r18novel Chapter 222 Mermaid
Chapter 222 Mermaid
Chapter 222 Mermaid
don't want-
I will never forget Natalie waking up on the hard wooden plank, reaching out to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
She had another nightmare.
It must be because of this ship.
That's right.
It's all the ship's fault.
Natalie had traveled on many ships in her life, but none of them had ever made her feel comfortable.
She felt that she and Longship were incompatible.
Natalie remembers being only thirteen when she first took a boat ride.
She begged the ox to tell her the truth, and then, without telling the curator, she secretly ran away.
She traveled east along Neptune Avenue and arrived at a place called Cod Village.
The village chief there said that their village has the world's fattest cod.
Unfortunately, Natalie doesn't like to eat fish.
Upon hearing this, the village chief rolled his eyes at Natalie, but Natalie didn't care.
On that day, a merchant ship arrived at Cod Village. After learning that the ship's destination was the royal city, Natalie boarded the ship as an employee.
That was a terrible sailing experience.
All she remembers is constantly vomiting and being beaten.
Natalie laughed, thinking that what a mischievous and unlucky girl she was, she deserved to suffer.
She was later captured by Bourne. Is Bourne alright now?
Natalie couldn't help but worry.
But since Kathy has fled to the highlands, Bourne's situation is probably not much better. I wish him good luck.
In short, Natalie doesn't like traveling by boat.
If it were that stupid cow's ship—the One-Two Gold Coins—Natalie would be willing to embrace it.
She could imagine that the clumsy ox would awkwardly explain every detail of the ship to her.
He would even proudly introduce her to all the sailors on board.
No, Henry won't.
Henry only dared to let her have more contact with pirates if there were only pirates on the ship.
Henry would be incredibly nervous if she joked and laughed with other men.
But that's not what Natalie was most looking forward to.
She wanted to ask Henry, in the gentlest and most questioning tone, a question when he was at his most triumphant:
"But why is it called the 'Two Gold Coins Number'?"
Haha!
The mere thought of that bronze skin turning bright red amused Natalie immensely.
But will that day really come?
Natalie was a little scared.
Mermaids are fearless, Natalie thought, but I am not a mermaid.
But I am also a mother, and mothers are always brave, just like my own mother.
Natalie often dreams about her mother.
Aurelia Capello is a beautiful and very feminine woman, and also the bravest woman in Natalie's heart.
Look! She assassinated the king all by herself, avenging her husband and sons! No other woman in the world could have done that!
Natalie wishes she had half the courage of her mother, but she is still afraid.
She was afraid that she would implicate Henry.
Natalie hugged her knees, wanting to cry for a while.
But she knew that tears could not bring her a bright future.
Natalie asked her servant, Buchanan—whom she called "the loyal dog"—to deliver a message to the curator.
In this predicament, perhaps only the curator can save her. Buchanan seems to know Anne, and Natalie claims to be Anne's mother.
But this isn't entirely a lie; she held Annie and even breastfed her, so she was at least Annie's wet nurse.
Therefore, she thought that the servant would deliver a message to her.
But why hasn't the curator found her yet?
Was the letter not delivered?
Or does the curator simply not care whether she lives or dies?
That's true, Natalie thought. I'm not worth the curator taking the risk for.
Natalie knew that she had always been indebted to the curator, but she was powerless to repay him.
Mermaids are known for their ability to repay debts, but not all of them can be repaid.
Therefore, she is not qualified to make more demands on the curator.
But if this continues, who will be able to—
Natalie wasn't afraid of dying, but she was afraid of implicating Henry.
She knew this fleet was targeting Henry.
The loyal dog clearly recognized her and interrogated her.
Natalie either doesn't answer or lies; she never tells her loyal dog any useful information.
She had expected the loyal dog to torture her, but instead it simply allowed Buchanan to take her away.
The next day, she was sent to a handsome man.
The man introduced himself as John Justinian, the Holy Lord of Sun City.
Natalie had never heard of this person, but she had heard of Sun City.
John's ancestor, the Scarlet Prince, was a great adventurer, and Natalie admired his experiences, even idolizing him.
John said he was the fleet's staff officer, and then asked Natalie some questions, but Natalie did not answer them either.
