chsdbacks Page 234
Page 234
"My contracted bone spirit and I plan to search for the highest mountain in the Bone Spirit Realm."
"Ah, Bone Spirit? So, you are..."
A flicker of joy flashed in the mermaid's eyes, then gradually faded into dimness. She thought for a moment, then spoke in a voice as clear as a spring:
“I know where Mount Lierman is, but I have a request.”
“Mount Lehrman?” Latis scratched his head and asked:
"any request?"
“In my mermaid language, ‘Lelmang’ means ‘supreme, hope, life, and light.’ That’s the name I gave that mountain.” The mermaid gestured with her slightly scarred arms, then swung back about half a meter, smiling as she spoke:
"My request is... sir, please come to the rock in the middle of the lake and listen to me sing a song."
"Hiss..." Latis touched his chin with some worry. He wasn't afraid of fighting the mermaid, after all, the fish had superhuman skills. He was just afraid that this mermaid might have some kind of mind-controlling ability like the legendary siren.
The mermaid looked at his hesitant face, blinked as if teasing him, and then swam back to the reef. She leaned lazily against the protruding edge of the reef, casually gathered her hair, and tossed it behind her.
Only a few scattered strands of hair remained in front of her, faintly obscuring her soft, delicate breasts. In this hazy light, she gently tapped the scattered scales on her body and asked seductively:
"Could it be... that you dare not, sir?"
"Oh dear, this is outrageous!" Upon hearing this, Latis immediately became agitated and said angrily in a low voice:
"I, La, have never backed down in front of a fish in my entire life!"
He snorted, calmed himself down, thought for a moment, then picked up the shield and spear. Amid the mermaid's slightly panicked expression, he used his soul power to change the shape of the shield and spear.
"That should work..."
Latis flipped the shield, which had been widened in curvature, over so it floated on the water. He tested its draft, nodded, and then picked up the javelin with its widened tip, beginning to propel the boat from side to side.
Soon, the shield ship arrived at the reef. Latis jumped onto the reef, picked up the shield ship, and pinned it to a protruding rock. Then he slammed the javelin into the edge of the reef.
The mermaid watched Latis's busy body with curiosity, then suddenly her ears twitched, and she vaguely heard Latis muttering to himself:
"Miscellaneous fish, miscellaneous fish, miscellaneous fish..."
"?"
The mermaid tilted her head, looked at her fishtail, and didn't understand what "miscellaneous fish" meant. After thinking for a moment, she decided not to dwell on the question.
She leaned over and lay on the rocks, cupping her face in her hands, and asked curiously:
"Sir, you don't have to go through all this trouble. This lake is stagnant water. After your body is washed away, you'll come back if you stay here a while."
"...Hehe, there's no need to go to such lengths."
Latis glanced at the mermaid's chest, flattened by the rocks, chuckled, found a larger rock, and sat down leisurely. He gestured for her to sit, and said:
"Miss Mermaid, please begin your performance."
"Hey~ I'm not going to eat you while you've lost your memory."
A bewitching smile appeared on the mermaid's delicate face. She stretched out her slender fingers and gently stroked Latis's arm. Just before touching his palm, she suddenly lifted her hand and, like a slippery fish, slid into the lake with a splash, diving to the bottom.
Scattered bubbles rose one by one from the bottom of the water, and the mermaid's shadow swam around the reef in the center of the lake, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Her long hair, like ribbons in the wind, swayed along with her fish tail.
The bubbles accumulated on the lake surface but did not burst immediately. Latis curiously squatted down to take a look and was about to try to pop one with the small gray flag on his back when the mermaid's head floated in front of him again.
"Hey, don't ruin my song!"
Her expression was somewhat annoyed, revealing a vicious look that posed no real threat. She made a vicious, mocking bite into the air, then her pupils flickered slightly. She glanced at the numerous bubbles on the lake's surface, touched her lips with her finger, and nodded.
"Mont Lierman..."
The mermaid took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and whispered:
“I will find you, Mount Lierman…”
Then she opened her eyes, and at that moment, all those bubbles burst.
The varying pitches, with subtle time differences, converge into a rushing river, where every tiny drop of water is given its own interpretation.
Some fish will drift downstream in search of the ocean, while others will swim upstream in search of their homeland.
The mermaid trapped in the lake sang this.
Chapter 241 Small fry, a real man in two seconds
Latis had never learned the language of the mermaids, but being there in person, it seemed that whether she had learned it or not was no longer important. Lyrics can deceive one's senses, but singing cannot.
He couldn't help but sit down, his gaze following the beautiful mermaid as she moved. In this world that was now just a pale expanse, she was so vibrant and colorful, just like the bustling and prosperous city of Void Spirit in the past.
The mermaid's song gradually faded, as if the once-rushing river had dispersed into smaller tributaries. Her expression was one of disappointment. She stopped in front of Latis, reaching out as if to touch his face, but then retreated regretfully and sank to the bottom of the water.
"Hey, are you fishing?! If it were a virgin, he'd definitely be hooked and turned into a cuckold... Thank goodness I'm not!"
Latis silently complained to himself, but he had to admit that the mermaid was indeed beautiful. Even Latis, who had no artistic sense, could appreciate the romantic mood in the song and her graceful dance.
The somber narration emanated from the bubbles rising to the surface, like an old cassette record. The once beautiful voice was now just a series of disjointed fragments, as if the singer, like her voice, had long since faded into obscurity, leaving only a few images known to the public.
