Chapter 753: Octopus
Pietro fell on his knees, a face of shock still frozen on his face as he became unconscious.
With Jaku’s opponent lying there, the outcome of the match was obvious.
Yet, the female Werewolf couldn’t utter any words.
Jaku won.
This shouldn’t have happened. Pietro was in the 1st stage of Body Formation. He had a Diva. This battle against Jaku should have been the easiest fight of his life.
Yet somehow, the fight was finished even before Pietro could bring out his Diva.
Jaku was frighteningly fast. And in that last moment when he cut down Pietro, his speed exceeded even that of what he showed back in the test!
"Munch... munch... is it over now? Can I sleep?" Jaku asked, holding a chocolate in his hands.
It was true that Jaku had no chance against someone in the 1st stage of Body Formation.
Aubility Power was too dominant.
But Jaku used his speed, magnified thanks to the [Sugar Rush] ability after consuming chocolate, and cut down his opponent before Pietro could even utilize his advantage. Coupled with his Mithril Artifact katana, there was basically no one among mortals that could catch up with him in speed.
Pietro was essentially just a normal human at that point—easily defeated.
"You... you advance to the next round...," the female Werewolf muttered.
"Good," Jaku said, laying down on his side. "Wake me up then."
...
...
...
Meanwhile, Michael followed Professor Lichtenstein as he crossed to the other side of the boundary, leading towards the giant lake on the other quadrant.
This was Mermen territory.
He already tried to enter into the lake before, but he was unable to submerge himself into the water. There was some kind of Aubility Power that prevented anyone from entering Mermen territory without their express permission.
But the professor kept on walking towards the lake, eventually crossing the wall that separated the boundary and the quadrant.
Now that the professor knew that the Antique was here, there was nothing stopping him from getting what he wanted.
He was now just a few steps away from diving feet first into the deep water lake in front of him.
But before stepping in, the professor bent down on his knees and started writing on the water with his fingers.
Michael was about to ask him what he was doing, when all of a sudden, the water in front of them suddenly started to swirl into a giant vortex.
And a few seconds later, multiple Mermen shot out from it and landed in front of them.
"Professor Lichtenstein," one of the Mermen greeted him. "The princess would like to know why you have called for her."
Michael noticed that these Mermen wore a vastly different attire than the Mermen he’d seen before.
Reed, Serena, and all the other Mermen back in the Nation of Reborn all wore ocean vegetation like seaweeds and kelps as their main thread.
But these Mermen wore something akin to humans wearing fur. They wore the skinned hides of sea monsters as sort of a trophy as well as added protection for their bodies.
"Tell your princess that I would like to speak with her about the Antique," the professor said directly.
The Mermen looked at each other and simultaneously shook their heads, as if they’d practiced it a thousand times.
"We don’t know what you’re talking about, professor."
Lichtenstein wasn’t having it with the Mermen’s games. "That won’t work on me. Tell your princess that I will tell her what she wants in exchange for the Antique."
The Mermen still denied his entry. "Apologies, professor but—"
"Tell her that I will help her with the Marianas Jewel."
As soon as the professor said those words, another vortex suddenly appeared in the lake.
The Mermen turned around and immediately bowed their heads at this new presence.
A couple of seconds later, a Mermaid shot forth from the vortex and floated down towards Michael and the professor, carefully carried down by bubbles that fit perfectly around her like a chair.
"Professor, welcome to our humble abode," said the Mermaid warmly.
"Princess. Let’s not dally around. You know what I’m here for," said the professor. "Give me the Antique."
While the two were conversing, Michael couldn’t help but stare at the Mermaid in front of him.
She was... different... from what he expected.
Serena looked like the typical Mermaid one would see in fantasy shows and movies, with her flowing orange hair and skin as spotless as pearls.
Not just her too, but the other female Mermaids he’d seen before were much more like humans rather than mermen. The only thing differentiating them from humans were the gills on their necks, as well as the few scales that surrounded their faces.
But this Mermaid looked more... fish... rather than human.
She was still beautiful on many accounts, but her features were distinctly non-human like. Her face was that of an octopus, with tiny tentacles around her that acted like her hair.
Her arms were webbed, and her feet were a fish’s tail. She had no legs!
She was using the bubble chair as a way to get around in the surface world without having any conventional lower limbs.
So she’s Serena’s sister... I wonder if the two know each other.
According to Serena, she had lots of siblings due to their father’s love of procreation.
Once again, Michael stayed silent, choosing not to tell them about his connection with other Mermen.
He was still undercover as Keo, the professor’s protege.
He had a much higher chance of getting inside by going with this identity. After all, he didn’t know if Serena and this Mermaid princess had a good relationship.
"Professor, did I hear you say something about Mariana’s Jewel?" the princess asked him.
"Yes," Professor Lichtenstein confidently answered. "I can tell you all that we humans know about it."
A glint flashed across the princess’ eyes. She clearly yearned for this ’Mariana’s Jewel’.
"Alright, professor. Let us talk under. Guards, escort them to my chambers, please."
Then, the mermaid princess dove back down in the lake, never making a single splash.
The Mermen guards then performed a few motions with their webbed hands, controlling the water underneath their feet with Aubility Power.
A giant bubble emerged from the water, which slowly floated towards Michael and the professor.
This was how they were going to go underwater safely.
As Michael and the professor entered the bubble, Michael couldn’t help but ask.
"Do you know her, professor?"
"No," he replied.
"Then how did you know she was going to want information on this Marianas’ Jewel?"
The professor scoffed. "She’s a princess. Of course she’s going to want it."
Seeing the look of curiosity on Michael’s face, Professor Lichtenstein knew what he was going to ask. "You want to know about Marianas’ Jewel too, right?"
Michael nodded. "And the Antique too. What is it about? What even is it?"
"Both are incredibly important pieces of history. One involves the humans, the other involves the Mermen.
Just like me, these Mermaids search for answers as if it was their life’s mission.
Why, you ask?
It’s because solving these mysteries gives us insight into what happened in the Ancient Era... and how we can replicate it in the present."