Redeem The Villain [Quick Travel] Chapter 5
byChapter 5: Retaliation – “Death? That wouldn’t be bad.”
Although Xiao Guo was afraid, the hand holding the scissors did not tremble. “Snip, snip, snip,” the sound echoed behind the Elf’s head.
Lu Qinian couldn’t see what his hair looked like, but he wasn’t worried about a bad cut. After all, it couldn’t possibly be worse than it was before.
About ten minutes later.
The little Merfolk whispered, “Holy Son, it’s done.”
In the mirror, the previously unbearable hairstyle was now neat and refined, a style that better suited modern aesthetics.
Although long-haired Elves were noble, he preferred his current look.
Lu Qinian nodded repeatedly in satisfaction: “Short hair looks much better.”
Xiao Guo looked at the scissors in his hand, then up at the Elf who was constantly praising him. His shy face was flushed red. He then left the room to quietly wait for the Elf to change clothes.
He felt that Sister Ling was wrong. The Holy Son was clearly a very good Elf and wouldn’t intentionally punish the Fish Butler’s people. There must be a misunderstanding; the Fish Butler must have misunderstood the Holy Son and then said something. When I go back, I must tell Sister Ling!
Lu Qinian casually found a set of clothes and put them on, making sure no stray hairs clung to him before leaving the room.
He initially thought the little Merfolk was taking him to Aleksi, but the route kept deviating, and they were still far from their destination long after leaving the palace.
“Where are we going?”
“Reporting to the Holy Son, the King said your ears are not good enough for work, so he asked us to take you to… do manual labor.”
Xiao Guo was afraid he would get angry and dared not look up: “Further ahead is a Reef Zone. The deepest part of the Reef Zone is entirely Black Reef Zone, which is the most dangerous area for the Merfolk tribe. There are many terrifying creatures inside.”
The little Merfolk spent the entire journey explaining how to protect himself, only falling silent when the Reef Zone came into view.
Lu Qinian couldn’t figure out Aleksi’s intentions. He frowned, staring at the Reef Zone. Did his words yesterday anger him?
“The Black Reef Zone is the only place Undersea where Water-Repelling Mushrooms grow. Water-Repelling Mushrooms are essential ingredients for the Water-Repelling Potion made by the Great Witch Doctor. The King said that the Holy Son must collect ten Water-Repelling Mushrooms before he can leave the Reef Zone.”
“Water-Repelling Mushrooms are very difficult to catch. They swim very fast, and their tentacles are poisonous…”
The Merfolk cub’s voice was very soft and low, so much so that Lu Qinian had to strain his ears to hear clearly. Thinking of how frightened the little Merfolk had been, Lu Qinian couldn’t bring himself to curse Aleksi out loud, only seething internally.
Lu Qinian asked internally, “Little 9, what’s going on with Aleksi?”
[Redemption Progress 0%]
It hadn’t decreased. He had thought the mission progress might have dropped into the negatives, and Aleksi had thrown him in here out of anger. Now… he completely failed to understand this Merfolk.
Looking around, gray reefs of varying sizes were piled everywhere. Lu Qinian’s gaze fell upon a large gray reef, like a small mountain. That reef was riddled with countless holes, and only the openings close to the ground had a few broken jars placed beside them.
Merfolk lived inside these Reef Caves.
Xiao Guo noticed his gaze and explained apologetically, “I rarely come here, so I don’t know much about the Reef Zone. I heard that the Merfolk locked up in the Reef Zone are all major criminals. Holy Son, you must be careful after entering, especially those Reef Caves. You must stay far away from them.”
Lu Qinian shook his head; this wasn’t the little Merfolk’s fault.
Aleksi needed affinity. Among the Beastmen detained by the Merfolk tribe, he was the only Elf. Logically, he shouldn’t have been sent to such a dangerous place to gather herbs.
Although he wasn’t sure if Aleksi was retaliating against him or had some other compelling reason, this Reef Zone in front of him was unavoidable.
The Water-Repelling Mushrooms were in the Black Reef Zone. From the outside, he couldn’t see the black reefs at all. He needed to venture deep into this sea area.
After observing for a while, Lu Qinian turned to the little Merfolk: “Xiao Guo’er, thank you for your trouble. You should go back now.” As he spoke, he gently rubbed the little Merfolk’s head.
Xiao Guo had no parents. Although Sister Ling in the palace had rescued him and many other young Merfolk, no one had ever stroked his head so gently. He liked the Holy Son; he liked being patted on the head.
It felt so comfortable.
“Thank you, Xiao Guo’er. I will be fine.”
Xiao Guo reluctantly left.
Lu Qinian looked down at his attire. Fortunately, he hadn’t worn overly complicated formal wear. From the pile of flashy clothes in the wardrobe, he had chosen a relatively simple short-sleeved shirt and long pants, which wouldn’t be cumbersome when entering the Reef Zone.
“That smelly fish, making me catch jellyfish, but he didn’t even give me a net.”
With that, he stepped into the Reef Zone.
Lu Qinian had an inexplicable fear of the caves on the reefs. He always felt that some special creature was lurking in those dark caves, ready to suddenly rush out and chase him.
However, as he approached the Reef Caves, his inexplicable fear magnified infinitely. The feeling of being watched became increasingly obvious.
