Vol. 2 Chapter 9: What You Wanted

 Chapter 9: What You Wanted

"I think we should have a proper talk..." For some reason, the mermaid princess Ariel wasn't showing her fishtail but was wearing a long skirt to cover it.

The current location was Ariel's palace beneath the island's heart lake. The palace seemed to be made of ice, clear and transparent, but surprisingly, it didn't feel cold inside. The place was decorated with seaweed and shells, giving it a pleasant appearance. Additionally, Lu Li and the others didn't seem to be affected by the seawater here. They could move, breathe, and speak freely, and their clothes didn't get wet.

Lu Li and the three others stood a short distance from the mermaid princess. At the moment, aside from the young man who had been meditating with his eyes closed earlier, the other man in his thirties and the woman who had arrived last were giving Lu Li strange looks.

Earlier, the mermaid princess had suggested changing clothes, but only Lu Li and the later-arriving woman had done so. The woman was now wearing a light blue dress, clearly of high quality, while Lu Li was in an exquisite white floral princess dress, bearing the others' gazes with a calm demeanor.

"Alright, you said you needed our help, so what exactly do you need us to do?" Lu Li asked with interest, lifting his foot slightly to test the princess dress's flexibility.

"Please help me. I must be with William!" The mermaid princess's face showed distress as she swam back and forth. "I was the one who saved William, not that neighboring princess. But according to rumors, William seems to believe that princess is the one who saved him. She must have some sinister plot, pretending to be me. I must inform William!"

"So you want us to inform Prince William?" Lu Li's question received a negative response. The mermaid princess shook her head and smiled bitterly. "William wouldn't trust you. Instead, you might be considered spies from another country and be executed."

"Only... only if I appear before William, will he believe. He will definitely remember me!" The mermaid princess reminisced about the underwater kiss and their exchanged glances. Although William was a bit dazed from lack of oxygen then, she was sure that he would recognize her if they met again!

"I want you to go to this place. A powerful sorceress lives there, known for her excellent shape-shifting black magic. I need you to ask her to help me transform into a human." The mermaid princess said sincerely, "Although the entity said no reward is necessary, I will still reward you generously if you can accomplish this quickly!"

The four players received a notification:

**Sub-quest: Seeking the Sorceress**

**Quest Description: Different species, how can they fall in love? Prince William isn't into non-humans, so the first step to marriage is to change species!**

**Quest Objective: Find the shape-shifting master—the mysterious sorceress. Fulfill her requirements to earn the right to transform.**

**Quest Hint: The mysterious sorceress is very powerful, far beyond your current capabilities. So focus on fulfilling her demands...**

**Quest Reward: The poor mermaid princess has already paid, but love makes one blind. Completing the quest will grant you a random magical item usable in this world.**

"I think you understand now. Soon, my attendants will prepare a boat for you to leave. The map and some supplies will be on the boat. Please hurry; William's wedding is approaching." The mermaid princess said, "I won't disturb you further. Good luck!"

The mermaid princess swam away to the palace's back hall, leaving the four players. The woman who arrived last cleared her throat and smiled sweetly. "Since we're teammates in this instance, let's get to know each other. We'll be fighting side by side."

"I'll go first. I'm Gao Xiaowen, enhanced with implants, and I have a melee attack skill." The woman tucked her hair behind her ear, looking every bit the sophisticated city woman. The young man who had been meditating earlier simply said, "Hu Wenxu, mutation type, three skills."

"Xu Haoran, mind control type. I currently have two skills, one of which is a detection skill," said the man in his thirties. "Here's the data I gathered on the mermaid."

"Thanks a lot. Newbies' test instances come with information readouts; it's hard to adjust now that we don't have that." Gao Xiaowen smiled and looked at the data Xu Haoran shared:

**Mermaid (?):**

**Body Evaluation: 2.88; Life Energy Derivation: 0.5**

**Soul Evaluation: 2.39; Mental Energy Derivation: 1.86; Ocean Magic: 4.44**

**Type: Physical Mutation.**

**Cause of Creation: Inspired by a great presence, entered the sea, and coexisted with fish, becoming a half-human, half-fish with excellent pseudo-magical abilities...**

**Special Abilities: (1) Water Surge: Living in the sea for a long time grants them excellent underwater speed and the ability to sense mystical oceanic forces, absorbing ocean magic and casting ocean-related spells. (2) Heavenly Voice: The mermaid's vocal cords have a special structure, allowing them to cast charming spells through magic-infused singing. (3) (?)**

**Weaknesses: Fish can't live without water. There are other weaknesses, but your detection skill isn't high enough...**

**Monster Evaluation: What a peculiar fish-man. I bet you players can't even beat her...**

"Her level is higher than mine, so getting this information is already good," Gao Xiaowen said with a serious expression. The mermaid princess's strength was a bit overwhelming. Although her stats were slightly above theirs, the real danger was her spellcasting abilities.

A player's strength comes from basic enhancements and skills. At the initial stage, players' skill use is rigid, far inferior to the native inhabitants of the instance world who can cast various spells learned through magic. Players, aside from their difficult-to-control enhancements, have fixed skills with no real advantage.

"It's your turn to introduce yourself," Gao Xiaowen said, her expression odd as she looked at Lu Li in his princess dress.

"Just call me Lu Li. I'm a newbie, enhanced with implants. My ability is body control, and I have half a skill called 'Touch of Fear,' which makes any creature I touch feel fear. But since the modules aren't complete, the skill activates slowly. I'm interested in all fun things. Don't you find it interesting to wear women's clothes occasionally?" Lu Li's face was full of sincerity, almost as if he were about to carve "I'm a newbie" on his face.

(End of the chapter)