novelraw Chapter 174
Chapter 174
“Please follow me.”
The alluring, mature mermaid who had spoken made an inviting gesture, then gracefully swished her tail and swam toward the town. Her movements were elegant, the fluid sway of her tail mesmerizing. Leon couldn’t help but be curious. If it weren’t inappropriate, he would’ve loved to touch that tail just once.
Watching her swim, Leon became aware that they were in the deep sea. Yet he could breathe fresh air, and he didn’t feel the crushing pressure of the depths. This didn’t surprise him—after all, he had come here with Rasmodius. It was obvious that this was the wizard’s doing.
Leon was about to try swimming to follow the mermaid when Rasmodius grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t move. I’ll take you there.”
With that, the two of them began to float through the water, keeping pace with the mermaid ahead at a speed no slower than hers, as if propelled by hidden thrusters.
Feeling the current glide past his skin was an oddly wondrous sensation. His clothes weren’t wet at all, yet his skin could clearly feel the water slipping by as they moved forward. Truly strange.
As they followed their guide, Leon noticed more and more mermaids nearby—each with the same long blue hair. They were all beautiful, yet their features varied enough that it was easy to tell them apart.
After seeing hundreds of them along the way, Leon was struck by the fact that not a single face was repetitive. Each mermaid was uniquely beautiful. No wonder their kind was called “Mermaids”—it was well deserved.
If this world had livestreams or short-video platforms, these mermaids would all be top-tier celebrities—pure natural beauty, no filters or makeup required. Without any of the Hextech enhancements people back on Earth used, their unadulterated beauty would be absolutely devastating.“Strange. You’ve been so quiet this whole time. Not a single question,” Rasmodius remarked. He had been ready to explain things along the way, but Leon hadn’t played along.
“Huh? Oh, Linus told me that on this trip, I should watch more and do less. Last time, I embarrassed myself for not knowing the proper wizard’s etiquette. I can’t keep losing face for being ignorant. I do have my pride, you know,” Leon said in explanation.
“Fair enough. But it’s best to ask your questions while you have the chance. Once we enter the palace, I won’t have time to answer,” Rasmodius reminded him.
Leon glanced at the mermaid leading the way. “Can she hear us talking?”
“No,” Rasmodius confirmed.
“Good. Then my first question is—why are there no male Merfolk?” Leon had been holding this one back for a while. He hadn’t seen a single male since arriving.
“It’s a trait of their race. They can only give birth to females,” Rasmodius explained simply. “The exact reason, I’m not sure. But it likely ties back to the evolutionary history of the Mermaids and Yoba’s Blessing. There’s too much connected lore to explain here—it would take a whole day.”
“So… how do they reproduce?” Leon pressed.
“That’s a mermaid secret. But… I can tell you, just keep it to yourself,” Rasmodius warned before continuing.
“It’s actually quite simple. Once a mermaid reaches adulthood, she will naturally form an embryo—like a fish egg. She places it into a special hatching pool unique to her kind. When that embryo matures, it will be the moment the mother’s body is old and close to death. She then pours all her strength into the embryo, passing down the knowledge and magic of her entire era, completing the cycle of life and death.”
“If that’s the case, the Merfolk should’ve gone extinct by now. Not all mothers live to old age. Like that mermaid warrior who died in the recent incident—wouldn’t her death affect her embryo?” Leon asked, puzzled.
“That’s where their second method comes in—natural conception. This allows them to produce an embryo without sacrificing the mother. Depending on the father’s race, the gestation process may differ. But whether egg-laying or live birth, the offspring is always a Mermaid, never of the father’s species,” Rasmodius elaborated.
“Natural conception, huh?” Leon raised an eyebrow. His chances with a mermaid suddenly seemed… higher.
“Yes, but the conditions are strict. Most mermaids dislike this method, believing it taints their pure bloodline. Even though naturally conceived mermaids are almost identical to those born through inheritance—apart from needing cultural education to become proper members of their race—the difference is negligible compared to their four- to five-hundred-year lifespans,” Rasmodius said. Then he added pointedly, “And don’t go thinking about having relations with a mermaid. Their tastes are very different from humans, and whether one would even find you appealing is questionable. More importantly, men who couple with mermaids often become infected by their special physiology, developing gills and fins, and eventually losing the ability to live on land.”
“Hiss…” Leon instantly abandoned the thought. As much as he desired them, spending the rest of his life as a fish was not worth it.
Seeing Leon’s clearly frightened expression, Rasmodius’ lips curled slightly. He didn’t mention one last thing—if Leon truly fell in love with a mermaid and they bonded, Rasmodius did have a way to block that genetic infection.