The mermaid's shadow swam across the water, leaving behind many unbroken bubbles amidst the fragmented sounds. Latis glanced at her, and just as he moved his arm, the mermaid surfaced in a dark, crawling motion and glared at him.
Latis couldn't help but laugh for a moment. Looking at the merman who was peeking out with half his head and observing from the shadows, he shook his head and didn't touch her again.
Well, since we're already here, let's relax and enjoy the art.
Latis, who had been immersing himself in the story throughout his journey through the dimensional world, let out a long breath, relaxed his body, and leaned back against the protrusion of the reef.
He didn't perceive any power to sway his reason from the song. With Sai Leng around, he wouldn't be in any danger, so he might as well just enjoy the present moment.
Suddenly, there was a splashing sound behind him. Latis turned around and saw that the mermaid had swum onto the reef.
The mermaid and Latis exchanged a glance. Seeing Latis lounging lazily, she nodded in satisfaction, wiggled her tail, and moved closer to Latis.
"Fellow traveler from another world, please listen to my song."
Her soft, boneless arms rested on Latis's side, her hair falling over him. When she saw his gaze pass through the hazy strands of hair to look at her face and then slowly move downwards, the mermaid's voice trembled involuntarily. However, she did not try to cover her pert breasts, but instead gently raised her hand to partially shield Latis's eyes.
"What are you doing? I'm appreciating art! It's art, please don't censor it!" Latis couldn't help but complain.
"Hey, are you listening to music with your eyes?!"
The mermaid couldn't help but complain angrily. She lowered her hand, clenched her fist, and her fair chest heaved for a few seconds before she snorted and turned to look at the highest point of the reef.
She paused, calmed herself for a moment, and then sang loudly again.
The remaining bubbles on the water surface began to burst, and the previously low, broken notes now became the mermaid's steps. Her chanting, supported by the dense bass on the water, instantly soared into the sky.
Latis involuntarily squinted, as if starlight were showering down on the mermaid. He watched as she tumbled and swayed as the song grew louder and louder, climbing to the top of the reef until the song soared into the sea of stars, and then she sat down on top.
The singing stopped.
The mermaid gazed down at Latis for a moment, then suddenly revealed a sweet smile. She looked up at the vast sky, sighed, and as if descending from the sea of stars into the clouds, began to softly chant in an ethereal voice.
For some reason, Latis suddenly felt a touch in his heart. He stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then walked up along the mermaid's damp trail.
His steps were not as arduous as the mermaid's, so he quickly approached the top of the reef. However, seeing that the mermaid was still gazing at the sky with rapt attention, he thought for a moment and decided to stop at a certain distance.
"The Bone Spirit Realm after the White Moon wasn't as desolate as I had imagined."
Latis turned to look back at the path he had come from, silently repeating in his mind:
"Perhaps there are many more such landscapes ahead, but such scenery is rare, and we may never see it again after this journey..."
He shook his head, then suddenly his foot slipped on the damp rocks, and he was about to fall into the lake.
"Hey!"
A slender hand grasped his wrist. The mermaid paused, about to say something, but her pale face immediately flushed red, and she hurriedly cried out:
"Hold on tight! You're too heavy, I can't hold you up!"
……
"Now can you tell me which way to go to Mount Lierman?"
Latis sat beside the mermaid, listening to the occasional sound of the wind in the air, and for a moment felt a little unaccustomed to the quiet environment.
"Um……"
The mermaid gathered her hair in front of her, thought for a moment, straightened up, and pointed to the river beside her, saying:
“Go upstream along this river, and at the first confluence, turn to the left tributary. At the source of the tributary, there is a small town where I once heard people mention the destination of Mount Lierman.”
"I see." Latis nodded, stood up, patted the merman on the shoulder, and smiled:
"Then I'll be going. Please take care, Miss Mermaid."
"..."
The mermaid watched Latis walk away with his shield and spear, bit her lip, took a deep breath, and slid into the lake.
thump!
The sound of splashing water startled Latis. He picked up the overturned shield, straightened up, glanced at the empty top of the reef, and frowned slightly.
"Sir, may I sing for you a few more times before I leave?"
The mermaid's head surfaced in front of Latis, looking up at her with a pitiful expression and asking.
“While it’s not entirely impossible… people eventually have to part ways.” Latis hesitated for a moment, then crouched down, looking down at the merman, and said:
"...Goodbye, Miss Mermaid."
The mermaid gritted her teeth, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes. Seeing this, Latis suddenly sensed something was wrong.
"Please, I beg you..."
The mermaid lowered her head, avoiding Latis's gaze, and slowly rose from the lake, whispering:
"Stay... I'm sorry!"
Before he finished speaking, a slender bone spear shot out from the lake. The mermaid squeezed her eyes shut, twisted her body sharply, and thrust the bone spear into Latis's chest.
"Trash fish!"
Keng!
The sharp spearhead struck Latis's indestructible pectoral muscles, instantly turning him into a pile of bone fragments. He glanced at the heart-shaped breast window, now temporarily back in the game, where he had been stabbed twice in the chest, and cursed angrily. He grabbed the mermaid by the neck, dragged her out of the lake, and slammed her against the rocks, shouting:
"what do you mean!"
"I..." The mermaid struggled to pry at the large hand gripping her neck, tears streaming down her face as she spoke haltingly: