she obtained three pearls of varying sizes and irregular shapes, along with a serving of uncontaminated clam meat.
She walked over to Cole Kensington. Behind a large stone, there was a small cave entrance shimmering with white light.
Huh???
’Haven’t I seen this in the sea before?’
’There’s something good inside!’
Faye Yardley and Cole Kensington circled the entrance, examining it closely. ’There shouldn’t be anyone inside, right?’
Without another thought, Faye Yardley stepped right inside. After a dizzying whirl, she found herself in a clean, dry, and modestly sized cave.
’The decor is a really familiar style—a seashell bed, fishbone chairs, and so on. It’s a classic marine aesthetic.’
"Miss Yardley, this looks like a Merfolk’s cave."
"Merfolk? You mean Mermaids? They really exist? Are they all incredibly beautiful, and do their tears really turn into pearls when they cry?"
Cole Kensington was stunned for a long moment before replying, "Some Merfolk are beautiful, and some are ugly; they’re not all good-looking. Maybe we should leave first."
Faye Yardley didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she walked over to the seashell bed. "I see you, you know. If you don’t come out, I’m just going to sit right down."
There was no reaction. ’That can’t be right,’ Faye Yardley thought. ’I’m sure I felt a flicker of Energy just a moment ago.’
"I’m counting to three. If you don’t come out, I’m packing up everything in this room and taking it all with me!"
"Three."
"Don’t!" A timid voice squeaked from under the seashell bed, and a little Merling with long, pink hair appeared before them.
The little Merling quickly glanced around her home, relieved to see it was intact. "How can you just barge into my home?"
Her voice was brimming with accusation, but it was so timid it lacked any real force.
"We didn’t know it was your home. There wasn’t a sign or anything, and you didn’t even close your door."
The little Merling opened and closed her mouth, speechless. ’Close the door? What’s a door?’
This little Merling was clearly inexperienced with the ways of the world. After a moment’s thought, Faye Yardley invited her to come and visit her raft.
The little Merling hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.
Upon leaving her home, Faye Yardley watched as the merling took a sharp breath toward the shimmering white cave entrance and swallowed her entire "home."
’What an amazing Skill.’
Faye Yardley thought this ability would be incredibly convenient for moving house. ’It’s so much better than being a snail. She can carry her home around effortlessly, while a snail has to haul its heavy house on its back.’
Finding nothing else after leaving the little Merling’s home, they began their ascent to the surface.
When they reached Faye Yardley’s enormous Dragon Turtle Raft, the little Merling’s mouth fell open. "Is this your home? It’s huge!"
"Will your fishtail be all right out of the water?"
Cole Kensington shot a quick glance at Faye Yardley, who had asked the question, then pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.
The little Merling huffed. "Of course it’s not a problem. I can make... feet... like yours, too."
Once on the raft, the little Merling transformed into a little girl of about seven or eight years old. Her new pair of fair, delicate feet were still unsteady, and she kept slipping, frequently demonstrating how one could trip on a perfectly flat surface.
She was most enchanted by the pink roses climbing all over the wooden fence.
Faye Yardley generously allowed her to pick the roses and wear them in her hair.
Though, it was hard to say just how beautiful pink flowers looked against pink hair.
The little Merling, however, was delighted.
Moreover, she didn’t seem the least bit afraid of what Faye Yardley and her companion might do to her.
Once they had become a bit more familiar with each other, the little Merling told them how her previous home, which she had painstakingly decorated, had been completely ransacked. She said with her cheeks puffed out, "This time I’ve moved far, far away from my old home. I’m definitely far away from that thief now."
Faye Yardley was speechless.
’If the cave she had entered in the previous sea region—the one with the identical marine-themed decor—was this little Merling’s home, then she was...’
Faye Yardley decided it was best not to tell the little Merling, so as not to crush her spirits.
After all, she had already used the items from that home—especially the diamond-faced prism.
"Right, what’s your name?"
"Jennifer. And you, miss?"
"Faye Yardley."
After tasting the clam meat cooked by Willow Yardley, Jennifer no longer wanted to leave.
"Miss Yardley, can I be a guest on your boat?"
Faye Yardley was confused. ’Why the sudden desire to be a guest here?’ And it didn’t look like she was planning on a short, one-or-two-day visit.
Seeing her hesitation, Jennifer quickly added, "Miss Yardley, if you have Miss Willow make me delicious food, I can give you lots and lots of pearls! The pearls from our Mer-clan are nothing like the ones that come from clams, you know."
Jennifer couldn’t help it. She didn’t have much to offer besides pearls and golden nuggets. It was mainly because she cried so much, so...
Her family had told her to overcome this bad habit, but it wasn’t something she could stop just by wanting to.
She cried even more after running away from home to survive on her own.
The more she cried, the more pearls she collected.
After a moment of thought, Faye Yardley nodded in agreement.
’Pearls, big or small, are perfect for decorating a wedding dress.’
Cole Kensington suspected the Piranha-folk were definitely in the vicinity. A single, lone Merling from a harmless race wasn’t a major issue.
So, after a short rest, he rode Bella to scout the area farther out.
After accepting a large bag filled with plump, softly lustrous pearls, Faye Yardley asked directly, "Jennifer, are there Piranha around here?"
"Piranha? Sure, aren’t those fish everywhere?" Jennifer pointed out over the water. "If you keep going that way, you’ll even find the Piranha-folk. Now, they’re the ones who are really bad news."