Chapter 625: Heartache and Loneliness (1/2)

Nothing much happened inside the Marrissa. Everyone was ushered to wait outside. Only Zero and Queen Leah were allowed to remain in the sinking ship as they discussed the terms in private. Truen had Bob and the mindscape assistants relay information to him as they waited outside.

Tension was everywhere as Monoman engaged in a staring competition with the elite merfolk guards. Jermine and Ottley were less intense and talked to a few water sprites with ease. Pepper studied Indra Seagloo's structure and started sketching furiously. Thomas would probably regret not coming along when he showed the technician gnome.

Queen Leah set up a sound barrier before negotiations started, and Zero smiled. He knew this was going to happen. Instead of continuing with the farce, he transformed back into his regular appearance.

The change in exterior looks did not surprise the great water sprite. If anything, she simply smirked as if expecting it.

”An elf would never be able to master transformation magic the way you did. Tell me, who are you, and why do you seek the Mermaid's Tear?”

Zero didn't explain much. He simply took out the other three keys from his inventory, and Queen Leah's eyes widened at the sight. It took her a while to get a grip, and Zero didn't rush her. Instead, he wondered if she would believe him if he told her that he was the Chosen One.

”I see that Sylvia entrusted it to you. It must be true then, all the things that I heard. Have you met Fae King Vivian?”

Zero nodded. ”I met him at Rocket Mountain. He told me that he would be waiting in Whiskeria for me after I collected all four keys. I need to find Nel in Whiskeria to start locating all the other missing Divine Entities. Can you give me the Mermaid's Tear?”

There was no real reason why Queen Leah shouldn't hand it over. The Chosen One's identity was proven by the three other keys in his possession. The Fae King also informed her a few months ago that the Chosen One would be coming for her key soon, but the water sprite wasn't too willing to simply hand it over. Not after the show they put up. She still had some dignity she needed to uphold.

”I can give it to you but not yet. Since you put up such a great show, we need to act it out all the way till the end. As a royalty, I cannot be made a fool even if you were the Chosen One. I'm still looking for a lover. You need to help me find my ideal type of lover with your powerful transformation magic. You must have heard about my quest for a lover before we met to set up such an elaborate trap.”

Zero didn't deny it. He did a lot of research, even if the information they managed to gather was scarce. It was the only reason he designed such a pompous b*stard and spread rumours about himself. He even took Eros' lessons, and thankfully, they were not in vain, although Queen Leah figured it all out before they could get to the good part.

”What should I do to help you?” Zero asked. ”Are we still going to sign a trial marriage contract?”