Great Escape

Harker was horrified by these scenes. All these women scarred their faces and permanently blinded themselves out of desperation. Perhaps shame from not being able to protect their people. But no matter their reasons, it was a terrible fate to suffer. 

["Is this man mute and deaf? If he is, it might take me a while to sense his soul's aura."] Princess Jinzhu's sister on the left said. 

["No, he's not. At least, I believe so. His mouth is just covered and he can't talk underwater. He's a human that can somehow perform the same abilities as that damned Jiaoshe."] 

The elder sister nodded. ["I see…. He must be a cultivator. It's been a while since we encountered one, or any of them that still practices a Dao as powerful as this. But I have heard rumors from above about someone who can emulate the Dao of others into his own….. We jiaorens just never try to trifle with matters above the sea so I do not know much besides that.]

Harker asked Yan in his head. 'Damn, does everyone know your Master Quan Zhi?'

"He is very powerful after all, Master Harker. If they haven't seen or met him personally, they must have at least heard of him." Yan answered. 

The eldest sister told Princess Jinzhu. ['Tell him to at least try to make any sound underneath what is covering his mouth. Even his faintest breathing would do, I must listen to it.']

["There's no need for me to tell him, he had started breathing heavily as we speak."] 

Harker did his best to make any sound, producing bubbles from his regulator. He huffed in and out. He doesn't know how exactly this would convince the sister that he's a good guy, but he's trying to breathe as 'good' as he can.

The eldest sister seemed to somehow be able to hear this despite the distance separating them, and she leaned her ear close to the glass. 

["He is a man that was satisfied with idling in life. He has desires but does not try hard to compete with others in order to achieve them. He values familial relations to the point that it becomes a shackle around his throat that leads him on, forever indebted to those who he loves…. His loyalty thus became his weakness.]

Harker's eyes widened when this mermaid started just telling his life just from the sound of his breaths. 

["This does not just include those he was connected with in blood, but also the one he cherished dearly like a comrade and known for his whole life. This person….. This person has a complicated tie to him. Both affection and apprehension come hand in hand when he is with this person.]

Harker frowned. 'Is she talking about Roland? That's not true at all, I don't feel any "apprehension" towards Roland—'

["Despite his idle attitude, he has a noble heart. He can easily empathize with others and feel the pain of those whom he only met. Even towards his enemies, he could still understand how they came to be and acted the way they did. A strong sense of justice was born from the injustices he faced since birth. And this rekindled when fear and desperation stuck him enough to awaken his courage."]

The whole room was quiet as the Eldest Sister delivered her verdict. Harker waited in even rougher breaths how Princess Jinzhu would react to this. 

The youngest princess turned to him, and she said. 

["I see. Is he also a gentleman? Like Father?"]

The Eldest Sister crane her neck, then shrugged. ["In some ways, yes. A more rugged gentleman, I suppose. But I can sense he respects everyone and does not think highly of himself."]

As if a switch was turning on, Princess Jinzhu's eyes brightened and suddenly her words were now as gentle as her tone. 

["If that is what my sister has sensed, then so be it. Please help us escape, Kind Human."]

Harker raised his eyebrow. All he needed was to prove that he was a gentleman for her to warm up to him…?

'I will, I just need that pearl first. Then we should find a way for you to put it in this tank.' He said. 'Maybe we can do it when they deliver our food to us.'

Princess Jinzhu nodded. "I see, Human sir."

'That's good— Wait. Did you just speak in English!?'

The princess just shrugged. "I did, Sir. We have been here for 15 years, and I was often talked to in English by that snake Jiaoshe. I learn languages and sounds quite fast, I also know the language of whales and dolphins."

Princess Jinzhu suddenly made very realistic dolphin whistles. 

Harker does not know what to say.

It's…. kind of impressive? That's a party talent for sure, though he doubts she gets to attend parties much.

'Then why did you keep on talking in Chinese?' Harker thought. 'When we could have been communicating faster without Yan flying back and forth and showing holographic screens to everyone?"

"Yes!" Yan exclaimed. "Oh, it was so very tiresome, Master! I'm sweating buckets here for nothing!"

The flying eyeball wiped something with bat wings, which might be his sweat? At this point, Harker gave up understanding the eyeball demon's anatomy. 

Princess Jinzhu just smiled. "Well, a gentleman must endure first in order to gain someone's trust, right? I just prefer speaking my language. And speaking English proves how long we've been locked up here, which will bring more joy into that bastard snake's face. I couldn't let him know that I could do it."

She then sighed. "But I do apologize, Human sir. I would not trouble you or your flying jellyfish again. May I know your name, Sir?"

"I'm not a jellyfish!" Yan cried. "I am Yan, the great system assistant!"

Harker could not help but think Princess Jinzhu was the definition of hot and cold. She could be very intense, yet also very sweet at the same time. It's seriously messing with his brain. 

But she seemed like a good person, and she cared for her sisters just like he cared for his family. He can only imagine how difficult it was to be in her place for the past 7 years. 

'Harker. My name is Harker Jones, Your Highness.'

Princess Jinzhu seemed to know that even with the scuba gear, he must be smiling at her. So she smiled back.

"Let us all escape here, Harker the human sir. I'll do everything just to get me and my people out of this place."