As he touched it, Alka felt the Magic Power surging within the crystal, along with its icy cold sensation.
The blue border disappeared, yet Alka didn’t feel anything unusual.
He slowly retreated, returning to the shore.
A map appeared in his hand, and he began checking their current location.
But the two blue dots on it had long since dimmed.
[Zalcober’s Love] (Acquired)
[Difficulty: Holy Light Knight Squad (Two Spirals)]
[Treasure Information: A profound secret hidden by the great merchant and Grand Governor Zalcober. This secret concerned a massive, sealed crystal he had salvaged from the ocean during one of his private voyages.
When he saw the Mermaid within the sealed crystal, he was deeply enchanted and vowed to break the seal to obtain the life inside.
Only when it is safe will the crystal break open, releasing the protected life within.]
[Treasure Reward: The Protective Crystal.]
Alka had already put the map back into his ring. He was staring at the crystal before him, mulling over the information.
In other words, this item was something the Governor had unexpectedly obtained because he was captivated by the Mermaid inside it. After all, he was just an ordinary person. Alka could sense that the Mermaid’s subtly enchanting face definitely possessed an Extraordinary effect. Reflecting on some legends about Mermaids at sea, it seemed that allure and temptation have always been synonymous with Merfolk. And the treasure reward referred to this crystal, not the life within it.
Just as he was pondering, the crystal before him changed.
"Retreat!" Alka shouted, immediately jumping back a few steps.
Alerted by his shout, the other two were instantly on guard.
The Mermaid in the crystal, whose eyes had been tightly shut, opened them. Her deep blue pupils were as profound as a black hole, seemingly possessing a potent suction force trying to absorb their souls.
The allure on her face reached its peak, continuously assaulting their minds.
However, the three of them remained still, entirely unaffected.
The potency of this allure, to put it mildly, was only slightly stronger than the darkness of the central region. It was roughly equivalent to being enveloped by the darkness of the central area for half an hour without any light source.
For anyone touching it, such darkness was already enough to affect their spirit.
But all three possessed something akin to mental resistance, demonstrating high resistance against such spirit-level attacks and influences.
Needless to say, Alka and Chadite had high mental resistance; moreover, Pororo was a Warrior of the Great Ocean.
Thus, the Mermaid’s usual enchanting allure had no effect whatsoever.
Seeing that the three before her were unaffected by her allure, she blinked, swished her fish tail gently, and slid out of the crystal.
With a SPLASH, water scattered as she fell directly into the pool below.
The crystal also seemed to lose its power. Though it still emitted a faint blue glow, it plunged from mid-air directly into the pool.
Through the splashing water, they saw the Mermaid swim to the far edge of the pool by swaying her fish tail, keeping a short distance from them.
The Mermaid’s upper body emerged from the water. Looking at them, she spoke, "@%~&..."
What is she saying? Pororo and Chadite looked baffled, as they had never heard this language before.
Even Alka, who had learned several languages from Lucilia, had never heard it and could not comprehend her meaning at all.
However, it was clear this Mermaid was capable of communication and possessed intelligence; there was simply a language barrier between them.
At that moment, the Magic Mirror on Alka’s neck shimmered, and Lucilia emerged from it, revealing her form.
Seeing the white Spiritual Body suddenly appear before them, Pororo tensed, instantly wary and ready to attack.
Chadite, beside him, quickly grabbed Pororo. "She’s one of us."
Hearing this, Pororo looked at the two of them with disbelief.
Those two had actually been hiding an Evil Spirit from him all this time! He had been completely left out!
Upon seeing Lucilia, the Mermaid’s face lit up with obvious delight, and she immediately swam towards her, her fish tail swishing.
Lucilia also spoke in the same melodious language as the Mermaid, and the two began to converse.
Watching the scene unfold, the three men did not interfere, waiting patiently nearby.
Only Pororo heavily patted Alka and Chadite on their shoulders, his expression clearly demanding an explanation later.
And he looked quite displeased.
This made Alka and Chadite slightly embarrassed.
Pororo was the type of straightforward, simple-minded brute who didn’t dwell on or overthink many things.
For instance, over the past six months, he had grown to regard the two as good friends, even comrades.
Alka and Chadite knew this. However, Pororo’s strength was clearly greater than theirs, and they were harboring secrets. Therefore, it was impossible for them to recklessly expose Lucilia’s existence to him. If he were to react badly, they would have no way to defend themselves.
Thus, they had been forced to keep it from him.
But now, both Alka and Chadite had advanced to Two Spirals. Working together, they would not necessarily be suppressed by Pororo.
This was also why Lucilia had revealed her form. Firstly, she needed to show herself to communicate with the Mermaid. Secondly, given their current strength, Alka and his companions would no longer be in an absolutely passive position.
However, Alka was currently contemplating the Mermaid before him. Judging by the way Lucilia and the Mermaid were interacting...