IRM Chapter 53

The quiet conversation taking place in the corner of the inn didn’t attract much attention, except for a maid holding a tray who stood in another corner, occasionally casting worried glances at Ji Chi.

In her view, he was a mermaid both fortunate and unfortunate – fortunate to possess beauty that could captivate even the ocean itself, yet unfortunate to be captured by profit-seeking merchants and very likely to be chosen as this year’s sacrificial offering.

Reason told Anna that she was just a small maid in a small inn, barely surviving herself, and she had no ability to save others from their misery.

However, Anna suddenly firmed her resolve, gripping the tray tightly with both hands.

Hadn’t she been in the same predicament back then? If someone hadn’t been willing to help her, she would have died miserably under the torment of the guardian monsters.

So today, let her be the one to save someone.

Ji Chi was quite unhappy at the moment – first, he seemed to have dug himself into a huge pit, and second, he was really hungry now but couldn’t drink a sip of the steaming hot fish soup.

Because mermaids and humans had very different diets and habits, scalding fish soup in a mermaid’s eyes was no different from magma-stewed fish in human eyes.

Going hungry for a while wouldn’t matter much. Ji Chi had originally planned to eat after returning to his room, but that strange maid kept staring at him, as if she would make a fuss if he didn’t eat the fish slices.

Bard looked at him with some sympathy. “Why don’t you eat a couple bites? Many humans here also enjoy fresh-cut fish slices.”

Ji Chi made a sound of agreement. He knew that with his constitution, he wouldn’t be harmed even if he swallowed a whole pufferfish, but as someone who had lived cautiously for over twenty years in a health-conscious country, eating raw and cold food on an empty stomach was psychologically difficult to accept.

But when you’re in the world, you can’t help yourself. Ji Chi could only expressionlessly grab some pieces with his hands and stuff several raw fish slices into his mouth – this was the standard mermaid dining method.

The freshly caught sea fish had been carefully prepared and had almost no fishy smell. The red flesh was fresh, sweet, and tender – it could indeed be considered a human delicacy.

Ji Chi didn’t eat much. When the maid looked away, he wiped his hands clean with a nearby wet towel.

Bard also had no mood to enjoy the delicious food. He hastily filled his stomach, packed several portions of food, and asked the innkeeper for a room.

The innkeeper’s eyes swept over Ji Chi, who sat quietly at the table, and asked uneasily. “Will your goods go berserk? Even if it’s a female mermaid, if she goes wild, my inn won’t be able to withstand it.”

Bard was prepared. “Don’t worry, I gave her a control potion. She’ll be very well-behaved.”

The innkeeper remained skeptical, muttering a few words under his breath, but still doubled Bard’s room fee.

Bard didn’t fuss over such trivial matters. He took the key and went to the room with Ji Chi.

The narrow room contained two hard cypress wood beds. The light brown bedsheets felt somewhat rough to the touch but were clean and odorless.

As soon as Bard entered the room, he couldn’t help but sit on the foot of the bed. His disguised appearance looked like a middle-aged dwarf in his prime, but in reality, he was already an elderly man who tired easily.

Ji Chi turned back to lock the door and asked Tang again. “So how can I become a mermaid?”

With only their own people in the room, Tang cheerfully released his stealth state. He pulled out a piece of bread from a paper bag on the table and said while chewing, “Huh? Don’t you know? There’s a type of potion that can transform a person’s racial form.”

Ji Chi became interested. “There’s such a potion?”

Whether in the academy or in the game, he had never heard of such a potion.

Needless to say about the academy – those mages were busy enough memorizing spells all day that their hair was falling out; no one would care about how many types of potions existed. And in the game… Ji Chi thought about it and still blamed the officials. Their control over the game budget was so tight it reached a certain degree – at least Ji Chi had never seen a game that refused paid appearance changes.

Tang finished a piece of bread in a few bites. He clapped his hands and took out a communication array. “Let me ask. I have a friend who’s an alchemist. She often wanders around this area and should still have quite a bit of stock on hand.”

