After leaving his message, Mike searched the area again to ensure nothing was missed before setting off once more.
[10 miles ahead, face the Immortal Monster directly]
But he had barely walked a mile when he encountered a familiar face: bartender Jack.
He stood by a tranquil pond, completely unaware of Mike’s presence, muttering to himself, “80 years… I never thought I’d have the chance to set foot on this island again…”
Jack’s eyes were distant, lost in memories of the past,
“When I set sail, I was just a poor boy. After the storm, the shipwreck, I was washed ashore on this island. You saved me, healed my wounds, and made me eternally youthful…”
It was a classic love story.
A handsome but penniless young man falls in love with a kind-hearted mermaid,
But for some reason, they couldn’t stay together.
After leaving Mermaid Island, Jack was cursed by the [Sea God’s Curse], making it impossible for him to set sail.
Until today, when he heard someone was taking the Razor to sea, searching for the mermaid’s treasure.
Jack realized his chance had come, so he found a way to join Mike’s voyage.
Sure enough, the Razor overcame the storm and brought him to Mermaid Island.
Back to the place he had longed for, finally able to reunite with his beloved.
Jack didn’t reminisce for long.
He took out a leaf and blew a whistle.
The whistle’s sound was piercing, spreading across Mermaid Island.
Before long, the pond stirred.
First, small bubbles appeared, then ripples spread, and under Jack’s excited gaze, a shadow leaped from the water!
“Mermaid!”
Mike’s eyes widened, eager to see the legendary mermaid.
Mermaid, mermaid.
Such a mythical creature, her beauty shouldn’t disappoint Mike.
And judging by Jack’s taste, it didn’t seem like he had a penchant for the grotesque.
To fall in love with a mermaid, she had to at least pass the looks test.
As the water splashed and the shadow revealed itself in the sunlight, both Jack and Mike were stunned.
Why is it so ugly?!
The legendary mermaid looked like this: the upper body was a fat-headed fish, with a mouth that opened and closed, revealing jagged teeth, and gills that moved, emitting a fishy smell.
Large fish scales and a fish body extended down to the knees, where ‘human’ features finally appeared.
The lower legs were like human legs, long and slender.
But what good was that?
This mermaid, aside from her lower legs, didn’t even have female reproductive organs. freēwebnovel.com
Mike shook his head.
“But you only have half a leg; walking must be tough.”
A mermaid this ugly, and Jack fell in love with her?
Mike had already decided there would be no place for Jack on the return ship.
Unlike Mike, Jack’s reaction was more intense, staring blankly around,
“Mermaid, where’s my Rose?!”
The half-fish, half-human monster spoke, “%!#%…..”
[I’m Rose, dear Jack. I’ve waited for you for forty years!]
With the [Eye of Truth], no language barrier existed.
Mike raised an eyebrow, realizing something was wrong.
80 years ago, when Jack saw the mermaid, she shouldn’t have looked this hideous.
What happened during this time?
A thought flashed through Mike’s mind-could it be Supreme Being Apollo had been here?
He felt a chill down his spine, his whole body uneasy.
What did Apollo say to turn a perfectly beautiful mermaid into something so grotesque?
To get to the bottom of this, it was best to ask directly.
Mike stepped out from the shadows, startling the bartender.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to steal your girlfriend.”
Mike pointed at the ugly creature and said seriously, “I know a bit of fish language. I can help you communicate.”
Jack was overjoyed and blurted out, “Then ask her where Rose is!”
Mike said gravely, “She says she is Rose.”
“Impossible! You’re lying to me, it can’t be!”
Jack shouted, pulling out a drawing from his pocket, a picture he had commissioned based on his memories.
The mermaid in the drawing was indeed beautiful, nothing like the hideous creature before
them.
“Face reality, bro. Be strong.”
Mike patted Jack’s shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Jack took a few deep breaths and asked again,
“Rose, can you tell me what happened?”
The mermaid nodded and said, “Your ship was sunk by us. After the ship sank, we brought all
the crew to the shore, pretending they were washed up by the tide, then rescued you…”
Listening to Mike’s translation, Jack’s face twisted in disgust, as if he had just eaten
something incredibly foul.
“Why did you do that? To fall in love with humans?”
Jack couldn’t understand. With the mermaid’s former beauty, there was no need for such
trouble!
Because with the mermaid’s former beauty, no man could refuse to fall in love with her.
The mermaid continued, “We did it to lure you to the depths of Mermaid Island, where the sea god’s daughter would devour you to regain her strength…”
Mike’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The story was getting interesting.
The sea god’s daughter had the mermaids wreck passing ships, then lured the sailors to
Mermaid Island to be eaten.
This sounded like a classic villain boss!
After hearing Mike’s translation, Jack’s face turned pale.
What he thought was a cross-species romance turned out to be a plot to eat him down to the
bones.
Jack felt like he had wasted 80 years of his life!
He fought back the urge to cry and asked one last time,
“Then why didn’t I die? Why did you let me escape?”
Jack still held a sliver of hope that he was special.
The mermaid: “Because I love you…”
Before she could finish, Mike casually struck her with a Lightning Arrow.
The Lightning Arrow spread through the pond, making the mermaid convulse.
Mike said calmly, “Tell the truth.”
Seeing the power of the Lightning Arrow, the mermaid trembled and said,
“Because the sea god’s daughter was full, she told us to let one bait go to attract more
people.”
Jack had finally found a girl he loved, even willing to wait 80 years, only to face such a cruel
reality.
Jack and the mermaid’s clichéd story came to an end, but Mike had one crucial question left! “Did Apollo visit Mermaid Island seventy-some years ago?”
The mermaid’s drastic change in appearance made Mike suspect it was related to Apollo!
No, there was no need to suspect.
It had to be Apollo!
“The man you mentioned did come.”
The mermaid recalled with lingering fear,
“When Apollo arrived on the island, he saw the sea god’s daughter…”
All the mermaids on the island could never forget what happened that day, the day the true
nightmare arrived.
Apollo said to the Immortal Monster,
“Your appearance is beautiful, but your soul is hideous. Maybe you don’t deserve such
beauty.”