The mountain-sized reef had countless Reef Caves of varying sizes, and the one he first saw was the largest.
About ten meters from the Reef Cave.
The Elf’s footsteps instantly halted. The scene before him was like a horror movie.
Dozens of eyes instantly lit up in the dark Reef Cave. Their gazes followed his every step, as if scores of people were simultaneously drooling over him, attempting to defile the Elf who did not belong in this area.
Small, intermittent sounds emanated from the cave—perhaps they were communicating, or maybe it was the friction of movement in the darkness. In any case, it wasn’t good news.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, seeing this scene still made him gasp.
In just a second, Lu Qinian resumed his steps. His expression suddenly turned cold. His bright green eyes had become dark and gloomy, and the light glance he cast toward the cave was filled with warning.
The warning worked. The subtle friction sounds in Lu Qinian’s ears disappeared.
The Merfolk inside the cave were unwilling, but they dared not easily provoke the Elf.
Lu Qinian’s pace was steady and even, his posture dignified yet swift. In a few minutes, he walked out of the Reef Cave area.
“What are those things?” he muttered subconsciously.
[Sea Demons.]
“Aren’t Sea Demons just Merfolk?”
[Not exactly.]
The Elf Thor deeply disliked Merfolk. In Lu Qinian’s limited memory, Thor consistently referred to Merfolk as Sea Demons. Now that System 009 had contradicted this, he was momentarily confused.
Before he could ask, a piece of information entered his mind.
Sea Demons and Merfolk are highly similar in appearance but Sea Demons lack the beauty of Merfolk. They are fierce, brutal, and incredibly strong, capable of easily killing ocean overlords. However, their temperament is extremely unstable, possessing an extreme mentality. Once enraged, they expose sharp fangs and incredibly tough claws, indiscriminately destroying everything around them, even abusing their own kind. (Private setting)
“Isn’t that just Aleksi?” Lu Qinian silently complained.
It was just a complaint; he didn’t take it seriously. The System wouldn’t provide false information. Aleksi was the child of the Merfolk King and a blue-tailed Merfolk, so he absolutely could not be a Sea Demon.
As he ventured deeper, the previously empty Reef Zone gradually showed signs of Merfolk.
Some swam with their tails, while others walked barefoot, exposing their legs to handle objects. However, they all wore a dirty, tattered cloth apron around their waists. The reefs were hard, and fragments covered the entire area. Walking barefoot on the broken stones was uncomfortable. Their legs were covered in scars or bleeding, and their toes were crisscrossed with long, thin cuts from the fragments.
A few seconds later, Lu Qinian finally understood why all the Merfolk wore that piece of cloth. It turned out their tails couldn’t withstand walking on the broken reefs. They had to use their legs to gather enough supplies before transforming their tails and swimming back to their shelters. Tails didn’t require clothes, but legs were different.
During the few minutes he spent observing, all the Merfolk were also secretly staring at him. The spotless Elf was proud and sacred, like a deity.
“Who is that?” A Merfolk carrying supplies put down their tools.
One Merfolk stated confidently, “He’s an Elf. Look at that golden hair and those green eyes. So beautiful.”
“An Elf? What is an Elf doing here?”
“Was he thrown in by Aleksi? I heard he hates Elves the most.”
“That damned fish Aleksi! He’s been on the throne for so long and hasn’t let us out! But… this Elf is pretty. Should we…”
“What good is an Elf? If he’s thrown in here, he’ll just compete with us for food. It’s better if this useless trash starves to death.”
“When will Aleksi let us out? I even gave him fish! That ingrate!”
“Are you referring to the time when he was young and you forced him to eat fish bones and he almost choked to death? If I were him, I would definitely come in here and kill you.”
The Merfolk’s discussion wasn’t loud. Lu Qinian had a hard time hearing, and only managed to catch their conversation clearly with the help of System 009’s relay.
Aleksi was kicked out of the Merfolk tribe when he was young and came to live in this Reef Zone.
Lu Qinian frowned. What did Aleksi mean by bringing him here? To learn about the Merfolk King’s dark history?
The Elf’s face was cold, and his frown made him look even gloomier. His green eyes seemed frozen, cold and merciless. The moment his gaze met theirs, the coldness made them shiver.
The Merfolk who had been joking instantly fell silent when that chilling feeling invaded their bodies after just a glance from the emerald eyes. They only recovered after the Elf had walked far away.
“He got thrown into the Reef Zone and still dares to give us attitude.”
·
“What?!”
Yang Luo instantly sprang up from the sofa, pointing at Aleksi and launching into a tirade: “What were you thinking? You actually threw him into the Reef Zone! Has your brain been eaten by a shark?”
Seeing the black-tailed Merfolk being stubborn, Yang Luo picked up a teacup and hurled it toward the main seat, shouting, “Do you even realize how sick you are?”
The teacup flew rapidly through the air. Just a moment before it struck Aleksi’s head, it stopped mid-air and shattered with a “crash.”
Fragments lay scattered on the carpet.
“Go to Ling Tang and pay for the teacup when you leave.” His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time.
Yang Luo’s eyebrows twitched. He felt that something bad was about to happen. When he met Aleksi’s dull, lifeless eyes, the feeling intensified as his heart rate quickened.
He questioned in a low voice, “Do you want to die?”
“Death? That wouldn’t be bad.”