They were very far from Monoman’s old village, so the fastest route that Pepper and Ottley charted would still take a minimum of three weeks. Knowing Zero’s impatient personality, the crew thought that Zero would ask them to crank the engine to the max to get there faster. However, the doctor’s request made them stunned.
"B-but that’s three times as long as the fastest route," Ottley stammered. "Are you sure? We have to navigate through very populated areas and risk running into many kinds of dangerous communities."
Resting a hand reassuringly on the sea otter’s shoulder, the wood elf nodded. "Don’t worry, it’s all according to plan. We need you to drop by as many sea civilisations as possible before reaching Monoman’s old village for repairs. There is some business we need to take care of before Queen Leah appears."
Queen Leah will appear? Now that was confusing. Didn’t Zero and Truen say that they were looking for her? Why would she take the initiative to find them now?
More importantly, should he be scared?
After noticing how stiff Ottley became, the wood elf sighed. Should he let them know what they intended to do? Zero’s ideas were usually crazy, but this time, it wasn’t that crazy. Either that or Truen has finally lost all his common sense after hanging out with Zero for too long. Besides, the wood elf thought that Zero’s idea had a very high chance of success, not that Zero ever failed. At least the damage control for his plan was within an acceptable range.
"Don’t worry, we’re just going to be gossip mongers. Zero wants to spread the word of a very capable creature in Monoman’s old village so that it will reach Queen Leah’s ears. If we cannot find Indra Seagloo, we just have to lure them to us."
While the plan made sense, Ottley’s worries only increased. If they were using this technique against a bunch of low lives and robbers, it would be very effective. However, Queen Leah was said to be a very experienced fae. Surely, this sort of trap wouldn’t work. Right?
"We can only try," Truen’s serious voice made the captain swallow back all the other concerns he had.
They volunteered to become the Chosen One’s crew and did not fear death. Sure, some moments of their journey so far had been a little too exciting for his old heart, but that changed nothing for the weather-beaten captain. Be it the Kraken or Queen Leah’s elite force, they already had one foot in the grave when they embarked on the Marrissa.
"Roger. Even if we sail off this world, we will accompany you till the end as water ghosts."
Their loyalty made Truen feel slightly sorry for these sea otters. Zero had to reward them properly once they found Indra Seagloo. These poor sea otters didn’t deserve this amount of stress travelling with them.
Thankfully, they didn’t go with Zero’s initial plan of fishing the sea serpent up with attractive baits. Zero’s idea of dangling a big bait to catch a big prey and using the carcass of a big prey to hook a bigger monster to lure the sea serpent was too crazy. There was no guarantee that the Marrissa would still be intact if the Sea Serpent actually bit the bait if they went with it. They might be dragged around like a toy on a string if Penelope’s silk held.
The new idea of spreading gossip was safer and more effective in Truen’s opinions. There was only one slight issue. Zero wasn’t very knowledgeable about the merfolk language. They weren’t sure if they were able to communicate in common language popularised by the land dwellers. However, Mii and Wii suggested using the mental telepathy skill to convey the message. Thus, Truen agreed to it.
Queen Leah’s ideal type did not exist on any plane. Even the Great Gods were full of flaws. Someone funny wasn’t always smart. Someone strong wasn’t always kind. Someone smart won’t necessarily be loyal. Those who were loyal don’t often end up good-looking. Besides, what defines good-looking? Everyone had different aesthetic appeals and preferences. One man’s ideal beauty was another man’s worst nightmare. Some prefer cute over s.e.xy, and others prefer chunky to bony. It was very difficult to meet all those expectations, but Zero reassured Truen that he could find someone who met all of those.
Where on Earth, Heaven or Hell, would Zero find someone like that? Even Truen couldn’t think of anyone who matched it.
As the Marrissa slowly headed for Monoman’s old village, they stopped by many sea folks’ dwellings. Not everyone was welcoming, but Zero made sure to make everyone remember the important things.
As they travelled, Ottley learned that sea folks liked shiny objects and objects that emitted light. After learning about this, Truen and Zero arranged a huge bribe for their agenda. Ottley and his crew felt their jaws drop when Zero and Truen tossed shiny metal coins like no tomorrow to charm the sea folks and spread the word.
Their efforts paid off after the first two weeks. By the time the Marrissa reached the eighth sea dwelling abode, these sea sprites already knew who they were and excitedly swarmed the sinking ship to catch a glimpse of who this perfect lover was. Zero transformed into King Sharo’s appearance and altered it to resemble sea folks a little more. The sea sprites went head over heels for this candidate and simped for him more when they received tokens of sincerity in the form of shiny coins made by dwarves and humans.
After the initial rough part of buying the hearts of sea folks, the crew found themself receiving the celebrity treatment for the rest of their journey. Truen managed the fans, and Zero acted like a very experienced idol, offering them fan services whenever possible. It was such a ridiculous situation that when they finally saw land after almost three months, Ottley and his crew praised the high heavens.
"Land ho!"