The communication array lit up. Ji Chi and Bard couldn’t hear the voice from the other side, but could only see Tang’s frown deepening.

“What? You gave them all away? Then hurry up and make a batch to send to Mouvira Island, I’m in a hurry… Hmm? You went to the Northlands? Why so far… Still busy and can’t come? Ten days is too long!”

Ji Chi listened from the side and realized this method seemed unworkable, feeling inexplicably relieved.

Before he could pretend to sigh with regret, he heard Tang say, “Forget it then, just tell me the recipe. Mm-hmm, Elven Spring, Moonlight Fruit… Oh, for humans to become mermaids, you also need mermaid tears? Ah, let me think about this… Alright, alright, let’s leave it at that for now.”

Bard sat beside them listening and became even more worried. “Elven Spring is useful for crafting weapons – I still have a few bottles. Moonlight Fruit and such, though precious, aren’t hard to find, it’s just… this potion needs to be at least excellent quality, right? We’d need to find a master alchemist for that.”

Bard smiled bitterly. “Mermaids are most afraid of fire, and there are barely any who are proficient in alchemy. The foreign races on Mouvira Island are almost all merchants – where would we be lucky enough to encounter a master alchemist…”

Hearing this, Tang laughed heartily. “Master, next time I do a quest, help me pick a lucky charm too?”

Bard didn’t understand his random comment and made a confused sound.

Tang crossed his arms and leaned back against the table in an unserious manner, but those familiar with him knew that the more unserious he appeared, the more tense and cautious he was.

He said to Ji Chi, “Or perhaps, would the Nidhogg Mercenary Group have the honor of inviting you to join us? Master Alchemist Ji Chi?”

Ji Chi looked up at him, his eyes showing neither surprise nor displeasure.

Tang apologized first. “Sorry, I investigated without your permission.”

Ji Chi didn’t mind, because he hadn’t concealed anything along the way. “It’s fine, but I probably won’t join any organization. I don’t like living under constraints.”

Tang opened his mouth as if to make some promise but ultimately lowered his hand. He propped his right hand on the table and relaxed a bit. “That’s true. After all, you alone could almost form an excellent adventure party, haha.”

Bard listened to their conversation in confusion, his memory still stuck on the phrase “master alchemist”. “Wait… Ji Chi? Is a master alchemist? Aren’t you a mage!”

Ji Chi sighed. He was already too tired to explain anymore.

Tang said teasingly, “Actually… he’s also a summoner.”

Bard showed a skeptical expression. “How is that possible! This joke isn’t funny – how can one person have three professions simultaneously?”

Tang had good adaptability. He rubbed his chin and looked Ji Chi over. “Hmm, setting aside common sense, I actually think he knows more than just these three professions.”

Ji Chi curved his lips slightly. Finally, someone reasonable, though you could completely help me eliminate mage from that list, thank you.

Bard just felt it was absurd. “So the reason you wanted the recipe was to have this guy make the potion?”

Tang smiled. “Yep.”

Ji Chi refused. “Sorry, I can’t.”

After hearing this, Bard had an expression of “I told you so – what mage can also make potions.”

Tang’s smile stiffened, confused. “Why? Don’t we have the recipe now?”

Ji Chi didn’t speak. He couldn’t tell them that he only knew the potions from the Demon Sword online game, and for strange potions like this, there were no skills for them at all.

Tang thought for a moment and suddenly understood. “Oh! You mean we don’t have materials, right? Don’t worry, although mermaid tears are a bit troublesome… I guarantee I’ll get everything back for you by tomorrow.”

Ji Chi was about to say not to bother, but knowing Tang’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t give up.

Forget it, he’ll find out then anyway.

This was the first time Ji Chi had been so firmly believed to be an alchemist by someone, but he himself didn’t really want to admit it anymore.

Night fell gradually. Silver moonlight spread across the sea surface, and the regular, peaceful sound of lapping waves occasionally revealed a slender, beautiful mermaid tail flashing past the rocks by the shore.

