The Knight from the Fairytales

Chapter 58: Exchange Price

Being able to attract the Sea King was an unexpected turn of events. I had thought it would be a case of beating the small fry only for the old-timers to show up, escalating layer by layer. But to have him jump out automatically after just dealing with two minor boss-level thugs? How could that not be surprising?

What's more headache-inducing is that now the Sea King wants to duel Beihai one-on-one, a real man's decisive battle. On top of that, after fighting one shark and then one orca, the surrounding undersea onlookers have only increased in number. Almost everyone who could come has come. There's no so-called big fish eating small fish hierarchy here; before the spectacle, all fish are equal.

"You there, human! You've beaten our undersea creatures and think you can just leave like that?"

The Sea King blocked Beihai's path precisely because he wanted to test himself against Beihai. Otherwise, wouldn't all the muscles he, the Sea King, had built up be for nothing?

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It's not that I won't fight. I just think our battle could easily harm bystanders. In my opinion, even if we must fight, we should maintain a safe distance."

The Sea King thought it over and felt Beihai made a very good point. When the strong fight, the weak always get caught in the crossfire.

"Then let's go further away. And you lot, stop gawking and back off. I'm about to get to work."

Seeing their boss so imposing, the fish schools immediately began to cheer. That wasn't all; among the spectators, the Sea King's daughters were naturally present as well.

The undersea guards arrived belatedly, and some princesses had also come to the scene. They watched curiously, starting to whisper among themselves.

"Heavens, is that a human? How can they come to the deep sea?""They are humans. I've seen them before. I once helped sailors from the surface, bringing them to our homeland. But sadly, they all stopped moving."

"They really are strange creatures, not even having a single tail."

"I've seen humans swimming in the sea. Their movements are odd; some are like frogs, others aren't like anything at all."

Listening to these murmurs, Beihai first handed Elsa over to those princesses for safekeeping. After all, if the Sea King lost face and was seen doing so, he'd have no dignity left to show himself in public later.

After completing this, Beihai and the Sea King also began swimming towards the distance.

They swam very far, so far that the fish schools turned into little black dots. The Sea King grew increasingly impatient, constantly asking Beihai, "Are we there yet? Is this far enough?"

The answer he always received was, "Not yet, a bit further. This is for your own good."

The moment they reached the spot, the Sea King couldn't wait any longer and began flexing his muscles, then slapped his own abs. "Human, don't say I'm bullying you. Come on, I'll let you have three punches."

"How about just one punch?"

"Human, do not speak nonsense! I am the king of the sea, a man of my word. How can I go back on my promise? Three punches it is, three punches."

Seeing the other party insist like this, Beihai could only oblige. It's not that I wanted to hit him; he forced me to. I've never heard such a request in my life.

To express his respect for the undersea prince, Beihai aimed a punch straight at the other's stomach, landing it squarely on his abs. The eight-pack the Sea King had painstakingly cultivated instantly churned into one, achieving the highest state of unification, the realm of Nine Returns to One.

His smug, triumphant smile instantly twisted. Amidst the excruciating pain, he inevitably spat out blood. This punch made the Sea King's eyes roll back in his head; he almost passed out.

In the end, he forcibly suppressed his agony. Though his expression was contorted, he clenched his teeth tightly. Then he spoke, his voice trembling and stuttering.

"You... you're not bad. We... we didn't misjudge you."

"Your Majesty, I still have two punches left."

The Sea King was starting to regret it. He looked down at his abs, where a fist imprint remained. And this was only the first punch.

"Human, go ahead. But you can't hit the same spot."

Seeing the Sea King struggling so much, Beihai felt a bit hesitant to continue.

"Maybe we should just forget it."

"No! Human, I am the Sea King! I am the king among the Sea Race! I cannot break my word! I cannot back down!"

The Sea King's pride would not allow him to lower his head, nor would it allow him to take back what he had said. Even if he couldn't withstand these three punches, he, the Sea King, would accept it.

"It's just... after the remaining two punches, you can't hit me anymore. I won't fight you."

The Sea King wasn't sure if he could hold on, but he was certain that, regardless, he absolutely would not engage in a duel with Beihai again.

"Sea King, you tell me to hit you, yet I dare not do so now. How about this: let's exchange the other two punches for two requests instead?"

Beihai thought for a moment and immediately began negotiating the exchange, converting the other two punches into two requests. This deal seemed very cost-effective to the Sea King.

The Sea King counted on his fingers. I just need to agree to two of his requests to avoid physical suffering. That's super cost-effective indeed.

As the saying goes, you who haven't been punched by Beihai don't know how hard and ruthless his fists are.

"Fine, I agree. I will fulfill two requests for you."

With the Sea King changing his stance, Beihai didn't push his luck too much. They were just two requests; asking for treasure or pearls would be too trivial.

"Then, Your Majesty, my first request is to be able to freely travel and explore all undersea regions. The second one... I haven't thought of it yet, but it won't be long."

Beihai planned to save the last request for the protagonist of the story, the legendary sixth princess, the one who needed an immortal soul.

(After reading the comments, I truly didn't expect the issue of a female lead to provoke such a strong reaction.

I said to maintain a friendly relationship and decide whether to 'accept' her or not based on future developments. This decision-making approach itself isn't problematic; many authors write this way, establishing an ambiguous relationship first and then gauging reader response.

Not to mention many major works, numerous stories do this: introduce a female character, then progress the relationship, then see the reaction.

And then some people say the male lead is a eunuch, or it's old-fashioned writing, giving the girl away.

Do you really have to see one and claim one? And then you call that pure love?

I think it's more like a human-shaped sex maniac.

You don't see it that way. You think as soon as the protagonist encounters someone, without discussing anything else, he should immediately sleep with her. Every female within sight must become the protagonist's woman.

And you bring up the three female leads. Take Sleeping Beauty; her average age is only about six, right?

The Little Match Girl is only about ten, right? And Cinderella is only sixteen.

The protagonist's relationship with them hasn't been presumptuous from the start. When the time comes to take a step further, it can naturally be progressed when the timing is right.

Wanting a female lead itself isn't a problem, because this book is serialized and there are many uncertainties. But what I can't stand is the idea that any female who has contact with the protagonist must be taken in.

The saying that the average user on this red platform is a murderer suffering from sexual repression really isn't wrong. Oh, and you also like another term called 'yandere'. After all, I've read the fairy tale genre on this software.

I'd better return to my original intention. Being swayed by you all won't lead to good writing. I should write more stories like the one with Little Red Riding Hood.)