Regardless of who John's ancestors were, he was undoubtedly Henry's enemy at this moment, and as long as Natalie remembered this, she wouldn't make the wrong decision.
Faced with the stubborn Natalie, John was not annoyed, but simply smiled elegantly and then ordered someone to take Natalie away.
John did not mistreat her; he never missed a single meal of hers.
After that, John would come and ask her a few questions every day.
But Natalie still didn't tell the truth.
Natalie didn't quite understand John's behavior, but that was the reality; she couldn't understand why people here liked to waste their time.
Until one day, after John finished asking his question, he said to Natalie:
"I apologize for bothering you for so long, but don't worry, I won't bother you again."
Natalie had long anticipated this day: "If you intend to kill me, please have mercy and do it quickly."
"Kill you? No, no, no, how could I possibly kill you? You're an important bargaining chip—"
John paused,
"A crucial bargaining chip to use against the leader!"
Natalie was startled, but she tried to remain calm and said:
"I'm just an insignificant woman; I can't be your bargaining chip at all."
"Although I am a citizen of the Kingdom, I have been taught a great deal about the knowledge of the Kingdom's nobility by the Heralds since I was a child. Miss, the bright orange-yellow hair on your head indicates that you are a descendant of the Capello family. This alone proves that you are not an ordinary person."
"But the Capello family bloodline cannot be used as leverage against the Navigator."
“Of course,” John shrugged, “but that’s not your only identity, though you do have a close relationship with the Navigator.”
Natalie's burning blood instantly cooled.
She felt a lack of oxygen, a feeling she hadn't experienced in over a decade since leaving the plateau.
Natalie panicked and tried to argue her way out of it:
"You've got it wrong, I..."
“I’m not mistaken,” John said firmly. “Do you remember the questions I’ve been asking you these days?”
"But you didn't ask anything."
"Indeed, but these questions are a trap in themselves. From the beginning, I never intended to ask you anything directly. Instead, I wanted these questions to test your attitude."
John looked excited, seemingly pleased with himself.
"Ha! I've been observing why you lie about certain questions, why you remain silent about others, and why you panic about others."
Why be arrogant about the problem?
"After I summarize all the results, and then look back at the original question, I can deduce a lot of things. That's how I know that you not only know the navigator, but you are also very close to him."
At the time, Natalie felt that the man named John not only had a handsome appearance, but was also exceptionally talented.
She hadn't expected that even without revealing the truth, John would be able to find the answer from the subtle clues.
Natalie then asked, "How exactly did you determine that?"
Upon hearing this, John burst into laughter.
His laughter echoed through the cell, never ceasing.
Natalie was confused: "What are you laughing at?"
After John wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, he said:
"You've been fooled, miss. Only after you asked that question did I dare to confirm that my guess was indeed correct!"
Looking back on that conversation, Natalie felt like a complete idiot.
She shouldn't have let her guard down, and she shouldn't have trusted the other person.
Although Henry was a pirate, these knights and lords were far more cunning than pirates.
Since then, Natalie has been locked up in her cell every day, and John has never contacted her again.
Until some time ago, she was taken aboard a longship.
Natalie immediately guessed that these people intended to use her to deal with Henry.
She was kept alone in a room on the ship, and apart from having someone bring her food at set times each day, no one would open the cabin door.
Natalie tried to find out about the sea and Henry's situation.
But the soldiers said nothing and didn't linger for even a moment longer.
Natalie considered starving herself and refusing to drink in order to commit suicide.
In this way, she wouldn't have to implicate Henry.
But Natalie quickly realized that there was no point in doing so.
That's a stupid ox; even knowing she's already a corpse, it will still risk its life to go deep into the enemy's trap and bring her back.
She might as well stay alive; perhaps then she could find a chance to help Henry.
In the dimly lit cabin, Natalie couldn't tell the difference between day and night.
She could only judge how many days had passed by the number of plates she emptied.
It's been almost three days now—
Where has she been taken now? Is Henry alright?
Natalie's nails dug into her arm, but the pain was not enough to mask her anxiety.
Suddenly, the door was opened.
Hmm—another half a day has passed.
But that's strange!
Natalie doesn't feel hungry yet.