This was a very ordinary night, but for Anna, her heart was almost jumping out of her chest.

She lowered her head to check the small pocket of her apron, which contained a thin iron needle and a bottle of brown potion.

Anna closed the cloth pocket and tightened the rope tied around her wrist again and again.

She swallowed and crept up to the third floor through the dark inn. She had memorized many times that the beautiful mermaid lived in the fourth room near the wooden stairs.

Anna came to stand outside the room, gently leaning against the wall. She took a deep breath and began to sing softly.

The mermaid’s song was ethereal and pure, rippling through the night with thick comfort and drowsiness. It passed through the thin wooden door, luring those sleeping inside into deeper dreams.

When she felt it was enough, Anna stopped singing. She watched the wooden door vigilantly, and only after confirming there was no sound from inside did she take out the iron needle and pick the door lock.

The room was filled with sleepiness. Anna tiptoed inside. Her mermaid night vision allowed her to see the scene in the room clearly.

The mermaid lady she wanted to save was lying on the inner small bed, hands folded on her abdomen, looking very peaceful in her sleep.

Anna quickly and quietly tied up the snoring dwarf with rope, then tiptoed to Ji Chi’s side and gently pushed him. “Stop pretending to sleep. Mermaids won’t be hypnotized by my song. Come with me quickly.”

Ji Chi opened his eyes and looked somewhat helplessly at the little maid. She had already forced him to eat several pieces of raw fish, and now what did she want to do?

Anna was a bit anxious. “I know you don’t trust me right now, but there’s no time left. Come with me. I’ll give you a potion to become human, and you can escape that terrible ritual like I did.”

Ji Chi still didn’t move, just silently looked at her, or rather at somewhere behind her.

Anna froze, realizing something. Her heart tightened and she spun around.

Behind her, a young man with black clothes, black hair, and black eyes was leaning against the wall, watching them with great interest.

Anna was so frightened her voice shook. “Who are you? Why weren’t you hypnotized by me!”

Tang tilted his head. “Oh? That was a lullaby? No wonder it sounded quite nice…”

Tang sighed and moved closer, circling around the little maid several times. “So you’re a mermaid. No wonder you cared so much about him.”

“Him?” Anna was too nervous and unconsciously repeated.

Tang sat on the foot of Ji Chi’s bed, crossed his legs and glanced at her. “Black Cat didn’t give all the transformation potions to you, did she?”

Anna was startled. “How do you know about Lady Black Cat? Who are you to her?!”

Tang wasn’t so easily tricked into revealing information and asked back, “How did she introduce herself to you?”

Anna looked at Tang somewhat warily. “She said she was the third little slave under a slave master…”

Tang’s smiling expression paused. He looked at her incredulously and suddenly raised his voice. “What? Slave master? How could she describe me like that? Did I do anything to them? Taking on six missions a year isn’t that simple, is it? And each mission only takes two months to execute – added up, it’s practically nothing!”

Ji Chi sat up from the bed and silently turned to look at Tang. Do you need to reconsider what you just said?

Anna nervously glanced at Bard, who was frowning from being disturbed, and urgently made a shushing gesture, lowering her voice to ask. “So you also came to save her? Is she your wife?”

Ji Chi couldn’t help it and raised his hand to interrupt her. “What exactly gave you such an impression?”

Anna heard that distinctly youthful, clear voice and looked shocked. “You’re male?!”

She quickly noticed Ji Chi’s distinct, pale, slender fingers. “You’re human?!”

Anna simply couldn’t understand. “Why are you dressed like this? Why do you eat like a mermaid?”

Ji Chi smiled without humor. You really asked four very good questions.

Tang looked at them with amusement and said, “Because we want to go to the temple. You’ll help us, won’t you?”

After calming down, Anna felt a surge of anger. She didn’t want to stay with lying humans, let alone help them.

She turned to run toward the door but was stopped by the young man’s calm yet firm voice.

