Ronan contemplated silently.
The relics of the Mermaid’s Song at the bottom of the Green Luminous Sea Abyss, the ruins of the Ancient Mirror Court, the Dwarf Kingdom with the Mechanical Heart... These ancient civilizations that once existed in the Southern part, now vanished or destroyed one by one, seem to have the same giant, dark hand orchestrating everything from behind.
He sensed the scent of ancient conspiracies and secrets buried under the dust of time, as if he had grasped onto something, yet he dared not delve deeper into the truth for fear of being devoured.
Where Ronan might have harbored some interest and curiosity towards the Mermaid’s Song relic before, he now had completely abandoned the idea.
This was beyond what he could reach at the moment; all he wanted now was to quickly meet the Ghost Cry Fish, fulfill the purpose of his journey, and leave this mysterious sea area.
While Ronan was deep in thought, the sound of water breaking echoed in his ears.
Chuck, soaking wet, scrambled onto the airship. Without bothering to wipe the water off his face, he quickly approached Ronan, presenting what he was holding with a look akin to offering a treasured gift.
Ronan did not believe Chuck could have pulled anything valuable for him from the sea, yet when he saw what Chuck was holding, an expression of astonishment involuntarily appeared on his face.
In Chuck’s hands were two fan-shaped shells, which looked ordinary on the outside, but as moonlight and starlight shone upon them, the shells slowly opened to reveal two entirely naked little figures inside.
Both appeared to be girls of fifteen or sixteen, snow-white and beautifully shaped, one slightly thinner, possessing red and green seaweed-like long hair respectively.
Ignoring their size, based solely on appearance, they could definitely be considered top beauties in the world.
The two miniature beauties were tightly connected to the shells, unable to move. Initially, they trembled in fear upon seeing Ronan, then they crossed their arms over their chests, making a pleading expression. When they saw Ronan remaining unmoved, they unexpectedly began to sing in turn.
The singing was extraordinarily beautiful, like an ancient ballad.
As they sang, fine starry light appeared around them, hovering, giving a dreamy and ethereal feel.
Ronan scrutinized the two shell-bound beauties with a curious expression, unable to resist asking Chuck.
"Beautiful Shells, sir!"
Chuck seemed equally excited, "I heard their singing to the moon, thought to try my luck, and never expected it would be so easy to find them...
It’s said that consuming a living Beautiful Shell grants eternal youth, but since they are the Sea God’s favorite pets, those who capture and consume them will be cursed by the sea...
Of course, it’s all just legend; who knows the truth?"
Chuck nonchalantly shrugged.
"Beautiful Shells..."
Ronan repeated the name. Blown by the sea breeze for a long while, the two shell beauties held up by Chuck’s hands were now shivering with cold, yet fear compelled them to sing with all their might, trying to please the "giant" in front of them.
Ronan admitted his intrigue towards such a magical little novelty.
Eating them raw was out of the question; he had no such peculiarities. But having the Beautiful Shells, which could emit beautiful songs, as a "Walkman" when bored sounded quite nice.
On this trip, he also brought his Dust Elf, Ariety, with him; perhaps the three little ones could keep each other company, and his collection of "living beautiful girl figurines" would increase to three.
"What reward do you wish for, Chuck?"
Ronan gladly accepted the "gift" and asked Chuck in front of him.
Chuck knelt down before Ronan, kissing the deck beneath Ronan’s feet, "For you to grant someone like me a bit of respect... that is already a great blessing."
Ronan’s eyes flickered, and after some thought, he brought out some Magic Stones and some worldly treasures he hadn’t cleared out yet from his Space Ring, placing them before Chuck.
"Take them, Chuck, these are rightfully yours."
Faced with Ronan’s reward, Chuck could not refuse. He hesitated for a moment and only picked out a beautiful gemstone necklace from the items Ronan offered, then pushed all the rest back.
"This is enough, sir..."
Chuck carefully tucked the gemstone necklace into his arms, saying softly: "If I ever have the chance to return, giving this to Maggie will surely make her very happy..."
Ronan, without asking, could guess that the "Maggie" Chuck mentioned was likely the plump woman he had specifically said goodbye to before leaving.
The woman seemed to work in a profession akin to prostitution in the slums. Deep down, Ronan felt she was unworthy of the pure and simple-hearted Chuck.
Perhaps perceiving the meaning subconsciously reflected in Ronan’s eyes, Chuck proactively explained: "Maggie is a good woman; in all of Qifeng Port, she was the only one who didn’t mind my looks, my identity..."
"Maybe she just wants your money."
Ronan felt it necessary to remind Chuck, "The child in her belly might not even be yours."
"I hope it’s not mine."
Chuck chuckled softly, murmuring: "That way ’our’ child won’t have to end up like me... she is truly a good woman, and she would be willing to live well with me, our family..."
Clearly, for Chuck, the Sea Clan bloodline in him was nothing but a Curse.