It wasn’t a prior acquaintance, but rather Lucilia’s distinctive hair color and ears. This appearance, clearly different from a normal human’s, was the key to the Mermaid lowering her guard. In other words, this Mermaid was familiar with humans who possessed characteristics like Lucilia’s, even though Alka had always thought Lucilia should be called an Elf.
Alka wasn’t particularly surprised that Lucilia could speak the Merfolk language. After all, for a scholar like her, possessing some esoteric knowledge was quite normal. However, the fact that she revealed herself to communicate with the Mermaid clearly indicated her certainty that her appearance would make the Mermaid lower her guard. And indeed, that was the case.
This meant that, in Lucilia’s worldview, Mermaids weren’t mere legendary beings. The legends of Mermaids at sea existed because Mermaids had truly lived in ancient times. This explained why such legends persisted, even though there was no recognized Mermaid Race. Some things always leave traces.
As Alka was lost in his own thoughts, Lucilia seemed to finish her conversation and turned to him, saying, "She just woke up. The crystal earlier was to ensure her safety. For specific reasons, she used this crystal to protect herself and would only awaken the person inside when she sensed the surrounding environment was safe."
"So, she’s also unfamiliar with the current situation and hopes for our help."
Help... Hearing this, Alka looked at the Mermaid in the pool of water. Meeting Alka’s gaze, she flashed a charming smile. That charming smile involuntarily carried an allure.
It’s not that I don’t want to help, but we can barely protect ourselves right now. We’re all on the run, being hunted. Where would we find the time and energy to help anyone else?
Seeing Alka’s expression, Lucilia said directly, "I just told her about some of our current predicaments. She said she’s willing to help us fight, and she’s quite powerful. She mainly wants to join us so she can learn about the current environment through me. If the time is right, she’ll leave on her own."
Alka looked at Lucilia before him and, without beating around the bush, asked the question that concerned him most: "Is she trustworthy? I don’t want to be constantly wary of a knife in the back."
"Without me, her trustworthiness wouldn’t be high. But with me here, it is."
Hearing this, Alka’s expression became a little strange. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Is there some kind of understanding between your Races?"
"I suppose so. Generally speaking, Merfolk live near our settlements, coexisting with us. So, you could say our peoples have been on good terms for generations? I thought so much time passing would have made a difference, but it seems not."
As she spoke, a hint of excitement touched Lucilia’s face. This means my people have endured! Otherwise, a Mermaid from four hundred years ago wouldn’t still be happy and trusting upon seeing someone like me.
That kind of shift in expression—from wary unfamiliarity with the surroundings to suddenly recognizing an acquaintance—isn’t easily faked.
However, Lucilia didn’t seem to have considered this aspect at the moment, still immersed in the joyful surprise of encountering something familiar. Alka didn’t point it out or remind her.
Hearing Lucilia’s words, Alka nodded, then turned to look at the two people behind him. He needed to get their consent.
Chadite nodded, indicating no objection. Having spent time with Lucilia, she trusted her quite a bit.
Although Pororo was unfamiliar with this specter that had suddenly appeared before them, he trusted Alka and Chadite. Besides, it didn’t matter much to him; his primary goal was to protect these two. He didn’t want to overthink other matters.
Since both of them agreed, he naturally had no objections either.
Seeing that neither of them objected, Alka finally nodded. "Alright, tell her she can come with us."
Lucilia then exchanged a few words with the Mermaid.
The Mermaid’s face lit up with a delighted expression, and she climbed directly out of the pool, bringing the crystal from below with her.
She sat on the bank, swinging her fishtail. Then, the crystal transformed into a fluid-like substance that wrapped around her body.
Before everyone’s eyes, the fishtail vanished like splashing water, dissolving into individual bubbles that floated in the air.
Beneath the bubbles was a pair of exquisitely beautiful legs, so perfect they could be described as flawless. Witnessing this, Alka’s heart uncharacteristically thumped a couple of times.
He immediately reinforced the Spiritual Protection Rune in his mind, and the sensation instantly receded. He averted his gaze.
Hmph, definitely an enchantment. How could I be so weak-willed? Alka thought to himself.
The current from the crystal’s Melting then turned into a film-like substance, enveloping the Mermaid’s body.
In this way, clothing materialized on her form. Her upper body was clad in a breezy, short-sleeved top, with a tiny shell adorning her exposed navel. Below, she wore pantaloons that extended to her upper calves, and she stood barefoot on the bank.
Her long, aqua-blue hair instantly shed its moisture, draping freshly over her shoulders and cascading down past her waist to her hips.
In an instant, this Mermaid transformed from a creature of legend into a beautiful woman, albeit one with a slightly unusual hair color.