“Help us get to the temple, and the reward is that there will never be another ritual. How about it?”

Anna froze. She stood with her back to them, almost unable to react. After a long time, she turned around, her voice hoarse. “What did you… say?”

Ji Chi: “Anyway, when we go there, we’re also going to deal with the guardian monster along the way. Whether you help or not, the result will be the same.”

This somewhat indifferent statement was more convincing than any flowery words. Anna looked at him for a long time, then stepped closer step by step, with pearly tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. “Really… really?”

Tang leaped forward and caught the tears that had already crystallized into pearls in mid-air, breathing a slight sigh of relief.

He had been wondering how to get mermaid tears. These guys had incredibly high tear thresholds and it was rare to see mermaids cry, but tonight… Tang looked up at Anna and sighed softly.

Anna’s tears kept flowing. She embarrassedly wiped the corner of her eyes. “Sorry, I’m just so happy to hear this. If there really could be such a day…”

Anna smiled through her tears. “Maybe all mermaids would worship you as a god.”

Ji Chi felt no attraction to this at all. He had discovered that anything related to gods was very troublesome.

Ji Chi looked over at Anna carefully. “Are you very beautiful when you change back into a mermaid?”

Anna’s face inexplicably reddened. She gently touched her face and nodded. “I used coral ash to change my appearance somewhat, but when I was a mermaid, I almost became a sacrificial offering.”

Ji Chi curved his lips and reached out to recommend her to Tang. “Look, here’s a ready-made one. Wouldn’t it be perfect to have her go to the temple to set up the teleportation array?”

Tang glared at him with displeasure. “Hey hey, are you even a man?”

Ji Chi retorted. “It’s because I’m a man that I think this way, okay?”

Anna hesitated during their argument, then bit her lip and said, “If you can really kill the monster, I don’t mind being the sacrifice. But this year the Fifth Princess also came of age, and she’s much more beautiful than me. But compared to you…”

Anna glanced at Ji Chi’s face and blushed again. “You’re the most beautiful girl… boy I’ve ever seen. You’d definitely be chosen as the sacrifice.”

Hearing this, Ji Chi peacefully lay back down on the bed.

Tang laughed heartily. “It’s all up to you now, lucky charm. You’re the best!”

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, Bard opened his drowsy eyes and frowned as he propped himself up from the bed. He kept moving his arms, thinking it strange that despite having slept well, he still had back and shoulder pain.

Then he saw a bundle of loose rope under his bed.

Bard was startled and turned to scan the room. The room was empty except for him alone. The tables and chairs were arranged messily, and there were three sets of footprints on the floor, all extending toward the door.

The scene like a crime scene made Bard’s scalp tingle. He quickly threw off the covers and climbed out of bed.

Just as he had put on his coat, footsteps came from the doorway.

The door was pushed open, but no one entered.

Bard’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to call for Tang, he saw Tang emerge from the shadows with Ji Chi and a young girl.

The young girl looked familiar – she seemed to be last night’s little maid.

Bard simply couldn’t understand what had happened overnight. “What on earth did you all…”

“Ah!” Tang saw that Bard was awake and greeted him enthusiastically. “Master, did you sleep well? Sorry I kept forgetting to untie you… mmph—”

Bard didn’t hear that terrible word clearly and asked in confusion, “Why is she with you all?”

“It’s a long story.” Tang sighed and chattered away, explaining everything to Bard.

While they were explaining, Anna took out her remaining bottle of potion from her pocket. She reluctantly caressed it and handed it to Ji Chi. “This is my last transformation potion. I’ll give it to you. They say if you have a finished product to study, the possibility of creating the potion is much greater.”

Anna lowered her gaze and said softly, “Please, let this all end.”

Ji Chi looked at the bottle of potion and pursed his lips. He was about to say it’s no use giving it to me, I can’t make potions without the skills.

However, perhaps because he had looked at it for so long, he discovered that the potion contained many elements that were intertwining together in a particular sequence, interacting with each other.