Two soldiers walked up to Natalie, lifted her up, and carried her out of the cabin.
Natalie asked, "What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?"
The soldiers remained silent until Natalie was dragged onto the deck, at which point she realized it was still an accident.
only·
The sea surface.
"Oh my god!"
Natalie couldn't help but sigh. Countless ships stretched across the sea, like an impenetrable cliff blocking the heart of the ocean.
The fleet definitely had more than a hundred warships, perhaps many more—
If these ships could only come from Henry, could he really break through this force and escape unscathed?
Natalie remembers that Henry now only has one boat!
Ignoring Natalie's wandering gaze, the soldiers dragged her toward the bow of the ship.
A person was standing at the bow of the ship, wearing a purple costume and a wool cloak.
A parrot was perched on the railing in front of him.
It is half white and half black.
This is a black and white parrot! It's a parrot specifically designed for communication!
"The navigator has broken through the second encirclement and is sailing towards the third encirclement, proceeding according to plan."
Upon hearing this, Natalie felt a chill run down her spine.
So many ships, and this is only the third encirclement?
Could it be that these people mobilized all the ships gathered on Shoepad Island just to deal with one of Henry's ships?
Natalie found it unbelievable.
But she also felt that Henry deserved to be treated with such caution by so many people.
Look, he has already broken through two encirclements.
Natalie felt a little smug. This is my silly cow!
Natalie was also worried. Having already overcome numerous dangers, did the two gold coins really have the strength to break through this third encirclement?
Just then, Natalie saw a sailboat sailing straight towards her on the distant horizon.
Two small convoys were chasing the boat from either side.
Behind it, a massive fleet was in pursuit.
The man beside her suddenly burst into laughter:
"Haha, the navigator has arrived! No wonder he's the most notorious pirate of our time; with just one ship, he managed to break through two encirclements in succession. No wonder Commander Peyton values him so highly."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head and looked Natalie up and down for a moment.
Then she said to a soldier, "Tell the lookout to contact the navigator with flag signals and make him surrender. Henry is no coward," Natalie thought to herself, "he would rather die than surrender!"
But he wasn't finished speaking:
"And tell the navigator that we have a woman in our hands, with orange-yellow hair."
Upon hearing this, Natalie felt her heart leap out of her throat.
The blood rushed to her head, making her vision go black.
She didn't know how to express her shock. After a half-minute pause, she regained some composure.
And he tried to salvage the situation: "What you're doing makes no sense. I don't know the Navigator."
"That's just your side of the story. Besides, I was just following orders," the man grinned. "Whether it's effective or not..."
You'll only know if you try.
Natalie's face turned pale: "Then why did you bring me up here?"
"I need to let the leaders know that we are not lying."
Oh my god.
In the end, I still dragged Henry down with me.
Looking at the surging ocean before her, Natalie just wanted to jump in.
But the two soldiers held her back, and she couldn't move at all.
Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath in despair.
But when she opened her eyes, her gaze became resolute:
"I want to lean on the railing for support."
The man stared at Natalie for a while, and after confirming that Natalie was indeed not in danger, he raised his chin, signaling the soldiers to take Natalie and take two steps forward.
Natalie braced herself against the railing with her arms, her hands dangling over the railing.
For that stupid cow, Natalie thought, I'm willing to give my life, even bear the sin.
Natalie resolutely used her fingernails to dig her own palms open.
Blood dripped down her slender fingers.
She had established a blood pact with a mermaid, following the notes of those sea divers.
Whenever her blood falls into the ocean, the mermaid will come to find her.
But there's a 50% chance that what you summon won't be a mermaid, but some other huge and ferocious deep-sea creature.
Natalie once nearly got swallowed by a deep-sea creature.
However, Natalie now has it all she wants.
After a while, Natalie suddenly noticed that the seabed had become bright and clear.
"Oh no—"
She couldn't help but sigh.
She knew what kind of light it was.
Mermaid scales can emit colorful light.
In other words, what she summoned was a mermaid.
The mermaid might be able to help Natalie escape, but she couldn't save Henry.
At this moment, she hoped she could summon other, even more ferocious, deep-sea creatures.
Natalie endured the pain and continued to dig open the wound.
Blood spurted from her palm, but she didn't care at all.
Blood flows into the ocean, and the mermaid draws ever closer.
But she prayed that the greedy sea monsters would be drawn to his blood...
After a while, due to excessive blood loss, Natalie felt a strong sense of weakness.
Fortunately, she also saw a shadow that blocked out the light from the seabed.
No! Natalie laughed weakly, not a piece, but a whole slice!
Drawn by her blood came a group of deep-sea creatures!
At this moment, a sailor finally noticed the unusual change underwater:
"Look, there seems to be movement underwater!"
The man beside her also noticed Natalie's bleeding hand.
He grabbed Natalie by the back of her collar and threw her onto the deck:
"You did all this? What are you trying to do?!"
Natalie did not answer, nor was she able to.
With her last ounce of strength, she tried to lift her head to see what the two gold coins looked like.
Huge, sucker-covered tentacles emerged from beneath the sea, grabbed a long ship, and dragged it entirely to the surface.
A giant pink jellyfish floated into the sky, exhaling countless bubbles as it flew towards another ship. The bubbles burst the moment they touched the ship, and the ship slowly dissolved into liquid.
Another giant lantern appeared on the sea, gliding across the surface until it encountered a ship, at which point it attracted a yellow flash of lightning.
The ship was instantly charred black.
Amidst these anomalies, she saw the ship slowly approaching.
It was a three-sailed ship with two huge round discs at the bow.
Ha, Natalie laughed, "This must be 'two gold coins'."
but·
Slow down, Henry.
Slower.
Wait until these monsters leave before you approach.
A giant sea shrimp opened its steel-like blue pincers and shredded Natalie's vehicle into pieces.
Natalie also went down with the ship and sank to the bottom of the sea.
The world fell silent in an instant.
But rather than quiet, the sounds in my ears were more like muddy noise.
She saw countless shipwrecks and soldiers lying in silence alongside her, and even more so, the terrifying array of other deep-sea creatures lurking on the seabed.
If hell truly exists, it is probably no better than this.
So, is the end for mermaids to sink to the bottom of the sea?
But I want to hear Cathy call me "Mother" one more time.
I want to kiss that stupid cow one more time.
A tear welled up from Natalie's eye and drifted towards the sea.
Just then, she felt the scene before her eyes brighten. What was going on?
But the next second, Natalie knew the answer.
A mermaid was swimming towards her.
The mermaid's beautiful face filled Natalie's pupils.
She is so beautiful.
so envious.
Did the mermaid want to save her?
But it was too late.
Her lungs were filled with seawater.
Suddenly, she saw the mermaid squint her cheeks, and a tear, like a jewel, floated towards Natalie.
The Little Mermaid's Tears!
It is said that this thing can keep people young forever and bring them immortality!
Natalie understood; the mermaid wanted to use it to save her.
Could this thing also allow people to breathe underwater?
Natalie didn't know.
But she had no choice; she could only open her jaw and swallow the tear.
Soon, Natalie was overcome with excruciating pain.
She felt that every inch of her skin was undergoing a dramatic change.
But as the pain subsided, she was surprised to find that her lungs were no longer swollen.
Natalie looked down and realized that her body was rapidly transforming.
Her feet are gradually degenerating, turning into a fish tail.
Natalie understood.
Mermaid tears can indeed grant immortality.
However, it is in the form of a mermaid.
So be it, Natalie doesn't care what she becomes.
Although becoming a mermaid is her dream.
But compared to family, dreams are nothing.
She longed for Cathy more, and for Henry more.
If she can only live underwater in the future, then her memories of them will become her most precious treasure.
But suddenly Natalie realized that her memories of the past were becoming increasingly hazy.
Only then did she belatedly realize that she...
Forgotten!
Is this the price to pay for becoming a mermaid?!
Do not!
Please don't take away my memories!
If you have no memory, if you forget love, what's the point of living a long life?
Do not!
Don't forget!
At least let me remember them.
Remember Casey, remember Henry!
At the very least, please let me remember one of them—
help me!
Or kill me!
If I must forget, I'd rather die—
Henry!
Help me—
Henry—
don't want.-
I must not forget